Pandemic Religion: A Digital Archive

Personal Stories

Item Set

Items

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  Lawn Chair Church Service

  We were able with permission of our state and local governments to resume church services this week but it had to be outside with social distancing. It was so wonderful to see everyone again. It was like a big family reunion. We all brought lawn chairs and sat outside and worshipped our Lord. There was a special section of parking spots reserved for those at high risk so they could come and be a part of things from their cars. And it was still live streamed for those who didn’t want to leave their house or couldn’t. We sang together and prayed together. It was so wonderful. Through all of this I have learned how wonderful it is to worship with your church family. Thankful for Zoom and live-streaming but nothing beats being together.
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  Remotely participating in Church and Bible Study

  These pictures (which have been edited through cropping and blotting) represent ways that this church are reaching out to its congregational members so that they can continue to participate in Church and Bible study through online means during this pandemic.

• How COVID-19 has affected my family

  The pandemic has affected my family in ways that we never expected. While I am not religious myself, my family is devoutly Catholic. Prior to COVID-19, they would attend church every weekend without fail. Starting at the end of March 2020, the church stopped having in person mass, and my family began to watch the service on TV during the same scheduled time. I noticed that they also began to participate in religious activities more often than prior. My family has been watching live streams of other religious talks and internet content of the same vein, as well as just praying more often and as a group. As someone who is personally agnostic, the coronavirus situation hasn't affected my own beliefs, but it seems to me that those who were already very religious have only had their beliefs strengthened. A recent development in the situation is that the church my family goes to just re-opened this weekend at a limited capacity. The protocol included having those in the front of the church wearing masks, but interestingly enough, those in the pews weren't wearing masks. Further, only 25% of the normal capacity was allowed in and the building filled up quickly, which showed me that a significant amount of people in my town were eager to go back to church in person.

• My Experience in Time of COVID-19

  My experience in the time of coronavirus has been similar to many others. As an Asian-American Christian, I attend a Chinese church in my hometown of Dallas. Our church is relatively small compared to other Protestant or Christian churches; we only have about 120 people and one service (in Mandarin Chinese). Spring Break marked the end of our in-person worship services, and from that point on our church has been holding all gathering online through Zoom. As my father is a layperson who serves in the church, he has been busy with many meetings with church leadership in how to navigate the coronavirus crisis. As for the four C’s of creed, code, cultus, and community, some have remained the same and some have changed. Creed has been the most unchanged, as what I believe doesn’t change based upon the circumstances. However, our church, like many others, has particularly emphasized prayers for those who have been affected by coronavirus, such as the sick, the elderly, healthcare workers, and the unemployed. Code has been somewhat relaxed – I could show up to service in pajamas, but I haven’t so far. Cultus, or the rituals that are associated with religion, has been the most affected. Partaking in the Eucharist/Communion has been temporarily suspended as the church congregants are supposed to physically join in the ritual together, which of course isn’t possible over Zoom. Additionally, other rituals such as baptism and offerings/almsgiving have also been postponed. Some parts of cultus, such as the hymns and the sermon, have remained the same, though. (It has to be said that singing to a computer feels weird, though). As for community, we have transitioned to an online community. Even though we cannot be physically in a church building, we know that we are linked together by the Holy Spirit.

• Girl To Tell Kids the Gospel Interrupted

  I am a senior at UT, and an avid member in an international ministry called Younglife. Younglife’s mission is to tell adolescents about Jesus, and lead them to walk their life with Him. I have been leading a group of middle school girls for the last 3 years, and I plan to follow them into freshman year. I was team leader for my Younglife team for the last two years, and I attend a small group, through College Young Life where I have met and walked with girls my year throughout college. This past summer I was a backpacking guide at a Younglife camp called Wilderness Ranch and Lake Powell Adventures. My job is essentially to lead kids into the backcountry and tell them about Jesus while hiking through His Creation. We had to cancel a training that was set for early April due to COVID's arrival, and transferred all our training to Zoom 3 nights a week for 7 weeks leading up to the day, June 1st, that we would arrive at camp. Two Fridays ago, I found out that Younglife has cancelled all of their camps nation-wide for the summer of 2020. As of now, thousands of kids do not have the opportunity to get away from life and its distractions, and meet their Creator in the backcountry. There are no words to describe my sorrow for this news. There are no more zoom calls for training. There are No more meetings where we talk and pray about how to lead kids to the Truth we believe is alive and active. There is no word that we could even possibly be there this summer. COVID has ruined the chance for kids to hear about Jesus Christ and for that reason, I am in a season of mourning. On top of that, my middle school girls do not respond well to Zoom and the meeting I set to “hang” with them. So I have resorted to texting them and checking in with them that way. But there are no more hangout at Starbucks or Krispy Kreme where I tell them about Jesus. And to keep the sad news rollings, my new church is struggling financially. Being only less than two years old, we still struggle to stand on our own without the support of other churches. This virus has hit us hard especially. I know I say I am mourning and sorrowful, but even within these feelings, I still remain faithful to God. I believe He will deliver us through this mess and one day we will look back and see all the good in this time.

• Life without Sacrament

  To future historians, hopefully you put my story in a textbook and now my children are reading it. I am sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin. I am what you would call a "cradle" Catholic, which basically means I have been Catholic since birth. Since the first announced classes were cancelled and mass would now be livestreamed I have been struggling. My roommates and all my friends went home and I found myself alone. This is exactly the time I am supposed to turn to Jesus right? As a practitioner of Roman Catholicism one of the most important doctrines of our face is the receiving of Holy Communion, so I literally could not receive Jesus. During this Easter season, a time so full of joy I find it hard to be thankful for the things around me. It was also hard to get in the spirit of the season as all masses were suspended. I find it even harder to keep the faith as I struggle to feel connected to my religious community. In Roman Catholicism the important backbone of this religion is sacraments and not being able to receive the sacraments has affected me deeply, I feel as if a part of myself is missing. Even though I know He is still there for me, I can't help but feel somewhat disconnected. However, I am grateful that our modern technology gives us wonderful inventions such as Zoom, so that I am still able to meet with my Bible Study every week. In order to change how I approach my faith life I have tried to set up my own private time in prayer and livestream adoration services.

• A Perspective of an Agnostic/Atheist from a Jewish Family

  I am not affiliated with any religion and have trouble believing in a higher being as described in many houses of worship. The coronavirus pandemic, by sending religions scrambling to redefine important traditions, has strengthened these secular beliefs. However, I appreciate the uplifting effects that religion can have on families during this trying time. Because of social distancing measures, this year was the first time my family held Passover completely alone. This was a gloomy thought as Passover is a holiday to spend time with and appreciate family and friends. Surprisingly, though, quarantine managed to gather our geographically scattered family in a way we never could. I am attending college in another state and normally cannot come home for Passover. This year the pandemic fortuitously returned me home right before it began. Then, with the help of newly popularized video platforms like Zoom, we were able to celebrate the Passover seder with nearly all of my mom’s family for the first time in my life. It still strikes me that the mixture of my family’s religion and the hardship of the pandemic created a family reunion that would probably not have happened otherwise. I disagree with many tenets of religion, but I will be forever grateful for its ability to bring people together.

• Becoming Closer to God in the Midst of Fear

  For as long as I can remember, I have strived to be perfect in nearly every aspect of my life. Between school and personal life, I did my best to be the best and I feel like a lot of my present anxieties stem from these views of perfection. I’ve always been open about my faith, but for some reason, it felt like that was the only realm that I didn’t actively try to be perfect in. I used to go to church, but it’s been a long time. I went to the same church for about seven years and used to love it, but the church became so disconnected. Despite not going to church, I still pray and read my Bible sometimes, but I’ve always wanted to be a part of a strong, Christian community. As this pandemic has grown, my anxiety has been at an all time high. For me, there has been so much fear and uncertainty, and this need for physical isolation has caused me to further isolate myself emotionally. I feel like Covid-19 is my calling to rekindle my faith and grow spiritually. Now, I have so much time to focus on God and don’t have the distractions of school, work, and extracurriculars to use as an excuse not to. Several friends and I have even formed a weekly Bible study group via Zoom, allowing me to attain that community feeling I’ve desired for so long and also bring myself out of isolation. I feel safe and loved. And, I still feel motivated outside of the group to grow on my own. By returning to God in times of fear, I feel more peace. For me, it kind of goes to show that what seems like a bad thing can actually enable you to grow and find the good.
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  Worship at Home

  Until I moved away for college, I had always gone to First Southern Baptist Church in Lawrence, KS. I unexpectedly had to come back home due to the COVID-19 outbreak and everything has changed. In response to the stay-at-home order, my church has canceled all services until it is safe for everyone to meet together again. However, now we have recorded services on youtube that we watch as well as recorded worship sessions. Also, my dad is an adult Sunday school teacher, who instead of recording his teachings, has started holding online zoom sessions for his class. This helps everyone stay connected as a lot of people are not doing well in these troubling times.

• A Negative Impact on My Relationship with God

  I think this pandemic has peaked my relationship with God, or perhaps made me realize how bad of a follower I am. I usually have the excuse of school or being busy all the time to not devote time in my day to read the Bible or watch a sermon. However, since I have loads of times, I feel guilty that I don't have an ounce of motivation in my life to devote my new down time to God. I don't have an excuse anymore. And then I receive blessings throughout this pandemic that shows me that I really am being cared for. Like worrying about money, but receiving a stimulus check the very next day that I didn't know I qualified for. Or having a distant/absent relationship with my father, but being able to spend time with him and rebuild our relationship. I am being taken care of but yet I can't muster the time to give thanks. This has been a very frustrating process for myself and my relationship with God.

• Remembering God

  I am a busy person, partly by choice and partly by necessity. Since I was a child, I have had an insatiable drive to work and to achieve. My drive and ambition are more a part of me than my limbs. I am a deans-list college student at a prestigious university who is also juggling extra-curricular activities, a job, and a long-distance relationship. When I was physically at my university, this business tended to pull me away from my sense of religion. I never had a crisis of belief or lost my Christian ways. Rather, I was just too busy too truly connect with them. I rarely prayed, which I used to do every day before college, and I never had the time or drive to really experience religion. When I first got sent home from college due to Covid-19, it was like my world went into slow motion. I had little social interaction, my classes were canceled for a week, my extracurriculars were not meeting, and I could not attend my on-campus job. My lifestyle of keeping busy was shattered. My word was quiet. It was in this quietness, that my religion came back to me. I had time and space to explore my relationship with God again. It was like being reunited with an old friend you had not realized was lost. Covid-19, while tragic and painful in many ways, realigned me with my faith.
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  In Person to Online

  I attend church at Matthias Lot in St. Charles, Missouri. Before the COVID-19 situation, I would go every week and worship in person, gather with other believers, and hear a message in the room with everyone else. Now service is online. It’s not the same, and I wish I could be around my friends and fellow believers, but, I’m so happy technology exists so I can still view service and worship on my own at home. Really, I’m more blessed than I am unlucky. I’ve attached a video from my church explaining the differences.
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  Healing Heartbreak

  Jewish religion heavily honors life cycle events as a way to guide practitioners through a moral, spiritual, and meaningful journey. When I was first informed of my 50-year-old uncle’s sudden death from a heart attack, I was in disbelief. How could such an incredible athlete with an admirable diet and a healthy lifestyle die from such a complication? Mike was the most intelligent and humble man I have ever known, pouring all of his heart into his children, his wife, his clients and anyone who had the privilege of meeting him. Most importantly, Mike embodied the Jewish community. After Mike’s passing, my aunt received deeply heartfelt emails from more people than imaginable. Mike continues to unite the sense of a Jewish community through his memory. When a Jewish person passes, it is custom that the funeral service and burial quickly follow to best preserve and honor the body. When the mourners return home from the funeral, the shiva - a formal, seven-day Jewish mourning - begins. The shiva serves to bring together the Jewish community in mourning and in celebration of the life of the deceased. The Jewish people were never instructed on how to properly mourn during a worldwide pandemic. Nonetheless, Mike’s wisdom surpassed precedent. Our extended family and friends gathered online to say the mourner’s kaddish, which does not mention death but rather asks God to pray for the souls of the deceased. Mimicking the environment of a shiva house, many people then shared stories of Mike, allowing for both cries and soft laughter to be heard. Mike’s memory joined family and friends from all across the nation, creating a sense of community and comfort that we all so deeply miss during this time of isolation. I know Mike will continue to embrace and uplift the Jewish community through his memory for years to come.

• The Pandemic and my Faith

  I am a 65 year old man who has lived his entire life with faith in God. I was raised a Methodist and at the age of 20 married a girl who was a member of the Presbyterian church in my town. We married in her church and our children were baptized there, so I felt the proper thing was for me to transfer and become a member of the Presbyterian church and worship there as a family. Through the years we were regular church goers although my wife and I both worked turns and weekends, so we weren’t that involved in the operation of the church, we just attended and our children were raised in the church. As I approached my 60’s, I suffered some health problems and while I always had believed and felt that I had a lot of faith, my faith in God and my involvement in church increased after a couple near death experiences. I was overcome by a feeling that there was things I needed to do and while I have been very active in my church and community since my health issues, I’m still not sure that I’ve done everything needed and I still pray to God and ask for direction as to what he wants me to do and how to serve. As what is these days a sign of the times, our church which was a traditional (not a contemporary service church) was failing financially and we realized we must merge or close our doors and walk away from our building. 3 years ago we did complete a successful but somewhat difficult merger with another Presbyterian church in our community. And I was filled with the thought that I should work to make our merger successful. I became more active in my church. I became an elder and am on our church session which runs the business of the church. My wife and I are Sunday School teachers together for the 1-3 grade levels and I am Sunday School Superintendent. I sing in the church choir. I am the chairman of both the Personnel committee and the Pastor Nominating committee. After our long time pastor(who was a yoked pastor with the church we merged with) retired, I was in charge of hiring both an Interim pastor and our current pastor. As strange as it might sound to some, I’ve felt that I have been doing what I was kept here to do after my health issues. And then the pandemic hit. As a member of Session, mine was one of the votes, after much consideration, that was cast to close the church and all church activities until our national and state leaders tell us it’s safe to reopen. I especially agonized over the loss of the children in Sunday School and I still feel we aren’t doing enough in consideration of the children’s spiritual needs during the pandemic. However, I do feel that I am learning more and am being refreshed with the online teaching and devotions we’ve been having Monday through Friday along with our online Sunday services. I also have a niece who is a pastor and she leads online worship which I watch. One of my weaknesses is that I’m not properly schooled in the scriptures and I feel that the pandemic has helped me in that respect. I describe our new pastor as a “preacher/teacher” as he is very good at leading you through the scriptures and teaching God’s word, so in a way, the pandemic has helped me and I hope I’m of better service to my church when this is all over. So I hope this is helpful and what you’re looking for. My granddaughter who has certainly been one of God’s gifts to me, asked me to do this and I hope I haven’t let her down. God bless you!

• Covid-19 and Holy Week

  I am a 20-year-old Episcopal Student who studies at the University of Texas. The Episcopal Diocese of Texas began altering ritual life on Sunday March 8, 2020 when the laity was told not to dip the bread into the common cup of the Eucharist, but laity members could either take the host in one form, or drink from the common cup. The rational was that there were more germs on your hands then on your lips. On this Sunday I chose to take to the only the bread since I made little sense to me to drink from one cup. By the following Sunday of March 15 all in person services were cancelled by the Bishop and transitioned to zoom Church. Fr. Travis the missionary at the Episcopal Church on the UT campus saw little sense in continuing the eucharist via zoom so the community switched to Evening Prayer. The Episcopal Student Center also began offering offices from the Daily Hours on Instagram. The biggest change in ritual life happened on Holy Week, our community switched from evening prayer to using the Liturgy of the Word- which is the first part of Eucharistic liturgy. Services for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil were all prerecorded. The distance caused by the Covid-19 pandemic made the remaining time of Lent and Holy Week for intense. Especially the narratives about Jesus feeling abandoned. I personal on this Good Friday watch the Last Temptation of Christ – which helped me rely on a more human side of Jesus during this time. A big change for the way I engaged with services stems from my role as an acolyte, which is eliminated via zoom church, so I adapted and have read in almost all the services since being online.

• Family leaning on religion in the time of crisis/finding new "truths"

  I have two stories to describe. The first is about my Father and his ability to put complete trust in his religion during the COVID-19 crisis. My Father has always been religion and recently has been dealing with becoming older. Things such as joint pain, falls, and general wellness. But recently, he has slowly started to trust in modern medicine and instead pray and fast for its healing abilities. During the pandemic, my father has made statements like, "I don't live in fear. No enemy can hurt me becuase I believe in God." Furthermore, I would like to add even though he believes this way, he still will obey a rule and certain regulations, such as wearing a face mask. The second story is more of an interesting product of how pandemics can change people's views. I have a cousin that has never shown interesting in conspiracy theories or government corruption. However, during the pandemic post on FaceBook from them have been about "finding the truth," and "has opened their eyes." They claim that the Illuminati is behind COVID-19 and that certain people such as Bill Gates have known about this. In fact, the virus was created and possibly fake (their claim)? They have very little to no evidence to prove any claims they are posting. I just found it interesting that during a stressful time, they turned to conspiracy theories rather than a religion like my Father.

• Pandemic in the Midst of Junior Year

  I am a 21-year-old attending Missouri State University and currently a junior. I attend a Christian church every Sunday. Although due to the global pandemic, my church has had to close it's doors. I now watch videos posted weekly on my church's website of our pastors preaching. I believe that this pandemic would be impossible to survive without technology at this time. I also meet with my small group through my church weekly as well via Zoom calls. This has been a major transition and not one that anyone is overly thrilled about, but I am thankful that I can still have a sense of community even from afar.
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  Prayer is > the virus, photography by Lorie Shaull

  Prayer is > the virus message written on plastic wrapped baled hay in Goodhue County, Minnesota
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  Changing Signs

  Although I was raised in the Methodist Church, I no longer count myself as a religious person. However, I do enjoy reading what local churches, especially in smaller towns, post on their outdoor signs to communicate with the general public. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I've noticed lots of signs like the one pictured here -- instead of Bible verses, the signs are all about how to connect online. Just one of the many ways the pandemic has effected religious practice.
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  St. Francis of Assisi with a Mask

  St. Francis was a great lover of God's creation which in these uncertain times reminds us how amazing it is even still to be able to enjoy our surroundings in nature.
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  Start of Virtual Worship

  This is my church starting a live session during the Covid-19 pandemic and creating that ability to connect online through technology to continue that sense of community and worship.
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  Church Visits

  Along with watching tv church services, my mom and I still visit our church from time to time, since it is still open. We usually go to sit by the altar and do reflection prayers.

• At Home Church Service

  During quarantine my mother and I have watched church services through the tv. We do this every Sunday morning to still keep maintain our religious tradition of going to church every Sunday.

• Family Growth Through Worship at Home

  Because of COVID-19, my church, like many others, has had to go to streamed services. They have been filming worship and preaching from my pastor's home, and then we are all able to watch on Facebook and YouTube during the normal service times. This has definitely been a change for my church, and even just my family. I definitely miss going to church services on Sunday mornings as well as throughout the week. My husband and I are very involved in our church, and I lead a life group that normally takes place at a coffee shop. In the midst of the pandemic, I have also had to lead my life group virtually. We have been meeting over Zoom, and it has been weird, but it definitely makes me feel so grateful for technology. It could easily shake our faith to be so much more disconnected from our fellow believers, but we have chosen to allow our faith to be strengthened by the time that we get to spend together as a family in worship. We may not get to be with all of our friends and church family to celebrate, but we do get to have a much more intimate worship time at home. My husband and I have grown in our faith and relationship with one another by focusing on pouring into each other and having church at home with just the two of us.
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  St. Mary's Cathedral in St Cloud, Minnesota, photograph by Lorie Shaull

  Faith & Hope are not cancelled; a sign outside St. Mary's Cathedral in St Cloud, Minnesota