-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Fifth Ave. N., has started to hold a Sunday worship service. Members are encouraged to wear masks and every other pew is taped off to facilitate social distancing and allow the members to spread out in the sanctuary.

Though many Fort Dodge churches disagree on the path forward to normalcy as the fight against COVID-19 continues, some local pastors say that the spirit of their congregations remains strong, even after remaining physically apart for months.

Churches like First United Methodist have continued the moratorium on in-person worship, for now, waiting until July to allow it again as they hope for cases to wane in Webster County and northwestern Iowa.

The Rev. Andrea Kraushaar said that as long as there’s no substantial spike in cases, the church will cautiously resume in-person services July 12. But for now, the parishioner connections have remained strong through Zoom small groups, Facebook Live services and radio broadcasts for those not good with technology.

She said one of the best outcomes of the pandemic has been the connection and accountability fostered between members of the church checking up on each other.

“We’re hitting more folks (with online services) than we would with the building open,” Kraushaar said.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The pews at First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Fifth Ave. N., are taped off at every other row to facilitate social distancing during the church’s Sunday morning service.

Many from around the country log in to the Facebook Live feed with far-flung family members, allowing generations that would normally be apart to worship together virtually.

“That’s a way they’re connecting with one another, worshipping together on Sunday,” she said. “There’s those little ties we’re able to offer folks.”

Those watching are encouraged to comment with where they’re watching from. The results have shown folks watching from coast to coast.

“It allows us to see how much larger our ministry and evangelism can be by looking at new ways to worship together,” the pastor said. “There’s no better time to see the scripture coming alive than through tragedy, to remind each other to love.”

Even with love, though, she said the drawn-out length of the virus has taken a toll on church morale.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The pews at First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Fifth Ave. N., are taped off at every other row to facilitate social distancing during the church’s Sunday morning service. An average of 30 members have been attending the service, comfortably spread out in the sanctuary.

Other churches have taken a hybrid approach, encouraging online attendance but recently opening for limited in-person worship. The Rev. Emily Sauer at St. Olaf Lutheran Church said that the church started having outdoor services in the month of June with mask wearing, as weather permits, and will soon evaluate how to proceed in July.

She said the outdoor services allow for more safety without air conditioning systems potentially circulating the virus through the building.

“I think the congregation is split down the middle about coming back (for in-person services) or not,” she said.

St. Olaf quickly revamped their online presence and adapted to new online sermon delivery and electronic ways to give tithes and offerings as the pandemic started to hit. Now, online service and small group attendance makes up the majority of their attendance. Attendance in person has hovered around 50 this month, but yesterday’s online presence was well over 5,000.

“We’re doing things people like to do but in different ways,” she said, such as Zoom coffee hours and Bible studies.

Though some churches have seen dents in offerings, St. Olaf has seen very little impact in giving with quick adaptations to electronic offerings.

Pastors like Sauer have had difficulty navigating the grieving process with congregations during funerals. Though Sauer said funeral homes have helped make the process easier, the inability to get physically close to those grieving has been emotionally arduous.

“I’m not mixing or mingling with people,” at funerals, she said. “Social distancing sort of exists, but it’s one of those things that’s at your own risk. It’s a hard part of the grieving process.”

Congregations like Northfield Church have resumed in-person services, with social distancing in place for those who choose to come. Online streaming has continued, and those wanting to feel closer but uncomfortable coming into the building have the option of listening to the sermon in the parking lot.

Every other row of the church is blocked off, with signs asking families to keep their distance from each other. Children’s programming and nursery offerings have been canceled too, which Rev. Dale Harlow said is a disadvantage.

Unlike other churches, Northfield has found a way to continue communion, placing individually-ready cups with communion grape juice and wafers at the door for attendees to pick up on the way to their pews. Previously, trays would be passed around. Communion plates are by the door for offerings, further reducing contact.

Harlow said that attendance in person has not completely recovered yet, with about half of the pre-pandemic attendance coming back to the sanctuary now. Before the pandemic, Northfield had roughly 280 attendees each week.

Their church elders will continue to evaluate the situation by listening to Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Public Health’s advice, but are not necessarily watching county infection rates as closely, Harlow said.

At the beginning of this month, First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Fifth Ave. N., started offering an in-person worship service at 8:45 a.m. on Sundays.

“I’ve been really pleased with how it’s gone,” said Rev. Sara Hill, associate pastor. “We’ve had about 30 people each time. They have all been so receptive and understanding of all the changes we do have to make and it’s been so great to see their faces, even if it’s just their eyes smiling from behind the mask.”

The church is encouraging, but not requiring that worshippers wear masks, and Hill said about 90% have been wearing the masks. For those who may not have masks of their own, the church has some fresh, clean cloth masks available at the door.

The Sunday service is in the church’s sanctuary, and only the church’s north door is open for worshippers to enter.

“This keeps our Sunday morning worshippers completely separate from our daycare, because our daycare is still under guidance from DHS to really make sure that only the kiddos are in the building,” Hill explained.

The service itself looks a little different, with pastors helping guide worshippers to their seats, and every other pew row being taped off to facilitate social distancing.

“We still have music even though we don’t sing and we’re just reflecting on the words of the music, so that’s just a different way to worship and experience God,” Hill explained.

The morning welcome, where congregants would usually stand up and walk around the pews and greet each other has changed as well.

“The passing of the peace looks like standing and waving now as opposed to shaking hands,” Hill said. “It’s OK, it’s still nice to smile and wave at people.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Iowa and the governor laid down restrictions on all large gatherings, the staff at First Presbyterian began a video worship service on Facebook. They would record the service during the week and then air it at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Hill said that even when services get back to normal and First Presbyterian starts having it’s sanctuary service as well as its contemporary service in the Christian Life Center again, they’ll probably continue with the Facebook Live services.

“Even today, I saw people who were watching us online from Chicago, people who had retired to Chicago,” she said. “People who are on vacation, they were watching. We’re able to have people participate in our worship service who otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

“It’s wonderful and I think it’s here to stay.”