Continuing to pray: Area congregations, leaders met with new challenges

GALENA–As churches face the new reality of life during the pandemic, congregational leaders are trying to reach their worshipers in new ways and to reach those that may be in need.

Pastor Bill Longmore of Crossroads Community Church has been challenged over the past couple of days with the new regulations and recommendations that are coming out daily on preventative measures that are being taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“Right now our doors are closed for the time being for worship,” said Longmore.

Longmore believes his church is adequately prepared for the difficult times ahead where he isn’t able to preach directly to worshippers at his church, but instead will make do with an online format.

“Right now we are being asked to be socially distant, but we aren’t socially disconnecting,” said Longmore. “We are connecting socially now more than ever.”

Longmore said that for years the church has had shirts that have read “the church has left the building.” Longmore wasn’t aware how prophetic that saying would become.

On Wednesday, March 18, Crossroads Community Church, which serves many different communities, unveiled its plan on how services will continue through this time of social distancing.

“Everything is online, every ministry is and will be online,” said Longmore. “We will have volunteers online to communicate and connect.

Longmore said that the youth group and kids ministry programs will also be available online.

Crossroads Community Church has also continued its outreach program and has reached out to community organizations, groups and others to see if they are in need of assistance during these challenging times.

“We are finding out how we can be of help,” said Longmore. “Community has always been our calling and we are trying to do that. We have heard that most help is needed for food pantries at this time.”

Longmore said that church officials have also unveiled plans to the congregation on ways that they can help local food pantries either through donating food or financial donations. The church is looking for other organizations that are in need of help as well. The church is working with River Bend Food Pantry to figure out how the drive can continue with the new regulations.

“The hardest thing for me is that I am a very relational person,” said Longmore. “I like to shake hands, give hugs, but the team and I have decided that we will call every single congregation member throughout the week, so that we have some sort of personal contact with every person that we have.”

Longmore said that the church was worried about the consequences of COVID-19. He said he was afraid that many of the congregation members would be upset that the government would limit the numbers at the church.

He said that Crossroads have been referencing scripture.

“We clearly believe in Romans 13 that states that we are to honor the authority that God has put in place,” said Longmore. “Even though we in the flesh might not agree with the decisions being made. Spiritually, we want to lead. That is why we made the drastic decisions that we did.”

Longmore said that they were questioned by some about their decision to cancel on Sunday, March 15, when other congregations didn’t, but Longmore said that Crossroads wanted to honor the authority that God put in place.

“We believe that this is our finest hour,” said Longmore.

Longmore said that attendance at church services on a typical weekend, among all of their churches in the area, is around 1,500-1,800. However, the church’s services this weekend were watched by 3,500 and by Tuesday, March 17, that number was approaching 7,000.

“We wouldn’t have that impact or that reach, if we would have been stuck in our building,” said Longmore. “We are believing that more and more people will catch on and watch. We are poised to continue through this.”

Longmore said that the early church was persecuted and had to worship in small groups and he said that those small groups helped the church grow.

“I think we are going to grow because of this,” said Longmore.

Crossroads has said that they will continue the ministry in the building or outside.

“I think our online presence will become something greater than it is right now,” said Longmore. “We are going to have a virtual service just as if you were going to walk through our doors.”

Longmore said that the congregation is still in contact with him.

“I have received more phone calls, texts and emails than I ever have,” said Longmore. “People still want to stay connected. The feedback has been very much that they are thankful for leaders that are willing to take a stand and do what they believe is right.”

Longmore said that he and 10 other church leaders have been discussing ways to move the church into the online realm for the period of time necessary.

“The choice was super difficult for me,” said Longmore. “It hasn’t been something we have taken lightly, but we feel that it is the best we can do as shepherds of the flock.”

Making reservations

The Rev. Mike Nesbitt of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elizabeth was taking a new approach to serve his congregation and continue his ministry during the coronavirus pandemic after a meeting with the church’s council of elders.

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod won’t dictate the entire denomination or order them to shutdown their churches. They will allow the churches to make the decision that they determine is best for their individual congregations.

Nesbitt asked the church elders on the evening of Wednesday, March 18 about the direction they wanted to take as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and orders on group size restrictions.

“As far as I am concerned, the church has been dealing with situations like this for 2,000 years, the bubonic plague and others,” said Nesbitt. “We are called to be the church, but being the church we also have to follow the guidelines presented by the government.”

Following Executive Order No. 8 from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, which issued the stay-at-home order, Nesbitt and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church decided to postpone their services.

Nesbitt said that he seeks the fourth commandment as his guidance on following the role of those in authority roles and the fifth commandment in order to do anything to not spread the virus.

“As long as we follow every single guideline, recommendation and limitation, but we can give people the opportunity, if they want, to worship,” said Nesbitt.

The church follows President Donald Trump’s guideline of 10 people or fewer in planning worship services.

St. Paul’s was finding ways to make the church as safe as possible for parishioners by ensuring that they didn’t have to touch the doors to enter, ensuring they didn’t have to touch the books and keeping with social distancing recommendations.

“In order to do everything in good proper order, we are having people schedule with us like they are making dinner reservations,” said Nesbitt. “Call ahead. . .do you want the modern-day service on Saturday night or would you like the more traditional pipe organ service on Sunday morning? The reservations are coming straight to me, that way people are able to continue to worship if they want. I don’t want to have people waiting in the parking lot to come in.”

St. Paul has a large social media presence and has been providing information to the congregation on their plans and elders are reaching out to others who aren’t connected on social media.

Nesbitt was concerned that other denominations that aren’t as willing to open up their churches during this time could distance themselves even further from those who are interested in worshipping.

“People will be flocking to the churches. Until the government in any form forbids us, then we will stop,” said Nesbitt.

Nesbitt was concerned that with an older population, fewer people will be able to worship as many don’t have access to the internet. That’s why he believed his congregation was doing the right thing and allowing people to enter the church.

Truncated masses

Rev. Jim McCrea, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Galena, said that he has been involved in many meetings with others involving the Zoom app and he is working on deciding if that might be a route to go for his church.

Like other churches, McCrea is working to find the best way to reach his congregation. He said that on Sunday, March 22, the church service was presented on Facebook Live with a truncated version of the usual Sunday service.

Other plans that congregations had in place have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. McCrea said that the First Presbyterian Church had six meals planned throughout the month and that only two were able to take place before the rest cancelled.

McCrea said that even though it has been a challenging time, many in the church have stepped up to help others, including some who are bringing food or performing shopping tasks for homebound congregation members.