I attended in person worship for the first time in over a year earlier today!
First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth created and has continually updated and followed a reopening plan that is based on data not dates. After a few months of providing a parking lot service during which all attendees were required to remain in their vehicles (I shared my initial experience in “New Year, New Worship Experience”), the congregation added an in person element to this weekly worship service beginning March 7, 2021.
When I registered to reserve two of the available twenty outdoor seats on the plaza, I was asked to agreed to a covenant that included agreeing
- not to attend if I was ill or suffering from COVID-19 symptoms
- not to attend if I was exposed to someone who is sick (in general)
- to be mindful of interactions with others prior for the two weeks prior to the service
- to stay 6 feet away from others during the service, excepting members of my own household
- to wear a mask during the service (including not bringing food or drink or removing the mask for any other reason)
The Experience
My wife and I enjoyed a pleasant 12 minute walk to the campus of First Presbyterian Church. With the temperature just below 60 degrees Fahrenheit and rising, wind gusts served as the only minor distraction.
On arrival, we were greeted by one of the pastors who explained how the seats were set up and what we should expect and also by a greeter who provided us with a worship bulletin.
We ended up seated on the front row for the first time in this congregation since all of the paired seats were located there. From this position we had unobstructed views of the entire service, and were able to hear the musical and spoken elements clearly.
Overall, the service was a lot like the services offered before the onset of pandemic. The main changes I noted include:
- being outside (seated in a socially distanced manner, wearing masks)
- having children remain with their families rather than come forward for the children’s message
- remaining seated for the duration of the service
- needing to be intentional to hold on to my bulletin (mainly during the occasional wind gusts)
So What?
Indoor worship is not something I’d recommend to anyone right now (for more on this check back for tomorrow’s post, which will focus on giving up indoor worship as part of the Giving Up the Church I Always Knew series).
Outdoor worship using COVID-19 safety protocols is one way to safely allow people to gather in person to experience something similar to what was normative indoors prior to the pandemic.
If you’ve tried outdoor worship, I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences. Let me know what went well, what you felt needed modification, and why you will or will not continue to attend an outdoor offering.
Additional Reading
Check out my earlier thoughts on life without in person worship