Sanctuary Empowerment Centre streamed their full service to their congregants from Country Road.
Despite having amended guidelines for their reopening under the phased
resumption of business in Barbados, many churches and places of
worship opted to remain closed yesterday.
After agitating to see a return to in-person worship by many leaders,
faith-based organisations were given the go-ahead in Government’s
latest list; however, many have taken the decision to return to
worship in the coming weeks.
With directives being named in the previous two-week block of
relaxations announced by government officials, they were taken back to
the drawing board after several leaders complained that they were too
strict. With the restrictions of numbers among other things high on
the list of issues members of the worship community had with the
guidelines, Government met with several stakeholders over the past
week which saw a new accord being reached with regards to some of the
most pressing directives.
During a media briefing on Friday with Minister of Labour and Social
Partnership, Colin Jordan, the new amendments were announced just in
time for this weekend’s worship. Some of the issues addressed were
masking of and distance from officiants, the receiving of communion
and the utilisation of air conditioning inside structures.
However, many places of worship kept their doors closed opting to
instead continue with live streaming of their services. Reports are
that several Anglican and Catholic churches, among others, have chosen
to take the coming days to ready themselves for their congregants
under the recommended guidelines for June 21.
There were reports of some churches taking advantage of the guidelines
and opening their doors to their faithful members. New Dimensions
Ministries in Barbarees Hill was one of those and they have decided,
in the first few instances, to utilise an alphabet system to allow
their congregation to worship.
Yesterday they allowed members with surnames A-H to worship with next
week dedicated to those with names I-Z.
However, Apostle Stephen Holford said that that system may prove to be
flawed and planned to rectify it.