‘It’s not fear.’ Why Coast black churches aren’t ready to reopen yet
Rev. Larry G. Hawkins Sr. of the Union Baptist Church in Pascagoula misses being able to look his parishioners right in their eyes to make sure they’re okay.
But he’s not yet been called by the spirit of God to reopen his church for in-person worship. Hawkins, like many others, paused such events in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Nothing would pain me as a pastor more than to have had them shelter-in-place all this time, and then I move prematurely without the guiding of the spirit and ignoring what the scientists say,” Hawkins said. “And there’s an outbreak and it’s contact traced back to our sanctuary. And people die from that. I don’t want that.”
In Mississippi and across the nation, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected African Americans and other minority groups. Black residents make up more than half of all confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in the state as of early June, according to data from the Mississippi State Department of Health. About 38% of Mississippi residents are black, the U.S. Census estimates.
Mississippi’s economy has reopened and coronavirus restrictions have eased. But the disease’s pronounced effects on African Americans and the elderly are still a source of concern. So while they can open their doors, many black churches on the Coast have decided to wait.
“The timing is not right, according to what God is saying to me about leading my people,” Hawkins said. “It’s not fear. It’s facts.”
But just because the building is closed doesn’t mean Sunday service is canceled. Leaders of Coast black churches are leading worship in parking lots, open fields and online as COVID-19 cases rise across the state.
COVID-19 and the black community
Gov. Tate Reeves has said Mississippi entered its final stage of reopening. He on Wednesday lifted curfew on bars and restaurants and increased capacity at gyms and event halls.
The easing of restrictions comes as Mississippi reports more than 18,400 cases and 868 deaths as of June 10. Black people make up nearly 54 percent of the state’s coronavirus cases and 51% of deaths as of June 10. Nationally, black people account for roughly 23% of the United States’ coronavirus deaths.
“This virus has devastated us as a people and its because of us having predisposed health conditions that tie back to administration after administration of unwillingness to make health care affordable — not just for black folks — but all folks,” Hawkins said.
Throughout the pandemic, Reeves never closed churches. Instead, they were strongly encouraged to host services virtually. Church events across the Southern United States have resulted in numerous infections.
One of the first instances of community spread in Mississippi was linked to a church choir, the governor previously said during a coronavirus press conference.
Jason L. Johnson, bishop of Abundant Life Evangelistic Church in Biloxi, was aware of the disease’s pronounced effects on African-Americans and the ease with which it spreads in churches. He stopped holding worship services inside his building in early March.
“I understood it was my constitutional right if I wanted to have a service, but it was not a wise thing to do based on the CDC reports and science,” he said. “Safety is extremely important.”
In the weeks since stopping services, Johnson, like many other religious leaders, turned to Zoom, Facebook, and conference calls to deliver his virtual sermons.
“Most of the leaders in the black community, because they love their congregations, they don’t want to open up ... and end up having to bury people,” Johnson said.
To celebrate the Pentecost, a Christian festival held the seventh Sunday after Easter to commemorate the descent of the Holy Ghost to the apostles, Johnson hosted a church service in a 4.5-acre field not too far from the church building.
Precautions were taken. Even outside, no one shared a microphone. Worshipers were encouraged to bring their own chairs and space out. Johnson compared the service to a drive-in movie as people sat on the hood of their cars or carried umbrellas to block out the sun.
“It was incredible,” he said.
As Mississippi reopened, state officials encouraged faith leaders to “evaluate the specific needs of their congregation, community, and facility when determining when and how to resume in-person gatherings,” according to state guidelines.
Churches were given guidelines regarding cleaning, distancing and other safety measures in an eight-page document state officials published in mid-May. At the time, the governor encouraged churches to wait until after June 1 to begin in-person services.
Johnson still doesn’t feel its safe to begin indoor services yet, and he’s not alone.
“The black pastors were like, ‘No, we’re not going to do this.’ There are a few that are. I can’t speak for everyone,” he said. “But the general population of black pastors I know … said no we’re not going to do it that way.”
What are some of the concerns?
Part of what concerns some Coast pastors is the style of their services. There’s a lot of closeness.
It’s something Bishop Jeffrey Reed — a Bay St. Louis City Councilor who oversees several churches along the Coast, including the Powerhouse of Deliverance in Bay St. Louis — and Hawkins said they’ve thought about.
“If you understand the dynamics of the black baptist church, when we worship — its almost shoulder to shoulder,” Hawkins said. “People in pews are interactive and responsive. ...You get all that voice in a room for an hour or more. We can’t do that.”
Hawkins and Johnson said a portion of their congregations are frontline workers or have jobs in the service industry at casinos and hotels. This puts them at risk for infection. Some of their worshippers are older as well.
Conversations about Mississippi’s COVID-19 data continue. Both Reed and Johnson are listening to advice from medical professionals in their congregations regarding the virus.
The pastors who spoke with the Sun Herald said they’d need to see several things, including sharp decreases in the number of new cases reported on the Coast and across the state before traditional, in-person services could begin again.
A phased re-entry plan is the most likely approach. Stringent disinfection of surfaces, the use of face masks and screening those who enter the building are all steps.
But there isn’t a rush to return. Reed said the virus has shown him another way to conduct his services. He said he didn’t expect his parishioners to respond to the Facebook Live and parking lot services the way they did.
“The parishioners are loving it. I’m loving it. If it’s not broke, it don’t need fixing,” he said.
It’s also not just about the church leadership. Worshippers play a key role in determining when in-person services will begin again as well, Reed said.
“I know a couple of my caucasian brothers. I talk with them quite often,” he said. “They went back three weeks ago … and one Sunday they told me they had 10 people (when) they usually had 70 or 80 people.
“It’s the membership,” he said. “They don’t trust it yet.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 10:00 AM.