Georgia "Episcopalian" Parish Reopens

A visitor sent me a link to the web site of St Luke's Episcopal, Blue Ridge, GA. Although it identifies itself as Episcopal, it is part of a small "continuing" denomination. Georgia has had one of the most liberal regimes for reopening, and it seems as though the parish is able to restart without specific government restrictions. Mutatis mutandis, it seems to me that this offers an insight into how reopening might be handled, at least in situations where local officials are not trying to restrict the process.

According to an announcement on the parish home page,

One service with two options will be held at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, this Sunday [May 10], at St. Luke’s Church, Blue Ridge. Worshipers can either remain in their cars and listen over 98.1 FM or can come into the church. Those who choose the inside option will be seated in a pattern which complies with social distancing guidelines. Communion (bread only) will be distributed in sealed plastic bags. Collection plates will be on a shelf in the rear of the church. The Rev. Victor H. Morgan, rector, will preach.

In addition, Sunday’s service will be live-streamed on Facebook and later placed on YouTube. For both, go to “Parish Church of St. Luke, Blue Ridge, Ga.”

While there is a reference to "social distancing" guidelines, there is no requirement that attendees register beforehand or reserve a spot, which seems to be the case in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, OR. The Portland archdiocese also cites a maximum occupancy of 25 in each parish that holds mass, but this doesn't seem to be the case in this parish.

I looked up the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia web site to see what diocesan policies may apply. In a policy revised April 23, 2020, it says

Bishop Benhase and Bishop-elect Logue, who will succeed him as the 11th Bishop of Georgia on May 30, are closely monitoring guidance and expertise from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. “We will open our parishes for in-person worship,” Bishop Benhase concluded,” when the experts tell us it is safe to do so. And even when we do, we will have established special guidelines for how to do so responsibly and safely.”

However, the St Luke's parish is not subject to this policy. The distribution of the host in sealed plastic bags raises my eyebrows, but we'll see how things shake out elsewhere in other denominations.

I'll discuss legal developments over local governments specifying maximum occupancy or requiring attendees to register in a subsequent post. These provisions have not been surviving the threat of legal challenge.