Congregating and social distancing seem to be concepts at odds as the Maui Christian community prepares to celebrate Easter.

Worship, social gatherings and traditional indulgences during the Easter holiday are being handled differently this year by local churches and cathedrals on the Valley Isle.

Assembling for Holy Week amid the COVID-19 pandemic has mostly transitioned to online meetings and collective prayer from home.

“It will definitely be different this year, having our Easter services broadcast over the internet rather than all being together in the same space,” said Jen Mather, church secretary of Waiola Church in Lahaina. “However, we recognize that church is not about the space we inhabit within four walls, but the places we inhabit while we love each other through these difficult times in the wilderness.

“We’ll still come together to celebrate the Resurrection and perhaps we will be better prepared to embrace the further nuances in the lessons of our Savior rising.”

Usually, Waiola Church hosts an ecumenical sunrise service with Lahaina United Methodist Church on Easter Sunday morning, which draws up to 120 people every year, as well as a group breakfast, egg hunt, Easter service and a brunch.

However, Kahu Meg Watson is planning to conduct online services this year to maintain social distancing standards, Mather said.

“It’s very important that people keep to some semblance of normalcy in the strange world we find ourselves living in nowadays,” Mather added. “And perhaps just as important, to remember the sacrifices that have been made and are continuing to be made to ensure the people of the world, no matter their religion, are safe and loved.”

Today, King’s Cathedral and Chapel will be hosting a Good Friday drive-in service from 12 to 1 p.m. in the church’s parking lot at 777 Maui Veterans Highway.

The free event is a joint effort to provide a “spiritual connection and encouragement during this current endeavor on flattening the curve of the COVID-19 coronavirus,” according to a news release.

Seven pastors from seven different churches are speaking on one of the seven last words of Jesus on the cross.

The seven pastors and churches include Rev. Barbara Tengan of Faith in Jesus Church, Rev. Eddie Asato of Grace Bible Church Kahului, Rev. Robb Finberg of Grace Church Upcountry, Rev. Janelle Marocco of King’s Cathedral, Rev. Dwayne Betsill of New Hope Wailuku, Rev. Roland Bunda of St. Anthony Catholic Church and Rev. Shaun Waite of Waipuna Chapel.

The event will also be broadcast on 1570 AM KUAU radio station, and streamed live on Kingscathedral.com, Facebook and YouTube.

On Sunday, King’s Cathedral will also present free Easter baskets for children between 7 and 9:30 a.m. at the church, followed by a 7 p.m. healing communion service.

For more information on Good Friday drive-in church and Sunday services, visit kingscathedral.com or call 871-7311.

Kahului Union Church will be streaming two Good Friday services and two Easter services at facebook.com/kahuluiunionchurch.

“As individuals, as families, and as a community, we are encouraging everyone to look to God in the midst of this pandemic,” Pastor Ken Tanaka said earlier this week. “God is calling all of us, even those who have never considered God before, to look to him, get to know him and his son, Jesus, and trust in his eternal plans.”

Tonight for Good Friday, Pastor Yasushi Nemoto of the Japanese language ministry will be sharing a message in Japanese at 5 p.m. and Pastor Dillon Shaw will be sharing a message at 7 p.m. in English.

Tanaka will deliver the Easter message in English at 9 a.m. Sunday, while Nemoto will give his Easter message in Japanese at 10:30 a.m.

All online services will be archived so that they can be viewed later.

“We hope these messages will encourage you in the midst of the pandemic,” Tanaka said.

Parish Secretary Cora Brown of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church said Thursday that “unfortunately, like everyone else, church gatherings have been suspended,” but there are numerous online services that are available for viewing.

Father Hau’oli Tomoso is leading worship services via Zoom for morning prayer on Holy Saturday, which is tentatively scheduled for 8 a.m., with the Feast of the Resurrection at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Zoom meetings are password protected, and members should request the code from Father Tomoso online. Services are also streamed on Facebook within the Episcopal Church and Diocese.

For more information, visit goodshepherdmaui.org.

Rev. Terry Watanabe of St. Theresa Church said earlier this week that they have been livestreaming their masses and services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and for Holy Week.

Livestreaming will begin at 3 p.m. today for the Good Friday service, and then again at 8 a.m. for Easter Sunday Mass, and can be accessed at sainttheresa.com/112, or by visiting the church’s main Facebook page on the day of the event.

“We may be separated for Easter, but if and when we are back together around the Table of the Lord, it will be our Easter as we come together to celebrate God’s love for us and give thanks for all those throughout the county, state and nation that have helped us and given themselves to get us through this pandemic,” Watanabe said.

For those who want to watch Bishop Larry Silva from the Diocese of Honolulu, Watanabe shared the following schedule:

• Good Friday, Service 3 p.m.

• Easter Vigil, Mass at 7 p.m.

• Easter Sunday, Mass at 9 a.m. or will be broadcast statewide on KHNL at noon.

• Sunday of Easter, April 19, Mass at 9 a.m.

• Sunday of Easter, April 26, Mass at 9 a.m.

They can be viewed online at catholichawaii.org/news-events/.

Watanabe hopes that members of the community “take the time to read the scriptures and to listen to the word of God.”

“We hopefully place our trust and hope in the Lord during this time,” he added. “We will get through this if we keep strong and continue to care for one another and our community.”

For Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Maui, the celebration of Good Friday and Easter Sunday involves a worldwide fast and prayer in the comfort of members’ homes.

Easter is normally celebrated with church meetings focused on “Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for all of us,” Latter-day Saints Kahului Hawaii Stake President Ed Reinhardt said, but this year will be recognized in self-quarantine.

Throughout Maui County, Reinhart said that there is normally an average of about 3,000 members in attendance that gather in church meeting houses.

“We are in challenging times, where anyone of our friends, families and community members may be impacted by this virus,” he said. “We support our leaders’ comments and direction to try to overcome this virus, and although we would much rather meet in our normal church meetings, we understand that as we unite to overcome this challenge, we will be able to freely worship and go about our normal way of life within our community.”

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.