Keep COVID-19 restrictions during in-person worship, US ecumenical guide suggests
RNS Some Americans may be behaving like the COVID-19 pandemic no longer hinders them from socializing with friends and family, many of whom they may not have seen in months. But the Ecumenical Consultation on Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacraments, a group of clergy, scientists and other experts, advised congregations to take it slower […]
Is it safe to sing at church yet? In the US, it depends who you ask
RNS On Pentecost Sunday, some members of Southwood Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, sang hymns without masks for the first time in more than a year. They vocalised Multilingual Grace in four languages after music director Denise Makinson taught them how to express thanks in Spanish, Arabic, Swahili and Korean. “I do have to say it […]
No touching! US churches get ready for Ash Wednesday in a pandemic
RNS Ash Wednesday is one of the touchiest observances on the liturgical calendar – literally. Many churches mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent with the imposition of ashes. Clergy smear ashes, usually those left after burning palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations, onto congregants’ foreheads, often in the shape of […]
A Greek word used to define Christian communities proves a winner at US national spelling bee
The Greek word koinonia, commonly used to mean Christian fellowship or communion, was the final test in this year’s National Scripps Spelling Bee in the US last week. The word, which Scripps formally defined as “intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community”, was spelt correctly by teenage Texan Karthik Nemmani. […]