“We want to make sure that no one is denied the right to worship,” said Rev. Dr. Kevin Johnson, pastor of Dare to Imagine Church in Mt. Airy.
This Easter, Johnson, his immediate family and a small team of singers and musicians will stream services from his Mt. Airy-based church sanctuary.
But the doors will also be open for those who wish to attend in person.
“Church is life-sustaining,” said Johnson. “If you can have beer distributors and gun shops and Walmart open, I don’t see why the church should be closed.”
Related
Rev. Herbert Lusk of Greater Exodus Baptist Church took heat this week when it was discovered that he has kept his North Broad Street Church open each Sunday during the coronavirus lockdown.
Most faith leaders have closed their houses of worship to members, opting instead for virtual services.
“I don’t feel like we have closed the church. We have opened it in a new way,” said Rev. Allyn Waller, senior pastor of Enon Tabernacle Church.
He said given the racial disparities with COVID-19 in urban cities, black pastors have to take the lead in keeping people safe.
“If the black church is what it has been to the black community,” Waller said, “we have to model better behavior.”
Johnson said his decision was inspired by an elderly parishioner who thanked him for keeping the doors open.
“She said ‘Because I ain’t got no computer and i ain't got no internet, but I do know Jesus,’ ”Johnson said.
Johnson said the church has been cleaned and all in attendance will get masks, hand sanitizer and practice social distancing in accordance with CDC guidelines.