Jackson church reopens for service
JACKSON, Tenn. — After weeks of being closed due to COVID-19, Northside Assembly of God has reopened their doors to the community for service.
J.P. Vick has been the pastor at the church since November of 2019. He says it was an emotional and exciting moment to be back.
“We have a tight-knit community, and so this was just a bonus to be able to be back on campus as well,” Vick said. “So it was a great day.”
Vick says the reopening was like a family reunion. He added that being able to see the faces of members of the congregation once again brought a smile to his face.
“It’s just nice to see your church family, and like I said, they have been keeping in touch, but just to see a smiling face, I think it’s helpful and encourages people,” Vick said.
Vick is not the only one who missed attending church. Members say it’s a blessing to be back.
“We’ve been following online and then I have continued to work every other week, so I have been really missing the family and getting together with our people. There is just something different about coming to the actual building,” said Amber Grantham, who attended the service.
“I think here, in the building, what I like most is the worship because over the camera, worship wasn’t as good,” said church attendee, Olivia Grantham.
“I work weekends at the hospital, and normally I am not off, but I am off today and I just feel like I need to go to church,” said church-goer, Carole Ramage.
Vick says the church is following safety guidelines, such as social distancing and sanitizing measures, to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.
“We had two services and to split up the occupancy and of course roped off half the seating at a time, so we were way below 50 percent occupancy,” Vick said.
“I am just thrilled to be here. I am just so glad that, hopefully, this virus is abating and we can get back into our way of life,” Ramage said.
Vick says hand sanitizing stations have been added and masks will be available to those who need one while attending service.
He says bathroom use and water fountain usage will also be limited.
