Wall Street Journalさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Wall Street JournalInstagram)「When the Faith Lutheran Church reopened in the rural highway town of Ronan, Mont., this past spring, the Rev. Seth Nelson put strict social distancing rules in place: every other pew roped off; no coffee and cookies after service; and, most controversially, masks required.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ The months since then have been the hardest of his six-year career in ministry. “Every week, for months, somebody would be telling me I was wrong for taking this seriously,” Nelson said. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, rural pastors are struggling to balance their flocks’ spiritual needs with their physical safety. The internet is unreliable in many areas, rendering live-streamed services or Bible studies on Zoom impossible. As a result, many pastors feel a strong pressure to keep the doors open.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ But congregations are deeply split over what gathering safely looks like in places like rural Montana. Residents are used to living with little government oversight, and despite a statewide mandate to wear face coverings in public, some police officers, baristas and line cooks go to work unmasked. Masks, in particular, have led to conflicts in small towns, where residents often know most of their neighbors.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ When Faith Lutheran first reopened in May, Nelson banned singing and didn’t offer Communion. He has since relented on those fronts, allowing the congregation to sing hymns with masks on and to remove masks briefly, one at a time, to receive the Eucharist at the altar. But he has held firm on the mask requirement, leaning on his wife—a nurse, who runs testing and contact tracing at a local hospital—for advice. That requirement has split the congregation.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ “I’ve gotten all sorts of pushback,” Nelson said. “Frankly, I’m a little depressed and gun-shy over it. I’d call people to check in, and they’d just unload on me.” ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Read more at the link in our bio.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ 📷: @tailyrirvine for @wsjphotos」1月10日 0時30分