One of the many demographics affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 are local churchgoers, who for weeks have been prevented from attending services in person. Christians will be especially impacted this weekend, during what would normally be busy Easter celebrations.

Local church leaders said they’re adhering to the restriction on public gatherings of more than 10 people. To reach their congregations, the churches are utilizing technology in new ways to share the Easter message.

Monsignor Frank Blood, pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, said his church has been live streaming daily Mass on YouTube, with links to the videos on the parish’s website. The church is also trying out a short-range radio transmitter that can broadcast services to cars in the parking lot.

Still, Blood lamented that the outbreak will prevent the community from coming together in person on Easter.

“It really hurts me to think as a priest that people can’t come to church on Easter Sunday, or even on Holy Saturday night, the Easter Vigil,” Blood said.

Holy Rosary normally has about 160 people at Sunday Mass, and more on Easter, Blood said. To not be able to deliver the message of Jesus’s resurrection or give out communion to them in person is difficult, he commented. But the church is making the best of a bad situation, and the Easter message will still go out — just through a different medium than before.

Blood said he was glad the church was still able to bless palms on Palm Sunday, the week before Easter, and distribute them to drivers waiting in the parking lot. He thanked the church volunteers and IT professionals who have made the alternate viewing options possible.

Pastor Dave Martin of First Baptist Church in Wright City said his church has been streaming worship services using Facebook. He said before a statewide stay-at-home order was issued, the church had been planning a “drive-in” worship for Easter, where people could hear the message via loudspeakers outside.

“While we’d certainly rather be enjoying each other’s physical presence, this virus has led the church to a newer, broader level of communicating to an actually larger number of people,” Martin commented. “It’s as if our crew are becoming ‘media missionaries.’”

Martin said restrictions have affected other church services, including funerals and a food pantry, but that those services continue to be provided.

Martin and the church deacons have also been calling and visiting church members to check on them.

“This virus has forced the church to focus more on ‘being the church,’ than on ‘going to church,’ which, quite frankly, is what church should be about anyway,” Martin commented.

Robbin DeVore, secretary of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Marthasville, said no services are being held at her church. However, the congregation has been invited to join drive-in services at Femme Osage UCC in Augusta on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

The Easter sermon will go out through a PA system and a radio transmitter, DeVore said.

“We were asked to bring our own bread and juice for communion. Extra elements will be available for people who didn’t bring them or forgot,” DeVore added. “And we’re supposed to bring a white cloth for everyone in the car to wave on Easter.”