Have You Gone Back to Church Yet?

68% said they will attend church at the same levels they did before the outbreak occurred..

FLORIDA  
WEST COAST        
Opinion by:  
E. Eugene Webb PhD 

If you have been vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus, and you stopped going to your local church during the pandemic, have you returned to your local church?

Here is a Facebook quote from a Murry, Ky Church of Christ: “However, if the reason for your absence is because you’ve become accustomed to staying away, please pray and reconsider rejoining us if you feel safe to do so,” the note said. “God loves you, and we do too, and we sure do miss all of our family and wouldn’t want it to be because someone is struggling spiritually.”

From Baptist News Global: When asked about their worship plans once the pandemic no longer threatens public or personal health, 68% said they will attend church at the same levels they did before the outbreak occurred in early 2020. Another 23% said they plan to attend more often than they did before COVID, while 6% plan to attend less often. Only 2% said they would rarely attend, and 1% said they will not return.

My wife and I stopped attending our local Baptist Church shortly after the pandemic began. That was well over a year ago. We did attend services online but chose not to go to the onsite services.

Following our vaccinations and about a three-week wait. We returned to the early service at our local church.

The first Sunday we attended, just seemed kind of surreal. The congregation was medium in size, socially distant, and for the most part, wearing masks.

The service was basically the same as it had always been. The format of music, worship, information, and the pastor’s sermon exactly in the same order it was before  the pandemic.

However, there was just a different feel in the sanctuary. It's always quiet in the church service but in this case, it seemed extra quiet. Prior to service beginning there was little to no conversation among the parishioners.

At the end of the service, people pretty much got up walked out and said little to their fellow church members and attendees.

I believe, that like everything else church services and the practice of expressing your faith will improve as time goes on, and we readjust for life like it was pre pandemic. In today's world, church fellowship provides an opportunity for a respite from the pressures and concerns that we all face in our everyday lives.

Church attendance brings many benefits to adults, children, and entire families.

Faith is often the experience that unlocks the doors to the solutions of our problems with work, home, life, spouse, children, parents, our families, and our world experience.

The best place, to learn about and practice your faith is your local church.

The question here is will YOU go back or start attending church now that the pandemic is easing?

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