Returning to Normal

[bling]

There are reasons to believe more people will be attending Church on Sunday after the churches open up allowing people to congregate and there are reasons to believe fewer people will go to church after churches can congregate.

What do you think will happen for your church and why?

 

[mama2one]

follow

 

[Albion]

Crises usually sober up people and make them think of the eternal things. So, I'd guess attendance will be up, but probably only for awhile.

 

[com7fy8]

I don't know. I understand ones can be in too much of a hurry. And I am high profile the way I serve, mixing with a lot of people; so I might keep myself on time out for the safety of children and seniors, while there is verification of if infection numbers obviously go well with openings.

It is possible that some of the infection is because of malicious people who have decided it all is nonsense, and they have infected people while asymptomatic. And we have people who could be circulating in the congregation and being like that; it could infect people who have been playing it safe. We have nurses connected with us, who have been reported to have been infected, by the way.

 

[bling]

Crises usually sober up people and make them think of the eternal things. So, I'd guess attendance will be up, but probably only for awhile.

I think it should, but why might it decrease attendance?

 

[Albion]

I think it should, but why might it decrease attendance?

Why would attendance fall off after awhile? That's human nature, isn't it? People tend to be fired up or "moved" because of some tragedy or whatever, but as things begin to seem normal again, the commitment gradually ebbs. Not in everyone, of course, but overall.

 

[BobRyan]

There are reasons to believe more people will be attending Church on Sunday after the churches open up allowing people to congregate and there are reasons to believe fewer people will go to church after churches can congregate.

What do you think will happen for your church and why?

There will be attendance but we will need to find a "new normal" where everyone feels "safe" - prior to actually having an actual vaccine against one of the worst viruses known to mankind. (Resuming under those conditions sound crazy to start with).

Scenario 1 -
Someone who does not even know they are sick - goes into one of the bathrooms alone and sneezes or coughs without doing so into a paper towel , napkin, arm-elbow, ... because they are "alone" after all. Ten minutes later someone 67 years old with diabetes enters the bathroom (which is now empty) with gloves and mask on -- but no eye protection. (BTW are you planning on going to church wearing gloves and mask?)

Or maybe it is an hour later that the 67 year old enters.

How Long Does Coronavirus Live In The Air? Here's What We Know.

Can COVID-19 Spread Via The Eyes? Science Remains Unclear, Says Ophthalmologist

I don't know enough about virology to say what is real or memorex.. right now everything is suspect - which of course would be overkill.

 

[bling]

Why would attendance fall off after awhile? That's human nature, isn't it? People tend to be fired up or "moved" because of some tragedy or whatever, but as things begin to seem normal again, the commitment gradually ebbs. Not in everyone, of course, but overall.

History will repeat itself?

 

[Albion]

History will repeat itself?

Most likely. Why wouldn't it?

 

[Strong in Him]

There are reasons to believe more people will be attending Church on Sunday after the churches open up allowing people to congregate and there are reasons to believe fewer people will go to church after churches can congregate.

What do you think will happen for your church and why?

I've no idea.
I expect those who can will go back with a sigh of relief, want everything to go back to "normal" and may have learnt very little.

When the idea of over 70's self isolating was mentioned, someone did a quick calculation and said "so next week there'll be the Minister, 3 others and you, Gill."
I haven't heard that any of our members have got Covid -19 nor that any have died from any other causes, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were a few deaths before we get back to normal.

Personally, I'm considering not going back at all.
I'm enjoying all the on line worship/reflections that are being shared. My church, although having lovely people who want to read Scripture and share their faith, has become too, "we need x people to go on this rota/become stewards/go on the property committee/do the flowers" etc etc. I've become part of that out of a feeling that I need to "do my bit". But I'm not missing it at all; not even the worship services.

 

[fewme]

If that's so, it would be an idea for congregations to have a thought and a prayer about how to deal with this new influx of people