With cameras rolling, preaching to an empty church

FINGER LAKES-- As residents of the Finger Lakes settle into the new normal of social distancing and staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, local area religious institutions have also had to adapt. Many area pastors and priests are now streaming their services online, congregating in group chats, using face to face technology and just talking on the phone.
"[We are] able to have different people participate in worship just as they would in church," said Lori Nickoloff, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Penn Yan. "Before worship starts, [they] check-in and say hello. It's been great to see each other's faces and interacting that way has been a real blessing."
In an effort to make sure everyone can remain connected during the pandemic, Nickoloff said she is using a combination of email and traditional mail.
"It is very important that everyone have the tools to do worship amongst themselves at home or using programs like Zoom," Nickoloff said.
Father Jorge Ramírez of St. Michael's Catholic Church in Penn Yan has been conducting taped services with the help of Father Leo Reinhardt every day during Lent. Ramírez added that he was quite pleased with how Easter Services went on Sunday.
Along with streaming services, Reinhardt said prayer materials are being made available for members of the congregation for remote pick up from the church during the week.
"I have also been trying to call some of them and see how they are coping and how they are doing," Reinhardt said. "Most people seem to be doing pretty well."
That doesn't mean all church functions are continuing.
"We have had three or four funerals where people have been cremated but we will have to wait for when things are lifted to be able to do services," Reinhardt said. "For those, we are most likely looking at the summer."
Beyond his parishioners, Reinhardt said pastors and priests have to stay safe as well.
"The Dioceses of Rochester said even if we do home visits we must wear gloves and masks and follow procedures which can make things more difficult but limits contact with people," Reinhardt said. "I have to be careful about exposing myself to other people even if I, or they, feel well because you never know in these situations."
Despite the gap in technological fluency from young to old, Nickoloff said participation in remote services has been strong.
"It has been a work in progress, a little messy, but I chose Zoom because not all our people are on Facebook or on computers, so Zoom lets people call in on a landline and connect that way," Nickoloff said. "(Last week) we had a 91-year-old lady call in to participate, so that is wonderful."
While those who wish to participate are doing so, that hasn't stopped concern about how church services will look and feel once the pandemic is over.
"I don't think it can ever go back to the way it was," Nickoloff said. "People are looking forward to gathering together, but we are going to have to see what do we learn from this. It will be a time for discovery."
As to religious practices, such as drinking from the chalice, Nickoloff said individual cups were always offered and will continue to be in the future.
"Right now one of the questions we are all asking is we usually practice holy communion every week and we are not doing that in person," Nickoloff said. "Topic of discussion: some say we should virtually, others say we only experience Christ's presence through each other. One of the challenges right now is how to do some of the practices that we are used to when we are not together or not in person."
For his part, Reinhardt said he hopes everything goes back to the way things were, but acknowledged that it is not up to him.
"We need to make sure there is adequate testing so people can know if they have been exposed and not just wait for the all-clear and then create another resurgence," Reinhardt said. "But that isn't up to me."
Despite social distancing, the pandemic has served to bring many members of religious institutions closer together, said Pastor Jeff Miller of the First Baptist Church in Watkins Glen.
"In many ways this has served to bring us all closer together with the available technology and the concern we all for each other," said Miller.
While the pandemic has been awful, Miller said he is grateful that current technology has allowed him to keep in touch with his parishioners.
"If this was even 20 years ago, keeping in touch would have been much harder. As it stands, I live an hour away from Watkins Glen so it has always been hard to stay in touch, but with the way things are right now in many ways I have been more involved," Miller said.
Father Steve Lape of St. Mary's of the Lake Church in Watkins Glen agreed and said technology has allowed people to stay in touch with their religious institutions like never before.
"We videotaped the Sunday Mass to put on the website so they can watch from their homes, made psalms available to pick up during the week and people trickled in to pick them up," Lape said. "We have also sent out letters to parishioners to keep them updated as to what is still available through the church. We have a lot of stuff available to peruse on our website and I know a lot of people have checked that out."
Yates County
For more information about remote services being offered by St. Michael's visit https://ourladyofthelakescc.org. For more information about St. Paul's Lutheran visit http://www.stpaulspennyan.org.
Schuyler County
For more information about services being offered at St. Mary's visit https://www.stmarystben.org.
For more information about online services being offered by the First Baptist Church visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/watkinsglenfirstbaptist/.