The service will begin in the church courtyard and move into the building about halfway through. But the Easter Vigil service will be held in person – reservations required – and will not be livestreamed. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio, Easter Sunday services will be held via Zoom, with the option to come to the church and receive the Eucharist afterward. Many churches are taking the hybrid approach and offering a mix of in-person and online services. The traditional stripping and washing of the altar will also be done on video. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, the Maundy Thursday Eucharist will be celebrated via a prerecorded video, and parishioners may come to the church afterward to receive the consecrated bread and pray in the pews. The Maundy Thursday service, which traditionally includes a foot-washing ritual that commemorates Jesus’ actions on the night before his crucifixion, is a little trickier to host in person. At those services, the church will offer Communion and some familiar Easter hymns “for a few to sing and the rest to hum joyfully together.” With the number of indoor occupants limited to facilitate social distancing, parishioners must reserve seats online. While Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be held on Zoom, the church will have three Eucharist services in the church on Easter Sunday. Holy Nativity is also one of a growing number of churches that have resumed in-person worship, albeit with protocols in place to reduce the likelihood of coronavirus transmission. “Please arrive with mask and your own folding chair,” parishioners were advised. “God willing and weather cooperating,” they were invited to celebrate the Eucharist on the church lawn. The Church of the Holy Nativity in Weymouth, Massachusetts, began Holy Week by inviting parishioners to its outdoor Palm Sunday service. The traditional Lenten practice of the Stations of the Cross also has been easily moved outdoors by many churches. Having services outdoors, weather permitting, is one option churches have taken throughout the pandemic. With diocesan guidelines for COVID-19 restrictions varying widely, Episcopal churches are taking a variety of approaches. While last year’s Holy Week and Easter services were almost entirely online, many congregations are offering some form of in-person worship this year. For the second year in a row, the liturgical journey of Holy Week is happening under the cloud of a pandemic. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, distribute palm fronds on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021.
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