The inability to attend church each week has been one of the most affecting consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because of social distancing guidelines, it has been nearly impossible for congregations around the country to gather in ways they were accustomed to prior to the outbreak.

As states begin to reopen, however, so are religious activities.

Kevin Seager, senior pastor for the Norwalk Alliance Church in Norwalk, Ohio, said earlier this week that his church began a reopening of in-person services in early June. Yet he acknowledged how difficult it has been to get things up and running again as Ohio transitions into its latest re-opening phase.

“Eventually this will go by and we can get back to doing things as we’ve done it, but for the moment, out of love for our neighbor, we’re going to forego some of the things that have been one of the best ways that we like to do church — for example, singing a whole bunch of songs.

“We’re having to do things differently,” he concluded, “and that’s a challenge.”

Here is what is happening in other states:

MINNESOTA

John Heille is one of the pastors at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairmont.

The church has been conducting drive-in worship in the Fairmont Junior/Senior High School parking lot. Beginning July 12, it will hold one service in its church and another drive-in service each Sunday.

Drive-in services began in June, and feature the service broadcast over the radio so people can listen from inside their vehicles.

“We had to get a transmitter,” Heille said. “And once we figured that out, it was pretty straightforward. We just had to find a big enough parking lot.”

He said 59 cars showed up to the June 28 service, or about 130 to 140 people, which he considered good attendance — even though it is still lower than usual summer attendance at the church.

“In the summertime, we’re usually at 250 to 300 people,” he said.

He explained that the church parking lot is under construction, so the school district was generous enough to allow Grace Lutheran to use its lot during the summer.

“That’s honestly one of the biggest parking lots in town,” noted Heille, adding that the pastors and leaders conduct the service from a small hill so everyone can see them. “We ask people to bring their own elements for communion.”

He said everyone is adjusting to their new roles in a pandemic world.

“Our ushers have all of a sudden turned into car parkers,” he said with a laugh. “Which is really awesome.”

He said they use cones to direct people where to park.

He believes people have enjoyed getting back together.

“It was just beautiful,” he said. “Most of it was just visiting through their windows.”

Heille said that especially for older members of the congregation, the drive-in services give them a chance to connect with others.

“We had two people I know to be well into their 90s join us for worship,” he said. “I would feel much better to know that our older folks know that they have an option that’s going to hopefully reduce risk for them. This is our goal — to say church is still with us, God is still with us in this moment, but it’s not going to go away for a while.”

When indoor services resume, it will be by reservation and the church will only be using every third pew, Heille said, to maintain social distancing between parties.

IOWA

In Marshalltown, Iowa, Center Street Baptist Church just reopened for its first service Sunday.

“People were just chomping at the bit to get back,” said the church’s administrative assistant, Linda Bailey.

Despite other churches in town opening prior, Bailey said Center Street Baptist waited in order to get its procedures in place so it could take “as many precautions as possible.”

Bailey said the church, which is medium-sized and typically would gather about 100 people per service, has many elderly congregants.

“We need to make the whole population feel as comfortable as possible,” she said. “It’s hard to explain to some people that we have to think of everybody.”

Among the precautions Center Street Baptist Church offers are doors propped open before services; a designated entrance and exit door; bathroom monitors who clean stalls after use; and the suggestion that people mail in offerings instead of passing a plate.

Churches in Iowa were allowed to reopen for services May 3.

KANSAS

At St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Lawrence, Kansas, the communion sacrament has been adjusted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In many Catholic churches, the blessed wine — believed to be the blood of Christ — is shared and consumed by many congregants from the same cup.

Currently, however, wine is not being offered at St. John’s, said Father John Cousins. Instead, only the blessed bread is available. Additionally, instead of having numerous parishioners help give out communion during the service, the priest is the only person to hand it out.

Cousins said other adjustments to church services include that they are limited to just 60 people.

St. John’s offers six services per weekend, meaning there are 360 seats available. About 277 people came last weekend. Cousins said there are congregants who would like to come to Mass but are still fearful.

In Kansas, churches were allowed to reopen in Phase 1 of the state’s reopening plan, which began May 4. St. John’s began hosting masses again May 16.

At St. John’s, congregants wear masks during the service. People sanitize their hands before Mass begins, and singing is limited to one person: the cantor.

Cousins said parishioners who have returned are happy to be back.

“I had one comment that I think is probably indicative of others,” Cousins said. The parishioner told him church was one of the safest places they have felt while visiting in recent months.

MICHIGAN

Many worship centers in northeast Michigan have resumed services in some capacity. Some are offering outdoor and drive-in services, while some smaller congregations are meeting indoors, with social distancing precautions in place.

Living Hope Church in Alpena began offering outdoor services June 7, with the option to bring your own chair and sit outside, or stay in your car and listen to the service via radio.

Communion is still being served, but is offered in sealed packages of a wafer and juice that each parishioner opens themselves. Hugging and handshaking is discouraged, but some have been comfortable enough to reach out and touch each other.

Masks, meanwhile, are not required because it is an outdoor service.

The church has always offered a Facebook Live service, which people can view from home if they do not feel comfortable gathering together yet.

At Temple Beth-El in Alpena, indoor services have resumed with social distancing and masks required. The synagogue has a smaller congregation, so the issue of a large crowd is not a big concern there, said Ken Diamond, president of the congregation. The synagogue normally features visiting rabbis, but that is not possible because of the pandemic.

“We are a very small congregation, and don’t have enough members to have a full-time rabbi here with us,” Diamond explained. “So we had to cancel several of those, probably for the rest of the year, based on their travel.”

Temple Beth-El has conducted services with rabbis via Zoom during the shutdown.

It began conducting in-person services a few weeks ago and tuning into sermons broadcast by other synagogues in northern Michigan, such as Petoskey.

“We have hand sanitizer available; the congregants are all wearing masks; and we are doing social distancing,” Diamond said. “We will continue to do that as conditions abate and we are able to move back towards a more normal schedule, hopefully.”

He said the congregation consists of about 20 families.

“Several members expressed concern,” he noted of the threat of COVID-19 exposure. “We’re all concerned about meeting indoors, of course. But hopefully in taking the proper precautions, we won’t have any events at all.”