Sumo inspires U.S. church on social distancing

U.S. church turns to sumo for social distancing inspiration

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: QUALITY AS INCOMING SHOWS: LOGANSPORT, INDIANA, UNITED STATES (MAY 24,2020) (CHURCH OF CHRIST AT LOGANSPORT - NO RESALE / MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY CHURCH OF CHRIST AT LOGANSPORT) 1.

PEOPLE KEEPING SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES SITTING INSIDE CHURCH OF CHRIST AT LOGANSPORT / FAMILY MINISTER AT CHURCH OF CHRIST AT LOGANSPORT, SCOTT JEWELL AND PREACHER AT CHURCH OF CHRIST AT LOGANSPORT, JEFF STRITE WEARING INFLATABLE SUMO WRESTLER COSTUMES WALKING DOWN CHURCH AISLE /JEWELL AND STRITE BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER AND LAUGHING STORY: Two U.S. preachers at the Church of Christ at Logansport, Indiana turned to sumo for inspiration on social distancing at the beginning of the first service since the COVID-19 lockdown on Sunday (May 24).

A video shows Scott Jewell and Jeff Strite wearing inflatable sumo wrestler costumes walking down the church aisle and bumping into each other.

"We haven't set a limit, but we're a smaller congregation, set up hand sanitizer stations, blocked off every other row, and posted the full service on our Facebook page so people didn't feel obligated to come if they were concerned for their health," the church told Reuters.

Some churches in U.S. states began to reopen last weekend after President Donald Trump said 'churches are essential' during a meeting with African American leaders held at a Ford Motor Co plant in Michigan on Thursday (May 21).

(Production:Oleksandr Ieltsov, Kevin Donnellan, Nur-Azna Sanusi)