One Year of Church in a Pandemic

For many believers, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected many people which has created challenges to preserve through. Last year, when the virus started to spread, houses of worship suspended services during a state order shut down to protect the health of others. As almost all of the churches were shut down, many places were forced to deny service and solace to others in need of support. Some people took measures into their own hands and congregated at churches near them. At this time, there is nothing more important than to strengthen social connectedness and seek reconciliation with our communities. Some churches have since reopened with limited capacity, but others will continue to remain closed for in person mass, meetings, and worship. 

As the pandemic took hold in New Hampshire, churches had to become accustomed to finding new ways to worship their religion. With the in person services suspended, leaders of faith found themselves being forced to learn daunting technology such as Zoom and Google Meet to engage with the members of their church. Deacon Rick Hilton, pastoral associate at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Alton, New Hampshire stated to Union Leader, “Our first live streaming system was a desktop telephone and a desktop computer with a really obsolete camera duct-taped to a tripod. We really needed to get the word to the people, and we were really scrambled.” As new technology is being used to communicate with others who worship, it has helped over the past year in the most positive way possible.

As a year of the pandemic has passed, and the snow recedes after a long winter, Easter Sunday has led to a revival of hope and a spiritual rebirth. As many can recall, the Covid-19 pandemic hit New England just before Easter of 2020. Once the news spread, it not only disrupted life, but it was upsetting to religious and other gatherings. We have constructed many creative ways in which we can connect with each other. Whether it is through facetime, social media, or other types of internet communities, we have found many ways to communicate. There is now more optimism on new tactics to interact socially and stay safe at the same time. 

Many important events such as weddings were postponed. Furthermore, funerals had to be kept very small and socially distanced. One local place of worship called the Center Conway Baptist Church began to offer socially distanced drive-in services in its parking lot. Due to this change, they were able to keep the spirit of the lord alive and continue to worship throughout the year. “It kind of brought us into the 21st century,” said Pastor Erick Ness to The Conway Daily Sun. He also talked about how he preached from the church’s steps to the congregation in their vehicles. New ideas and creative activities will continue to grow as many try their best to keep houses of worship safe and thriving.