United Methodist Conference suspends in-person services
United Methodist Churches in South Carolina are set to suspend all in-person services and meetings through at least the end of the month in response to the growing spread of COVID-19.
Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, the head of the South Carolina United Methodist Conference, recommended the move Tuesday in conjunction with the conference’s leadership cabinet.
In a statement, Holston cited the federal recommendation that gatherings be limited to no more than 10 people.
“In light of the latest guidance – and after consulting with The Cabinet today – I recommend that leaders of each local church suspend in-person worship services and all gatherings, meetings and events, effective today through March 31, 2020. Please know that I do not make this recommendation lightly,” Holston said in the statement.
The United Methodist Conference in South Carolina encompasses more than 900 churches and 220,000 worshipers.
The decision comes after Holston announced last Thursday that two church members had tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
In the meantime, Holston recommended that members watch live-streamed services, which more than three dozen churches in South Carolina currently do. He also urged members and their pastors to check in over social media, on the phone or by email on vulnerable, isolated or quarantined members.
Other religious groups have also curtailed services in the face of the virus — the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, which includes Columbia, canceled masses through April 1, First Baptist of Columbia has canceled all activities through the end of the month.
Also on Tuesday, Governor Henry McMaster announced all restaurants in the state must close their dining rooms and only serve takeout or delivery, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 47 across South Carolina.
