LANSING, Mich. — Although the state of Michigan is making progress through continuous COVID-19 vaccination efforts, large gatherings are still not recommended, so for the second year in a row, The United Methodist Church of Michigan and many of their parishioners will be virtually celebrating Easter Sunday.

Coinciding with this year’s theme, “Spend Easter at Our House,” the MIUMC is offering an “Online Church By City” directory of churches across the state that are offering a range of virtual, limited-seating indoor and outdoor services.

“A year ago, we had no idea the pandemic would still be impacting our congregations,” said United Methodist Church of Michigan Bishop David Alan Bard. “While Michiganders are making progress and getting vaccinated, the United Methodist Church will continue to do our part by embracing new ways of serving communities and offering worship in a way that keeps everyone safe — even if that means needing to modify some of our traditions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Worshippers can find a directory of United Methodist churches offering virtual services and even outdoor activities this Easter at https://michiganumc.org/ online-church-by-city/. All participants in the services will adhere to safe social distancing and other safety protocols as recommended by the Michigan Department of Public Health.