A San Jose pastor has vowed to reopen the doors to his church on Sunday, in defiance of local health orders.
“We have the power and the authority of God almighty and we don’t really need the government’s permission. And that’s what the first amendment is about,” said Pastor Mike McClure of San Jose’s Calvary Chapel last Sunday, in a nearly two hour outdoor sermon. “I’m never again going to close those doors. Ever. I don’t care what they say. Again, this church is not my church, it’s God’s church. It’s his house and man doesn’t have the right to close the doors.”
About 1,200 other pastors around California have signed a petition vowing to hold services indoors on Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Justice notified Governor Gavin Newsom last week that his order keeping churches closed is discriminatory, but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has since upheld the Governor’s order in a 2-1 ruling. The court said the order does not “infringe upon or restrict practices because of their religious motivation" and is not specific to any religious beliefs.
The Governor is expected to issue new guidelines for churches later today.
Not all religious leaders are in a hurry to reopen. A group of African American faith leaders plan to gather at San Francisco’s City Hall this afternoon to call for churches to stay closed during the pandemic and advocate for more coronavirus testing and education.
“Our biggest thing is to basically play everything by ear, but most importantly in conclusion to have an expectance to open back up again,” says Pastor Rylan Hill at Redemption Church in San Jose. He says he is focused on following local health orders and looking forward to the day he is allowed to welcome worshippers back inside. “We all have a spirit of expectancy and I think that’s extremely important because it brings about the spirit of hope, when you’re expecting the best.”
Health officials say the danger of the virus spreading during indoor church services is real. A Mother’s Day church service at the Assembly of God church in Mendocino County has now been linked to nine cases of COVID-19.