Churches offer `masks-required' worship services as option for patrons
A special worship service at Bridgeway Church was deemed a success when people who hadn't been to in-person worship in months walked t hr ough the door.
Leaders at the church hosted their first “masks required” worship service on July 26, in addition to a second service where face coverings were optional.
About 50 people who had not returned to the church, 228 Hefner Road, since the March COVID-19 shutdown were a welcome sight at the mask-required service, said Crystal Partee, the church's communications director.
“It was really sweet to see people who hadn't been back in along time ,” she
said. “They came back because masks were required.”
The Centers f or Disease Control and Prevention said cloth face coverings are recommended to help limit the spread of COVID-19 because they offer a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the cloth face covering coughs, sneezes, talks or raises their voice.
“Masks-only” services like Bridge way' s—offered in addition to services where masks are optional — appear to be a trend that has found its way to the metro area.
In an ever-changing societal landscape shaped by the pandemic, at least two other churches are offering the special worship services where the only people allowed in are those wearing some type of mask or other face covering.
It' s all about offering options.
Partee said Bridgeway will continue to offer the congregation a choice of worship services.
“I feel like it's a success if it allows people to come to a corporate gathering who wouldn't otherwise,” she said.
Mustang United Methodist Church and First Baptist Church of Mustang also offered masks-required services in recent weeks.
The Rev. Michael Staton, senior pastor of First BaptistMustang, said his church offered such a service for the first time on July 19 “to be a blessing to people who haven't felt ready to return” during the COVID-19 crisis.
“It worked well. We just said anyone can come but that everyone who comes please wear a mask,” Staton said.
The minister said the services where masks were required drew a crowd that preferred to worship knowing others around them wore face coverings.
“There were some people there who I haven't seen in four months. I think it's exactly why they came,” he said.
Staton said the church, 928 N Mustang Road, likely will have another masks-required service in late August.
“We try really hard to keep our church unified and one of the ways we do that is we try not to have services in our church that are preferencebased,” he said, referring to aspects like music styles.
“But this is such an extraordinary case that we felt it was good to try.”
Not about politics
Masks have quickly become the latest hot topic in the culture wars as people debate the merits of wearing them to limit transmission of COVID-19. Some argue that requiring that masks be worn in public spaces and while in large groups, is an infringement on their individual rights. Wearing masks has also become a partisan issue and even a reason to question the depth of a person's faith.
Stat on said his church simply wanted to offer some choices.
“The mask situation, it is a very touchy subject. We try to be encouraging and we want people to be able to feel safe about coming to church,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Aaron Tiger, senior pastor of Mustang United Methodist Church, said his church, 211 W State Highway 152, held “drive-in” worship services during the spring and hope to do it again in the fall, all for the sake of offering the congregation different options.
He said members of the church's re-launch team knew they wanted to offer am asksrequired service several months ago so they decided to make the first of two Sunday worship services for people who prefer wearing face coverings in group settings.
“We have multiple measures of safety in all of our services including social distancing, good ventilation and sanitizer, but it was important to us to have an environment where people knew that others would be masked,” Tiger said.
“We believed that it would encourage some people to attend church, both guests and members, who otherwise may not feel safe unless they knew other people were wearing a mask.”
Like Staton, he acknowledged the intense debate that has been ignited regarding face coverings.
“Unfortunately, masks have become so political and a stumbling block for people one way or the other to keep people from hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. We are not trying to make political statements, but a faith statement that there is hope in Jesus Christ no matter if you are watching online, wearing a mask or socially distant,” Tiger said.
“We made this decision to reach as many people as we could while still having multiple measures of safety in place.”