Places of worship can reopen with limited capacity. What are plans in Modesto region?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday release of guidelines for places of worship to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic has religious organizations in the Modesto region working to decide their own plans.
While one church is ready to reopen this Sunday, others contacted were deciding how and when to allow congregants back.
Newsom and California health officials on Monday released guidelines while “strongly” recommending that services continue to be held remotely.
For at least the first 21 days after each county revises its public health order to allow activity to resume, the state is requiring that places of worship “limit attendance to 25 percent of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.” After those three weeks, the state and county public health departments will consult and review the effects and reassess.
Big Valley Grace Community Church will open this weekend, Pastor Bobby Kirchner said.
They will hold reduced capacity services at 6 p.m. Saturday and at 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday. People can gather in the main worship center, Kirchner said, and they will have other buildings on the campus where others can watch the service livestreamed.
Online services also continue at Big Valley
They also will continue to stream services online to people who prefer to stay at home. “We understand that some are ready to come back now and some want to stay home longer,” he said.
At least for this first Sunday, they are exploring a ticketing system to determine who gets into the main worship center and then the other buildings. “Once 100 register, that will close that space,” Kirchner said.
Although state health officials are asking places of worship to “strongly consider discontinuing singing, group recitation, and other practices and performances where there is increased likelihood for transmission from contaminated exhaled droplets,” Big Valley will have singing, Kirchner said.
“But we’re going to allow people to make their own decisions,” he said.
There will be no shared items including offering baskets or bulletins, he said. Communion will be in prepared cups and people will pick up their own individual servings.
Other religious groups waiting
But at the Hindu Temple of Modesto, they won’t be reopening anytime soon, according to board member Vidhu Mehra.
“We are going to wait all of June and maybe July,” she said. “We are not yet feeling comfortable to come back to gather.” She said people are happy at this time with services held on Zoom.
They will wait as well at Congregation Beth Shalom, according to Rabbi Shalom Bochner.
“We are taking this very slowly. We’re not going to be among the first to resume,” he said. “We are going to continue conversations. I would safely say it will be at least a few weeks before we contemplate anything in person.”
Bochner pointed out that CBS has never technically closed, having — like many places of worship — moved its services and activities online.
“Our basic approach is to be really cautious and careful,” Bochner said. “As of right now, we don’t feel like it’s the right time.”
It’s logistics at Shelter Cove
At Shelter Cove Community Church, “it’s a matter of logistics because the building is so big,” Executive Pastor Ed Kelley said. Shelter Cove has been holding parking lot services since late April.
“This order, there are so many questions and (vagueness) to it, we can’t open the church this fast with all the things they’re asking us to do,” Kelley said, particularly with the restriction of 100 people.
While they won’t open the building, they will have a service this Saturday at 7 p.m. on the large lawn, Kelley said. People can take lawn chairs or blankets to view the service on 16-by-9 feet video walls.
Pastor Bob Collins at Centenary United Methodist Church said their bishop had said Methodist churches would not open before July 1, but he’s now waiting for further word given the new state order.
Still, “my gut feeling is Centenary will not open up this Sunday just simply because we are going to need more time to get ready,” he said.
“I can’t imagine anything better than that day when we get to be together again,” Collins said. “At the same time, I can’t imagine anything worse than anyone getting sick because we rushed into opening up rather than making sure we did it right.”
Trinity United Presbyterian Church has been holding an 8:30 a.m. outdoor service for a few weeks, with people sitting either on the lawn area or staying in cars in the parking lot, according to Rev. Tres Adams.
He said it’s “been a wonderful service” and that it’s “here to stay,” as long as the weather allows. People are spaced 15 feet apart on the lawn, farther than the guidelines of 6 feet.
They also post a recorded online service at 9:30 a.m. on the church website and Facebook.
Adams said they’re talking about a possible service inside the sanctuary this Sunday, but are not sure whether it’s necessary. “It’s one of those things, we’re not rushing because our outdoor service is so well received.”
Plans for Catholic churches
As for Catholic churches, the Diocese of Stockton’s Chancellor Dyan Hollenhorst said Wednesday morning that they did not yet have a date for opening churches, but are getting closer to deciding. The diocese serves San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Alpine and Mono counties.
She did say the first phase of reopening will continue the Bishop’s dispensation of the obligation to attend Mass — otherwise it would be a mortal sin for Catholics to miss Sunday Mass — since only 100 people can attend. Churches that are doing so will continue to stream Mass online.
At St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Modesto, Pastor Sam West said he’s looking forward to live Masses.
“After ten Sundays, I am very anxious to offer the Holy Eucharist,” West said in an email, “which we know is truly the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, to feed my spiritually hungry flock.”
The Sacramento Bee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
