Spirituality increased during the pandemic as religious institutions enhanced outreach

A quarter of Americans are more spiritual as a result of the pandemic, a recent study shows.

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in the summer of 2020, nearly three-in-10 Americans — or roughly 28% — reported "stronger personal faith" as a result of the pandemic. In October 2020, even more Americans — roughly 35% — surveyed said the pandemic carried with it lessons from God.

In Beaver County and neighboring communities, many religious and spiritual institutions saw growth in membership over the last two years. Some had dozens or even hundreds more viewing live-streamed services, many of whom were viewing from out of state or around the world.

The vast majority of local places of worship used Zoom and Facebook Live to stream services. Religious leaders called many of their parishioners weekly to check in, offer prayer or wisdom and catch up. Others used video chats to communicate and fellowship as often as possible during the height of the pandemic. Many wrote letters and emails to one another, often with a scripture or inspirational message attached.

Faith leaders found unique ways to inspire and offer wisdom, creating unconventional opportunities for outreach.

New dynamics to traditional religious practices

The Rev. Kotoku Ray Crivello, the abbot of the Zen Center of Pittsburgh, said people were joining their virtual services from as far as California and Germany.

The Soto Zen Buddhist temple nestled in Bell Acres, an Allegheny County borough that borders Economy, can fit 20 people in its facility for services and events. During the COVID-19 pandemic when many services, classes and events took place online, Crivello said virtual attendance nearly doubled.

"For the most part from pre-pandemic membership to now, we have definitely increased our membership," Crivello said. "People could strengthen their individual practice at home and not depend on one place."

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The center was open in a limited capacity during most of the pandemic, with mandatory masking, social distancing and other precautions. But many members opted to stay home and participate via live stream.

Crivello encouraged his congregation to take care of themselves, rather than worrying about how to practice Buddhism properly from home.

"I didn't want people to feel pressure they had to do something specific to be practitioners at home. It's most important to take care of themselves," Crivello said. "Take care of your situation, and take care of yourself. There was too much pressure on people to feel that they needed to become something different because they were isolated."

Isolation was difficult for many, but Crivello said the center tried to "fill that gap with electronic connection." Not to mention, the increase in attendance likely wouldn't have occurred if not for virtual opportunities to connect.

"New people who came would not have come before if not for online classes. Some stayed away until now to not take any risk. But now, I think we're pretty much back to normal," Crivello said.

Dr. David Corral, a local doctor and member of the Zen Center, said the nature of Buddhism and Zen practice is "contemplative and quiet," which made some aspects of the pandemic oddly conducive to that. However, practicing with others is always better.

"Zen meditation is obviously a very personal thing," he said. "It's something you can practice on your own, but it's always better to interact with other people and get direction. We were able to do that even during the height of the pandemic."

Beth Samuel Jewish Center in Ambridge also went virtual during the pandemic, which allowed even more viewers to tune into a Sabbath service.

Cantor Rena Shapiro, spiritual leader at Beth Samuel, said some of her former congregants who moved away could take part in a live-streamed program. She had viewers from Florida, Alabama, and other states and towns connecting virtually.

When the pandemic first started over two years ago, the first thing Shapiro did was bolster contact with her congregation.

"I usually send out a bulletin article, which I call Cantor's Corner, that goes out once a month. I made a change because that wouldn't be enough contact with my congregation. They would need more contact with me and with my words of support. So I started writing one each week for a year," she said.

Her first Cantor's Corner of the pandemic discussed how Jewish people value the preservation of life, which means following recommendations to limit the spread of the virus. In the following weeks, she encouraged her congregation to reach out to check in on people.

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"Although it was very difficult to be isolated from everyone, and we could no longer meet and shake hands, we can pick up the phone and call somebody and write to someone," Shapiro said.

She also charged her members to take time to notice the little blessings that might normally be overlooked.

"Look at the things we take for granted. Go outdoors. Instead of walking along and your mind being cluttered up, instead really look at those beautiful flowers and what nature is giving us. We don't tend to see these gifts as keenly if we're just barreling through life from thing to thing, and doing five different things at once," Shapiro said. "Gratitude is something that can be helpful as well as hope."

Noticing those small blessings and creating inspired routines, like, as a fellow rabbi told Shapiro, to recite a blessing while hand washing.

"She wrote a lovely blessing about washing our hands and taking a moment to breathe for 20 seconds, being sure we are doing this thoroughly and carefully," she said.

Events at Beth Samuel were largely conducted online during the pandemic — like Bill Snider's son's bar mitzvah.

Snider, president and member of Beth Samuel, said his son Joshua's bar mitzvah was scheduled for May 2020, two months into the pandemic.

"Overnight basically everything changed," he said.

The celebration was conducted via Zoom, with Joshua speaking to miniature tiled faces showcased on his laptop from an empty sanctuary.

Jehovah's Witnesses were also forced to adapt during the pandemic. The group, which is known for its signature door knocking as a form of outreach, switched gears and opted to connect in other ways.

Aaron Purvis, a spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses, said over the last two years they have spent "more than 400 million hours in not only virtual Bible studies, but writing letters of comfort to their neighbors and making phone calls. This form of the ministry has become a primary method of reaching the community."

Despite abstaining from door knocking for two years, the number of Jehovah's Witnesses grew more than 2.5% in Beaver County, with roughly 500 county residents viewing virtual meetings each week. Nationwide, the faith community saw a 3% increase in 2021 alone. Last month, Jehovah's Witnesses began their normal in-person functions.

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The Rev. Marc de Jeu, a pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Beaver, said using technology, though not ideal, was helpful in staying connected with congregants.

"We were very aware that if this even happened 10 years ago, we would not be poised to be able to engage as much as we did," he said.

Many area churches and pastors shared best practices with one another, which de Jeu said brought leaders together to focus on the best ways to serve.

"There was a lot of sharing best practices amongst churches, which was really great. None of us had been there before, so sharing what was working and what wasn't, cross-denominationally, cross-geographically, that was something we are all trying to figure out together. How to maintain that connection in all of those different ways," de Jeu said.

Older adults, some in their 80s, were navigating technology to make sure they didn't miss a Sunday morning service, or a weekday Zoom-led Bible study.

"Imagining for some of our folks in their 80s doing this is pretty remarkable. Not everyone was able to, but we were trying to get technology to people who didn't have it before, and people in the congregation were doing that, too," de Jeu said. "If you don't have devices where you can screen a Sunday service, we will get one to you and get someone to help you use it."

Area churches also opted for newsletters, phone calls, virtual community groups and other ways to stay connected despite uncertainty.

Navigating uncertainty

During global, national and local disasters, people are more likely to believe in God, studies show. For many, the pandemic further bolstered belief and faith as people were searching we answers and navigating uncertainty.

Corral noticed that firsthand.

"I think we gained a lot of interest and some new members who found us online during the pandemic as I think people were searching for calmness and clarity at a very stressful time," he said. "I think everybody came to an understanding that we're being confronted with something that is much bigger than ourselves and represents a threat we don't completely understand. People were looking for some answers and comfort when answers weren't immediately obvious."

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As a doctor, Corral said many of his patients either died from COVID or were directly affected by the virus. During the pandemic, he, alongside Crivello, published a book discussing these existential issues. The book is called 'Medication, Meditation and Resilience: A patient-centered meditation path to clarity, equanimity and resilience in an age of information overload.'

"Every generation endures loss because of the scars of adversity. But every generation has seen their way through it," he said.

Fear and dread permeated society throughout the last two years, and Crivello said he was forced to look deeper at what scripture says about those issues.

"As a priest, it kind of made me dig deeper into what scripture says related to fear and dread and how we deal with those things," he said. "There was a lot of fear and dread and uncertainty, so it was helpful to speak to that and realize taking care of yourself is most important, and if meditation is what they're doing, making sure they maintain that."

De Jeu said he was inspired by the older generation — the more seasoned saints as he likes to call them — and their adaptability during the last two year's uncertainty.

"Especially seeing those who had lived some life and gone through difficult things at different seasons of life, draw on that resiliency to say no, this isn't where we want to be, this isn't ideal use of technology, but it is what God has given us right now and we are going to do our best with it and encourage each other," he said.

For Christians, the symbols of the cross and resurrection are a fundamental hope that "even if the worst thing happens, the story is not over," de Jeu said. "Along with all of those stories that are drawn from in scripture of God's people through the years, and in human history and the history of the church, most people from most of history have not been strangers to suffering."

When uncertainty is paramount, he said going back to the the Bible's greatest commandment to "love God and love your neighbor as yourself."

"How do you make decisions when there is so much uncertainty? Going to that core stuff of loving God and loving our neighbor. What is the most loving thing for our neighbor, even practically?" de Jeu said.

Hope through helping

In one of Shapiro's Cantor's Corner articles during the COVID-19 pandemic, she mentioned a famous Fred Rogers' quote: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

"We can be helpers even from home," Shapiro said. "Reach out to them, read that book we've been putting off, walk around the neighborhood we wouldn't normally, and be aware of the world and the gifts it gives."

In one of Crivello's first teachings during the pandemic, he quoted Buddha, saying, "Buddha said, if you want to help yourself, help somebody else. We help ourselves by helping others."

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"What Jesus told Peter and the rest of the disciples is to take care of each other," said Shon Owens, local minister, founder of SJO Outreach and member of Undivided In Christ. "And that's what I've seen with my brothers and sisters who are taking care of each other."

Authentic connections

Albert Pezzella of New Brighton was baptized as a Jehovah's Witness in November 2020, during the height of the pandemic. He first got connected to the faith in 2015, when a coworker invited him to attend a virtual Bible study — five years before virtual services and meetings grew to the same heights as today.

Jehovah's Witnesses typically get baptized during a convention or place of worship, Pezzella said. But during the pandemic, his baptism was unconventional.

"I ended up getting baptized in someone's hot tub in the middle of winter," he said.

Despite being newly baptized during a global pandemic, Pezzella said he appreciated how thoughtful his fellow Jehovah's Witnesses were throughout the uncertainty of the last two years.

"Because of the pandemic, we might have fell apart, being distanced from each other and not being able to support each other and encourage each other. But with the online Zoom, we were able to get together every Sunday and see each other (virtually). It felt a little different, but we were still able to receive the spiritual food that helps us to grow and maintain our faith," Pezzella said.

Those online sessions kept him going.

"I could have easily fell out of the faith and distanced myself, but that kept us together and kept us united," he said.

For many other people in religious circles, community is a major component of faith. Leaders tried to maintain that sense of togetherness and unity while being in physical proximity wasn't possible.

De Jeu said in the Christian faith, there is a belief in being together when folks are not even in the same room as one another.

"The communion of saints, which is a part of the Apostle's Creed we believe in, we believe we are already in fellowship with people who lived 2,000 years ago and people who will live 2,000 years from now. We're in fellowship with people who are on the other side of the world we will never meet," he said. "This fundamental connection we share for people in Christ, helps to set a foundation for how it is we are not in the room together, but we're together. It's an explicit part of our faith."

Crivello believes community is what you make it.

"A fundamental teaching is that it's a community because you help it be a community. You find some connection," Crivello said.

For those who were not a part of a religious or spiritual community before the pandemic, going virtual made finding a spiritual home easier for many.

"I think people were looking for community," Crivello said. "People were missing that community connection. I'm sure people were dialing in to us not because they care about Buddhism as a religion or serious meditation practice, but because they feel a connection. And to some that's enough. Some of those same people will go through incredible pains to get here because they want that physical connection of a temple."

'Zoom is here to stay'

Many of Beth Samuel's services, ceremonies and events will now be conducted both in-person and online, giving broader access to those who may still feel uncomfortable attending physically.

"We don't have snow days anymore. If the weather is bad, we simply move it to Zoom and can continue on. We don't have to worry about the weather," Snider said.

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Although the vast majority of local places of worship are back to normal operating hours, with in-person services and events and optional masking, live-streaming isn't going anywhere.

For older or high-risk congregants who do not want to risk getting sick, or for those who don't want to miss a service but are unable to make it for a variety of other reasons — such as bad weather, an injury, family emergency, or other situation — providing a live-stream opportunity just makes sense. Plus, places of worship are already set up to maintain a virtual presence.

"Zoom is here to stay," Shapiro said.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Pandemic bolstered spirituality in Beaver County, elsewhere