Swine Flu – Could the Churches Do More to Offset Potential Outbreaks of it This Late Season?

Because the swine flu (H1N1 virus) spreads through coughing, sneezing, and skin-to-skin contact between people, the Internet and newspapers have said some churches are modifying their worship services to help curb this people-to-people illness from spreading during their services. Specific changes include less hand-shaking and hugging during the worship services, and altering how the Holy Communion services are administered.

Basic preventions.

Several scientific studies done earlier on the typical communion services have shown these sacred practices do not increase the spread of the common illnesses among those who participate in them. But, is the H1N1 virus a common everyday illness? Certain sources think not. Those who are vulnerable to this virus become very ill, or die! At this time, those most vulnerable to its worst effects are the very young, pregnant, elderly, and those having underlying adverse health conditions. These people must avoid others who are sick, and, if they do become sick themselves, they must stay home.

Also, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the best current daily prevention for this illness is for everyone to wash their hands thoroughly, often. The hands should be scrubbed 10-20-seconds with drained bar soap, bottled liquid soap, or alcohol-base hand cleaner before drying them with a clean towel.

Other common precautions are to cough or sneeze into one’s elbow area instead of the hands, and to reduce the amount of hand-shaking, hugging, and cheek kissing. In short, the less close contact we have with the people we do not live with or see often is an appropriate preventative measure. Thus, rather than touching other people we love and respect, we can nod, smile, wave, or speak to them instead.

Communion service practices.

Certain churches have stopped their clergy, ministers, priests, or pastors from hand-placing wafers or pieces of bread into the mouths of their individual members even if they have always washed their hands well beforehand. This particular practice must be done precisely every time without fail. Yet, common sense suggests an administrator’s finger could still touch someone’s tongue or lips during a ceremony involving many people. That distinct possibility raises more questions about this service itself.

Shared bread? What about the communion services where the clergy or select lay-people handout individual wafers or broken pieces of bread to the congregation one piece at a time? How many times do the clergy’s hands touch the hands of those of the members during these hand-overs? Furthermore, the hands of these clergy have already touched the bread or wafer before we put it into our mouths.

Shared cup? Additionally, what about the church where everyone takes a communion sip from the same chalice or cup, even if its rim is wiped down with a cloth or towel after each sip? Also, what about the communion service where everyone dips their piece of bread into the same single cup or chalice? How many dirty fingernails have already gone below the liquid level in that cup when our turn comes up? Or, how many small soggy pieces of bread can be seen floating around in that cup?

Possible alternate or temporary practices.

A major concern in carrying out the communion services is the size of the congregation. The large-member services need to be carried out much faster than the smaller ones. Otherwise, it could take hours to do this sacred ritual in a highly intimate manner by handing out large stacks of individually filled cup trays while the individual members kneel and pray at the altar rails. Thus, in addition to needing fast-moving communion lines, other suggested alternatives for maintaining safe, healthy, and speedy services include the following.

Wearing sterile rubber gloves. Besides washing their hands carefully, allow whoever touches the bread, wafers, grape juice, or wine and its accessory plates, trays, and small cups wear sanitized protective gloves at all times. These gloves will be worn by all the persons who prepare these elements before the communion service as well as those who distribute it.

Use prepackaged elements. Prepackaged elements (liquid and bread) must be easy to unwrap and to consume quickly. The wrappings are then thrown into a common waste container near the altar-rail or at the end of a pew. Congregational members can also purchase and carry their own communion utensils to the services. These practices minimizes the local liability for spreading the sickness neglectfully.

Use germ-free automatic dispensers. Automatic dispensers offer a clean quick way to place the elements into the hands of the members, or into their small disposable cups, untouched by human hands. For example, the members of the congregation can obtain a small paper or disposable cup at the altar rail where a small amount of the liquid is dispensed into it from a large sealed container. The simulated wafer or bread might also be dispensed from a closed container by touching a button or pulling a small handle.

Germ-free dispensers for the elements can be purchased at religious supply houses. Certain laboratory dispensers also work well for the liquids.

Participate vicariously. Although the above alternatives seem to make the rituals of Holy Communion mechanistic, they could indeed help curb a late-season surge of the swine flu. Still, the following alternative practice could be just as effective if not more so.

Members of the congregation could simply pass on the actual communion ritual. Instead, we can take a prayerful part in the ceremony from our seat or pew. And then, upon leaving the service, we can decide whether or not to shake hands with the clergy-people who are faithfully shaking hands with everyone else.