Churches bringing cheer during holiday season

For St. Charles resident Megan Meyer and her family, church life is an important part of the Christmas season.

The love for her church is shown on her face mask – which says, “I love my church.”

“This was a slogan from our church from a few years ago,” Meyer said following Sunday’s service at Christ Community Church in St. Charles. “We had T-shirts made for the whole church and so I sewed it together into a face mask.”

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Christ Community Church’s auditoriums can only operate at a maximum of 25% capacity. In order to accommodate singing, seating is separated by at least 10 feet to separate those from different households. Only those living in the same household can sit together.

For those people not able to attend services, Christ Community Church’s services are also available online. But Meyer appreciates the live experience.

“I do feel there is something different being in person,” Meyer said. “There’s something different about that experience than just watching it from home. For us, we just don’t want to miss out.

She appreciates all the health and safety precautions that are being taken at the church.

“I feel like we go through all the right protocols,” Meyer said.

Following Sunday’s service, Meyer and her sons Finn and Dane, were admiring a 30 foot Christmas tree on display in the church. St. Charles resident Beth Noguera and her family were taking photos in front of the tree following the service.

“For us, this is like our family time, our time to celebrate Christmas at church,” said Noguera, who had previously been a member of Christ Community Church. “This is very special for us to be together as a family.”

Reservations are no longer being accepted for Christ Community Church’s Christmas Eve services because the church has reached capacity for both the 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. services. For the first time, Christ Community Church’s online service will be produced just for those watching at home.

More information is available by going to the church’s website, ccclife.org.