One year later: churches are still adjusting to COVID

One year ago, the coronavirus crippled not only the area but the country, closing businesses, schools and altering the way of life for many. Among those seeing the biggest impact were churches as in-person religious services came to a halt.

Instead of holding Easter and Mother’s Day services in-person, many were held online or not at all as churches were forced to adjust quickly. Many have adjusted and now a year later churches are still trying to navigate the effects of the pandemic.

“I never dreamed how quickly things could change in one year,” said John McHaffie, lead pastor at Sikeston First Assembly of God. “From our purpose to our facility, we had to reimagine a church without walls, without potlucks, without pastoral calls, etc. We had to re-evaluate the simple things; donut and coffee fellowship, Sunday School, small groups and we had to reevaluate hugging and hand shaking.”

McHaffie said he felt like they came through with a new purpose and priorities.

“Jesus never changes, but sometimes our programs and church structures need to be assessed and updated,” McHaffie said.

One of the things that was updated was churches quickly used the internet and specifically social media to reach their congregations.

“This past year has been frustrating and exciting,” said Mike Wondel, pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Sikeston. “We’ve been able to do more with online worship and groups than we’ve ever thought possible. But I also know it’s been hard for many to not see people regularly in worship.”

Wondel said things like funerals, weddings, groups and missions have all had to be re-imagined, but there have also been many beautiful stories of new ministries starting and creative ways to connect with one another.

“In the future we have made investments into online worship and will continue to improve video and audio,” Wondel said. “But we are actively seeking an online coordinator to help us think about how we can improve engagement for those who may primarily connect with First UMC online in the future.”

Wondel said they now have regular participants from Denver, Texas, Pittsburg and many other places around the country and they are figuring out ways to help them get involved in sharing Christ in their communities.

McHaffie said at Sikeston First Assembly they will forever make online church a priority.

“I think this is a great option for people traveling, shut-in, sick or anyone who would like to try our church by watching online,” McHaffie said.

While some watch online, many have returned to in-person services. But the services are a bit different than they were just a year ago.

“We are mostly back to normal, however, normal will forever be a new normal,” McHaffie said. “I am not in a hurry to get our donut fellowship before church started up again, nor am I in a hurry to allow potlucks. However, we have attempted a couple catered meals with social distancing options and that has worked for us.”

McHaffie added their Sunday School is also up and running, but anyone 18 and under are required to get a temperature check before attending. They also recommend social distancing, use of masks, hand sanitizer, temperature checks and other recommendations, however, they do not enforce it and leave it up to the individual and their family.

Wondel said they have had many changes as the COVID-19 numbers continue to change.

“Currently we are asking people to wear masks, maintain social distancing and we space out seating to give more room in worship. Due to the increases in vaccinations and decrease in active cases in SEMO, I expect soon to have masks be optional,” Wondel said.

He added they have noticed a change in attendance but it is difficult to measure online attendance.

“Some people used to attend in person, and now may fully worship online,” Wondel said. “Others have (or will) return to in person worship. Attendance is certainly changing, and I am excited to find new ways to help people love God and love others.”

McHaffie said that Sikeston First Assembly is running at about 60-70% less than they were a year ago as he has seen a reluctance in some to return to church, something he understands.

“COVID-19 is a nasty disease that we should take seriously and if you feel vulnerable, stay home,” McHaffie said. “My opinion is that you should be able to make that decision without any judgment. This is another reason that we are expanding our online community.”

Wondel said he tries not to forget that every person has a reason to make the choices they are making.

“I appreciate all the decisions people are making about their health and participating in various events,” Wondel said. “We will continue to have a great online worship experience, in addition to in-person worship opportunities.”

Wondel said while he has had friends lose jobs and businesses have lost income, they still have seen an increase in their giving in the last year.

“Last year our giving was over 3% increase, and our expenses were lower,” Wondel said. “So we were able to give over $75,000 to help people and organizations in our community, not to mention all the money we’ve given around the world.”

McHaffie said while the giving at Sikeston First Assembly has been up and down, they too have been able to help the community.

“In May, my wife Susan and I and Terry Daily a church board member took a journey to the St. Louis area to attend a Food Program training. Since May 13 of 2020, our church has provided over 100,000 meals regionally to kids 3-18 years of age,” McHaffie said. “We made food insecurity our problem and began to do something about it.”

The Helping Hands Food Program is now distributing food to four sites weekly in the region while feeding nearly 500 kids with seven suppers, seven snacks and one gallon of milk.

“COVID-19 helped us to reimagine our purpose and has allowed us to be a blessing and spread the hope of Jesus,” McHaffie said.

Wondel said Sikeston has many great churches, and prays that everyone finds one to get involved with.

“The reason we have so many wonderful churches is because of the people that invest their hearts, work, giving and leadership,” Wondel said. “In so many ways God blesses the community through the churches. Of course I would invite people to First UMC, but I would encourage them to go somewhere.”