The Mount Zion Baptist Church announced last week that it would be moving worship services online through January.
“God is so amazing, right?” Walker said in his announcement on Facebook. “Because God sees so far down the road… little did we know that this pandemic would be moving at the pace it’s moving. And you know, out of an abundance of caution and out of much prayer and counsel, I, as your leader, always want to make the right decisions concerning our church.”
Walker continued that he was following the science and wisdom, and the church would postpone in-person services. The church service would be held virtually at the usual congregation time, but if needed anyone would be able to watch the service at a later time convenient to them.
“We want to be safe. So many folks have been affected with the Omnicron variant, and with all the folks traveling over the holidays and coming back in, we just want to be safe. We love you. I pray you receive this the way in which we wanted to extend it to you as an act of concern and grace towards our Mount Zion community.”
So far, the Facebook post said that the services would be online only for January of 2022. The post read, “Church isn’t canceled, we’re just changing seats!”
Many Mount Zion members thanked Walker in the comments for keeping the church’s community safe. One said, “Thanks Bishop Walker and family for the concerns, safety and guidelines so very thoughtful as the Shepherd you are be blessed.”
Mount Zion appears to be the first church to move completely online since March of 2020. Prior to this change, they were offering in-person services, they also had online services offered for those hesitant to gather in groups.
Many churches are remaining open during the Omnicron surge. Cross Point Church in Nashville has not announced any change to in-person services, and Our Savior Lutheran Church hasn’t announced any in-person service changes either. Both churches offer the option to attend services online or attend in person.
As of the most recent reporting by the state of Tennessee, there have been a total of 142,248 cases of COVID-19 in Davidson County. Of those, 13,910 are active cases. Since tracking began last year, 3,483 cases have required hospitalizations, while 1,384 – a little less than one percent – have succumbed to the disease. In Davidson County alone, 744 cases were reported on Monday.
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Morgan Nicole Veysey is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Mount Zion Baptist Church” by Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Sad. My God is not a god of fear.
Very sad!
And they wonder why the church in America is dying?