Churches adjust to more changes; going back to virtual or moving things outdoors

Last week governor Newsom said churches and places of worship can no longer have indoor services. Some local churches are now having to worship outdoors in triple-digit heat here in the valley or go back to online sermons only.

News Channel 3 met with some local church leaders on how they’re continuing to adjust to changing guidelines.

First Communion moved outdoors this weekend at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Indio.

This is how the set up will look next weekend as their Sunday mass moves outdoors as well.

“I didn’t want to say we’re closing again,” Reverend Alexander Gamino told News Channel 3.

Gamino said they used to see about 8,000 people a weekend, now their outdoor mass would be able to seat 80 people over the weekend.

“Hence why we are trying to find better ways,” he said.

One of those ways he said might be starting drive through communion.

“Now granted we still have many parishioners who do not feel safe and I totally understand that. I wouldn’t want to impose that they have to do this but I do want to give those who do want to the opportunity,” Gamino said.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church is not considering drive through communion however, they’re getting ready to take their mass outdoors next weekend as well.

“And of course it’s the temperature that’s our concern so we’re changing mass times," Monsignor Howard Lincoln said. "We’re going to start at six in the morning and they’ll be quicker masses in the case of our perish six, seven, eight, nine in the morning and then seven o’clock at night but we’ve got to have reservations because we have to keep it to 100 or less,” he added.

Jeff Jaso is a pastor at The Door Christian Fellowship in Palm Desert. They jumped at the chance to reopen but for them, that was short-lived as well.

“If we weren’t in the desert in our wonderful 120 sum degrees we’d probably try an outdoor service out there but right now we’re going to shift it back to Zoom," Jaso said.

Through the ups and downs, Pastor Jaso said he’s actually seen his church grow in number through the pandemic.

“It slowed life down and helped us see that we’re not in control,” Jaso said.