VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Churches across Hampton Roads are celebrating Palm Sunday a little differently this year.
Over at Virginia Beach’s New Saint John AME Church, the congregation is watching Reverend Morris Reddon Jr’s service online or listening in on their cell phones.
“We’re going to be on Facebook live also we’ll have the telephone conference call," Reddon said. “I think more of my seniors are glad that we are able to have the telephone conference, they’re not so tech-savvy.”
It’s a new normal.
On the other side of Hampton Roads, at Franklin’s Rock Church, people are worshiping at a drive-in.
Pastor Danny Dillon and his wife Jill say it’s all about keeping people connected, even though we’re social distancing.
“We have a radio station that we’re tuning into so where they can hear it in their car or they can crack their windows and hear it live,” Jill Dillon said.
The governor’s order to stay at home and limit gatherings to less than 10 people has forced a lot of churches to get creative.
“People will stick their hand out and raise it during worship, you hear voices coming out of cars so it’s a pretty cool experience,” Danny Dillon said. “This environment allows us to make sure people don’t get too lonely at home.”
At Rock Church, families stayed in their cars as they listened to Dillon's sermon.
Reddon said it's all about maintaining connections and keeping congregations together during the COVID-19 crisis.
“We’re doing the best that we can and I think this has been a learning opportunity for all of us," Reddon said.
"When we get back to church, we won’t take coming to church for worship for granted, any longer.”
