ALTHOUGH the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected normal operations, the churches in Guyana have decided not to let the pandemic stop their usual Christmas celebrations.
The Christmas season is one of the most widely celebrated seasons in Guyana’s culture. From the music to the Pepperpot and even the Christmas Eve church services — these are all fixtures of a typical Guyanese Christmas.
Many persons anticipate the feeling of spending the first few minutes of Christmas morning or even the first few hours in the House of God, in remembrance of the day that is observed as the birth of Jesus Christ.

During the Christmas season, the Christian community usually hosts several activities, including concerts, carolling and even outreaches to share joy in the festive season.
The annual celebrations bring a feeling of family and togetherness that many persons look forward to.
In an interview with this publication, Pastor Wilbert Lee of the First Assembly of God Church has been making plans to move forward with some of the usual Christmas celebrations.
He said although the church would only be able to facilitate 25 per cent of the usual capacity of its membership, that will not hamper the Christmas services and celebrations.

The church has been known to put on several eye-catching and intricate dance pieces as well as musical performances from some of the top gospel artistes in Guyana, including Saiku Andrews and Kester D.
Additionally, the church’s choir and drama team also shine in this season as they entertain and remind the congregation of the reason for the season.

NEW PERSPECTIVE
Pastor Lee said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a significantly new perspective on how local churches can operate.
He said while the church now operates at a 25 per cent capacity, there has been a significant advantage in terms of the church’s reach.
“COVID-19 has brought a new perspective. We have been doing virtual church for quite some time but we have been able to maximise it during this period and have greater reach than when we had the regular services. We have people who tune into the service as far as India, some of the countries in Africa. We have people from Nigeria, Ghana; we even have had people tune in from Geneva. So while COVID-19 has restricted the number of persons who can attend physical services, we have been able to reach people far and wide, given the fact that they can stay in the comfort of their homes and view the programmes online,” Pastor Lee explained.

However, he noted that one of the major activities the church is known for is its annual Christmas carolling, which takes place from the balcony of the church’s’ Generation Next building, D’Urban Street Wortmanville, has been put on the side-line this year.
This, he said is to ensure the safety of the members of the choir who take part in the activity, as well as compliance with the COVID-19 preventative guidelines.
Pastor Lee emphasised that the church will be having its normal Christmas Eve and other services in compliance with the COVID-19 Guidelines.
He reminded that the Christmas season is a time for persons to reflect on the joy and peace brought to the world by the birth of Jesus.

“The reason that we celebrate Christmas is because of the joy that Christ has brought to this world and so my message is to encourage people to spend it safely and to focus on Christ because he came to seek and to save the lost and to make life better so while we go through it and we are somewhat indoor most of the time, it is a good time to reflect on his goodness and how he has not just blessed us as individuals but also our country as a whole,” said Pastor Lee.

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATIVENESS
Meanwhile, Bishop of the Anglican Churches of Guyana and Suriname, Charles Davidson said that “Creativity and innovativeness” in the operation of local churches has been birthed from the pandemic.
He further stated that while the season is going to be different in many ways, he hopes persons hold on to the idea of Jesus Christ bringing joy, peace, hope and love to the lives of all.
Bishop Davidson said the annual tradition in the Anglican Church is not one of much glitz and glamour but one of remembrance of the birth of Jesus.

The Anglican Church which includes the St. George’s Cathedral facilitates a Christmas Eve Eucharist or Mass, and a Eucharist or Mass on Christmas Day.
“People look forward to going to church at Christmas Eve; it’s a tradition to spend that time in the house of God then go home and do the usual Christmas celebrations and we have not stopped that this year. During the service, there is the blessing of the Crèche; the Crèche represents the manger where Jesus was born. And this is significant for the Anglican church and for all Christians, so even though there is the pandemic, we will still be moving to keep this tradition going,” said Bishop Davidson.

HOPE
He further stated that for this period, “Hope” should be the watchword for all Guyanese, reminding that while COVID-19 came with several challenges and setbacks, it will not be here forever.
Bishop Davidson said that persons should think of the joy the birth of Jesus brings to their lives and should aspire to make the most of their situations.
“Obviously, those people who have lost loved ones, it’s going to be a bitter- sweet Christmas but they can still hold onto the fact that at some point they will be able to rejoice and appreciate and remember their loved ones who have passed during this time. Additionally, we have to work to make sure that peace prevails in Guyana and that people develop a sense of respect for each other and helping each other. This is a season where all Guyanese enjoy unity and even in this year, I hope that that continues,” said the Bishop.

Meanwhile, the conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists said while Christmas in their church is mainly conservative, the body organises several activities for the festive season.
Annually, the collective Seventh-Day Adventist Churches organises several senior parties and children concerts as treats for it’s over 63,040 members.
Executive secretary of the conference, Jumoul Sancho, said that in this period, the Seventh-Day Adventist church is looking to promote the theme “Stronger in adversity, transforming lives for eternity”.

He said that the citizens of Guyana should enjoy the Christmas season and stay committed to resilience and strength during this period.
“These are adverse times and even during this Christmas we can show that we are stronger, we are resilient and we cannot just make it through this bit, we can enjoy, we wish they remember to show love, give to the homeless, the poor, that we share undeserving with pure motives and we remember that Jesus who came will be coming back asking us to take those,” said Sancho.

He further said that for the Collective Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Christmas is about giving back to the community, in a way that could lead to personal, spiritual and national development.
On December 19, the conference has mobilised persons to distribute gifts in the form of books to a significant number of homes across Guyana.