ORLANDO, Fla. — Easter Sunday is here as Christians worldwide celebrate the holiday. But instead of filling churches, many people this year are staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- St. John's Lutheran Church is 1 of many that went online
- Pastor: Faith finds a way to meet people who are scared
- Says more people are worshipping online than would be in pews
Over at St. John's Lutheran Church in Winter Park, the congregation and church leaders found ways to come together while still social distancing.
Before services, churchgoers would typically be vying for the best seats in the house but on Easter Sunday, they're in their own houses as services move online.
Inside, the staff are at the absolute minimum to put on their Easter service, under 10 people per CDC guidelines. The pews are empty, yet the faces of the congregation fill them as photos of churchgoers look back at Pastor Tom Lyberg.
His sermon Sunday focused on the resurrection of Jesus as he comes back to disciples, frightened and unable to leave their homes after the crucifixion. His sermon's message focuses on faith finding a way to meet people who are scared and disheartened, and translates to the current health situation nationally, Lyberg said, and it's a message that many need now more than ever.
“The church building may have walls but the church does not. We say the building is closed but the church is open and I think that’s the message for Easter this year. It’s going to be a transformative moment for churches and congregations everywhere,” Pastor Lyberg said.
As the coronavirus spread, they stopped physical services in early March, turning instead to virtual bible studies and online interactive services.
Now, they have more people watching online than they’d typically have inside the chapel on Sundays. Lyberg said he expects the congregation and attendance to continue to grow here, well past any stay-at-home orders.
“I think it’s actually going to drive people to come back to worship and to church and to faith communities. Because having been isolated so long, now we have that yearning built up for real human-to-human contact that doesn’t involve having a mask over your face,” Lyberg said.
While he and the congregation have never celebrated an Easter quite like this, Lyberg said he's hopeful this message of hope and faith breaking down boundaries will help people to make it through this pandemic, through a sense of community.