Churches press for services to resume

Bishop Delton Fernander, President of the Christian Council. Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

As of Thursday, April 23, 2020

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

ts-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Christian Council wants churches to reopen next month under strict guidelines to keep congregants safe from contracting the deadly coronavirus. “We have a letter we would have written to the Prime Minister about our phased approach to opening and so we just await the date,” said Bishop Delton Fernander, president, Bahamas Christian Council.

“It’s a letter on what we would do in terms of seating, sanitising stations, no gathering, or welcoming or touching. Once we get a start date, we will then start our denominational training for churches.”

Bishop Fernander said the letter was sent to the Prime Minister on Monday, but the Council has not yet received a reply. “We know he is considering opening the churches and when he decides on the date he is planning opening then he will communicate that to us. All that is depending on the numbers (of COVID-19 cases) and how the country is going. We need to determine if it’s community spread or it’s institutionally spread. Both of them have different connotations and I don’t want to put that out there, but those two parameters will determine whether we can open sometime in May.”

The Council’s letter to the Prime Minister made it clear its members were aware of the importance of preventative measures.

“… We propose the phased re-opening of our churches for corporate worship during the month of May, 2020. We are not ignorant to the fact that we all will have to coexist with the virus for the foreseeable future and therefore a new operational normal has to be established. The normal must incorporate the introduction and enforcement of new sanitation procedures as well as adherence to physical distancing protocols,” the letter notes.

The council’s proposed operational guidelines for churches are: operating with a maximum occupancy of 30 percent of a church’s normal seating capacity to allow for social distancing; provide markings along the pews so that there is clear delineation of the required spacing between individuals; worship spaces with chairs will be required to arrange seating so that physical distance standards are maintained; sanitisation stations placed at every entrance to the facility and congregants will be asked to wear masks when entering churches.

The Council says it believes with the introduction of these new operational standards, churches will be able to maintain their civic mandate as the “moral standard bearers” for The Bahamas while fulfilling its divine mandate as “heaven’s representatives” on the earth.

On March 18, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced churches had agreed to temporarily suspend services in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

At the time, religious leaders encouraged the public to continue to worship at home and to follow online worship services in the short-term.

Churches were expected to reopen in early April, but that changed due to rising COVID-19 infections.

ThisIsOurs 4 years ago

very bad idea. This is THE worst thing they could do

I don't suppose this has anything to do with tithes being down. Well they'll still be down, people have either lost jobs or are afraid they might lose their job.

tell_it_like_it_is 4 years ago

Yeah, opening churches at this time would be ridiculous. What is the council thinking? This shows me that they aren't genuine about helping people. What would be the point of opening now?

Many churches are having services virtually and on TV. Plus, there is always a lockdown on Sundays. The "church" goes beyond the building. If you want to help people, help them. You don't need the building opened for gatherings to do that! smh

OriginalBey 4 years ago

The COVID19 task force has already made it clear through its recommendations to the PM not to relax any further restrictions. Churches need to busy themselves delivering care packages to their members

joeblow 4 years ago

Keeping people well trumps offerings and tithes right now, bishop!!

shonkai 4 years ago

Ridiculous idea! Even if you open up, how many people will be able to attend!!! if normally in 6 benches you can seat 20 people you can now only seat 5 or 6. Who will decide who can come to church? Where will the ones not allowed in be crowding together? Better to just open up the bank account or have the congregation save it at home in a jar.

Dawes 4 years ago

If they do this they may as well open everything as there will be no social distancing in Church.

avidreader 4 years ago

The suggestions for management of potential exposure can be extended to other situations and businesses. If the economy is not freed up soon the unemployment rate and level of desperation will go through the roof with unpleasant results. At what point do you let the people go?

killemwitdakno 4 years ago

Even the Muslims are having Ramadan online but instead of these folks start fostering kids, tutoring, growing community gardens, offering their places as pick up stations, doing delivery, providing legal assistance to those under threat of eviction, preaching to the inhumanness, being crisis hotlines, directing our minds away from “economy”, prepping for storm season, teaching preparedness of sustenance and soul, they want to congregate.

What church did JESUS go to?

SP 4 years ago

They can open all the churches in the country, I wouldn't set foot in any church until the problem is solved!

banker 4 years ago

It's just the churches grubbing for money and living off the backs of the poor.

hrysippus 4 years ago

The motivation for this call to reopen churches is primarily greed. A triumph of the love of money over common-sense . Please pastors, have a little compassion for your sheeps.

TalRussell 4 years ago

What you talkin' 'bout Comrade Bishop Delton, no more getting filled with Spirit be permitted during service?
Once she starts there's no telling where or to whom congregation a pentecostal Comrade Sister filled with Holy Spirit be dancing in direction of and landing upon once she takes off in orbit from 20 feet away whilst speaking in tounges in language unknown anyone but the Sister Amen Hallelujah thank you, praise be all yours Jesus! Nod once for yeah, twice for no?

DDK 4 years ago

Church is an excellent idea, IF safe health practices are followed, as with all licensed business.

DDK 4 years ago

Hilarious. Brother Comrade 😂

moncurcool 4 years ago

Wonder if government approves their request how the pastors will preach with face masks on? That would be an interesting one!

mandela 4 years ago

The church should be a place to come together, to worship together, hand in hand. I personally fell like how weird that will be in church when instead of listening and enjoying the service a person is looking to see who sits too near them or someone innocently coughs or sneezes and the whole congregation steers at the individual and begin backing even further away or even breaks of running for the door. Ahh! Bishop Gerald Glenn from the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in the USA thought the same way, now he is dead and his wife has the virus too. If the Church is allowed to congregate then everyone else should be allowed to also, including the wine and spirit sector. The council's suggestions sound ludicrous$$$$$, wear masks when entering, but what happens once inside do they leave them on or take them off to sing and worship? Then he says " We have to determine if it's community spread or institutionally spread". Hey!! you D-Average CC President it's spreading and no-one but you gives a f$$k whether it's spreading by community or institutionally. It's SPREADING. Don't let money be the death of your dearly beloved flocks

moncurcool 4 years ago

Yeah trying to figure our the difference between community spread and institutionally spread, as the community makes up the institution.

shonkai 4 years ago

"On March 18, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced churches had agreed to temporarily suspend services in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19"

This should not be a matter of "agree", it should now be a matter of "comply", together with all the other institutions that have been closed.

TalRussell 4 years ago

You'd think an intelligent comrade group such as the colony's Christian Council Churches would understand that whilst there will eventually be a relaxing the curfew and business closures that social distancing, the soap washing, and mask-wearing will become the new acceptable common on the other side coronavirus. Unlikely expectation Society can ever return old social and crowd gathering normal**. Nod once for yeah, twice for no?

sheeprunner12 4 years ago

Where are these pastors' God?????? …….. Are they saved?????? …….. Do they have any faith???? ………… Where is their commonsense?????????

TalRussell 4 years ago

It is so written that only by the losing body's earthly gravity can tell which direction eternity - you'll be heading in!
Ma comrade Sheepie, let them return back old normal as the churches knew it and they will all sooner. rather than later. get to discover which direction they headed once they get to see a face, but who's the face, or horns, to be an image of?

bryn31 4 years ago

As a pastor, the last thing I want to do is expose our congregation to unnecessary risk. That being said, as more businesses/organizations are considered for reopening (whenever that may be), churches need to be in that conversation too. Masks, sanitizer, increased distancing, and 30% populated is a great start. Safety measures can mitigate the risk! Suggesting that reopening is a matter of greed is inaccurate for mainstream denominations--the pastor gets the same stipend whether there are 8 persons in the building on Sunday morning or 308 persons; the same whether there is $80 in the plate or $8,000.

HarryWyckoff 4 years ago

Wait.... they have a letter they could have written to the PM?

Why didn't they actually write it?

Maybe cos going to the press about the letter you didn't actually write would get the support of the idiot religious zealots so predominant here?

Idiots.

CC - sit down and shut up.

You know what.... go to church. Nod once, comrade, for yeah, and just go anyway for naaah...

Just go to church.

Please.

All of you.

We can get rid of 80% of the country's problem in one 'nod for yes, blink and rub your ear for no" time.

Birdie - you can go too - they'd like you there.

TigerB 4 years ago

It will be tempting to get a good old fashion baptist hug in... bad idea bishop ahahaha

Wisdom4 4 years ago

Jesus church service was outside. People can still social distance themselves by online church services. If you, support your local church it does not matter, where the pastors have church. During this time local leaders in the church need to help their members and those in need. We need to work together.

TalRussell 4 years ago

Have to ask you comrade Wisdom, how is it Jesus managed to pull off so much good with but one lone donkey, and no financial backers, and here we have 35 - with individual declared Net Worths ranging from $1 million to $600 Million elected to House and not damn nothing gets done? The colony's First among equals alone has Net Worth $14 million!

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