KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This Good Friday, churches are making adjustments so members can celebrate the Easter holiday while upholding all the social distancing rules aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.
In Kansas City, Kansas, The New Bethel Church will host a drive-thru blessing Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.
The church is located at 745 Walker Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101.
Here’s how it works: families can drive into one of four lanes on the church's parking lot. While leaving windows rolled up, a pastor will bless the car and the people in it while standing six feet away.
“We’re just so used to doing some things under the umbrella of tradition. This is causing us to step out, go out of the box, get out of the walls of a building and actually do something that can help one another,” explained Amaris Willis of The New Bethel Church.
Across town, Fr. Greg Haskamp at Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri, has been adjusting since stay-at-home orders meant he’s been live-streaming mass for three weeks.
He said he was more nervous speaking to one camera than to hundreds of people in the church. So this Easter weekend, he taped pictures of parishioners to chairs in the chapel so he would feel more at ease.
“In tying to connect with the camera I did not have the energy and the prayerfulness of the community. It really felt different and strange. It’s a big part of our worship. We believe when the assembly gathers, Christ is present among them,” Haskamp explained.
You can watch Good Friday services at 7 p.m. and Easter mass Sunday at 10 a.m. on the church’s YouTube channel available by clicking here.
Additionally, the church is accepting donations for its food pantry as it has noticed the need increase since some businesses had to lay off employees during the stay at home orders.
