VALDOSTA — Some area churches are taking a cautious “wait-and-see” approach to reopening buildings shuttered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the lifting of the governor’s stay-at-home order.

“Most of the people want to get back out as soon as possible,” said Pastor Wayne Robertson of Morningside Baptist Church, “but not at the expense of being safe.”

With the arrival of the pandemic came confusion as to whether religious gatherings were subject to state regulations.

in March, Thomas Craft, director of Georgia’s South Central Health District, issued a notice that “drive-in” services where people stayed in their cars were not allowed under the state of emergency. Shortly afterward, Gov. Brian Kemp said his statewide stay-at-home order overrode local ordinances and authorized drive-in church services, provided certain precautions were taken.

However, Kemp later issued a statement urging people not to attend Easter services in person.

Morningside, like many churches, is livestreaming its services on the Internet, though the church does plan a “drive-in” service on Mother’s Day, May 10, Robertson said.

Calvary Connection Pentecostal Church, which also had been showing services online, plans to resume in-person gatherings Sunday, albeit with social distancing in mind, Pastor Scott Smith said.

“Seating will be spaced apart,” he said, “and while family members will not have to separate from each other, we will want each family to ‘social distance’ from other families.”

The church has scaled back children’s activities, he said. “We will not be busing in kids for the children’s ministry … last Sunday, we only had a couple of children (in Sunday school).”

At the Park Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Pastor Marlin Seifert found that children are getting bored at home, sitting in front of a computer.

“At the church, children’s activities are very interactive, with characters and stories,” he said. “At home, in front of a screen, it’s not nearly so interactive.”

Park Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist has been online exclusively during the pandemic, Seifert said, with services via Facebook and YouTube. Seventh-Day Adventists hold their major worship gatherings Saturdays.

Seifert said many of his congregation are older people who are considered high-risk for the virus, but it was the younger members who were more comfortable with online worship.

Likewise, Smith said the pandemic has been “very detrimental” to Calvary Connection. “It’s been very hard to keep people engaged,” he said.

Robertson said Morningside has no fixed timeline for reopening its church building for services.

“There are still a number of safety guidelines to abide by,” Robertson said. “It’s hard to congregate and not shake hands.”

Seifert said Park Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist probably wouldn’t be open before the end of May. The physical layout of the church makes following the governor’s social distancing guidelines difficult, he said.

Seifert also saw another complication with social distancing: “Adults can follow the rules, but children love to run around and hug people,” he said.

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church has also relied on livestreaming its English and Spanish masses during the pandemic, not allowing gatherings in the facility, Father Brian LaBurt said.

“The Valdosta church is under the diocese of Savannah, which has told us we will continue this through May,” he said.

People have experienced appreciation for the Internet services, he said.

“One the one hand, they miss the community, the sacraments,” LaBurt said. “On the other hand, they understand the dangers of a gathering right now.”

He made reference to a funeral service in Albany, which is believed to have led to it becoming a hotspot for the pandemic.