Hopwood Christan Church has resumed in-person services. The first service took place on Sunday in accordance with COVID-19 regulations. More than 100 attendees gathered outdoors for fellowship.
As the pandemic spread, places of worship changed the way services were held in order to decrease the chances of infection. This involved live streaming services and mandating COVID-19 regulations. However, things are slowly beginning to return to “normal.”
Hopwood stopped holding services on March 22. To be productive during that time, a re-entry team was assembled to help plan for the future. John Jackson, associate professor of Bible and humanities and member of the church, commented on the team.
“The re-entry team discusses the current COVID-19 statistics in our region, noting any trends. We discuss policies for smaller gatherings of members, all designed to promote connection but also promoting good health practices (social distancing, wearing masks, limited sizes of groups, etc.),” said Jackson. “The team has been cautious and conservative to protect the health of our community, using the best guidance being given out by local, state, and national health authorities.”
The re-entry team is made of a wide range of specialists that helped influence the decision making process. Timothy Ross, minister of Hopwood, further details the members of the team.
“We have about a dozen people meet by Zoom as a re-entry committee,” stated Ross. “In that group we have members of the church who are medical professionals, a psychologist, a counselor, several staff members, and representatives from our worship, fellowship, safety, and communication teams.”
The church has attempted forms of in- person services in the past months. On July 5, they hosted a drive-in service in the Gregory Center parking that was self-described as a “great success.” However, this ceased when numbers of infected began to escalate in July.
With this new strategy in place, concerns may arise to the possible contamination of the individuals attending the service. But, when asked about the importance of a face to face service, Ross had this to say.
“We realize that from a mental health perspective, it’s really hard on our congregation to be isolated from one another for a long time. We need to see one another,” said Ross. “We need to have some hope for better days ahead. We are trying lots of things online—game nights and check-ins and phone calls…but it’s hard to beat face to face interaction.”
The church will now try these meetings monthly while keeping an eye on the pandemic. Ross would like to make it known to new students that they have a place at the church.
“We want students to know how welcome they are. We will carefully do what we can, led by a couple of wonderful university interns, Cari Gregg and Michael Tomczak. If you want to get involved, write to us at hopwood@hopwoodcc.org. Join us for bi-weekly Friday evening gatherings! Follow us on Facebook or YouTube. Join our next outdoor service!”
Headline photo: The congregation of Hopwood Christian Church practices safety measures while being in communion with one another. Photo courtesy of Hopwood Christian Church Facebook page.