Churches around Alberta were given the green light to reopen services with restrictions under the province’s first phase of relaunch back in May. However, while some have been up and running for months, others are now just reopening.
The Central Church of Christ in Lethbridge only returned to services earlier this month, after needing time to figure out the safest way to return in-person.
“Our normal attendance is around 55 for our group, but we have three other groups that meet in this building,” said chairman of the board, Jesse Kurtz.
“We felt that in order for us to get together, we had to do something different.”
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After consulting with Alberta Health Services and the City of Lethbridge, the church went ahead and ordered plexiglass to hang from the ceiling. The panels provide separation between each pew, allowing it to seat near-normal capacity.
“Prior to that, with physical distancing, we would have maybe been able to sit 35 people,” said Harold Cooper, pastor at the Central Church of Christ. “Now, it means that we can actually go to 80 or more people in our building.”
In addition to the plexiglass, Cooper points out the church is aiming to be very diligent with sanitization between each group, and ensuring non-cohorts are sitting six feet apart, adding he is glad to have his congregation back in a safe manner.
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“Seeing them here, and seeing [a sparkle] in their eye, you can see that they’re happy to be here,” he said.
With two churches in the Lethbridge area experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks in recent weeks, Kurtz says it’s troubling to see, but is confident with the measures the church is putting in place.
“I feel really good about it. Despite the numbers in the city going up, I believe we’ve taken steps that go above and beyond what most churches are doing,” he said.
“I feel quite safe,” said member Eileen Schmidt. “I wish other people would do some of the same things.”
By the time the rest of the five-foot by 30-inch plexiglass sheets arrive, it will have more than 40 panels to cover each pew and the front area of the church.