British Columbians turn to faith in face of coronavirus pandemic

Houses of worship around the world, including in British Columbia, have shut their doors to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Rabbi Dan Moskovitz of Vancouver’s Temple Sholom says his community has been adapting to this new way of life.

1:32 Multiple faiths change worship practices during COVID-19 pandemic

“Our congregants have reached out to us and we’ve reached out to them, for spiritual support, emotional support, and of course the necessary things that the community can provide like groceries and pharmacy pick-ups and errands and those kinds of things that we’re doing for each other,” he told CKNW’s Mornings with Simi.

As much as this isolation and social distancing is keeping us apart, it’s also pulling us together.

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Faith groups in B.C. have adapted to the COVID-19 crisis by streaming services online, and some are seeing a surge in viewership.

“We usually have about 6,000 people or so that attend our different sites, and we’ve seen upward of 20,000 to 30,000 people joining us online,” said Village Church Senior Pastor Mark Clark.

Inderjeet Singh, a Sikh chaplain at the University of British Columbia and Kwantlen Polytechnic University, says the students he works with are supporting groups like Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen.

“They’re working in conjunction with all the gurdwaras in the Lower Mainland to serve those in need by providing cooked food, hot meals which all you have to do is call a hotline and they’ll send a hot meal to your home three times a day.”

Moskovitz, Clark, and Singh all emphasized the importance of unity as Passover, Easter, and Vaisakhi take place this month.