Though filled with ecstasy, christians who go to church today have said that pastor’s voice under facemask sounded like that of a masquerade.
This according to them impaired the flow of message and reception on the part of worshippers.
The President had early last week lifted the ban on religious gatherings, having considered the guidelines issued by Presidential Task Force ,PTF and Protocols agreed by State Governments.
In Osun state where our correspondent monitored church service, it was observed that churches complied to stipulated guidelines to a large extent.
Although, some churches exceeded the one hour guideline by few minutes while members removed nose masks at intervals, physical distance was strictly observed in sitting arrangements.
For members of Baptist Church in Osogbo, it was a church service unusual.
Speaking after service, a member of the denomination who chose to be anonymous said,
” Our joy knew no bound coming to church today even though government conditions were tight. Infact the joy is immeasurable especially for us at Baptist church. Globally, it is our youth week and we are happy we are not celebrating it at home.
“We struggled not to exceed one hour as the authority had directed but we eventually spent ten minutes extra. Getting service done under one hour was pretty difficult, as such, our service took a different shape to meet up with time.
“Again, using facemask inside church was not easy. Yes, all of us had it on but at a time, some people needed to shift it to the neck region to have a feel of fresh air.
“Though not too convenient, we are happy to be together under the same roof, worshipping God in unison and feeling the vibes of the musical instruments .This is freedom for us”
Our correspondent reported that ushers in the church orderly dispersed members immediately after the service to avoid group talk, meetings and gossip.
Meanwhile, churches in Lagos remained closed till June 23.
