Churchgoers protest coronavirus worship orders; politicians, denominations offer guidelines
About 200 churchgoers rallied on the lawn of the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh Thursday, insisting that they be allowed to hold regular worship service in spite of North Carolina’s stay-at-home orders.
The crowd was nearly all white and almost none wore protective masks or gloves.
Several in the crowd spoke of the “evil” behind Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus.
One woman said testing is a lie and masks are a sign of slavery. She refused to give her name to a News & Observer reporter because she said she had received death threats. She has also been seen at ReOpenNC protests dressed as a handmaid.
Cooper’s latest executive order forbids indoor worship services with more than 10 people, allowing for socially distant church services but recommending multiple or outdoor services “unless impossible.”
David Gibbs, president of the Christian Law Association, said a federal lawsuit has been filed asking that Cooper’s rules be reversed. He said no clarity has been given on how to congregate lawfully.
“We’re not against this man,” Gibbs said. “We’re just against his policy.”
During a news conference later Thursday, Cooper said he, too, misses worshiping in-person at his church and the “real sense of belonging and a sense of community” it provides. However, he said safety guidelines dictate that meeting in person and indoors would put people in danger.
“One fundamental tenet of faith is to care for and love one another,” Cooper said. “When doing these things together, sitting or standing indoors for more than 10 minutes, we greatly increase the chances of passing to each other a virus that can be deadly. Ask any of the congregations who have experienced outbreaks and deaths due to this virus.”
Comparing church, abortion clinic rules
Vivian June and her family followed her pastor from Winston-Salem, saying online and drive-in services did not suffice.
“You can’t focus on what’s being said,” said June, one of a few wearing a mask. “You just get more in the house of the Lord.”
The rally began with a prayer from Tim Rabon, pastor at Beacon Baptist Church in Raleigh.
“Lord, we’re asking you to move on Gov. Cooper’s heart,” he said. ”Lord, we don’t want to put anybody at risk. But Lord we want to gather as you have commanded us.”
Ron Baity, president of Return America, said his group sent a statement to Cooper signed by 200 pastors, asking to operate at 20 percent occupancy as retail stores could.
“We know the abortion clinics can do that,” he said. “We know the ABC stores can do that. We know you’ve been negotiating with NASCAR.”
Thursday’s rally comes as Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell has announced he will not enforce stay-at-home rules on church gatherings, calling them “inconsistent and unfair” because retail stores are allowed to have customers.
Also Thursday, Lee County Sheriff Tracy Carter posted on Facebook that he joins Bizzell in that stance.
“Our churches have been following the guidelines that were set for weeks now and I believe that they know how to safely operate,” Carter wrote. “At NO time will I nor my deputies interfere with a church service and make them disperse as this is unconstitutional.”
There were 16,507 reported cases of the coronavirus in 99 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, the NC Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday morning. The state’s death total reached 615 people.
Guidelines of major denominations
Major denominations in North Carolina have encouraged congregations to follow the governor’s mandates about worship services and volunteer activities.
The N.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church, which represents about 800 churches in the eastern half of the state, has asked those congregations to continue to hold online worship services for the duration of Phase One in order to “do no harm to one another.”
Noting that some congregations have begun holding drive-in services and outdoor services, the Conference offers guidelines on how to conduct those as safely as possible.
The Conference also asks that churches continue to hold online services when the state moves to Phase Two, possibly on May 22.
At that time, the UMC suggests, groups of people who are not at high risk of illness from the coronavirus could organize small gatherings at which they could watch online services together, perhaps share a meal and a discussion.
The Conference notes that some churches will begin to meet again in person under Phase Two, and it asks those that do to follow social-distancing and other safety guidelines.
In Phase Three, when more churches are likely to hold in-person worship services, the N.C. Conference suggests that congregations continue to offer online services as some high-risk members won’t feel comfortable going out.
The guidelines urge churches to limit social hours that would have people mingling at the church, and it reminds congregations that the threat of illness may decline and then rise again.
The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, led by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, last week issued guidance on holding outdoor services while noting that for the duration of the pandemic, “the faithful are dispensed from their Sunday Mass obligation” if it’s unsafe for them to be out in public.
The Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral will celebrate two outdoor masses this Sunday, the first the cathedral has held since March. A Spanish-language service will begin at 8 a.m. May 17, and a service in English will start at 10 a.m. Both services also will be live-streamed on the cathedral’s YouTube channel.
Congregants will not be allowed into the cathedral, even to use the restroom, during the services.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Churchgoers protest coronavirus worship orders; politicians, denominations offer guidelines."