With COVID-19 cases on the decline and an ease in pandemic restrictions, most churches are holding services the way they did before the outbreak, according to a national survey.

“Attendance at in-person services - which grew steadily from July 2020 through September 2021 - has plateaued, as has the share of adults watching religious services online or on TV,” according to the latest Pew Research Center report.

Local church leaders say that their congregation has slowly begun returning, and numbers now are similar to what they were before the pandemic began.

“When you find yourself a good church where you have great community and a wonderful safe space to worship, it is hard to stay away. When you are working on building your relationship with the Lord, it’s important to have that gathering,” said Olivia Barbieri, who attends Grace Community Church in Lansford.

Pew research from July 2019 - before the pandemic - found about 45% of Americans said they attended religious services once a month or more. By July 2020, a few months after the pandemic began, the number dropped to 13%.

The survey found a slow but steady growth from July 2020 to September 2021. Those attendance numbers are holding steady, with about 32% of adults now saying they attend at least once a month.

Reaching out

The Rev. Jeremy Benack of Grace Community Church said his congregation is coming back.

“It started out slowly, but now we are pretty close to what we had,” Benack said.

There are usually between 50 and 60 people at Sunday services, which have been streamed on Facebook and broadcast on WLSH 1410 AM Lansford even before the pandemic.

“The focus has always been trying to reach people in different ways, you know, if they can’t make it to church,” he explained.

Grace Community operates a food pantry for seniors and the area’s needy, along with the Thankful Thrift store in Lansford.

“There might be some people who won’t come to the church but they’re going to the thrift store, and it’s a way that we can help,” Benack said.

The church has a kids’ club, along with a youth ministry, ladies’ ministry and men’s discipleship program.

“We just try to be real. We’re a community that focuses on the grace of God. We’re imperfect. We all have struggles. This world is full of struggles,” Benack said. “So, why would people come to church? Well, if you’re struggling, you want to come to find faith and encouragement through the One that can.”

A steady increase

At Blue Mountain Community Church in Palmerton, Pastor Cliff Eckhart said attendance is growing.

“I would almost dare to say ‘surging,’?” he explained.

The church saw about 500 people before the pandemic. Like other churches, it went completely virtual as COVID-19 numbers surged.

“Our attendance for the last three months has been steadily increasing, around the 325 mark. Through the pandemic, we were having new folks visit pretty much every week; now we are seeing a lot of our members return. It’s an exciting time in the church. God is always on the move!” Eckhart said.

He said leaders strive to make the church welcoming, loving, authentic and relevant.

“I believe that’s what attracts people. We’re big on the personal application of the Bible. Not just stories from long ago, but how they impact us today,” he said.

In addition to its two Sunday services, which are livestreamed, Blue Mountain Community Church has a Sunday children’s program, a teen group, a recovery program, Vacation Bible School and small groups that meet in homes.

Room for more

The church will have its Easter service Saturday at 6 p.m. at Penn’s Peak, which Eckhart said is a great way to invite folks to a location that isn’t a church. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. The church partners with the Jim Thorpe area entertainment venue for Christmas Eve and Easter services because Eckhart said it never wants to turn anyone away because there isn’t enough room - something that happened on a Christmas Eve several years ago.

“Whether it’s at a Sunday service, a small group meeting, or a ‘special’ service, there’s always room for one more,” Eckhart said.

Paul Wirth, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, said its 80 parishes resumed services on June 1, 2020, and dropped the mask requirement in May 2021.

“Attendance declined during the restrictions and has climbed steadily since the restrictions were lifted. I would estimate that Mass attendance is about the same now as it was before the pandemic,” he said.

Wirth noted that Bishop Alfred Schlert recently launched the “Year of the Real Presence” initiative as a way to bring people back to services.

“It has a twofold meaning: Greater devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and the importance of being present with each other and with clergy through in-person Mass attendance,” Wirth said.

As part of the initiative, the diocese last month sponsored a Eucharistic Congress, which was attended by 550 people for a day of prayer, confessions, spiritual talks, and Mass celebrated by Schlert, he said.

Wirth said some churches continue to livestream their Masses, which he called “one of the good things to come out of the pandemic.”

Participation from home

“Now, those who are homebound, those who are prisoners, and those in nursing homes and in the hospital can at least participate virtually in Mass,” he said.

The Rev. Christopher Zelonis, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Lehighton, said the church is on the path to pre-pandemic attendance.

“In a small place like ours, there will be certain ones whose absence is more noted than others,” he said.

The church is regrouping to reintroduce some programs and services that were put on hold during the pandemic, he said.

“It is a work in progress regarding previous programs and reintroducing new ministries in the parish,” Zelonis said.