‘We are resilient.’ SLO County houses of worship reopen after coronavirus closures
San Luis Obispo County churches are allowed to open with restrictions after months of coronavirus-related closures, but most have remained closed until they can safely meet state guidelines.
Churches shuttered their doors in March as the COVID-19 pandemic led to local and statewide shelter-at-home orders. They got the go-ahead to reopen May 26.
“My interactions with other faith leaders in the county (indicate that) everyone is eager to be able to open,” said Tim Theule, pastor at Grace Central Coast in San Luis Obispo. “But now that we have the freedom, the question is, ‘Should we?’ ”
Theule was on the committee that helped guide the county’s initial reopening plan. He gathered with many faith leaders from different faiths to come up with guidelines and address concerns about how and when houses of worship could reopen.
That reopening plan was scraped and the county is now reopening with the state.
According to new state guidelines, places of worship must limit attendance to 25% of their total capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees — whichever is fewer people. Physical distancing and limited contact with others are expected.
And the state and county Public Health Department are both advising that online services remain in place for at-risk individuals.
San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein recommended additional steps be taken to ensure public safety.
“I’ve spoken before about the enhanced risks of singing because of droplet spread, if you can, (sing) with masks on, or better yet, if you can, avoid or limit that altogether,” Borenstein said at a May news briefing.
SLO County churches adjust to reopening guidelines
The Islamic Society of San Luis Obispo County began offering services about two weeks ago, board director Hisham Assal said.
The Mosque of Nasreen began holding 20-minute condensed services allowing 10 households into the mosque at a time.
He said the Islamic Society held two services the first week, but have reduced it to one service because demand was low.
Household groups are spread six feet apart from one another, Assal said, and members are sent guidelines to follow every Thursday ahead of Friday services — including the use of face masks.
“We’re grateful that we can have services, even if it is not our regular service,” Assal said.
He said those who are 65 years old and older are asked to stay home and everyone is asked to leave right after the service, as opposed to gathering together and catching up with one another as they would have in the past.
Harvest Church reopened in the historic Village of Arroyo Grande on May 31. The church had made plans to reopen prior to the governor giving churches the OK, and state regulations changed before its first service.
More houses of worship around the county are slowly beginning to follow suit.
Life Community Church in Templeton announced that it would hold in-person services again starting June 7.
“It’s going to be different, because we have to recognize and appreciate the social distancing,” Life Community Church pastor Keith Newsome said in a video announcement.
Those differences include church staff wearing masks and ensuring six feet of physical distance between families.
According to the announcement, every other row of seating will be removed and the lounge areas will be closed.
The pastor also said that the church will not give communion at this time and food and coffee will not be available — but he said churchgoers are more than welcome to bring their own.
In addition, Newsome said that baskets to collect tithe will no longer be passed down the isles. Instead, there will be boxes in the back of the church to limit contact between separate household units. He also encouraged people to donate online.
For the first two weeks, the pastor said, the church will not have separate church sessions for children as it normally does. And online virtual services will remain online.
The decision to reopen came after Life Community Church held several outdoor, socially distanced meet-ups and conducted surveys among the church congregation, associate pastor Brandon Hall said.
“We are very excited, we’re looking forward to it,” Hall said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity.”
Newsome said he does not expect more than 100 people to attend and is glad the church can reopen to offer support for the community at this time of uncertainty.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa will also reopen soon — but to attend a mass, people will need to register in advance.
The first in-person mass will be held June 13, according to the downtown San Luis Obispo mission’s website.
Much like Life Community Church, the mission plans to close its public areas, as well as its bathrooms.
To ensure that Mission San Luis Obispo has no more than 100 people at one mass, parishioners must call or email the church beginning Monday and provide the church with the number of people wishing to attend and a time and date.
Parishoners will only be allowed to register for one mass per week until further notice, a letter from pastor Kelly Vandehey read.
Congregation members’ temperatures will be checked upon entry tp the mission and masks are required.
According to Vandehey’s letter details, two people or families will be allowed per open pew — and in the annex section, five people will be allowed per pew.
The pastor also asked that people arrive 15 minutes before mass to accommodate for the new process.
“If we all work together the transition will be smooth,” Vandehey wrote. “It may feel awkward at the beginning, but we are resilient and we will adapt as we need to.”
Online masses will continue to be an option as well, according to the mission.
Some churches, such as Mountainbrook Church in San Luis Obispo, have opted to keep drive-in services, according to their website.
But others, including Grace Central Coast, have decided to remain fully online.
“We make decisions as a plurality of leaders, and there’s just not a lot of consensus about what to do and when to do it,” Theule said of Grace Central Coast’s decision to remain closed.
Theule said church leaders decided to wait until they surveyed their congregation to gauge how comfortable their community is about reopening in person. He also said the leaders wanted to wait until a few weeks after the Memorial Day weekend and ensure that there is not a spike in cases locally.
“I don’t think there is a right way to reopen,” Theule said. “We’re all doing the best we can. We’re really committed to the care of our community.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
