Like many other houses of worship, Grace Episcopal Church is reexamining how worship will look in the future and when it is safe to reopen.
“We have what’s called an incarnational faith: we believe that God came to earth in a human body. Right now, human bodies in close proximity are a problem,” said Rev. Regina Walton, by email.
“For us, it is a question of, ‘What feels like church?’ Continuing remote worship may feel more like church than worshiping six feet apart in masks, without Communion, singing, or passing the peace (a liturgical exchange of greeting), and without coffee hour or any kind of togetherness before or after worship,” she said.
Bishops in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts have said churches should not to hold public worship before July 1.
“The things we do in church seem really straightforward, until you consider them from a public health perspective,” said Walton. “This virus preys upon our love of being together. That is really tough.”