Kingsley United Church Remains Resilient During COVID-19

ESTEY’S BRIDGE, NB – The Remembrance Day service in Kingsley United Church has recently passed, one of countless in the church’s history, and the second during the COVID-19 pandemic. The day looked different from years past, but much closer to normal than in 2020, something which many congregation members found very comforting. Poppies, crosses and wreaths adorned the sanctuary, and hymns about sacrifice and peace were chosen specifically for the day. The day was a solemn one, but the cautious optimism about the increasing vaccination rate permeated the room.

Since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, changes have been implemented at the church. Everyday items at the church such as hymn books and bibles have only recently been returned for general use. The church began taking attendance for contact tracing at the beginning of the pandemic, and has recently begun collecting proof of vaccination. The church proudly boasts a 100% vaccination rate for all of its members. Following COVID-19 protocols has always been very important to the church, especially for Pastor Chris Walker, who works not only at the Kingsley United Church, but the North Cardigan and Hillcrest United churches as well.

COVID-19 has changed the face of many institutions around the world, Pastor Walker has felt these changes in some of the most important, yet unexpected elements of church life.

“It has been awful. You know, to put it as plain as possible. On the one hand it hasn’t affected the basic mechanics of preaching. So, I guess in a certain sense you could say it hasn’t really affected the preaching at all, but one of the most important parts about church is the camaraderie, and you know people talking and hugging and shaking hands, eating together and stuff like that. I would say like 50 to 60% of church is that social stuff. The way in which we can’t do [that] and the way it puts a lot of fear into people, that’s been really unfortunate,” said Pastor Walker.

Like many churches, Kingsley United relies heavily on donations and government support to continue to operate. During the beginning of the pandemic, before the first shutdowns, homemade hand sanitizer and masks were all the church had available to them, with this PPE still being supplied by parishioners today.

Things are looking up for the future of the church, which was recently chosen for a grant of $100 000 for paving the parking lot and driveway, as well as fixing the wheelchair accessibility ramp. 

The church’s hall next door also received upgrades over the course of 2021 to encourage renting, which has stagnated greatly in the wake of the pandemic. New windows, doors, and a new staircase help to increase accessibility and warmth in the building. These funds were raised principally through donations and fundraising by the church, in the form of dinners, bake sales, and rummage sales.

Among the many changes to routine brought by the pandemic, some lighter changes have brought smiles to masked faces. Communion, though usually offered individually, must now be served in specially wrapped miniature containers, which have been a hit with the congregation. 

 

Even while preaching at three different churches every Sunday, Pastor Walker feels safe in his position with extensive protocols and vaccination but worries at times for the health of his parishioners.

 “I personally feel safe, yes. because at my age and my health COVID isn’t going to do much to me. But, I do have concerns, I mean some of these folks have COPD, they’re on oxygen, you know, are very frail of health. So again, I’m not concerned at all for my personal health but, you know sometimes folks at funerals and stuff just come in for a hug, and again I’m fully vaccinated, so there’s not as much risk, but it’s still always at the back of your mind like, have I just given this 90-year-old COVID? So that’s a stressful anxiety to have percolating,” said Pastor Walker.

Craig Morton has attended Kingsley United for more than 6 years, having lived right across the street from the building, he often is involved first hand with COVID-19 protocols, cleaning, and decorating.He has been especially thankful in the past year for the responsibility and diligence of the church.

“Well, we are proud to be a church with all fully vaccinated members. Because we speak on different occasions about churches with problems where they’re trying to seat these vaccinated people on this side, and unvaccinated on that side, and it sounds silly. There have been some stories of churches having issues as per infection, but also when other churches were closed, we were able to stay open because we did everything we were supposed to,” said Morton.

The landscape of COVID-19 continues to change unpredictably. Kingsley United Church continues to remain ready for quickly changing health measures, and especially on this solemn day of remembrance, always optimistic for the future.