TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — With the coronavirus causing places of worship to close their doors, Good Friday and Easter worshipers will have to watch online.
No matter the denomination, churches across the Big Bend area would normally be packed on Easter. However, this Sunday will be unlike any other Easter Sunday.
Family Praise and Worship, along with dozens of other churches, will be live streaming their services. Pastor Quincy Griffin says setting an example for church-goers is huge right now.
"When our church made the decision to go live-stream instead of having the masses meet on a Sunday morning, the members got the message, too," said Griffin. "If the church is taking this seriously, I need to take this seriously in my personal life as well."
Griffin adds that planning Easter this year was very difficult, but also sees it as a blessing.
"When you think about Easter, you think about the masses being in one room," said Griffin. "You think about overflow. How are we going to contain this amount of people? But now, we don't have the issues of the four walls. Even though it was hard not being able to have so many people come to one location on Easter, now I'm really excited about it because I believe on this Easter we will be able to reach so many more people."
The Leon County Sheriffs Office knows that church is an essential part of life for many; however, they also know the importance of social distancing.
Griffin says he's very encouraged by his church's live stream for this Easter Sunday.
As for the Pensacola-Tallahassee Catholic diocese, all masses were suspended on March 20. That suspension remains in effect.
