Worship returns to normal
Life for New Zealand’s religious communities is slowly returning to normal.
President of the International Muslim Association of New Zealand Tahir Nawaz said Wellington’s Kilbirnie Mosque was one of many Islamic places of worship around the country to be celebrating – at least in part – the eased restrictions on gatherings.
Muslims joined other Christian faiths around the country making a cautious return to churches and other places of prayer.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern previously announced that the number of people allowed at gatherings – including at religious services – would increase from 10 to 100 under alert level 2. The changes officially came into effect on Friday.
But Nawaz said Kilbirnie Mosque was still taking a slow approach, as it’s not an easy task maintaining detailed records of each person who comes to the mosque for prayers.
‘‘We are slowly getting back to normal. But it’s not fully normal, because there are still restrictions of the numbers and ... health protocols [we] have to comply with.’’
Kilbirnie Mosque was still keeping to smaller groups for its five daily prayers. Instead of one bigger Friday prayer session, the mosque had also now split this up in to two, smaller sessions.
The mosque could cater to bigger gatherings of more than 100 people with two-metre distancing, Nawaz said.
And while there was some disappointment and frustration within the community – ‘‘we always want to comply with whatever the regulations are’’.
The mosque was working to roll out a contact-tracing app for people to sign in, then come back later in the day.
Virtual prayers – including digital talks – were being held for people to stay connected and engaged.
It had been a particularly difficult year for Muslims worldwide as the
month of Ramadan coincided with countries going into lockdown.
Meanwhile, Christian communities were also getting back into the swing of things at the weekend.
Reverend Ryhan Prasad, from Wellington’s Khandallah
Presbyterian Church, yesterday held the church’s first traditional physical service since the lockdown.
The church also ran a Zoom broadcast for those who were unable or unwilling to attend.
Prasad said about 40 adults attended yesterday morning’s service, with another 20-odd ‘‘screen’’ attendees, which may be whole families or individuals joining in digitally.
It was a poignant day to return to physical gatherings for Christians as May 31 is the Christian holiday of Pentecost, he said.
‘‘A lot of people expressed ... happiness. It was good symbolism with Pentecost to get back and come out of our homes.’’
‘‘People were really appreciative and thankful to be able to gather again and worship the way they used to ... it’s great for us to be back worshipping in a common environment.
‘‘I had a real sense of celebration this morning; people came out and you could tell they were excited to be there.’’
While the lockdown had given churches opportunities to think about different mediums of worship, it had also reminded people of the importance of physically congregating, Prasad said.