Six church communities share their journey reopening

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

While the government now allows faith communities to gather, in many ways those gatherings have changed from what church used to be. Spur Ottawa connected with six different churches to gauge the state of the Body of Christ in Ottawa, what challenges we face, and to hear praise reports.

“There is slow but gradual increase in people venturing out and realizing it is safe,” says Richard Long, an elder at Vineyard Ottawa. “Our number of people returning is increasing. I am hearing that from other pastors, as well, as we move through the fall.”

Vineyard Ottawa reopened for in-person services in September. Long describes it as “weird for everyone. It is weird to have to register to get a spot, having people sit apart from each other, constantly resisting the desire to hug people you haven’t seen for a long time. People stand around (at safe distances, masks on) for a long time after the service, just to have those long-awaited conversations.”

“We mourned every day we could not be in physical communion.”

When Vineyard Ottawa transitioned to online services, they kept things simple, aiming for a relaxed living room feel. Long says merging an inviting atmosphere online with in-person safety protocols has been a lot of work.

“Nothing replaces being with people in God’s presence,” adds Sandra McIntosh, young adults pastor at Bethel Church. “Online can’t hug you, weep or laugh with you, connect with you, or pray with you.”

Bethel reopened July 19, doing a combination of online and in-person ever since. McIntosh says Ottawa Public Health restrictions against singing and Sunday school are big detractors for those wanting to attend. She says their biggest challenges have been “the constant changes to the guidelines from Ottawa Public Health, reduced number of people, and the lack of fellowship.”

Although in-person attendance has grown consistently since reopening, when responding to Spur Ottawa they were at 19% building capacity and 27% of pre-restriction attendance. Almost all churches reported low in-person attendance.

“As a Church of trust in the Lord, we must not give in to fear.”

The Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall seems to be an outlier among local congregations. Half of their 120 parishes reopened for in-person mass by June 20. Many of the parishes regularly reach the 30% capacity permitted by health authorities. Some have had to turn away parishioners, according to Robert Du Broy, the archdiocese’ director of communications.

“The Catholic Church stresses the physical side of being spiritual,” Du Broy explains. “Without the physical presence of the Eucharist and each other, without a palpable community, we are constantly reminded that screen time is a distant second best. We mourned every day we could not be in physical communion.”

Du Broy also laments that as “a Church of trust in the Lord, we must not give in to fear, however, many faithful are fearful.” Yet, even while parishes remained closed, Du Broy adds that courageous members and priests found ways (with strict sanitary protocols in place) to hold confession and baptisms.

“Amid the challenges of COVID, God gave us this great gift.”

For other congregations, baptisms became marked celebrations as the church reopened. Bethel Church baptized 13 people in August and Gloucester Presbyterian Church held baptisms on July 5, the day they reopened.

“Amid the challenges of COVID, God gave us this great gift,” states Pastor Denise Allen-Macartney. “We were ecstatic to celebrate the long-awaited baptisms of a whole family; six adults and teens, new to Canada and to Jesus.”

Allen-Macartney says venturing into online services had benefits. It enabled shut-ins and members who had moved away, but not yet found a new congregation, to join services. Others, however, have disconnected from church. The congregation also had to shelve their outreach initiatives.

As a multi-ethnic congregation, with members from more than 25 countries, Allen-Macartney also says, “the connections that happen naturally when we stand together, we haven’t yet found a way to foster them online.”

Some churches chose to stay digital-only for the time being.

“We considered opening this fall, but with the surge in cases we felt it would be best to proceed online,” explains Josh Wang, pastor of Renewal Church. “We’ve also been fortunate to have most (75 to 85 percent) of our brothers and sisters commit to gathering online each week for small groups and Sunday worship.”

“People didn’t realize how valuable it is to actually be present with each other.”

Intentionally developing community relationships is a core value at Renewal. Wang says they deeply miss “always having people in our home and the rhythms of being together.” The growing digital fatigue he sees in society also concerns him. Still, three people they have been talking about Jesus with for several years expressed greater interest in the last few months. The Renewal community has also engaged well to serve the community and help those facing hardship, support local mission work, and caring for those who are immuno-compromised.

Pandemic restrictions have been especially challenging for churches that rent space for services. Pastor John Sourial, of Jesus the Only Way Arabic Evangelical Mission, says moving services to Zoom enabled them to meet weekly, rather than every other week. They also saved money by not having to pay rent, but attendance is low on Zoom and it makes worship challenging, especially with feedback and other sound issues.

They were able to begin holding meetings again in person starting October 31. However, Sourial says all the preparation to comply with health rules is taxing and having to wear a mask for such a long time deters members.

“We are excited to get back into the church building and see everyone, even if it is just for the duration of the service,” Sourial says. During the summer, the church “started offering prayer meetings twice a week, a Bible study session, and we have kept up with youth meetings.”

Overall, Ottawa churches continue to see God working through the struggles and many find great encouragement as they begin coming together again.

“The feedback we received is that [people] didn’t realize how valuable it is to actually be present with each other,” Long states. “Certainly, there are fewer than normal in the room. Yes, it is awkward when everyone is wearing a mask. But we can take strength knowing that these sisters and brothers made the effort to be present for one another, because we are committed to each other and the ongoing work of the embodied Church.”