The pandemic had a significant impact on businesses across all industries. For those working in hospitality or travel and tourism, they have certainly felt the negative impact Coronavirus has caused for their sector. Forcing them to close or find other alternatives to remain in business during such an unprecedented time. Other industries saw an incline in their business as they were busier than they have ever been before.
Throughout such an uncertain time, the news and other media outlets have predominately focused on the impact the pandemic has caused on businesses. Rightfully highlighting the exceptional work key workers have been providing over these difficult months. However, there has been little coverage on how the pandemic has affected places of worship, as well as the challenges they have faced during this time.
Across the country, and the rest of the world, many places of worship were unable to have anyone in attendance at their services. This not only had an impact on those who relied on attending a service for the social aspect is also provided but it also affected places of worship. Having people in attendance at a service is more than just the total of people there, it is the generosity shown by parishioners pre, during and post mass.
Depending on your parish there might be various ways you can show your support. However, it is about finding one that suits you and your lifestyle, which will have changed due to the events this past year.
Volunteer Your Time To Your Parish
With many churches opening their doors to their parishioners once again, ensuring that anyone who attends a place of worships is safe and comfortable during their time it is incredibly important. As such, offering your time to put measures in places, such as social distancing guides and hand sanitizers, ready for a mass is one way to help your local church.
Alternatively, if you have spare time, you can offer to help sanitize and sterilize seat handles, as well as any other areas of the church that need cleaning after a mass has finished. Volunteering your time to help create a safe parish is a great way to ensure that the church is safe for visitors to attend – something that will be appreciated by those in attendance and also your place of worship.
Offer Any Skills
If you have any skills such as administration or accounting, these could be incredibly useful. For example, you could offer your local place of worship your time to help them with cutting any business expenses or offer to spend time filling in for those who are unable to work, due to their reasons. If you are unsure about how you can help, just ask – they will certainly be more than happy to inform you of ways you could help.
Consider Donating Money
Over the past year, churches were greatly affected by not being able to have anyone in attendance. Aside from the atmosphere having people in attendance can create, having no one present means that there was no church giving occurring during the months of quarantine. With restrictions in place to allow a safe return, funds are increasingly necessary for churches. They need the funds to be able to purchase the protection and resources required to ensure they can properly and safely welcome back their parishioners.
Despite things slowly returning to normal, you might not feel comfortable just yet to go back to the way things were. If you wanted to donate money to your local church, but are unable to attend a mass, there is online giving for churches available. For example, PushPay online giving software provides you with the ability to donate money online to churches. This allows you the opportunity to donate to your local church, without you having to leave the comfort of your own home.
It is a great tool to use that enables you to show your appreciation and support for your local church, without you feeling at risk. Also, this hassle-free way means that you can ask your friends if they are willing to show their support by donating. If they do not want to attend a mass, donating online is a quick and simple way they can show their support to the local church.
Encourage Friends To Show Support
You may be one of the only in your friendship group that is a religious person, or who is actively practicing their faith. Regardless, consider asking your friends if they are happy to show their support in some way to your local place of worship. It does not have to be a grand gesture, something small like donating money will help to make a difference and be a great benefit for your local church.
Look For Alternative Ways
If you are unable to attend a mass, for whatever reason, look into seeing if your parish is streaming their masses. Streaming masses were a popular way many churches, and other places of worship turned to ensure that their parishioners were able to attend a service from the safety of their own home.
Alternatively, you could arrange a virtual coffee event for your parishioners at your local church. This is a great way to keep everyone connected, and it will be appreciated greatly by those who have struggled and continue to battle with loneliness. You can also use this time to discuss other ways you can all help your place of worship as it continues to remain open during these challenging times.
Show Your Support, No Matter How Small
Whether it be something small like donating some money, or as big as helping to create a socially distanced seating arrangement for your church, all these acts of kindness will be greatly appreciated by your church. Many places of worship are looking for ways to operate, so any support they can receive will be beneficial.
This past year has been a challenging time for many, with many struggling even now when things are slowly returning to normal. However, showing support to fellow parishioners and your place of worship, regardless of what it is you decide to do will be a huge blessing in helping churches return to normal.
