ROCHEPORT – The Rocheport United Methodist Church has gone through trials before.
The church, founded in 1844, survived the civil war and 1918 flu pandemic.
Pastor Ken Zahringer said because of its history, the church is well-equipped to survive the current pandemic.
"We've certainly been through worse times," he said.
Zahringer worries, though, about the pandemic weighing too heavily on his congregants. He said it raises concerns about physical distance creating spiritual wounds.
"The social, the human cost, of all of that, has gone largely not only uncounted, but also undiscussed," he said.
Zahringer's congregation is currently holding online services. He said the church is still deciding whether it will hold in-person services for Christmas.
"It's a little more difficult to bring that flavor, that atmosphere, to an online service," he said.
Regardless, Zahringer knows his church has a history of resilience, and it will survive the challenges of 2020.
"The current issue with this one particular infectious agent doesn't change any of that," he said.
Zahringer admits frustration with the way in which the pandemic has been managed. His frustrations, however, do not lie on the shoulders of health professionals, but politicians.
"I never knew there were so many people afraid of dying they would be willing to quit living," he said. "Those decisions are very personal, based on very individual values of risk aversion."
Zahringer said he is ready to unite his congregation together at the conclusion of the current health crisis, and hopes the religious well-being of his congregants has not been defeated.
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December 13, 2020 at 10:23AM
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