Church Working to Spread Gospel Not Flu

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With the growing H1N1 flu concerns, a metro church is taking steps to stay healthy.

On any given Sunday, you'll find Robert Duff and his family of seven in church.

“It's worrisome because we have five kids and one goes down, everybody starts going down. It's a big issue,” said parishioner Robert Duff.

The issue at hand: widespread concern over the flu outbreak. There have been no problems at their parish but the family is taking precautions.

“I make sure they wash their hands when they go out with the youth groups, in public settings have everybody wash their hands afterwards just to try to prevent it that way,” Duff said.

Christ the King Catholic Church is also taking precautions. Father Rick Stansberry isn't taking any chances, making sure the only thing being spread is the gospel.

“Since we have the hand sanitizer, we're on the cutting edge of swine flu prevention here,” said Father Rick Stansberry. “At first everybody laughed at me and thought I was overreacting…at any rate, people really appreciated that.”

He started early on in the summer, packing every pew with protection for his parishioners.

“Even then I think people were getting kind of anxious about the flu and so we thought maybe that's a good way people can feel more at ease,” said Father Stansberry.

Father Stansberry is also cautioning his members not to share in the common cup during communion and avoid physical contact if they're sick.

“It’s funny because before the communion you can hear the sanitizers closing, so you hear this clicking. And I think people are more reluctant to hold hands or shake hands when they do the ‘Our Father’ and we've told people not to do that if they're sick. And if the person next to you doesn't want to do that, don't think they're being unfriendly,” Father Stansberry said.

A friendly newsletter also spells out how to stay flu free the season and for this family of faith, it brings peace of mind on the day of worship.

“With people putting their hands on the pews and wiping their noses, and kids and adults alike, I don't know how many people partake in it, but it's good to know it's there,” Duff said.

The church is also giving out flu shots to its members.