CLEVELAND — After two years of churches providing alternatives to in-person worship, a pastor in northeast Ohio sees people using the Easter season as a chance for a fresh start and returning to the services.

Dr. C Jay Matthews I said he’s always wanted to be a pastor. 

“It was a calling on my life that God introduced me to as a young child,” he said. 

He’s been a pastor for 34 years and works at Mt. Sinai-Friendship United Church in Cleveland.  

“We started out as a historic Baptist church and then we moved along over the years to be more inclusive in some things,” he said. “We’re excited about who we are and what we’re doing in the blessings of the Lord.” 

He said the COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges to the church. 

“[It] had significant impact, number one, because of the loss of lives [and because] of a number of families that were affected because of transitioning,” he said. 

He said the pandemic prompted quick thinking, as the church navigated offering services online. 

“The difference was people learned that they could worship in places other than the building,” he said. “I think today that expression is now a part of the ongoing fiber and DNA of the church.” 

He said this year, more people celebrated Easter together. 

“The resurrection of Christ is so important and the focus simply because it’s the one time when the entire world of Christianity comes together, regardless of all of the variations, all of the diversity we come together on this weekend to honor Christ and him alone,” he said.

He said while the pandemic eased enough to where more people feel comfortable to attend in-person services; he feels online services will remain. 

“Time is a challenge for all of us,” he said. “So, time now dictates so many things and after that, to your discovery. ‘Wow, I can do this,’ like say, you know. So, yes, more people are coming and less people coming some weeks. But I think the digital church is a part of our fiber now and we’re excited about it and we’re open for attendance.” 

He said he looks forward to the future and what this season of growth offers. 

“If we think about nature, coming back to life is one of the powerful metaphors that God gives us,” he said. “Because what happens, the plants die, the trees lose their leaves, and then in the springtime, what they give forth and spring forth again. It is so exciting.”