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Hernando Today

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: November 26, 2009

Updated:

Parishioners at Brooksville First Presbyterian Church have gotten proficient at doing what the pastor calls the "Obama Bump."

"They use their elbow and whack wings with each other to avoid touching the skin," the Rev. Andrew Beery joked.

Beery has also told his congregation members if they are sick, don't shake hands. Period. He practiced what he preaches recently when he had a cold and did his "meet and greet" without touching anybody's hands.

And of course, the church has hand sanitizers liberally placed within the church sanctuary and fellowship hall, Beery said.

Handshaking and greeting people are part and parcel of church services.

But with the outbreak of the H1N1 (swine) flu virus, many pastors are giving parishioners the option of keeping their hands to themselves. It has also led to advisories about receiving communion.

The National Council of Churches (NCC) Health Task Force has issued flu prevention guidelines for congregations that include standard hygiene activities and "unusual worship practices."

Parishioners are encouraged to stop shaking hands and hugging one another during the traditional "passing of the peace." Instead, the guidelines suggest substituting "a simple nod of acknowledgement."

Congregations who use disposable plastic cups for communion are fine for avoiding the H1N1 and other influenza viruses, the NCC said. Other congregations are urged to suspend use of the common cup and the practice of "intinction" - dipping the bread into the wine - because of their germ-carrying potential, according to the NCC.

The NCC asks pastors and parishioners to wash their hands before anointing persons with oil or before the "laying on of hands ritual." Churches are urged to post a church plan for canceling worship services, nursery schools, daycare centers and senior centers during a flu outbreak.

The Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg has also issued guidelines, especially as to Communion, where Catholics have the option of receiving Communion by hand or on the tongue.

Parishioners at highest risk of contracting the virus "might consider receiving Holy Communion in the hand, refraining from the Communion cup and perhaps refraining from the handshake at the sign of peace during the cold and flu season," according to a statement on the St. Petersburg Diocese Web site.

"The privilege to receive Holy Communion from the cup is left to the individual communicant; therefore, individuals should keep this in mind before receiving," according to the diocese.

People who are not feeling well are urged to stay home.

The Rev. Raymond O'Neill, pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Spring Hill, said so far his parishioners have not refrained from greeting people during the sign of peace or have changed their Communion methods.

"We will address the issue if this gets worse," O'Neill said.

For example, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Hudson has a large bottle of hand sanitizer near the holy water font, where people dip their finger into prior to entering the sanctuary.

O'Neill said that sounds like a good idea.

As a pastor, O'Neill said he shakes a lot of hands after Mass and he uses hand sanitizer afterward.

O'Neill said hand holding is optional during the reciting of the Lord's Prayer and during the sign of peace.

The Rev. Stuart Swann, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Brooksville, said there are hand sanitizers in every pew and after the greeting, almost in unison, people reach for those bottles.

"It's become almost part of the liturgy," Swann said. "It's kind of sad and funny at the same time. People do it religiously at the same time."

Swann said the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida has not prohibited or discouraged the use of people drinking out of a common chalice during Communion and the virus has not led to a decrease in those doing so, he said.

The Rev. Bill McLoud, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Spring Hill, said attendance at his church is up despite the virus.

He has placed hand sanitizers in the church narthex, or entrance area. People have the option of shaking hands or just acknowledging their neighbor. But that policy has been in effect even before this outbreak, he said.

To see the NCC checklist for congregations on how to deal with the H1N1 virus, visit http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/H1N1.pdf

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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