S.D. Nativity show canceled due to covid

The Nativity Memorial at Canton Lutheran Church in California will remain silent this year, breaking the tradition of people gathering for Christmas live performances. Instead, the church in this rural corner of South Dakota is struggling with how to deal with the peaceful and mourning arrival after the coronavirus tore the area.

The announcement of the church does not bear the mark of gathering and performance, but the mark of death. Since October, South Dakota and North Dakota have been spared the worst pandemics in the spring and summer, and their death rates are frightening. In the fall, the death rate per capita in each state was almost twice that of the next poorest state.

Even if the congregation mourned, they found new meaning in Advent, when Christians commemorated the long and dark night before Christmas, and they were preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Tim Tis said: "The coming season is a year we are full of anticipation. We are waiting for a long time for the arrival of new life." "We are a people who are wounded for hope."

The church’s annual nativity performance often attracts thousands of people to Guangzhou, a city of about 3,500 people, located on the Big Su River, separating South Dakota from Iowa. People come to see the camels, the angels ascending on the hydraulic lift-and of course the baby Jesus, played by one of the newcomers to the church.

Not this year.

The church cancelled live performances, fearing that large gatherings would increase the number of viruses.

Tees said: "There is only one gap, you can't fill it."

Cheryl Johnson, a member of the Lutheran Church in Guangzhou, said that although the death impact of the virus has spread, the grief in the community has stopped. The memorial service for some people was postponed; others gathered at the cemetery.

Johnson said: "These are the pillars of the community." "There should be hundreds of people using these services."

A deceased ran a construction company that built many houses in the area. The other runs a manufacturing company, which is a big employer. Many older generations are loyal donors to the charity church in the town.

Ties said that in the past few months, the Lutheran congregation has lost 12 members due to covid-19 and other reasons.

The virus has become a crucible of harmony between neighboring countries, and this is the pride of many towns. The heated debate about politics and mask requirements, the continued discomfort of isolation, the pain of losing a loved one, and the pressure on medical staff have all become discordant.

Even though the church has experienced a split, it has seen an increase in demand.

The Grand Canyon Lutheran Church is a 126-year-old church. A few miles south of Guangzhou, it is dominated by agricultural families. It stopped serving at the beginning of the pandemic.

But Rance Lindgren, who later died of the virus, insisted that the church continued to provide some form of worship, so the hymns in church organs flowed to Facebook.

The church does everything it can to meet spiritual needs while still working hard to ensure the safety of people. It purchased an FM transmitter so that believers could listen in from their car, and Lindgren held a pass-through communion.

As the weather turned colder, President Eric Scott (Eric Scott) measured the fellowship hall of the church and separated the chairs by 6 feet.

Scott said: "At that time, people were really looking for something, back to their faith, back to God."

Then, Guangzhou was hit by a bunch of cases. The 77-year-old priest passed away on November 3.

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