The presence of COVID-19 in Mississippi is affecting state residents in an area dear to them – worship services.

Northcrest Baptist Church in Meridian announced Thursday evening it will not have on-campus Sunday services, but will live stream services.

The church is following the guidelines of the Mississippi Department of Health, which recommended the cancellation of gatherings of more than 250 people, Executive Pastor Wade Phillips wrote in a statement. Northcrest regularly has more than 1,000 people on campus during its Sunday services, he said.

The live streams will be conducted at the regular Sunday service times, 9 a.m. Bible study; 10:30 a.m. morning service and 6 p.m. evening service. Bible study and services will stream at northcrestbaptist.com, the Northcrest Baptist Facebook page, and on the Northcrest YouTube channel.

No services will be held on campus or online this coming Wednesday, he stated. A decision will be made next week about the Sunday, March 22 service.

“We are praying that the outbreak will pass quickly, and we can meet together in person again then,” Phillips wrote. “We recognize that this is not the ideal way for believers to gather, and we look forward to gathering again as a body soon, but we want to do everything we can to prevent this outbreak from spreading.”

Popular Springs Drive Baptist Church will have a worship service at 10:15 a.m. only. No surery or Sunday school will be provided. The church noted the state health department guideline that advised people 65 and older and those with health conditions to stay away from large gatherings.

The Catholic Community of Meridian suspended distributing communion by cup and advised against handshakes last Sunday. Extraordinary ministers were asked not to visit nursing homes.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will offer only bread to parishoners at communion. Eucharistic visitors and hospital visitors will not go in person for the next few weeks. Plans are in place in the event the church needs to cancel worship and communal parish offerings. “We will provide Bible studies, weekly devotionals, and sermons to be available via technology,” said the church in a statement.

The Fifteenth Ave. Baptist Church released a statement on Facebook, saying that it would continue to gather and have fellowship.

“Though the time may come in the future, at this point, we are not planning to limit our services in any way,” wrote the church. “If the necessity arises, we have already thought through some possibilities that will allow us to stay connected to one another even while separating for a time.”

Please check back for updates. If your worship site has changed its worship practices due to COVID-19, please email editor@themeridianstar.com.