Prayer House Assembly of God welcomes worshipers for 1st time since pandemic

KENOSHA -- Worshipers at Prayer House Assembly of God in Kenosha came together Sunday, May 17 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closed churches in March.

"A lot of excitement," said Pastor Ron Auch Jr. "Got a lot of calls, questions, like, 'Hey, the state is open. Can we come worship together?'"

Prior to Sunday, services were being held outdoors, but with rain falling, they moved indoors Sunday after the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked the state's "Safer at Home" order on May 13.

"Our reopen plan going forward is to, when it's nice, we'll be outside," said Pastor Auch Jr. "We'll be doing outdoor services."

While it wasn't as full as a typical Sunday, many people came out to worship -- some with masks, but they aren't required at the church.

"We're assuming that our attendance is going to be drastically reduced," said Pastor Auch Jr.

Sunday's service was a little bit shorter, and ushers made sure social distancing was taking place.

"Our ushers are going to be seating each individual person," said Pastor Auch Jr.

Pastor Auch said volunteers clean the church every week -- even before the pandemic -- sanitizing chairs and the areas inside.

Many were just happy to see each other face-to-face on Sunday.

"This is an amazing opportunity for people to come back into a relationship with one another, and catch up, and see how people are doing, and have that support," said Pastor Auch Jr.