Stanislaus County places of worship can reopen indoor services with limited capacity
Stanislaus County’s move to red tier status in the state’s coronavirus reopening plan means places of worship can reopen their doors to live services.
Capacity, however, remains limited to a maximum of 25 percent or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
Among Modesto places of worship contacted this week, plans are mixed as to whether they’ll open their doors.
Congregation Beth Shalom, for instance, will not change to indoor services. “We will continue to meet outside with physical distancing and face covers and also provide a Zoom option,” Rabbi Shalom Bochner said in an email.
“We feel safer outside and have a good setup that accommodates this, at least until it gets cold and rainy. We want to do whatever we can to ensure that we are protecting people’s health and safety.”
But Big Valley Grace Community Church will open for indoor services this Saturday and Sunday, according to Executive Pastor Bobby Kirchner.
“We were preparing and are prepared that this weekend we will ... (hold) indoor services,” he said.
Big Valley also will continue its outdoor service, as well as those live streamed.
Because Big Valley has several buildings, they will be able to hold multiple in-person services, he said.
“We are confident we can spread people out,” Kirchner said. “We’re not sure what the response will be, but we’re going to make room for everybody that comes (outdoor or indoors).”
They’ll ask people to wear masks when they can’t stay 6 feet apart.
This isn’t the first time regional places of worship have been allowed to reopen. They were given the OK to hold indoor services with the same limited capacity in May, but had to close in July because of an increase in coronavirus cases.
But on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom gave the green light to lesser restrictions for Stanislaus County, allowing more reopenings as cases have lightened.
Some won’t rush to reopen
At the Hindu Temple of Modesto, they will wait and discuss their options, according to board member Vidhu Mehra.
“We will have to meet and figure it out,” she said. “Maybe next month” they will open indoors.
Mehra said the temple’s Zoom program is going well and that “everybody is comfortable with that.”
Rev. Michael Schiefelbein of College Avenue United Church of Christ said the church council likely will discuss what to do at its regular Sunday meeting. They will not have live services this weekend.
Currently, they’re holding small communion services outdoors with eight to nine people invited on a rotating basis. They also are live streaming the regular Sunday service.
Schiefelbein said he may invite more to this Sunday’s outdoor service and that they are inclined to remain outside rather than inside the sanctuary.
“There are just some logistics that have to be figured out,” he said. That includes singing during services. During streamed services there is singing inside the sanctuary.
“I would feel nervous about having that kind of singing with a lot of people in the sanctuary,” Schiefelbein said.
“We don’t have a lot of people pushing to get into the sanctuary,” he added.
Others prepare for indoor services
According to an email from the Catholic Diocese of Stockton, which serves the Modesto region, indoor Masses will return with the limited capacity in Stanislaus County.
Six-feet physical distancing of people of different households will be observed and masks will be required, according to the email. There will be no singing during indoor Masses.
Daily Masses at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Modesto were to begin on Wednesday, one in the morning and one in the evening, said Pastor Sam West. All indoor Masses will be limited to 100 people.
Ultimately there will be 11 Masses between Saturdays and Sundays, in the church, in the hall and outside. This weekend there will only be one Saturday Mass, however, because the church is holding a virtual festival, West said.
St. Joseph’s also will continue to offer a live streamed service.
“We’re very happy to be able to serve our people in a setting in a sacred place,” West said, “especially now that it’s getting colder. This is a very good step.”
Shelter Cove Community Church will open its doors this weekend, according to Executive Pastor Ed Kelley.
Services will be held Saturday and Sunday in its auditorium and its event center. Outdoor lawn services also will continue, as well as those online, he said. In addition, there is a large separate tented area outside.
They’ll socially distance and have protocols for masks. “Some people don’t want to be around people not wearing masks,” he said.
Others can’t always wear their masks if they have coffee or a food item, for instance, he added. So Shelter Cove will keep people separated, with those who want masks kept on in the event center.
Orangeburg Avenue Baptist Church will have a live indoor service on Sunday, according to Pam Harris, who handles church secretary and finance duties.
Chairs will be distanced six feet apart and they will request people wear masks unless there’s a medical reason that they can’t, she said.
The church also will continue its online streaming of services.
“This has been very hard on the church,” Harris said. “We have quite a few older folks in our congregation and most of those aren’t coming back yet.”
