Coronavirus: East Bay Church Adapts Amid State Restrictions

DANVILLE, CA — Churches are a place of community for people of faith. So when the state levied restrictions on mass gatherings and effectively canceled March events statewide, Community Presbyterian Church in Danville and other places of worship were forced to reevaluate.

Like always, CPC Pastor Tyler Scott preached his message at services held 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday. But this weekend — hours before Bay Area officials would issue a shelter-in-place order for much of the region — he preached to a room of empty chairs and a small production crew in the back.

Though the crowd was nil, 4,600 viewers watched his sermons from home — a 400 percent increase over CPC's normal online viewership.

"In a culture filled with fear and uncertainty, people want to hear hope and they want to be encouraged," he said. "We can offer a message from God's word that brings those things to them."

CPC added additional livestreaming platforms on top of its usual venues to accommodate as many online congregants as possible, he said.

Viewers tuned in from Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and the CPC site. Virtual churchgoers were encouraged to have viewing parties with loved ones and post pictures of their in-home gatherings.

Other places of worship grappling with changes due to concerns about the new coronavirus are livestreaming and getting creative. A Maryland priest is operating drive-thru confessional, Fox News reported.

The church wants to be respectful of officials and mindful of its community — especially when it comes to those who are most at-risk, Scott said.

Staff morale is high and people are hopeful in spite of the challenges, Scott said.

"We exist for the valley and want to encourage as many people as we can, especially during a time like this," Scott said.

CPC, which runs San Ramon Valley Christian Academy, has also had to rethink its school programming, said Principal Jamie Westgate in an email. SRVCA serves 360 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and 120 preschoolers from Concord to Livermore and has enacted a mandatory remote learning program.

The school intends to see that student work is graded and students stay on track to finish the academic year on time, Westgate said.

The remote learning program combines academics with physical and social activities, and spiritual lessons. Classes begin with Bible lessons that offer reassurance and hope in difficult times, Westgate said.

SRVCA wants to encourage family bonding time but ensure that students can work independently if parents are working from home, she said. Family devotions encourage participation from everyone.

The school plans to send along suggestions to help family members have fun and support each other amid the shelter-in-place order, Westgate said.

“We're doing this to make the very most of these historic circumstances," she wrote. "Providing a routine for children helps alleviate some of the fears they may naturally experience when everything around them seems new."