You Can’t Baptize On Zoom

By Alejandra Molina - Posted at Ministry Watch:

The faithful stood in line for about two hours to receive Communion at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks.

Some were in tears as they approached the Communion table. The church, which typically dispenses about 400 Communion cups on a regular Sunday, served over 700 that day.

Pastors from other churches attended. Protesters and police were there.

This was the scene pastor Rob McCoy witnessed April 5 when he decided to open his sanctuary for Communion on Palm Sunday, despite a statewide stay-at-home order that bans group gatherings and shut down businesses except for those deemed essential.

“People needed this,” McCoy told Religion News Service. “What they did was not an affront. They wanted the community to know that Christ is critical and essential and they wanted to testify that no matter what it would cost them, even if they were going to be berated and maligned.”

To McCoy, receiving Communion is just as essential as people needing to get food from the grocery store. That Sunday, he said, worshippers followed social distancing guidelines while they stood in line. Tape was cued 6 feet apart on the sidewalk. Only 10 people were permitted inside the sanctuary at a time. Communion elements were individually sealed. Lysol was sprayed on seats after those attending got up to leave.

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