Considering that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, a significant number of churches have decided to forego conducting worship services on that day.
According to polls done by Lifeway Research, the pandemic is influencing how people worship, and this year just 84 % of pastors intend to perform services, down from 89 % in 2016, which was the last time Christmas Day occurred on a Sunday. Fox News reported that fewer than two-thirds of the clergy are planning to hold Christmas Eve and Day services this year.
Reallife Church of Macon, Georgia, through its Twitter account, announced that it would be holding a Christmas Eve service, but it was canceled.
Pastor Josh Carmody of New Covenant Christian Church announced the cancellation of Christmas Eve services via Twitter video. He told the church members, "Enjoy some time at home with your family."
Christmas Eve services at Iowa's Mecklenburg Community Church are in-person, while Christmas Day services are online.
Churches across Iowa are feeling the effects of the cold as Christmas approaches, per KWQC TV-6. As a result of the recent severe weather, several churches in the QCA have their Christmas service canceled.
For the safety of its congregation, church leaders at St. Mark's United Methodist Church have decided to postpone the Christmas Eve service.
"We don't like having to do this because this is such an important holiday for us as far as the remembrance of the birth of Jesus," said Alice Srp. She said many residents might celebrate the momentous occasion with their loved ones.
According to Srp, the church will conduct its singing and fellowship-filled Christmas night service at a later time.
Come All Ye Catholic Faithful
Even if Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, Catholics are expected to attend Sunday Mass as part of their faith. The percentage of non-denominational evangelical pastors who claimed they would be conducting services this year was far lower at 61%, based on a study by Lifeway.
Also, compared to churches with 50 or fewer attendees, those with 250 above faithful on Christmas Day are more likely to offer Sunday services.
Similar to the last time New Year's Day happened on a Sunday six years ago, 85% of Protestant pastors intend to perform services this year.
Oklahoma City's All Saints Community Church announced that the Christmas service was canceled, and it will be closed on December 25 and January 1, but they will have a "worship night" on January 1.
It's common for churches to get together on New Year's Eve for service and celebration, as stated by McConnell. Some communities have all-night services called "watch nights," during which people pray and take communion while reflecting on the prior year.
Extremely Cold Christmas in the US
The news of the Christmas service canceled comes as heavy snow, howling winds, and dangerously cold temperatures gripped most of the United States, including the typically warm south, for a third consecutive day, resulting in at least 13 storm-related fatalities across six states.
More than 1,900 flights in the United States were canceled on Saturday due to the "bomb cyclone" winter storm, one of the worst in decades, according to flight monitoring website Flightaware.com. The previous day, over 6,000 flights were canceled, according to France 24.
Airports around the country saw cancellations, leaving passengers at ATL, ORD, DEN, DET, and JFK praying for a Christmas miracle.
Related Article: Winter Storm Warning December 2022: US, Canada Must Brace for Cold Wave That Can Cause Frostbite in 5-10 Minutes
