As members of The Way Church in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighborhood filed in for Easter service on Sunday morning, they were marking a significant milestone.
“We started two years ago, online, almost to the day,” said Pastor Chris Price. “And so this is the first time in the history of our church where they have gotten to gather on an Easter Sunday and worship together.”
Before the church could ever bring its new members together in person, it had to reach people digitally in order to comply with public health orders.
“Meeting over Zoom was a bit of a challenge at first, I think for all of us. We were just having to learn to navigate an online space,” said Elita Friesen, another of the church’s pastors. “Can it be authentic getting to know people online? And over the last two years, it’s been a journey.”
Many congregations have had to navigate the long road back to unrestricted in-person gatherings.
Some began online, before moving outdoors in the spring of 2021 as the weather improved, then came limited in-person indoor gatherings.
But provinces across the country have moved to lift restrictions on the size of most gatherings, including worship services.
In Ontario, those restrictions were lifted last month, allowing hundreds to gather for Easter Mass at Toronto’s famed St. Michael’s Cathedral.
“We’ve all been drained of our vitality by having all these masks, and distancing and isolation. There’s a huge wound upon people because of loneliness and distance,” said Thomas Cardinal Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto.
Back at The Way Church, on this first holiday with no gathering limits, some still kept some distance between themselves and others and chose to mask up.
It’s something Dr. Brian Conway of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Center recommends.
“COVID is not gone. It’s great, all these smiles are great. But, let’s stay safe in COVID world,” he said.
But after two years of following all public health mandates, many church-goers are grateful for the opportunity to be in each other’s presence.
“I think we really start to realize the impact of just being able to see each other’s faces and to interact in such a common way,” said Alanna Arseneau.
Given the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, parishioners aren’t taking their in-person fellowship for granted.