Local churches are preparing for their second Easter long weekend during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle Pastor Lindsay Stevenson, says the Westmount Drive church will be open during Easter weekend for up to 30% capacity, meaning they can welcome up to 90 people inside.
Despite being able to open up their doors to the public, Easter weekend services will still be different from the big celebrations that were held in years past.
“We used to all get together and pack the church with 400 plus people, but this year we just can’t,” Stevenson said.
Although services will be restricted this weekend, Stevenson says parishioners are just thankful for the opportunity to celebrate the religious holiday in some capacity.
“Everyone is still adjusting to restrictions like wearing their mask, staying six feet apart, having everything sanitized, but I think everyone is just feeling fortunate that we are able to be open,” he said.
The church will be having its normal Good Friday service Friday morning at 10:30, while Easter service on Sunday morning will also be at 10:30 a.m. Those who would like to follow along at home can do so as the services will be streamed live on the church's Facebook Page.
Stevenson says he still believes it’s important for the church community to gather for Easter, as long as everyone is taking proper precautions.
“Naturally people enjoy coming to church. People are able to stand up and wave to each other and feel like they are still a part of a family and a fellowship,” he said.
“A lot of people from Monday through Saturday are alone, so when they come out it’s so important to them not only spiritually, but psychologically, and emotionally.”
Following Easter weekend, the church will be making a donation to various homeless shelters in the Orillia community.
“We have been collecting non-perishable food all week, and we will continue that until June, but we will be taking what we’ve collected thus far, as well as a special offering, and giving it to help the different places that are in need,” Stevenson said.
Over at St. James’ Anglican Church on Peter Street, priest John Anderson is preparing for a virtual Easter weekend.
“Even though we can, we will not be opening our parish building up for services right now,” he said.
“We have taken the position that if we are supposed to be keeping ourselves safe by staying with our families and not being in public spaces, then that should include our churches," Anderson explained.
This will be the second Easter in a row that St. James’ Anglican Church will remain closed to the public, which isn’t ideal, but it’s what’s necessary to keep the church community safe, Anderson says.
“Given the fact that we have an aging congregation, our COVID safety committee decided that for the health and well-being of our parishioners it did not make sense to come in to worship,” he said.
“Until we get more vaccinations, and the numbers start to go down, especially with the variant, we will continue to videotape our services," he told OrilliaMatters.
Despite not being open to the public, Anderson says the church’s online services have been going well.
“We’ve been having scripture studies and book studies through Zoom, and we’ve been reaching out by telephone to make sure everybody is OK,” he said.
“We are a worshiping community, we are a religion that meets every Sunday, we are a part of the fabric of the Orillia community, so our team wanted to find ways to keep in contact with our community," he said.
Easter services begin on Good Friday when St. James’ Anglican Church joins forces with St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, and St. Paul’s. On Easter Sunday, the church is hosting a breakfast gathering on Zoom at 9:30 a.m., which will be followed by a service that can be watched on the church’s Facebook page.
“We’ve brought in a cello player, a violinist, and a bassist to be with the singers, so it will certainly be a very worshipful service for everybody on Sunday,” Anderson said.
At Cornerstone Baptist Church on Coldwater Road, pastor Paul Carter will be a part of three different Sunday morning services beginning at 9 a.m. The services can be attended in person at either the Coldwater Road location or the church's second location on Gill Street, or online.
“Every Sunday a worship service in a church is a small Easter, and then Easter Sunday is the capital Easter. People typically wear bright clothes, the music is louder, the singing is louder, that’s typically how Easter goes,” Carter said.
While Easter is usually a massive celebration for the Cornerstone Baptist Church community, Carter says this year things will be “muted.”
“People, in general, are a little muted right now, a little depressed, a little anxious, so we want to help people see what there is to be confident about, what there is to be excited about, and what to hold onto,” he said.
Despite the risks of gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter says that gathering in some capacity for Easter Sunday is important.
“There is more to life than just safety and minimizing your opportunity for infection even as important as it is. We’ve followed all protocols here and that’s important, but at the same time life is important, worship is important, and seniors being seen and spoken to is important,” he said.
“Our people are really appreciative of the opportunity that we have, even though we have to wear a mask and be six feet apart.”
Despite restrictions, the church is still planning on having special services this weekend.
“We have some baptisms planned, which we have been cautious about doing, but you can only put life on hold for so long,” Carter said.
“There are people who have wanted to be baptized for months, but they haven’t come forward because of the restrictions, but we are allowed to do it if we are properly masked and following restrictions.”
Carter says those who attend Easter services this weekend will be glad that they did, adding it will help both spiritually and psychologically.
“If you believe what Easter celebrates, then I think that changes your approach to all of these things (with COVID),” he said.
“Of course, you are going to be extremely careful and respectful with the health of those around you, but at the same time, you’re focused on realities that are transcendent," said Carter.
"If you have a desire to know this God, you have a desire to be in fellowship with God and one another, then you are probably a little less fearful, a little more joyful, and I think that will come out at Easter," he said.
