Published: November 10, 2009 09:59 pm      

Fellowship

Forgoing handshakes at church could lend a hand to flu prevention

Some might judge a Beckley minister harshly for recommending his parishioners keep their hands to themselves during worship.

However, when Pastor John Hart posted a notice on the door of The Wesleyan Chapel, he had the best interests of his flock in mind.

Handshaking and hugging are common ways to express Christian fellowship during a worship service, and we would be the last people to discourage a friendly exchange among believers.

However, times have changed, and we all need to rethink how we do some things in order to promote health and safety for the general public.

For instance, gone are the days when most women and girls wore gloves to church. A gal just wasn’t considered to be properly dressed without some dainty white gloves and the latest hat style in vogue at the time.

No one realized it then, but those gloves provided a protective barrier against germs.

In earlier times, men also wore dress gloves. This might be an era in which fashionistas could come to our aid by bringing dress gloves back into our wardrobes.

There’s also nothing wrong with taking a proactive approach to keep churchgoers healthy. Instead of seeing a change in the way believers greet one another as something negative, church leaders can take the challenge to find more creative ways to promote healthy camaraderie.

Some churches have already altered the way they serve communion, opting for individual cups rather than the common goblet used during a communion method called intinction. It’s a simple change that can make a big difference without compromising the integrity of the sacrament.

We’ve gladly taken advice from our public health departments and added hand sanitizers to our workplaces, cars, and yes, some folks even carry them to church. Nothing wrong with that.

We get flu shots. We’re learning to cough into our elbows. We’re starting to think more about the safety of others around us as well as the health of ourselves and our family members.

The issue isn’t about discouraging good fellowship at church. The issue is public safety.

Over the years, churches have been used as shelters for victims of natural disasters, wars and to quarantine victims of contagious diseases. Today, spiritual leaders have the opportunity to make the church environment a place that can help stop the spread of illnesses.

Forgoing handshakes may be a good way to lend a hand to the public health effort to protect us all during the flu season. And who couldn’t say, “Amen” to that?