TAMPA, Fla. — In March of 2020, the U.S. shut down. Doors were closed to keep people at home and safe from COVID-19. The world turned to virtual platforms to conduct business, go to school and to worship.
This Easter, churches are hoping to take what they learned from the pandemic, and help parishioners start anew.
"Easter comes at the perfect time for us. Because it reminds us that we believe in something stronger than grief or fear. And that is hope," said Magrey deVega, the senior pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church. His church will be offering three outdoor services and a 7 a.m. service at Water Works Park. All will require pre-registration.
The Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg is offering indoor services at 9:30 am and 11:30 am. If necessary, outdoor services will be offered if capacity is reached inside. And those are not the only options.
"So all of our masses are streamed online. So that's, you know, one of the things that I think the pandemic has taught us to make this available in ways for people that otherwise wouldn't be able to come. And so I think that's going to be here to stay. And I think that's a good thing," said Father Ralph D'Elia, associate pastor of the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle.
Public health experts like Jay Wolfson of USF Health say people must still follow COVID-19 guidelines. "Wear your mask, watch about embraces. And again, try to keep distances especially indoors."
Many churches are requiring people to follow guidelines.
Watermark Church in Tampa is having an outdoor Easter Sunday service. An RSVP is required and everyone over the age of three will also need to wear a facemask.
First Baptist Church of College Hill in Tampa says it's not only offering its service in person and online but also said it gave parishioners the opportunity to pick up their Communion Elements, the wine/juice and crackers, ahead of time this past Saturday.
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