As I watch COVID-19 cases and deaths skyrocket across our state and country, I am haunted by the words of the apostle Paul:

If one member suffers, all suffer together (I Corinthians 12: 26).

Also read: POINT | COVID doesn’t trump freedom of worship

If I, as a follower of Jesus Christ and as a member of Christ’s body, believe this, then I have to acknowledge: The Body of Christ has COVID-19.

The pervasive suffering we are experiencing, individually and communally, is heart wrenching. I have been in tears more than once as I have pastored those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 or those who have lingering and serious health concerns because of the damage the virus wreaked on their lungs. I have been alarmed as I listen to those in recovery share their struggle with maintaining sobriety in the midst of this isolation. I have felt helpless seeing the frustrated tears of parents who are overwhelmed by the new responsibilities of being home school aides while working remotely.

If one member suffers, all suffer together.

What has been most difficult is that the one place that offers me and so many others comfort and community in difficult times is one of the riskiest places to be: inside a church for worship.

Studies show that the very things that make worship so meaningful–gathering closely with others, singing, sharing a meal, physically passing the peace to one another–are the riskiest activities related to COVID-19 transmission. Contact tracing in many states have shown clear evidence of new cases directly linked to in-person, maskless worship. It is why I am critical of local, state, and federal rulings which holds churches to a lower standard than other public activities and allows faith communities to not adhere to strict public health mandates regarding crowd size and mask wearing.

We in the church, who understand that when one suffers we all suffer, ought to be holding ourselves to an even higher standard than the one determined by government officials. It is why, as bishop of nearly 400 churches in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, I have asked my pastors to cease indoor worship at least through January 2021.

Mind you, ceasing indoor worship isn’t the same things as closing churches. While our buildings are shut in an attempt to help our communities battle COVID-19, our churches have never been more engaged. We have learned how to worship online or over the phone; we have done Bible Studies in parking lots; we have had church drive-in/take-out dinners. We have done so not just out of an “abundance of caution”. We have done so because we are followers of Jesus Christ, who hold that love of God and neighbor combine all the laws of faith and help us become a more faithful follower of Jesus.

It is this love of God and neighbor that caused us to close our buildings and worship in new ways, so we would not expose one another-particularly the most vulnerable-to COVID-19.

It is this love of God and neighbor that continues to inform how we are to do church in this new era.

It is this love of God and neighbor that has helped us create new ministries to care for those most impacted by COVID-19.

Communities of faith retell old stories to remember the people God calls us to be. May we, once COVID-19 is contained, tell a story about how people of faith responded to a global pandemic to make God’s love visible to a frightened world. Today, we are writing that story of hope as the best of humanity emerges to care for one another. Each one of us has a part to play in this story.

Karen Oliveto is the bishop of The Mountain Sky Conference of The United Methodist Church, providing spiritual leadership to nearly 400 churches in Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.