COVID-19 forces Sonoma County churches to be creative

Like many religious congregations during COVID-19, Sonoma County’s religious organizations struggle to find creative ways to keep their surrounding communities connected and maintain a sense of fellowship.

On a cold December Sunday, Father Alvin Villaruel steps forward, not to greet his parishioners, but to adjust a video camera streaming to his church’s Facebook page. Wearing the logo mask for his St. Francis Solano parish, the priest returns to his altar to begin virtual morning prayer with his maroon robes swaying in the Sonoma breeze. Outside the church doors, in foldout chairs, few masked church attendees sit socially distanced. One woman waves to a friend across the makeshift aisle, both squinting to show smiles through their masks.

Sundays look a lot different for churches during COVID-19. Sonoma County has remained in the most restrictive tier of the California reopening plan, limiting congregations to outside meetings of 30 to 50 people with social distancing and masks. Like many religious congregations during COVID-19, Sonoma County’s religious organizations struggle to find creative ways to keep their congregations and surrounding community connected and maintain a sense of fellowship.

St. Francis Solano Catholic Church near Sonoma Square offers outside services limited to 50 people with social distancing and with hand communion where the holy bread is placed into worshipers' hands instead of mouths. The church also offers live weekend services streamed on Facebook and YouTube. “People are still worried, so we respect that. If you’re not comfortable, you can attend mass online,” Pastor Fr. Alvin said. Parishioners are also encouraged to download the Laudate app, which organizes their prayers and devotions for the mass.

The church is continuing to distribute food for those in need four times a week in the afternoon and continues to offer personal visits to stay connected to their surrounding Sonoma Valley community. Although Fr. Villaruel says pastors have to take extra precautions because they “minister to a lot of people,” he is still able to anoint the sick and lead funeral services in outdoor settings. Funeral services are limited to about ten people, Fr. Villaruel said, and when anointing the sick, Villaruel is required to “know if the case is related to COVID-19.

Around 30-50 people attend weekend masses, but Fr. Villaruel says attendance has dropped. “People are afraid,” Villaruel said. The church will continue with outdoor masses throughout the winter.

Other churches like the Sonoma Presbyterian church, St. Andrew, offer pre-recorded online services. As many as 300 people attend online church services, said administrator Amy Cox. “We have bible studies and book studies through Zoom,” Cox said. “There’s very little happening in person.” As for choir, there will be no singing when they go back to in-person because “singing is one of the things that quickly transmits the virus,” Cox said. Cox hopes to figure out the “technical jump” of online choir soon.

The church has found an upside to online services. “We do have some people who have fallen out of the habit of church who are now going to the online church services,” Cox said. Among people who attend church at least monthly, 72% say they have watched services online, according to Pew Research Center. Pew also found that among those surveyed who did not attend services before the pandemic, 17% are now attending church virtually. Nine-in-ten U.S. adults are “satisfied with what they have seen” during online services, Pew concluded.

To maintain “a way for people to connect and have a little bit of fellowship over Zoom,” the congregation offers church coffee hour, Cox said. At 10 a.m., the call usually includes 20 to 30 people, said church member Brian Vaughn, who frequently attends the coffee hour. The event includes an introduction where people share “good things happening in their life” or if they are struggling and need community support, group prayer and then breakout rooms of five people, Vaughn said.

“It’s really been a good way to keep connected with our church community,” Vaughn said. “With Covid you have that feeling of isolation”

Religious organizations offer communal benefits. People who attend religious services are 58% more likely to be involved in non-religious community organizations, a Pew Research study found. Church activities also lead to greater academic achievement among certain low-income communities, the Journal of Rural Education finds.

The Presbyterian church St. Andrew is also continuing community outreach during the pandemic, Cox said. In addition to gathering stuffed animals for students at El Verano Elementary School to accompany them through online school and help them “feel more connection,” the church is holding an outdoor nativity scene at the local residential school, Hanna Boys Center, for the entire community.

An upcoming event that many congregants of St. Andrew and other churches are looking forward to is the annual live nativity scene on Christmas Eve where church members play different roles in the story of the birth of Jesus and a manger includes live animals. The nativity will be a drive-through event this year with camels, donkeys, sheep and rabbits from community members Mike Weiss and Brian Ness, who also own Vintage Kennel Club. Participants will be encouraged to give to local nonprofits at the event towards the end of the drive-through, Cox said. St. Andrew will be giving participants a link to a Christmas playlist to play at different scenes in the Christmas story.

Even after careful planning, the church may still have to cancel the event because it’s “considered a community event, so it’s not protected under the umbrella of a worship,” said church member Deborah Vaughn.

Because the nativity was so popular on Christmas Eve, the church would offer four services, said church member Brian Vaughn. This year the church will only offer the drive-through if approved. Otherwise, nothing beyond online. “It’s pretty devastating, ” said Vaughn.