Church takes a page out of the Bible

The show must go on.

Grace Lutheran Church was to host three Christmas Eve services on Thursday, Dec. 24, in a barn in the Town of Grafton to ensure social distancing for churchgoers this holiday season.

Pastor Heidi Borkenhagen said the church is renting the barn from church members Tom and Jean Fugate who live on North Green Bay Road.

“We wanted to do something special for Christmas. This is something I’ve been dreaming of doing for years, but I always let the cold put me off,” Borkenhagen said, noting she has been with the church for 13 years. “But, if there is ever a year to do this, it’s this year.”

Borkenhagen said holding a service in a barn is reminiscent of Christ’s birth in a manger. She added the barn has a personal meaning to her because she and her husband Tom were married in the same barn.

The church, which has more than 800 members, began holding outdoor services at the end of May and discontinued the outdoor gatherings in November because of the cold weather.

 Prior to holding outdoor services, Grace Lutheran streamed pre-recorded services in the church’s sanctuary beginning in March and it continued to offer online worship opportunities in late November.

“We were really blessed that we had great weather this summer and for most of fall,” she said. “We had different families leading different parts of the service and we had many volunteers who were able to help us worship together and safely.”

Borkenhagen said each Christmas Eve service will be limited to 100 people and the event is not open to the public. The services were to be held at 1:30, 3 and 5 p.m.

“We wanted to error on the side of caution because we know churches are a place where the virus could spread,” Borkenhagen said.

“We want to be able to be together, but we want to do it safely and we know there is a great need for it. We’re glad to have this opportunity to worship and hear about the hope that Christ brings.”