A frequent topic of conversation among communities most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is when in-person church services will resume. For the time being in Perry, most churches have elected to continue prohibiting the larger worship services.

Andrea Brownlee, pastor of First Christian Church and President of the Perry Ministerial Association (PMA), says the organization has decided that for the time being they will proceed with online services only until at least the end of June. Brownlee says one of the deciding factors on staying closed is the restrictions still in place regarding religious gatherings. For example, congregations are advised to not sing or speak corporately, even with masks on, which would eliminate much of a typical service for most denominations. Additionally, communion is still not advised, which also was considered with the PMA’s decision.

Aside from those reasons, Brownlee says the pastors agreed that worshiping safely was more important than doing so in any building. “Some of those things that we are missing we still wouldn’t be able to do if we gathered together. And so we have to take those things into consideration when we make those decisions about whether or not to gather. And so we’re taking every precaution for us to stay safe, and sometimes that looks like being apart. And so that’s where the ministerial association is standing right now, is that it’s better for us to worship online in our homes than to gather together.”

To hear more from Brownlee about the Perry Ministerial Association, listen to tomorrow’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.