December 28, 2020 Northwest Iowa — COVID is going to make Christmas services at area churches a little different this year. We checked with a sampling of churches. Of all the churches we checked with, all of them are still having in-person Christmas services, with a few caveats. At First Reformed Church in Sheldon, they plan to have two services on Christmas Eve — one at 4:30 and one at 6:30 p.m. They are limiting the sanctuary to half capacity. Masks are highly recommended, and the services, like all Sheldon First Reformed Chruch services, will be live-streamed. At the Sheldon United Methodist Church, they plan to have four separate Christmas Eve services. Pastor Kevin Gingerich tells us that the services will be a contemporary candlelight service at 4:00 p.m.; a traditional candlelight communion service at 6 p.m.; a lessons and carols candlelight communion service at 8 p.m., and an 11 p.m. contemplative candlelight service. He says they are not making people sign up for a specific service, but they hope that by having four different services that people will spread out naturally. Gingerich says masks are strongly recommended. The services will be live-streamed.