For the second week in a row, about 25 parishioners gathered outside Abingdon Episcopal Church on Sunday to worship under the leadership of the Rev. Sven vanBaars for a live, in-person service. There are rules for attending this service that begins at 7:45 a.m. Household groups or solo individuals must remain six feet apart. Everyone brings a folding chair. Cloth facemasks must be worn. No handshaking or hugging is allowed, and no communion. There is organ music, but there is no singing. At 9 a.m., the church continues with the livestreaming of the service. Some portions are prerecorded, while others are live. The service may be viewed on Facebook and YouTube. The number of people allowed in the church at once for this production is highly restricted. The livestreamed service continues to reach hundreds of viewers. Audio/video equipment has been purchased so that livestreaming continues even when more normal church services resume.
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