St. John’s United Church of Christ will suspend in-person services and return to Sunday worship entirely online starting Aug. 1 because of rapidly rising COVID-19 cases on Madeline Island.
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to make the change. The action returns St. John’s to its practice of 10 a.m. Sunday worship exclusively at stjohnsmadelineisland.org. For more than a year, St. John’s held online-only services before opening for in-person services with safety precautions in June.
The board also made four other changes with church events and ministries because of confirmed rising cases of COVID-19, driven by the rapid spread of the coronavirus’ more virulent delta variant. For more information and details, please read the full news release about this decision. Also, see news coverage from WDIO/WIRT-TV and KBJR/KDLH-TV.
Rev. Rachel Bauman, pastor at St. John's, said, "I'm grateful for the careful deliberations of the board, and we are praying for the health and well-being of our entire community."