CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-area churches are making changes to Christmas Eve services this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under North Carolina’s current Executive Order, religious gatherings are exempt from the requirements, though the state strongly urges these entities to follow recommendations for social distancing, face coverings, and capacity limits.
First Baptist Charlotte is adding a second Christmas Eve service this year to prevent crowding at in-person services.
It also only allows people to sit in every other pew and limits the number per pew. Different households must sit at least six feet apart.
"We want to make it convenient so that they feel more comfortable, and we're not packing in here,” said First Baptist Charlotte Senior Pastor Robert Welch. “We wouldn't do that. We don't want to do that, so it's to create more space."
The church also plans to stream services online as an alternative.
First Baptist Charlotte started welcoming people back for in-person services starting in May. Welch said a little more than half the congregation now attends in-person and the rest are online.
Welch said the church has followed the protocol set in place and hasn’t had any COVID-19 cases traced back to church gatherings.
"We do believe that the work of the church is an essential work, and so if we can do that safely and carefully, we ought to do that because people need it,” Welch said.
With this being an especially hard year, Welch said people need the hope of Christmas.
“There’s no greater hope than the message that we were given at Christmas,” Welch said. “Jesus came, the light of the world, to spread light into our darkness and to give us hope.”
Myers Park Baptist Church was initially planning to host a Christmas candlelight vigil outdoors but decided against it as COVID-19 data started to spike.
"We thought, 'Do we want to be a part of overloading hospitals in Charlotte as a church?’ said Rev. Dr. Benjamin Boswell, senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church. “That doesn't seem in keeping with our mission of loving our neighbors, and so we just decided it was too dangerous. There was no way of avoiding risks."
The church is now planning to host a Christmas party for its members on Zoom as a way to bring together its church community. It is also hosting an all virtual Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m.
"I simply don't think putting people at risk is the right thing to do,” Boswell said. “That's not an act of loving our neighbor."
Boswell said it was a tough decision to stray away from the Christmas tradition. He said Myers Park Baptist usually has a full house for its Christmas Eve service.
"Decisions are not easy, and they all feel like catch-22's right now,” Boswell said. “So, I have a lot of compassion for my fellow clergy out there who are trying to make really difficult decisions."
Even though his congregation won’t be gathered together physically, Boswell said he believes the Christmas message is one that people need to hear this year.
"My Christmas message this year is a message of hope and joy in the midst of this chaos,” he said.
The Charlotte Diocese said pastors are scheduling more Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses when possible to accommodate the expected larger number of worshipers. This will allow for COVID-19 safety protocol to limit capacity and ensure social distancing.
A Charlotte Diocese spokesperson said most churches are now regularly offering livestreams or online services, in addition to limited capacity in-person services.
The Charlotte Diocese plans to livestream midnight Mass from St. Patrick Cathedral on its YouTube channel, starting with carols at 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
All Christmas Masses at cathedrals this year require reservations for in-person attendance due to reduced seating capacity and pandemic protocol.