Fairfield's Black Rock Church To Worship Online Amid Coronavirus

FAIRFIELD, CT — The doors to Black Rock Church will be closed Sunday to the up to 2,500 people who come each week to pray, but members of the church will still be able to worship online.

"The church is not a building," said the Rev. Josh Feay, executive pastor, in a YouTube video announcing the change due to concern about the new coronavirus in Connecticut.

Most Sundays, the nondenominational Christian church holds four services — some of which draw more than 700 congregants — plus children's programs, Feay said. The church community stretches across Fairfield County, inland to Newtown and along the Long Island Sound.

"As a regional church where people come from all over, we felt it was wise to move all of our services online," Feay said in the video.

The decision aligns with guidance from the town to avoid mass gatherings. Many events were canceled during the week as the virus spread, and some town buildings were closed. Fairfield Public Schools have announced plans to switch to distance learning indefinitely.

Black Rock Church livestreams its services every Sunday, but Feay said he didn't know how long the church would offer service exclusively online, as that depends on when the Fairfield Health Department approves a return to large group gatherings. Services will be streamed at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

The health department has approved small gatherings, so whether church community groups continue to meet will be at their discretion, although the mid-week children's programs will not meet in the immediate future and the student and young adult ministries won't have large gatherings.

The church will postpone its annual conference of mission representatives from around the world, which was scheduled to start Saturday.

In the video, Feay encouraged churchgoers to look for opportunities to help those in need during the virus outbreak, such as delivering groceries or providing childcare to neighbors.

"We need to connect with each other and encourage each other even more during this time," he said in the video.

Connecticut's official count for coronavirus cases was 11 as of 4 p.m. Friday, not including a new diagnosis announced late in the day, the first in the northern part of the state.

To stream Sunday service, visit www.blackrock.org/live.