Houses of worship aim to spread the gospel and not germs during coronavirus crisis
UPDATE: Information on Tacoma Buddhist Temple has been added.
The coronavirus is interfering with jobs, schools, health care and other aspects of daily living. Spiritual life hasn’t been immune.
Faith leaders from across the region are changing the way they interact with their congregations and preparing for even more drastic measures should the virus switch to community spread.
In South Korea, the virus’s spread was accelerated at a church that accounted for 60 percent of the country’s 4,000 confirmed cases.
Leaders in the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish communities tell The News Tribune they want to keep their congregations healthy above all else and are changing the way they worship and conduct business.
Catholic churches
During the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s attention has been focused on a Kirkland senior care facility linked to the majority of Washington’s deaths.
A priest who anointed a sick resident at the facility is now in quarantine because of a possible exposure to the coronavirus, said Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg.
Father Kurt Nagel from Holy Family Catholic Church in Kirkland anointed the patient at Life Care Center before anyone knew coronavirus was in the facility. The patient later tested positive for the virus.
Public Health — Seattle & King County recommended that Nagel self-quarantine. The parish school is closed for cleaning, Mueggenborg said.
The incident illustrates the close interactions clergy can have with a congregant.
“It is part of our faith that we anoint the sick,” said Helen McClenahan, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Seattle.
The Catholic Church has changed several aspects of its services, some of which have been in place for centuries. Congregants have been asked not to shake or hold hands.
Consecrated wine is no longer being distributed. Communion hosts, in the form of sacramental bread, are to be given to parishioners in their hands, not on their tongues.
Holy water has been drained from baptismal fonts.
Ministry for homebound, hospitalized and quarantined parishioners will continue but pastors will essentially take precautions as if they are healthcare workers, McClenahan said.
Life Center
Tyler Sollie ministers to thousands of congregants as senior pastor of Life Center Tacoma. The looming threat of COVID-19 has impacted his church.
“It’s sad, and for a lot of people it brings a level of fear and uncertainty,” Sollie said. “So, we’re trying to be as proactive as we can.”
The Christian church has two other campuses in the region as well as senior living facilities, a Christian academy and a thrift store.
Sollie and his staff are closely monitoring the developing coronavirus situation, he said Friday.
“We’re being very vigilant to stay on top the latest news and also the recommendations from the (county and state) department of health,” he said.
For the past week, the church’s staff has been working on plans to keep its congregation healthy and to continue its spiritual mission.
All three of Life Center’s locations have the capability to broadcast services over the internet. Sollie acknowledges he might be preaching to an empty church on video camera if the authorities recommend against public gatherings.
“We would obviously find a way to operate within that,” Sollie said.
Some congregants who might not currently feel safe in a public setting can already tune into services on the internet, he said.
“In the work we’re doing, it’s all about people,” Sollie said. “We want to keep people healthy and safe.”
Temple Beth El
At Tacoma’s Temple Beth El, Rabbi Bruce Kadden and his lay leadership are following recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, local and state departments of health as they monitor coronavirus developments.
They are also taking advice from Safe Washington, a Jewish community coalition that focuses on safety. That group, which is usually focused on terror threats, is now offering suggestions for coronavirus safety.
Services and special events still are scheduled at the temple, but now there’s a greater emphasis on food safety, hygiene and wellness.
“We’re encouraging anyone with cold or flu symptoms to stay home,” Kadden said.
The synagogue runs a preschool and Hebrew school. As it does with inclement weather, the synagogue will look to Tacoma Public Schools to guidance on possible moratoriums.
“We trust they are making the right decisions,” Kadden said.
In the meantime, it will continue ministering to Jews and holding special events.
On Monday, 300 people attended “Violins of Hope — Music of Remembrance”. The event featured classical music played by members of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra using instruments that belonged to Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust.
Tacoma Buddhist Temple
The Tacoma Buddhist Temple has suspended its worship services and social functions in response to the coronavirus.
“To protect our (community’s) health and well being, our Sunday services, meetings, taiko practice and other functions are canceled until further notice,” the temple said in a notice to its congregation on Thursday.
The temple said it would notify members when services resumed.
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 7:15 AM.
