A Different Re-Gathering Plan?

Several weeks ago, just before Christmas, I attended another church on a Sunday morning.  This was during the time that the May Memorial regathering team temporarily paused worship in our sanctuary.  While in that worship service, there was no congregational singing and there were no “unison spoken words,” like the Lord’s Prayer.  But, there was communion, and for communion, the worshipers walked to the front of the sanctuary and were served the bread and the cup directly from the hand of the pastor.  I really liked having communion this way.  But I thought it strange that speaking the Lord’s Prayer was too risky but walking forward and receiving the Lord’s Supper was not.  I don’t know the thought process behind that decision, but I’m sure it was not quick or easy.
    There are some churches in our county and in our nation that have yet to regather in their sanctuaries.  There are some who have regathered and in their worship service one would never know there is a global pandemic happening around us.  No distancing, no face coverings, and full congregational singing.  And then there’s churches like us, somewhere in the middle.
    When I was in the sixth grade by best friend was Cliff.  Cliff was in my class at school, and we started spending more time together away from school.  I would frequently go home with Cliff on Friday afternoons and spend the night at his house, and sometimes Cliff would come to my house.  Cliff was a good friend, but a problem started to surface.
    I wouldn’t say that my parents were “strict,” but they would not allow me to do things that Cliff’s parents allowed him to do.  I’m sure my parents grew tired of hearing, “but Cliff’s parents are letting him go!”  I don’t know if my parents said it this clearly, but I began to understand my parent’s position:  “God gave Cliff the parents he has for a reason, and God has given you your parents for a reason.  And, we are responsible for you, and Cliff’s parents are responsible for him.”  Cliff’s parents were good parents, and my parents were good parents.  But each set made different decisions based on their child and what they thought was absolutely best.

So, why has May Memorial’s regathering team made the decisions they have when (insert name here) Baptist Church is doing something different? And my best answer is that God has uniquely formed us and given us our members and God has given other local churches their leaders and each must do the best they can for that church family. Cliff was an only child. Cliff also had leukemia. (I was first place in the Leukemia Society of America’s Bike-A-Thon when I was in the sixth grade) Cliff’s dad was retired military, and Cliff’s family were members of a church that was different than our church. Cliff’s parents were good parents, they were just different than mine. And they made the best decisions for Cliff as mine made the best decisions for me. I don’t know that either would look back now and say they did everything exactly right (I’m sure they wouldn’t), but each set simply made the best decisions for their family at the time. As do church regathering teams.
I don’t know how the regathering team at that other church (they actually call it a task force) could decide that not speaking the Lord’s prayer and communion by intiction is consistently safe. I don’t think our regathering team would exactly go along with that. But I know this, that task force (and our regathering team) is trying to make the best decision for each of their families.