Reflections from Religious Leaders’ Advisory Group on Reopening

The Rev. Dr. Carletta Allen and Rabbi Andrew Busch, both members of an advisory group of religious leaders advising Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on reopening, discussed their experiences during ICJS’ weekly Congregational Leaders’ call on June 18. They talked about the difficult questions at hand—how do we reopen safely and compassionately, and how do we maintain local autonomy in our congregations while heeding safety guidelines and laws—and provided examples of how local congregations are navigating the process of reopening.

Allen, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Annapolis, and Busch, rabbi at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, first met at an ICJS program in 2010. Ten years later, they joined with 26 other religious leaders from across Maryland as part of the Maryland Strong Roadmap to Recovery Faith-based Advisory Group, which met four times prior to releasing their recommendations in mid-May.

Internally, the taskforce was at odds with the best practices for reopening. According to Allen, there were concerns from some involved in the process about government overreach and lack of clarity around the science.

“What we’re trying to do is maximize opportunity and minimize risk,” added Father Jason Poling, rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, which is starting to reopen for limited services and community programming. “There’s no way we’re going to completely eliminate risk, and there’s no way we’re going to completely maximize every opportunity. So we’re trying to find the sweetest spot we possibly can, and that requires a lot of nimbleness and flexibility.”

Participants on the call shared a range of examples of how local congregations and  religious leaders are handling the process of reopening. One participant said his congregation is meeting outdoors, maintaining social distancing as a buffer, until it is safer to congregate indoors again. Poling shared how St. Andrew’s has started holding Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) / 12-Step meetings again, with participants wearing masks and sitting table-lengths apart. Others spoke of appreciating the ease and efficiency of online AA / 12-Step meetings via Zoom, while others spoke of the technical challenges that many individuals and communities face when trying to congregate digitally.