A Sunday without church is the emerging new normal.
Devoted Christians have no other choice but to stay indoors on a day to
a daily basis. Corona is boundless; any person, whether a dynasty or the common
man, is vulnerable. With the prevalence of this virus, the clergy and its
parishioners have to conform with the stringent measures most governments set
since the chapels, cathedrals, and catholic parishes were a spot for large
congregations. You as a family praying and worshipping at home is far much
undeniably a better course in curbing the widespread illness. It takes only you
and me to save humanity from slipping into the arms of the deadly virus. Social
distancing it is!
Well, governments worldwide are not alone in
fighting the global pandemic. Religious leaders have taken the matter into
their hands. The escalating coronavirus cases are alarming and a worrying
situation. These forces combined puts the world in a better place to combat
enemy disease. So, how are churches today handling the coronavirus menace? How
are they coping with it?
Some churches are working hand in hand
with medical authorities in finding new ways of helping the community battle
against COVID-19. The church of the Highlands in Birmingham, for instance,
partnered with Assurance Scientific Laboratories. The sole purpose is providing
Alabama residents with drive-through tests, especially those showing symptoms
associated with the coronavirus.
Churches, in response to the pandemic, have spearheaded communications about all that pertains coronavirus in a bid to create awareness to their congregants on the same. Some precautionary measures may seem obvious and taken less seriously. Christians are not excluded. Many parishes in Britain, however, still encourage people to avoid hand-shaking as a sign of peace and have paused distributing the Precious Blood in a common chalice. Several dioceses in Ireland, Singapore, and Malta disapprove and further, banned receiving the Holy Communion on the tongue.
On the contrary, critics such as the Catholic Herald Columnist Fr John Zuhlsdorf advocate for the reception of the Holy Communion in hand, if at all the tongue is said to be the channel the virus spreads. Many Catholics, through their extensive network of hospitals and health clinics, have been voluntarily engaged in offering medical services to the ailing population within their reach as an act of love and compassion. The parishes and dioceses are all over the world, which credits them to be an easier and trusted means of reaching remote areas than NGOs.
Nearly all churches internationally have relentlessly canceled its church operations till further notice, from public masses, weddings, baptisms to recent Easter celebrations. Such is to prevent close social interactions with infected persons unknowingly. Having done that, it does not mean the church has gone forever. Church services are still conducted online, thanks to technology and its way of bonding us with the church community. So as a churchgoer, you need not worry anymore.
The church going digital – digital transformation
The church embracing digitization exhibits a brilliant move to eradicating social gatherings. Sometimes, change is inevitable. Most pastors, reverends, bishops, and the likes, are ramping up digital ways, precisely media platforms, to keep hold of the community amid the COVID-19 epidemic. Therefore, what are these technologies being adopted?
