BY CHRIS FORTUNE
Members of the Eudora United Methodist Church sit in their cars in the parking lot to listen to the service.They greet each other by honking horns, waving out their windows, and giving air fist bumps and high fives.
The Rev. Ross Baker said he has gotten good feedback and was told by a couple of members that they may not have come back immediately if it was still indoors.
“As we’re on the edge of town, it was a good option for us in terms of having a decent parking lot,” he said. “We began offering that in July and have been since.”
Since the beginning of May, places of worship have been allowed to have people at a service if public health guidelines were followed. Douglas County opted to follow Gov. Laura Kelly’s phased approach and is currently in phase three.
Churches in Eudora have found creative ways to gather and hold services safely as the pandemic continues after being closed for around two months in the spring.
While Baker currently holds his services outside, he recognized that weather will not permit outdoor services for much longer. He said he is working out what services indoors will look like in the coming months with help from the Douglas County Smart & Safe Reopening Guidance.
The Rev. Jeremiah Holcomb of The Refuge Christian Church said his congregation started meeting in person on June 14 and they follow CDC recommendations.
Holcomb said he has been proud of his congregation for upholding these rules and guidelines so they can get together, from wearing masks and social distancing to temporarily getting rid of the meet and greet sessions of the services.
“We need community, that’s what we’re craving and that’s why it’s also important to protect it because we want to maintain it,” he said.
The church is celebrating its fifth year in the community Dec. 13, and Holcomb said they will hold a more inclusive and proper celebration next summer or whenever COVID-19 is mitigated.
The Rev. Jerry Mercer of Hesper Friends Church said services will continue during the winter months as they have been during the pandemic.
Mercer said his church has been open for the past few months for services, but has postponed events such as church dinners. Masks are worn and they continue to social distance during services.
The Rev. Josh Monhollon of Eudora Baptist Church started gradually opening his church at the beginning of summer by holding two services on Sunday, which he began doing in June. They haven’t done any close interaction or fellowship activities yet.
“We’ve held off on things like Sunday School and small groups for a while,” he said. “We actually just started up some children's and youth ministry things.”
Services during the winter at Eudora Baptist Church will continue indoors.There is one service held at 8:30 a.m. for seniors and the immunocompromised where masks are required and another service at 10:30 a.m. where masks are encouraged, but not required.
“The idea is to continue to have two services to protect those that may be more susceptible,” he said.
Monhollon said he has taken out half of the seats in the church so the rest can remain socially distanced, with every row about 6-feet apart. Members of the church have enjoyed the opportunity of getting back together after months of distancing from one another, Monhollon said.
“People were very excited to be back together,” he said. “We all desire human interactions and relationships and it’s hard to do that through an online platform.”
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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