Easter came early this year, and with it came hope for many of Block Island’s residents. Hope for a return to some sort of normalcy, as many people finally had a holiday with extended family. Hope that the cool temperatures are behind us and short pants are in our future. Hope that the sweet sounds of a thousand songbirds will continue to greet us each day. Hope that the water pipes we drained ourselves didn’t freeze and burst over the winter.And for the various faith communities on the island, Easter brought the hope of a return to normalcy in the form of active in-person worship. Though the various churches and faith communities on the island have been allowed to have in-person worship, many church members have elected to stay home and participate virtually. Many churches have offered online streaming of their various liturgies, and the faithful have faithfully watched and worshiped from home. But nearly everyone in ministry has hoped for the return of well attended church services.And there has been concern among some in the various church hierarchies that people may choose not to come back.Just in time for Easter, Gallup released their findings on church membership
