PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — For centuries, church has been an integral aspect of the spiritual and social lives of thousands of residents in the Presque Isle area. While that has remained the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, worship has undoubtedly taken new forms.
From March to May, the civil state of emergency from Gov. Janet Mills required that no more than 10 people be gathered in one place at a time. Unlike in other states, religious institutions in Maine were not deemed essential services, and churches across The County were forced to go all-digital with only a bare bones staff on-hand for broadcasts.
But even after June 1 — when Gov. Mills eased the order to allow for 50 or fewer people in a room at once — things have not been easy for churches. While attendees were once able to simply drop by at a service each weekend, the new limits required registration in advance. Online services continue to be paramount under this new system.
Pastor Bud Fancy of the Wesleyan Framework Church in Presque Isle said that his only avenue to speak to congregants in person during the March-May period was to talk to them from his car in the church’s parking lot.
That is no longer the case, as the church is now open to about 50 people a service. Yet, with a congregation nearing 600, the church has been forced to find creative ways to reach all of its worshippers. Several are watching the services online, many in groups that meet at the homes of other congregants.
As for the in-person services, the church is asking people to call ahead of time. Some spots are left open for staff members and guests who drop by the church.
“It’s totally democratic,” Fancy said. “[We allow in] the first 44 that call.”
Fancy, who is in his 48th year of ministry, said he is happy to be back in person, but wishes he were able to allow more of his congregation inside. The church has been in contact with the state advocating for such increases through the Christian Civic League of Maine.
“We really believe we are essential, and it’s a tremendous loss for people not to come to church,” Fancy said.
Tim Vernon — the council president of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary’s) Catholic Church in Presque Isle — said the church has done in-person services since mid-July, though many are still watching online.
Like the Framework Church, Vernon said St. Mary’s was following all of the required rules from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, including requiring facemasks, social distancing seats and frequently sanitizing the church.
The church is also mindful of the potential for an outbreak in a mass gathering: it keeps a list of all attendees in case contact tracing is required by investigators.
Vernon said that in-person attendance started out slowly, but has begun picking up over time. Conversely, online streaming of services over Facebook has become extremely popular, even among former Presque Isle residents who now reside elsewhere.
St. Mary’s parochial leader, the Rev. David Raymond, said he wasn’t sure if the pandemic was increasing religiosity, but said it could ultimately guide people toward becoming more spiritually connected.
“COVID should awaken us to the fragility of our human condition,” Raymond said. “Like in any crisis, COVID brought change in all our lives. I believe that this pandemic awakens the seed of faith in many people.”
While Raymond and Fancy are of different denominations in the same faith, both were hopeful that the hardships brought by the virus would come to an end as soon as possible.
“We’re just praying for an end to this thing,” Fancy said. “A vaccine or whatever it takes.”
