Churches in the Battlefords are excited to begin hosting more people during services next week. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

By Josh Ryan

Larger services

Religous leaders welcome province expanding capacity

Mar 11, 2021 | 10:32 AM

Spiritual leaders in the Battlefords are excited that the province is slowly easing back on COVID-19 restrictions regarding gatherings.

On March 19, the Government of Saskatchewan will allow worship services to have up to 30 per cent of capacity, or 150 people, whichever is fewer. While attendees must continue to wear masks, the clergy may remove theirs while officiating.

Casey Sitter, Lead Pastor at Living Faith Chapel in North Battleford, was pleased to hear the announcement. While the church has been careful to follow all safety precautions, Sitter said they’ve been eager to allow people into services for some time.

“We’ve been serious about following the guidelines and the government’s decision, but we also know we have a very large facility here in North Battleford, which could easily accommodate social distancing for more than 30 people,” Sitter said. “It’s nice now that we can open to more than 100 people and still be safe.”

During this stretch, Sitter said they’ve adapted to their new normal. He said he’s reminded his congregation that they’re still having services, just doing things differently; serving people and continuing to walk in their faith. One of the biggest changes was getting more involved with media and technology.

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“If this whole thing was over tomorrow, we would still want to stream our services on Facebook or YouTube,” Sitter said. “It’s created a whole new area of ministry for people to be involved in.”

“It’s just been something to make us think out of the box.”

Sitter said that’s been one of the surprising blessings of the pandemic, having to reflect on what matters most and how people conduct themselves.

“Sometimes you get in a rut and you wonder if you’re making a difference or influence,” he said. “This way, it’s provided an opportunity to really evaluate why we do what we do.”

While he supports the province’s decisions are made in public safety, Sitter hopes to see more easements when it comes to mask wearing, such as people singing or playing instruments. However, he said he also supports the government being cautious.

“I have three people I know personally that have died from COVID,” he said. “We do take it seriously, but we’re hoping as the numbers come down, the mask mandate will be loosened a wee bit.”

Easter improvement

Several church leaders have expressed excitement about being able to accommodate some people for an in-person Easter Mass or service. Bishop Albert Thévenot of Prince Albert, with the Roman Catholic diocese, told paNOW he had been anxious for some time now to hear word of changes from government on gathering sizes and said they will now be able to “pass the big celebration of Easter with more people and great joy, promising to make it a celebration to remember.”

“It’s nice to watch [services] on TV and other platforms, but to be there in person is really something special. To be together with other people is the big thing,” Thévenot said.

However, some would like things to open up even more. Dale Ramsay, Pastor at Potter House Christian Fellowship Church in North Battleford, would like to continue to see the government moving things back to the status prior to the Christmas holidays, for both business owners and for people affected by the mandates. He said they’ve dealt with many people struggling mentally and believes having more people be able to attend church could provide public benefit.

“They’re isolated and isolations brings all sorts of fears, anxieties and depression,” Ramsay said. “The people we come across have been very happy we’ve kept the church open somewhat. To think we could have more people coming is very positive news.”

The latest update on provincial numbers related to COVID-19 have seen a drop in daily cases and hospitalizations, while recoveries and the number of people vaccinated have climbed. Ramsay hopes to see things keep opening and get fully open once cases are down to a manageable level.

“From the statistics I see, the numbers are declining and by the time you get into warmer months, most people’s immunity are up,” he said.

Ramsay added people will have to remain on guard, especially those with compromised immune systems, but hopes that if things keep moving slowly, the side effects of the restrictions aren’t worse than what they’ve tried to prevent. When it comes to services, he said when you’re in a place hearing people speak, there’s things being communicated that you can’t always tell online, which in turn can allow the speaker to sense things they wouldn’t otherwise pick up on.

“Unless you’re actually present, you might miss out on the atmosphere of what’s happening,” he said. “Sometimes there’s things being said that you don’t even realize are having one effect on some people and possibly triggering somebody else.”

Almost 95,000 vaccines have been administered in the province. The active total of cases in the province is 1,384 as of March 10.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports