For many churches Christmas Eve is one of the biggest services of the year. With spread out families coming together to visit parents and grandparents, even the quietest of country churches can find itself filled to the brim on Dec. 24, under normal circumstances.
In the lead-up to the night before Christmas this year, however, most of Quebec is under the strictest level of COVID-19 restrictions and people have been encouraged to stay home as much as possible. Although even red-level regulations allow for a worship service of up to 25 people, the situation has required many churches to think on their feet when it comes to connecting with their usual faith communities.
“So many different churches are doing things differently,” said Rev. Linda Buchanan who, in addition to being the minister at Lennoxville United Church, is the President of the regional council for United Churches across the province of Quebec.
While the United Church on the larger scale has produced resources and guidelines for churches on how to approach Christmas during the time of COVID, Buchanan shared that each congregation has some flexibility in how they approach the situation. Where in some cases services that respect the 25-person cap might be in the works, other churches have yet to reopen for in-person gathering and are doing everything online.
“Love looks different this year”
By Gordon Lambie
