Central Florida churches plan virtual services, social distancing for Easter celebrations

ORLANDO, Fla. — The coronavirus pandemic is bringing major changes to the way churches across Central Florida will celebrate Easter.

Churches in Florida are allowed to congregate as they are deemed essential during the stay-at-home order, but many are deciding not to.

Rev. Jose Rodriguez, from the Espiscopal Church of Jesus of Nazareth, knows most of his congregation is home under the state's stay-at-home order.

“I think this Easter will take on more significance than all prior,” Rodriguez said.

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Members of the Episcopal Church of Jesus of Nazareth will not gather together inside Sunday. Instead, they will convene online for a virtual worship service while safely at home.

For Christians, Holy Week leads up to Easter Sunday, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“We commemorate the crucifixion and three days in the tomb. And right now, all of our families in Central Florida are spending time in seclusion,” Rodriguez said.

When concerns about the coronavirus started to get attention, his church, like others, started practicing social distancing.

But after one Sunday doing that, they decided that wasn’t enough.

“Then it became very evident the seriousness of this,” Rodriguez. “So we immediately went to virtual services.”

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For several weeks now, that's meant empty pews.

As all services have been done online with parishioners watching and worshipping from home, other churches are planning online Easter services, too.

“A lot of people are saying that church is closed. Church isn't closed,” Rodriguez said. “You know, for those of us who are Christian we believe the church is the community. It's the body of Christ.”

This Sunday, while it might feel different, he says there will be a message of hope - hope for getting through this crisis, much like the hope brought by the resurrection.

“I think this is going to be a time of great introspection and it’s also going to be a time to be grateful for when we can finally get out of the home,” Rodriguez said.

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