NEW YORK —

Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the U.S., numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors and churchgoers who consider them an annual highlight.

Other churches planned outdoor services or proposed a hybrid of online and in-person worship, often imposing tight restrictions for those in attendance. These included requirements to wear masks and show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Video above: Churches are canceling in-person services

Among the prominent churches canceling some or all of their in-person Christmas services were Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital; St. John the Divine, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; and the historic Old South Church in Boston.

The Rev. Nancy Taylor, senior minister of Old South, said the church – affiliated with the United Church of Christ – still hoped to hold in-person Christmas Day services on Saturday, but was shifting its popular Christmas Eve service to online-only.

"The Christmas Eve congregation tends to be larger with a lot of visitors, some of whom have come from parties, and many of whom are not used to Boston's mask mandate," she explained in her announcement.

"While we cherish these guests under normal circumstances, these are not normal circumstances. We are prioritizing the health and safety of our volunteers and staff," she said. "We know how disappointing this is."

Leaders of Washington National Cathedral, which traditionally welcomes more than 15,000 people to its Christmas services, announced that all its services until Jan. 9 would be offered only remotely, with no worshippers or visitors allowed in the cathedral.

"Unfortunately, as the omicron variant takes hold across the world, our city seems to be leading the nation in infections," said the cathedral's dean, the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith. "Given the spike in infections, I simply cannot justify gathering massive crowds as the public health situation worsens around us."

Another major Washington church – National City Christian Church – also canceled its Christmas Eve service and will shift exclusively to online worship at least through Jan. 16.

Leaders of National City — the national church of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — described their decision as one "we desperately did not want to make but feel we must." They noted that Washington's mayor, Murial Bowser, had declared a state of emergency in the District of Columbia.

In New York City, which is experiencing record numbers of positive tests for COVID-19, leaders at St. John Divine said they were shifting all Christmas services to online-only, using its Facebook page and YouTube channel.

"The time has come once again to put the needs and concerns of our wider community first," the cathedral said on its website.

Another historic New York City church – Middle Collegiate -- was gutted by a fire in December 2020. After overseeing painstaking rebuilding efforts, the Rev. Jacqui Lewis – the senior minister – was eagerly anticipating an in-person Christmas Eve service, but it has now been canceled.

The decision "is one of the hardest choices I've had to make as a pastor," Lewis told The Associated Press via email. "This was going to be the magnificent Christmas worship we'd longed for. But I love my people too much to risk their lives."

"My fabulous team pivoted on a dime, and we'll be hosting a gorgeous online celebration," she added. "We'll have stunning music and fiery preaching. But most importantly, we'll be safe. And we'll be together."

Among other churches canceling in-person Christmas services were the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Springfield, Illinois, and the First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, home to a large, predominantly African American congregation.

Bishop Timothy Clarke, First Church of God's senior pastor, announced his decision live on the church's website Thursday evening.

"Blame me," he told congregation members who might be disappointed. "I am the one who will stand before God and give an account."

Just north of New York City, Westchester County's Bedford Presbyterian Church was among many churches nationwide planning to proceed with in-person Christmas services despite the spread of the omicron variant.

The Rev. Carol Howard Merritt — the senior pastor – said the decision was made by a group that included parents, a school administrator and a physician.

"It became clear that though the variant is highly contagious, the infections seem to result in milder cases, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted," Merritt said via email. "In response, we decided to hold in-person services while making sure that we require masks, stagger seating, limit attendance, and shorten services."

At All Saints' Episcopal Church in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the Rev. Steven Paulikas made a similar decision – going ahead with in-person services while requiring masks for all those who attend. The Christmas Eve service was featuring music by the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by a congregation member, Arturo O'Farrill.

"Arturo and I decided this week to go ahead with having the orchestra, who are all vaccinated and tested regularly," Paulikas said. "As Arturo put it, we need to do what the congregation needs most — and what we need most right now is some beauty and hope."

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

WASHINGTON —

President Joe Biden on Thursday opened the first White House Summit for Democracy by sounding an alarm about a global slide for democratic institutions and called for world leaders to “lock arms” and demonstrate democracies can deliver.

Biden called it a critical moment for fellow leaders to redouble their efforts to bolster democracies. In making the case for action, he noted his own battle to win passage of voting rights legislation at home and alluded to challenges to America's democratic institutions and traditions.

“This is an urgent matter," Biden said in remarks to open the two-day virtual summit. “The data we’re seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction.”

The video gathering comes as Biden has repeatedly made a case that the U.S. and like-minded allies need to show the world that democracies are a far better vehicle for societies than autocracies.

That is a central tenet of Biden's foreign policy outlook — one that he vowed would be more outward looking than his predecessor Donald Trump's “America First" approach. Biden in his speech announced plans to launch an initiative that would spend up to $424 million for programming around the world that supports independent media, anti-corruption work and more.

But the gathering also drew backlash from the United States’ chief adversaries and other nations that were not invited to participate.

Ahead of the summit, the ambassadors to the U.S. from China and Russia wrote a joint essay describing the Biden administration as exhibiting a “Cold-War mentality” that will “stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift in the world.” The administration has also faced scrutiny over how it went about deciding which countries to invite. China and Russia were among those not receiving invitations.

Other leaders took turns delivering their own remarks on the state of democracy — many prerecorded — often reflecting on the stress that rapidly evolving technology is having on their nations. They also bemoaned the increase of disinformation campaigns aimed at and undermining institutions and elections.

“The democratic conversation is changing,” said Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “New technologies and large tech companies are increasingly setting the stage for the democratic dialogue, sometimes with more emphasis on reach than on freedom of speech.”

The summit comes as Biden is pressing Russia's Vladimir Putin to stand down after a massive buildup of troops on the Ukraine border, creating growing concern in Washington and European capitals that Russia may look to once again invade Ukraine. Biden on Wednesday said that he warned Putin in a video call of “severe consequences” if Russia invaded.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who took part in Thursday’s summit, was to speak with Biden later in the day. He said on Twitter, “Democracy is not a given, it must be fought for.

Poland's Andrzej Duda also spoke out against Russia in his address, decrying Moscow and its support of Belarus. Poland and Western allies have accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of using migrants as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation European Union in retaliation for its sanctions on his authoritarian regime. Hundreds of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, last month flocked to the Belarus-Poland border. Most were fleeing conflict or despair at home and were looking to reach Germany or other Western European countries.

Poland “took on a commitment to be a support for democracy in Eastern Europe,” Duda said. “It is a beautiful task, but it has its consequences. It has made us the target of the Kremlin propaganda.”

The U.S. may be at its own pivot point.

Local elected officials are resigning at an alarming rate amid confrontations with angry voices at school board meetings, elections offices and town halls. States are passing laws to limit access to the ballot, making it more difficult for Americans to vote. And the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol has left many in Donald Trump's Republican party clinging to his false claims of a stolen election, eroding trust in the accuracy of the vote.

“Here in the United States we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort,” Biden said.

Biden has said passage of his ambitious domestic agenda — the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill he signed into law, as well as the roughly $2 trillion “Build Back Better Act” of social and climate change initiatives moving through the Senate — will demonstrate how democracy can improve people’s lives.

Some advocates also want Biden to focus on other ways to shore up democracy at home. One early test was coming Thursday as the House moves to approve the Protecting Our Democracy Act, the third in a trio of bills — alongside the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — largely backed by Democrats but stalled by Republicans in the Senate.

“The United States has a thriving democracy, but it’s been hurting in recent years,” said Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House, whose annual report marked a 15th consecutive year of a global democratic slide. “Right now, we’re going through a phase in America where it’s very difficult to get things done and to really prove that democracy can deliver."

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, said in its annual report that the number of countries experiencing democratic backsliding “has never been as high” as the past decade, with the U.S. added to the list alongside India and Brazil.

Chinese officials have offered a stream of public criticism about the summit. They have also expressed outrage over the administration inviting Taiwan to take part. China claims the self-governing island as part of its territory and objects to it having contacts on its own with foreign governments.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan declined to attend the conference. In a statement issued ahead of the meeting, the foreign ministry said, "We value our partnership with the U.S. which we wish to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation.”

Yet Pakistan’s own relationship with the U.S. has been fraught with suspicion on both sides. Islamabad has balked at Washington’s often-stated criticism that Pakistan has not been a reliable partner in the war on terror, accusing it of harboring the Taliban even as they fought the U.S.-led coalition. Pakistan says it has lost 70,000 people to the war on terror since 2001 and is ready to be a partner in peace but not in war.

Other uninvited countries have shown their displeasure. Hungary, the only European Union member not invited, tried unsuccessfully to block EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from speaking on behalf of the bloc at the summit. During the 2020 campaign, Biden referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a “thug.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto dismissed the summit as a “domestic political-type of event” where countries whose leaders had a good relationship with Trump were not invited.

Turkey, a fellow NATO member, and Egypt, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, were also left off. Iraq was the sole Arab nation invited. The Biden administration has raised human rights concerns about both Turkey and Egypt. However, Poland, which has faced criticism for undermining the independence of its judiciary and media, was invited.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington, Justin Spike in Budapest, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.

CHICAGO, Ill. — After soaring by 86,000% in just a matter of days, the explosive new cryptocurrency known as "SQUID" crashed to zero this week. It turned out to be a swindle with scammers making off with more than $3.3 million in investor money. Crypto can be risky. Still, it’s a gamble that’s attracting traders of all ages.

If you’ve never heard of cryptocurrency, you’re now in a small minority. New research suggests that only about 4% of American adults surveyed are in the dark about the digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security.

“The way you make money on cryptocurrency is by selling it to somebody who thinks it's going to be worth even more in the future than you think it's going to be. It's what's called ‘the greater fool theory’ of investing,” said James Royal, an analyst with Bankrate.com and author of the book "The Zen of Thrift Conversions." “I think hot potato is a good metaphor for thinking about what's going on in cryptocurrency markets right now.”

It’s been more than 10 years since decentralized digital currency Bitcoin was introduced and since then, countless competitors have launched their platforms in the race to create more digital currency.

“Fundamentally, what you're investing in with crypto is not an asset that's backed by something. It's not backed by cash flow. It's not backed by an underlying asset,” said Royal.

Investor confidence varies by generation with millennials leading the way.

According to a recent survey by Bankrate, 49% of millennials are at least somewhat comfortable with investing in crypto assets such as Bitcoin, compared to 37% of Gen X’ers and only 22% of baby boomers.

“We're looking at a period of time where real wages have not grown in decades for a lot of people. And so, I think a lot of people think cryptocurrency is a kind of lottery ticket,” he said.

But Royal says while that lottery ticket could yield substantial returns, it also comes with substantial risk. An estimated one-third of people have been scammed by some type of fake email and imposter website.

“In a fast-growing area like this, where it's not clear exactly who's real and who's fake, it's important to understand that you can get scammed,” he said.

Shady cryptocurrency projects can quickly turn into scams, something proven by the Squid Game-inspired cryptocurrency in the last few weeks.

“It lost it all, literally lost 100% of its value within minutes,” said Royal.

Royal says if you’re getting into digital currencies, be sure to use a reputable exchange or broker like Robinhood or Interactive Brokers. Try to avoid the get-rich-quick mentality of investing and be cautious of allocating too large of a portion of your portfolio to cryptocurrency.

“You're not analyzing assets or cash flow, you're analyzing the psychology of the rest of the market to figure out how you should act," said Royal.

Because in the end, he says virtual currency is driven by optimism and market perception.

CINCINNATI — A celebration of black members of the local LGBTQ community kicked off Thursday night with a film festival. Like similar events across the country, Cincinnati Black Pride is virtual this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the eyes of the nation focused on racial injustice, Black Pride members said they’re doing all they can to be seen and heard.

“I think the community is really grateful that we didn’t give up on Pride this year,” Cincinnati Black Pride co-founder Tim’m West said.

When the pandemic seemed to erase life as we knew it, the organization adopted the theme "still here." The slogan applies to both COVID-19 and in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I think the people that are here now are demanding that we be visible, that we show up fully as black people and as LGBT people,” West said.

West said even without the ability to come together physically, more people are realizing the importance of how the gay rights and Black Lives Matter movements intersect.

“I think we experience that in the gay community, where there is racism unfortunately, but people are working through that and we experience it in the Black community when we’re told to show up, but not show up fully,” he said.

West said black members of the LGBTQ community simultaneously navigate both worlds and face both sets of challenges. He shared an example of how he was racially profiled during a recent traffic stop where backup was called and guns were drawn.

“That reality is real for me,” he said. “Those people may or may not have known that I was a part of the LGBT community, but I walk outside every day as a Black man and experience what other Black men experience.”

West said that experience, though painful, makes him and others qualified to help move society forward.

“If there are keys to what will heal our city and bring it together, you might want to look at people at that intersection,” he said.

West said he hopes Cincinnati Black Pride will be a chance to grow both movements and signal to people citywide that those of all genders, sexual orientations and races belong here.

“I think still here is a theme of resilience,” West said. “I think Cincinnati has always had a resilient Black, LGBT community. It’s always been invisible in years past and I think that is the thing in Cincinnati that is changing right now.”

Thursday’s film conference is available online at the organization’s website. You can also learn about more events happening the weekend of June 25-28.

Screen time has become a common concern during the pandemic, as many school districts turn to online learning. That has doctors telling parents to pay close attention to their children's eyes.

"Everybody, adults and kids, can develop computer eye strain. That's mostly because there's a decrease in the blink rate, incomplete eye closure with the blink rate," said Dr. Cate Jordan, a pediatric ophthalmologist with the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Dr. Jordan says eye drops or a warm compress can help children with eye irritation because of increased technology use. But most of all, make sure your eyes get some relief from a screen.

"In between classes, take a break. Look out a distance and take a couple hard blinks. I really recommend really taking a few hard blinks because it pumps the oil glands and really helps lubricate the eyes," said Dr. Jordan.

Stephen Reid is the co-founder of Hue Eyewear. Reid and his wife founded their blue light glasses company when they noticed their children suffered side effects from too much screen time.

"With the amount of time we're spending on our screens right now, especially during the pandemic, we need to make sure that we protect ourselves," said Reid.

Reid says the glasses protect children and adults from blue light that's emitted from computer, tablet, phone and even television screens.

"My children use the glasses. Ever since we started the company they've been using them and they tell me their eyes are less strained and I can feel it, too," said Reid.

Dr. Jordan says more studies need to be done on the effectiveness of blue light glasses. Our eyes naturally protect against harmful rays that could affect our eyesight, she adds.

"If you've already bought them and a child feels better and wants to use them, then absolutely there's no harm in wearing them. But there's no need to have every child wearing blue light glasses," said Dr. Jordan.

Dr. Jordan says too much blue light at the end of the day can disrupt your circadian rhythm, or sleep cycle, so she recommends children make an effort to avoid screens at least two hours before bed time.

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Going to the gym was always part of Kari Hamra’s routine until last year’s government-ordered shutdowns forced her to replace the workouts with daily rides on her Peloton stationary bike.

That’s when she discovered something surprising — she did not miss the gym. At least not the driving back and forth, filling water bottles, changing clothes and most of all, taking time away from her husband and two boys.

Now that her gym in Springfield, Missouri, is open again, she’s slowly returning. But finding a more convenient exercise schedule at home and seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases in her hometown this summer have her questioning how much she needs the gym. She figures that if there never had been a coronavirus outbreak “I would still be a gym rat.”

The pandemic has reshaped how Americans exercise and upended the fitness industry, accelerating the growth of a new era of high-tech home workout equipment and virtual classes.

Thousands of small fitness centers and studios that were forced to close a year ago now are gone for good. Others are struggling to stay afloat and have redesigned their spaces, turned toward more personal workouts and added online training.

The question is can the they survive the onslaught from the apps and pricey bikes and treadmills or will they go the way of arcades, video rental shops and bookstores.

Interactive fitness equipment maker Peloton is betting the workout-from-home trend is here to stay. It’s breaking ground Monday on its first U.S. factory just outside Toledo, Ohio, where it plans to begin production in 2023 and employ 2,000 workers.

Demand surged so much during the pandemic that some Peloton customers had to wait months for their bikes. While the company said the backlog has waned, it reported that sales have continued to soar, up 141% in the first three months of this year.

Company founder and CEO John Foley thinks it’s inevitable that technology-driven home fitness will become dominant much like how streaming services have changed movie watching, calling the idea of going to a gym “a broken model of yesteryear.”

Its next steps include bringing more of its equipment into gyms at hotels, apartment complexes, and college campuses and launching new workouts through its app. Late last year, it acquired Precor, a company with manufacturing and product development sites in the U.S.

“Fitness is one of the few remaining categories that is going to be massively disrupted by a digital experience,” Foley told The Associated Press.

During the early months of the pandemic, most small and independent gyms and studios turned to Zoom and other video platforms for yoga and Pilates classes and training sessions because it was the only way they could connect with their members.

“Now there’s an expectation for it,” said Michael Stack, CEO of Applied Fitness Solutions, which has three fitness centers in southeast Michigan.

Small gyms can’t match the production quality and visual appeal of the high-tech companies, but they can counter with online offerings that feature personal attention and closer relationships between their members and staff, he said.

“I think that’s the way we even the playing field,” Stack said.

Not all gym operators are convinced virtual training will play a significant role in what they offer.

“We don’t have the budget to do it at the same price and the same quality,” said Jeff Sanders, CEO of Apex Athletic Health Club in Penfield, New York. “Digital is great, but we’ve seen surveys that show people want to stay active, but miss the interaction and being around others.”

His company is planning to open a third, smaller location near Orlando, Florida, that offers a more intimate experience. Those type of boutique studios could be the wave of the future, he said.

The pandemic has changed how the fitness industry evaluates itself and right now “everyone’s making decisions just to survive,” Sanders said.

Roughly 9,000 health clubs — 22% of the total nationwide — have closed since the beginning of the virus outbreak and 1.5 million workers lost their jobs, according to the International Health Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

The industry group is lobbying Congress to approve a $30 billion relief fund for the fitness industry because many clubs are struggling to recover from months of lost revenue and membership declines and still owe back rent.

While more closings are likely this year and could number in the thousands without government help, the emergence of the workout-from-home trend won’t spell doom for the fitness centers, said Helen Durkin, the association’s executive vice president of public policy.

Plenty of exercise fanatics, she said, will still do both — 40% of Peloton users have gym memberships, according to the company.

There’s no doubt digital fitness is here to stay, said Michelle Segar, director of the University of Michigan’s Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center.

“People are integrating their lives with technology. This is where society is, and it’s just going to get more integrated,” she said.

The biggest positives with the virtual training sessions are that they offer more flexibility when it comes to staying with workout routines and can draw more people into fitness, including those who can’t follow a rigid schedule.

“That’s why people don’t stick with it,” she said.

Cindy Cicchinelli, who’s become a dedicated Peloton user after going to her gym in Pittsburgh for years, said the convenience is what has sold her.

“I can roll out of bed and not worry about running to the gym,” she said. “And I don’t have to add an extra half-hour for my commute.”

Fitness industry leaders say research has shown that health clubs pose no more risk of spreading the virus than other public spaces. But San Francisco gym owner Dave Karraker thinks it will be a long time before many people are comfortable going into a big, tightly packed fitness center.

“They are going to be thinking about ventilation and air purifiers and how long ago was this equipment sanitized,” he said.

He reconfigured MX3 Fitness’s two small studios and created personal workout spaces. It has become so popular he’s looking for a third location.

He’s not surprised that people are coming back even though safety remains a concern.

“They don’t want to live this solitary existence anymore,” he said. “There’s all kinds of motivations. Let’s face facts, gyms are great ways to meet new people, especially if you’re single.”

The United States is home to a number of beautiful public green spaces (think: Longwood Gardens or the Chicago Botanic Gardens), but none of them compare to the Netherlands's Keukenhof.Located in Lisse, Keukenhof is home to seven million flowers each year. It's the second-largest flower garden in the world behind the Dubai Miracle Garden. According to its website, Keukenhof is specifically a "spring park." For eight weeks each year, it invites flower enthusiasts from all over the world to admire its seasonal blooms, which are all planted by local companies. This annual event gives each company a chance to display its living catalog to the public, but it also takes millions of dollars and year-round labor to prepare for.As Insider reports, gardeners must map out their design and select which particular flowers to feature in their display — which can take months to finalize. Next, they must order the bulbs and hand plant all of the seeds ahead of Keukenhof's opening, a feat that usually takes gardeners about three months. Before planting, they must also spend time ripping out the bulbs from the year prior. The majority of the flowers are, of course, tulips. For this year's show, 800 different types were hand-selected by quality and color. Because tulips have a life span of around a week and a half, gardeners use a special technique in which they stagger early- and late-blooming bulbs to make sure tulips continue to flower throughout Keukenhof's eight-week season. Last year, Keukenhof was closed for the first time since its opening in 1950 due to COVID-19. This year, Keukenhof decided to take a risk and gear up to re-open for its spring flower exhibition, but due to public health guidelines, the garden's opening has been postponed until further notice.That said, we simply can't let seven million beautiful flowers go unnoticed! Keukenhof has created a virtual tour of its gardens, so you can enjoy its beauty no matter where you are.The "Keukenhof Spring Series" is a six-part series that showcases the garden's diverse and colorful blooms. The best part: It's available to watch on Youtube free of charge. So sit back, enjoy the show, and start planning for next year's in-person visit.Part 1PGlmcmFtZSB3aWR0aD0iMTAwJSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI4MDBweCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3d3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbS9lbWJlZC9GdFNXYlVTbExjWSIgdGl0bGU9IllvdVR1YmUgdmlkZW8gcGxheWVyIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3c9ImFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXI7IGF1dG9wbGF5OyBjbGlwYm9hcmQtd3JpdGU7IGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYTsgZ3lyb3Njb3BlOyBwaWN0dXJlLWluLXBpY3R1cmUiIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj48L2lmcmFtZT4=Part 2PGlmcmFtZSB3aWR0aD0iMTAwJSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI4MDBweCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3d3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbS9lbWJlZC83RDdrczVtTUlNcyIgdGl0bGU9IllvdVR1YmUgdmlkZW8gcGxheWVyIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3c9ImFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXI7IGF1dG9wbGF5OyBjbGlwYm9hcmQtd3JpdGU7IGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYTsgZ3lyb3Njb3BlOyBwaWN0dXJlLWluLXBpY3R1cmUiIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj48L2lmcmFtZT4=Part 3PGlmcmFtZSB3aWR0aD0iMTAwJSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI4MDBweCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3d3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbS9lbWJlZC9VN2l0b1dZd25OOCIgdGl0bGU9IllvdVR1YmUgdmlkZW8gcGxheWVyIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3c9ImFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXI7IGF1dG9wbGF5OyBjbGlwYm9hcmQtd3JpdGU7IGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYTsgZ3lyb3Njb3BlOyBwaWN0dXJlLWluLXBpY3R1cmUiIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj48L2lmcmFtZT4=You can watch the remainder of "Keukenhof Spring Series" here.

Spaces usually filled with tens, hundreds, thousands of people -- are now empty.

"We're trying to navigate how to survive through this," Imam Muhammad Kolila said.

"You forget how much you value like giving someone a hug or shaking someone's hand," Christ-follower Claire Fundingsland said.

"Time right now is so bizarre. A day seems like a year," Senior Rabbi Joseph Black said.

For many Americans, spiritual practice can offer a sense of peace. However, with shelter-in-place mandates across the country, the routine of gathering in person with a faith community is disrupted. Rabbis, Imams, and Pastors have all made changes to the way they usually worship.

"In one of our campuses, we'll put 4,000 people in one room, and that just didn't seem like the wisest idea," Lead Pastor Jim Burgen sad.

Jim Burgen is the lead pastor of Flatirons Community Church. It's one of the largest churches in the U.S., fitting 16 to 18 thousand people into its five campuses each week. The church already had an online presence, so moving to virtual services was a relatively smooth transition. However, the pastor says preaching to an empty building seemed a bit inauthentic.

"Now we're using this opportunity to do something different," Burgen said. "I just recorded my sermon for this weekend in an empty coffee shop. The world has changed. This place should be full of people, but it can't be at the moment."

He says the church's online presence has nearly doubled. Still, other religious institutions have had to navigate through online streaming for the first time.

"No one in Rabbinical school taught me how to MacGyver a TV station out of my computer, but that's kind of what we're doing," Temple Emmanuel Senior Rabbi Joseph Black said.

He says the Jewish community is finding that it's still possible to touch people's lives with online classes and services.

"In Judaism, the idea of being a part of a community is essential. There are certain prayers that we can only say when we have ten people, and it's called a minion. We're able to do that virtually, and I think people are truly understanding and appreciating the importance of reaching out, being a part of something bigger than themselves even in this time of uncertainty and fear."

While Temple Emmanuel can continue most of its rituals online, Muhammad Kolila -- the Imam of the Denver Islamic Center -- says the physical connection is necessary for the Islamic faith.

"It's fine to pray by yourself at home, a park, or work, but it's not encouraged as praying in the mosque," Imam Kolila said. "It has more rewards in Islam."

Usually, there would be more than a hundred people moving in and out of the Mosque for the five daily prayers. But for everyone's safety, the Mosque is now vacant. Imam Kolila says what they can offer online are lectures and reflections to continue spiritual education. Like teaching the importance of choosing generosity over greed and how we can use this time to grow.

"It's mentioned in the Quran multiple times that when people felt challenged, they would start to become self-aware of how they live their lives."

While nobody is sure when this will all be over, religious leaders, as well as followers like Claire Fundingsland, are choosing to focus on the positive.

"I truly believe that God can do a miracle, and this can turn a big corner tomorrow," Fundingsland said.

"In times like this, I think sacred space and sacred community is very, very important," Rabbi Black said.

"Look at your privileges now, and think of people without these privileges," Imam Kolila said.

"We're not defeated. We're going to be OK. It's going to be tough, we have to take care of each other, but remember we're not alone and God's with us," Pastor Burgen said.