(Jon Brown) Grace Community Church and its senior pastor John MacArthur continued indoor services Sunday even after the California Court of Appeal struck down a lower court ruling that would have allowed the church to gather indoors with masks and social distancing.
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by Jon Brown, August 16th, 2020
As The Daily Wire reported, a Los Angeles County judge denied the county’s request Friday for a temporary restraining order against Grace Community Church and MacArthur after they did not comply with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to shutter their house of worship because of the coronavirus. The church nevertheless agreed to abide by mask and social distancing protocols at least until the full hearing in September.
According to a Saturday night press release from the Los Angeles County COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center, “The California Court of Appeal today set aside a lower court order that would have allowed indoor services to take place at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. The Court of Appeal’s decision temporarily upholds the County’s Health Officer Orders prohibiting indoor worship services in order to protect congregants and the community as a whole from transmission of the highly contagious and potentially fatal COVID-19 virus.”
Los Angeles County issued the following statement of the Appellate Court’s ruling:
Los Angeles County is pleased that the California Court of Appeal recognizes the vital importance of our Health Officer Orders in protecting the lives and health of our residents as we work to slow the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.
We will continue to work closely with all religious institutions, including Grace Community Church, to make sure their congregants are protected and provided with accurate information about worshiping safely during this phase of the pandemic.
Outdoor religious observances are permitted; participants must wear cloth face coverings and maintain six feet of distance from each other unless they live in the same household.
The County is grateful to all residents and institutions for coming together to take the actions that will continue to move us forward, as a community, through our recovery.
Jenna Ellis, an attorney serving as legal counsel for MacArthur and the church, described the appellate court’s decision as “ridiculous,” tweeting, “NEW: LA County pretends they want to ‘work with’ churches and claim their burdensome restrictions are ‘protecting’ [Grace Community Church]. But the County is targeting [MacArthur] and wouldn’t let a reasonable order stay for 3 weeks!”
“And look at their ridiculous press release,” she added. “They are so excited to SHUT DOWN church!!! This is NOT about health!!”
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And look at their ridiculous press release. They are so excited to SHUT DOWN church!!! This is NOT about health!!
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) August 16, 2020
“We’re having church,” MacArthur told his cheering congregation on Sunday morning. Explaining that he is unsure exactly what the city intends to do, he said that the church is not trying to be rebellious, but rather simply trying to do what they believe God has commanded them.
He continued:
We’re meeting because our Lord has commanded us to come together and to worship him. There was a court order that granted this church, and this church alone, the right to meet indoors. And the powers of the city were not happy about that. They were going to be asking us to do two things: social distance and wear masks. That was until yesterday, when the city — we agreed, look, we’ll comply for a few weeks, they asked that for three weeks. We’re not wanting to be defiant. We will do what is reasonable. That was not enough for the city, so they went to the Appellate Court at the last minute on Saturday late and had that order removed.
So the good news is, you’re here, you’re not distancing, and you’re not wearing masks. And it’s also good news that you’re not outside because it’s very hot out there. So the Lord knew that we needed to be inside and unmasked. So he did us that gracious favor. They don’t want us to meet, that’s obvious. They’re not willing to work with us. They just want to shut us down. But we’re here to bring honor to the Lord. They’re not our enemy, we understand that. The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders, for their salvation. We need to be faithful to do that.
About The Author
Jon Brown is a Washington, D.C.-based writer and editor originally from Asheville, North Carolina. While studying journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, he was a fellow with the Student Free Press Association. He was previously an associate editor for The Daily Caller and the deputy breaking news editor for The Washington Examiner. You can reach him at [email protected]
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