As Pa. opens back up, churches reopen for Sunday service, others continue with online service

After a couple of months of online religious services, some churches have opened their doors, allowing in-person services while practicing social distancing.

When Gov. Tom Wolf issued stay-at-home orders, many churches and other places of worship reverted to online services to ensure people's health and safety.

But now with restrictions lifting, some churches have opened their doors and have allowed in-person service while continuing to practice social distancing.

Calvary Bible Church in Hanover developed a detailed safety plan for its re-opening on May 17.

The Rev. Dom Aquilino was excited to have the church congregation united for fellowship. Though congregants didn't interact physically, he was still pleased to see people coming out.

"When we had service on the 17th, it was a positive thing to see people coming out to attend service," he said. "What we're trying to do is be as safe as possible and be as sensitive to the concerns out there as much as possible."

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Aquilino encourages people to continue to watch services online if they don't feel safe.

When Aquilino and other leaders of the church started to see the statistics of confirmed cases decreasing, they started brainstorming ideas for how to find a safe way to resume meetings.

"My fellow pastors did a lot of research and looked into what other churches were doing, and they came up with a whole packet of suggestions to see how we could move forward," Aquilino said.

Once Wolf announced that York County would move to the yellow phase, Aquilino thought it would be a good idea to hold in-person services.

The building is not entirely open as the in-person service is the only thing the church is offering right now.

Making changes in the church

Dave Markle, facility manager of the church, had to do some rearranging in the church parking lot and inside the church so people could follow social distancing guidelines that were put in place.

"We put together a parking attendant team that provides directions to people coming for service," Markle said. "Before service, we have cones displayed in the parking lot, so the people have a sense of direction on where to go as they're following the instructions of our attendants."

One thing that the church is doing is making sure there is limited contact when people open doors to get inside the church.

"We have church members in place at the entrance, so people coming in don't have to keep opening the door," Markle said. "We really wanted to make sure we do our best to ensure everyone's safety."

Once people enter the church, they have the option of going to the sanctuary or gymnasium. In the gymnasium, Markle set up tables and chairs where people are at least 6 feet apart.

"If people decide to go to the gymnasium, we have a projector, and they can watch the service while still being in the building," Markle said.

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Inside the sanctuary, pews are roped off every other pew to space the churchgoers apart, and offerings are collected when they first enter the building.

Aquilino said he understands that some people still don't feel comfortable meeting in-person, and they have every right to ensure their safety.

"When we first opened back up, the number of people who attended service was not the same as before everything happened," he said. "But we have been pleased to see people coming out to be a part of our service."

Some churches still online

For the time being, online services are still being offered.

The Rev. Mark Fitch, pastor of LCBC Church in Springettsbury Township, is looking forward to having the building open again.

"Our approach is to make the decision to re-gather in our buildings as government/health organization guidelines allow, people feel comfortable with gathering together in larger groups, and use of masks or social distances are personal choices, and when gathering in-person provides a better experience than what we can offer online," Fitch said in an email.

Fitch understands that all churches are different and making the best decisions for their congregations.

"We know that there are different circumstances and factors each church will consider as they make plans on the right time for them to reopen, and we know that the timing will look different from church to church," he said.

More:Our church is - and has been - 'open.' But not for indoor services. Not until it's safe

Christ Lutheran Church in York said it will continue to do online services. The church does plan to offer vacation bible school during the summer.

 The church decided to not postpone the program, which will run from July 12-16.

At Calvary Bible Church, they will continue to move forward with caution and will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and make adjustments as necessary.

Kevin Moore is the Sports Life Reporter for the York Daily Record where he dives into a beat finding stories that have a deeper meaning than sports itself. These days, he also focuses on issues of faith in the age of the coronavirus. He can be reached at kemoore@ydr.com, 717-309-4814, or on Twitter at @kevmoore93.

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