VIENNA, W.Va. — During times of crises and despair, the church is where many turn for answers and solace. However, amid the Covid 19 outbreak, even a congregation is considered a hazard. Pastors across West Virginia are preparing to deliver a sermon Sunday morning not to pews filled with congregants, but to a camera lens and an audience watching a computer screen in the confines of their living room.
“We did ultimately decide not to hold our normal gathering and we have a live-stream video we use every week for those who can’t be with us anyway, so we just went with that route initially,” said Pastor William Brown of the Vienna Baptist Church.
His church’s decision is not unlike many across the state who have reluctantly accepted even in a congregation of believers, the illness doesn’t discriminate.
Pastor Brown admitted the virus is testing faith, but also noted it hasn’t stopped the church and its members from being servants to those searching for spiritual guidance and fulfillment of their needs.
“This situation is really creating a lot of discussion about how do we participate in community when we are encouraged to practice isolation,” he said.
“Our calling hasn’t changed, I think we need to do it with wisdom and listen to the experts and listen to the direction we are given, but at the same time we can’t just choose to not help people in their time of need,” he said.
Brown said the mission of the churches and people of faith has always been to reach out and help each other as well as non-believers. He said war, plague, or disaster has never changed that. He said in fact those are the times when the challenge is most enticing. He added, the West Virginia spirit is equally strong.
“I think at our core, I believe we’ll care for one another and I believe in many ways churches around our state are trying to lead the way in a responsible manner,” he said.