Ever seen COVID-19 precautionary measures presented in an airline safety video format? 

As places of worship in Singapore slowly resume physical services, one church has decided to put a creative spin on briefing its members on safety measures it is taking.

Released by Moriah Bible-Presbyterian Church (Moriah), the video was made to welcome worshippers back home for on-site services from this Sunday, September 6. 

Starting with two rows of cabin crew young adults clad in masks and standing 1m apart, a narrator pops up on the bottom left of the screen.

She thanks the audience for their attention and begins explaining the entire “check-in” process in a calm and soothing voice – reminiscent of airline announcements.

Before the “gates” are opened, visitors are reminded to take their temperature, sanitise their hands and scan the SafeEntry QR code. Pre-packaged Holy Communion elements will also be given out before they “embark”.

Congregants are told that “live singing is strictly prohibited” and the video goes on to detail other safety instructions, which include lavatory use and entry/exit points to note. 

Sharing the inspiration behind the video, Zandra Ang said she immediately thought of airline safety videos when Moriah’s social media team came together to brainstorm on how best to convey the safety measures in an engaging way.

“I thought it would be a fun concept to explore especially since traveling has come to a halt during COVID-19 and many people miss travelling,” Zandra explained. “So we decided to have fun with the choreography and scripting of it in this style.”

Together with her sister, Shanice, they put together a script, directed and filmed the 3-minute video with help from Moriah’s Young Adults Fellowship. The end result was a lighthearted clip that was both informative and entertaining.

Moriah is one of the handful of churches in Singapore that have resumed physical services, complying with governmental regulations of not having more than 50 people per service.

With a total congregation size of 300+, this means that only less than 20% of Moriah’s congregants are able to attend services physically, with slots secured based on first-come-first-serve basis via online registration.

Despite the restrictions on attendance, the church decided to go ahead with its reopening.

Moriah’s Pastoral Staff, Daniel Gan, explained: “Although we were able to have our service online, there was a marked difference in communal worship.

“We were concerned about our congregants being complacent in worshipping at home and that the habit of setting a day aside to come together as one body of Christ might be lost.

“Therefore, we embarked on the mission to resume physical service and Holy Communion in Moriah, in accordance to the guidelines that MCCY (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth) had set out for churches.”

Moriah is not the only church that has chosen to restart physical services. Others include Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church, Church of the Ascension, Cornerstone Community Church, Living Sanctuary Brethren Church, St George’s Church, True Way Presbyterian Church, Wesley Methodist Church and Zion Bishan Bible-Presbyterian Church.

Churches that are looking to resume physical services in the upcoming months include Covenant Evangelical Free Church.

As Singapore moves towards a “new normal”, more and more churches will be reviewing how to open their doors for a safe communal worship experience.

But the work doesn’t just end there. We too must play our part by adhering to the precautionary measures.

Together, let’s make this transition back to church a safe and pleasant one!