BOISE, Idaho — On a weekend in which churches across Idaho would normally be filled with people gathered to celebrate Easter, many are instead putting services online as Gov. Brad Little's stay-at-home order remains in effect.
Many churches are holding services online for worshipers staying home, but some plan to do some sort of in-person events. Notably, the Coeur d'Alene Press is reporting that The Altar Church in Coeur d'Alene will hand out sealed plastic bags containing communion wafers and juice on Sunday morning.
Rep. Tim Remington is pastor of that church, and led in-person and online services on March 29, after the governor issued the stay-at-home order. Since then, The Altar services are online-only. The church's deacons have also posted an open letter to the community about COVID-19 and the church's response on its website.
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Gov. Little said Friday in a guest opinion that he and his wife, First Lady Teresa Little, will "attend church services remotely." He is asking other Idaho Christians to do the same.
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Here's the governor's complete statement:
"For Christians in Idaho and throughout the world, Easter Sunday culminates a Holy Week when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
People of faith naturally call upon God during times of distress, including now as we are experiencing a worldwide pandemic caused by COVID-19.
Coronavirus has certainly changed our world temporarily – the way we work, educate, shop, socialize, and the way we worship.
This Easter Sunday, Teresa and I will attend church services remotely by ourselves but still together with our friends and community members.
Yes, we would like to worship in our traditional fashion, but these are unique times and unique circumstances.
Rather than being surrounded by friends and families in crowded church pews, this Easter Sunday will be a day of quiet, personal reflection and prayer.
It will also be a day for us to ponder the response Jesus gave when asked about the greatest commandment.
Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. The second, he said, is to love your neighbor as yourself.
What an extraordinary opportunity for people of faith to take time at the culmination of this Holy Week to praise God for all the good we enjoy in life, and to recommit to the second great commandment – to love our neighbor.
From the quiet of our own homes, we can unite our faith and prayers for relief from a global pandemic, and we can pray for each other.
With coronavirus, we must keep our faith as well as keep our distance.
When we do, we love God and we love our neighbors."