Church services move to nontraditional measures for Christmas
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Pastor Dan Borchert of the New Stanton Alliance Church knew he had to get creative if he wanted to include everybody in this year’s Christmas Eve service.
Before Thursday’s traditional service, Borchert is hosting a drive-in service where people can pull up to the church, sing Christmas carols and discuss the meaning of the holiday. The event begins at 4 p.m. and will last about a half hour. The traditional service will begin at 7 p.m.
“There are people that are just not comfortable being inside with everybody right now and I get that,” Borchert said. “So, I didn’t want them to miss out on a chance to be with the church on Christmas Eve.”
A resurgence of covid-19 cases across the region has caused several area churches to scale back their Christmas services this year, once again upending worship during a peak religious season as it did this spring, forcing church leaders to get creative in how they provide services to account for larger crowds typically seen during the season.
Church leaders now hoping to avoid those large crowds at their services are turning to unconventional methods like livestreaming so people can watch from home or adding additional services so people are able to social distance.
Greensburg First United Methodist Church is providing online-only services, which run through Jan. 3. In a letter posted on the church’s website, the Rev. Kevin Haley cited recent guidance from the state that limits indoor gatherings to 10 people as the reason why the decision was made.
Haley acknowledged those mitigation orders do not apply to places of worship after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in New York and California that religious gathering are excluded.
Still, he wrote churches “are strongly encouraged to find alternative methods of worship, as in-person gathering poses a significant risk to participants at this time. While this is an incredibly difficult recommendation to make, faith leaders must carefully weigh the health risks to their congregants.”
Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church in Murrysville took similar measures after the orders were announced, canceling in-person services until Jan. 10. Services, including the Christmas Eve service, will be streamed online. Harrold Zion Lutheran Church in Hempfield is also livestreaming a service, which will begin at 4:30 p.m.
In Lower Burrell, Bethesda Evangelical Lutheran Church, which also closed to in-person services when the orders went into effect, will stream a service starting at 3 p.m. on Facebook. Tetelestai Church in New Kensington is taking similar measures, live streaming a Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m.
While the North Apollo Church of God is working to make Christmas Eve as normal as possible, it is adding additional services throughout the day so people are able to social distance, and registration is required. A livestream of the service will also be posted for those not comfortable with attending an in-person service.
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg is televising Christmas Masses in addition to its in-person services. A Christmas Vigil at Greensburg’s Blessed Sacrament Cathedral will be broadcast at 2 p.m. on its website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. A 10 a.m. Mass will also be streamed Christmas Day.
In late October, Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik granted permission for Christmas Vigil Masses to begin as early as 2 p.m. Christmas Eve Masses are usually required to be celebrated in the evening. Many parishes will also livestream services.
Similar to New Stanton Alliance Church, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Allison Park will hold a drive-in service beginning at 7 p.m. in the church parking lot. The church is also offering a pre-recorded service, a call-in service and a children and family Zoom celebration.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon is livestreaming services, starting at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Another service will be livestreamed Christmas Day at 10 a.m.
Due to the mix of services that are taking place Thursday, Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania is working to bring people across the region together by having them light a candle, go outside their homes and sing “Silent Night.” The goal is to unite people without physically congregating.
Executive Minister Liddy Barlow said staff came up with the idea after realizing singing “Silent Night” on Christmas Eve is something people across the Christian faith can relate to.
“For many of us that’s the quintessential Christmas Eve experience and so with services looking so different this year … we’re not going to be able to have exactly that same experience so we wanted to recapture a little bit of what has made Christmas Eve so special,” Barlow said.
People are asked to begin singing, whether it is with their entire neighborhood or just themselves, at 6:30 Thursday evening.
“At this time with so many people feeling lonely, feeling distant and disconnected, it’s really important to be reminded of all of the ways we are actually connected to each other and that Christians everywhere are united by our faith and by our shared hope,” she said. “I think this is just a way of symbolizing that and helping us remember that importance truth.”