"It has been a hard-fought battle to preserve religious liberty and we hope that this result will encourage Californians, and all Americans, to continue to stand firm that church is essential," they added. On Sunday, MacArthur told congregants the natural immunity that God has designed is the greatest protection. MacArthur cited a study suggesting those who recover from COVID-19 have more immunity than people who didnt get COVID-19 and got the vaccine. (RNS) On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with "This Is Amazing Grace," a 2012 hit that has . The virus itself would only get worse, with COVID-19 caseloads and deaths hitting their highest levels days in the months after that hearing. Even at his new congregation, Cho began to meet visitors with connections to Grays case, which he saw as a sign of Gods providence. In response, the church, meanwhile, sued the state and the county, claiming the COVID rules amounted to constitutional violations of religious freedom. Sign in. David Gray remains in prison. But those admissions mean you need to make it right with the person you wronged; that is utterly basic Christianity.. County attorneys reasonably anticipated that the court would continue along those lines, said Barry P. McDonald, a professor at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. Grace Community Church reversed course after Los Angeles County health officials warned that indoor conferences were prohibited and that the event could worsen the spread of the coronavirus. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to authorize a $400,000 payment to settle a legal battle with Grace Community Church over lead pastor John MacArthur's defiance of . Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court partly lifted restrictions on religious services in California, blocking a total ban but leaving in place a 25 percent capacity restriction and a prohibition on singing and chanting. The county is very concerned about the public health impacts that could come from an event like this if its held, especially as we continue to see high case numbers and large numbers of people in hospitals who are sick with Covid-19, Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles Countys health officer, told reporters earlier on Friday. Top leaders at the church became defensive, he said, and wanted to protect MacArthur. The church discipline happened in 2002, a few years before Cho came to faith at Grace Community Church. See for more info . Two months later, in Tandon vs. Newsom, the court ruled that California could not prevent people from gathering in homes for Bible study and prayer meetings. By Gods amazing grace, the truth of His Word has sounded forth from Grace Community Church throughout five decades of faithful preaching. Professor Margaret M. Russell of the Santa Clara University School of Law said the countys decision to settle was pretty pragmatic.. After that, Cho said, he was told by elder board chair Chris Hamilton that he would need to walk back his findings about the churchs mistakes if he wanted to remain an elder. But the church essentially ignored the injunction, continuing to hold indoor services and violating other health mandates. The pastor shared in his statement that the handful of congregants who were hospitalized and/or died from COVID-19 from within GCCs 6,000-plus attendees did not get infected at Grace Community Church, because they were not attending services. MacArthur pointed out these people had prior medical conditions and were following strict protocols to avoid getting sick by staying home. I knew I could not pass by silently on the other side of the road, that I needed to help this woman and to call out a warning, or else the blood of the people would be on my head.. We understand that. MacArthur claimed that the pandemic was a government plot to control Christians, according to the Times. This fall, Cho found himself once again reviewing court filings from a member at Grace Community Church who sought a restraining order against her husband in hopes of protecting herself and her young children from abusethis time at the womans request. A representative for Grace Community Church said the conference would be held on a later date, which has not been announced. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. The woman told CT she recognized the parallels too. Nothing will come to us except the affirmation that the Lord preserved and protected us through this, MacArthur said. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents. Four months earlier, the court had rejected a Chula Vista churchs challenge to Californias indoor worship restrictions. Cho still held out that faint hopeThe Lord has so often done far more than I ever could have thought possibleeven knowing that the board was unlikely to move and that his public stance would upset many he used to serve and worship alongside. Theres a fundamentally different understanding of what abuse is, said Jonathan Holmes, a graduate of The Masters University and a pastor and counselor in Ohio, noting that the labeland the most serious responsesoften get reserved for physical and sexual violations. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. In Sun Valley, congregants filling Grace Community Church's 3,500-seat . Southern Baptist leader Brent Leatherwood calls on the state to restrain evil through Governor Lees plan to keep weapons from those deemed a threat to themselves or others. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) The women were reminded of the biblical directive for wives to submit to their husbands. Featured; Sunday Bulletin; Newsletter; Videos; Books; Opportunity Sheet . Two GCC elders went on to submit sworn statements on behalf of her husband. Attorneys representing MacArthur filed a suit in August 2020 against California Gov. But when issues persisted and escalated, they sought help and counsel on what else could be done. Its unfortunately prevalent in child abuse and intimate partner violence as well. LA County to pay $400,000 to settle with San, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), LA County to pay $400,000 to settle with San Fernando Valley church that defied coronavirus orders, While California lifts mask, vaccine mandates, some restrictions will endure in LA County, After three days of learning loss due to strike, LAUSD offers two bonus days, LA Countys COVID emergency ends tonight; heres what that means, LA County to lift COVID emergency declarations; some residents urged to be ready, Senate votes to end COVID-19 emergency in the US, LASD seeks help identifying suspects in Compton flash mob burglaries and street takeovers, Ex-Southern California weight loss doctor gets 7-year sentence for Lap-Band surgery fraud, LA Mayor Bass first State of the City highlights accomplishments, challenges, Procession brings soldier who died in military chopper tragedy back to his adopted LA hometown, a $400,000 settlement with a San Fernando Valley church t, Judge gives Grace Community Church, LA County a chance to settle COVID case, San Fernando Valley church, L.A. County square off in court over indoor ban, LA County takes step toward potential indoor vaccine requirement, Rui Hachimuras aggressive shooting pays dividends for Lakers, UCLA footballs first-team offense begins to take shape, Beneath DTLA, ghost trains take final testing of LA Metro Regional Connector, They spent their lives teaching. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. Childrens Ministry has been actively planning for Vacation Bible School, and we invite you to join us! To that end, we are looking forward to a day of prayer led by our elders. Grace Community Church, which defied Los Angeles County orders to stop indoor services in the pandemic, may get $400,000 if a settlement is approved. Call to prayer on Monday mornings, beginning at 9:00 am in the Welcome Center. In Eileen Grays case, overseen by then-associate executive pastor Carey Hardy and involving GCCs longtime pastor of counseling Bill Shannon, he found evidence of mistreatment, bias, and errors in how they handled the case. How Bethel and Hillsong Took Over Our Worship Sets, Died: George Verwer, Who Asked Christians Are You Ready To Go?, United Methodists Lose 1,800 Churches in Split Over LGBT Stance, Lawsuit: Pastor Judah Smith Expects Staff to Leave a Money Trail, Ravi Zacharias Hid Hundreds of Pictures of Women, Abuse During Massages, and a Rape Allegation. He also said that she twisted the words of one of GCCs leaders for a large adult Sunday school class to create a false impression.. Its worship.. Grace Community Church is led by MacArthur, one of Americas longest-standing and most influential pastors. While most evangelical churches have formalized disciplinary processes in written policies and bylaws, its becoming less common for American churches to follow them in practice and even rarer for a church to publicly announce discipline cases multiple times a year, according to Sande, the Christian mediator. 818-909-5500. MacArthur, in July 2020, held in-person services with congregants singing and sitting next to each other without masks, flouting COVID-19 public health orders that temporarily banned indoor religious services at the time. Its amazing to see the Lord protecting us, he said. By December, when the county finally modified its health order, allowing houses of worship to once again host services inside their buildings. Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the NEW AMERICAN . At this point, its not something that is allowed., Under Pressure, California Church Postpones Conference for Thousands, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/John-MacArthur-covid-grace-community-church.html. The church's longtime lead pastor Rev. Ellis at the time was also senior legal advisor for President Donald Trumps re-election campaign. Local pastors say yes. But it allowed authorities to leave in place capacity limits and bans on singing and chanting. Of the $8,000 in fines the county has levied for violating the public health orders, Grace Community Church has paid $6,500. The pastor brought up again claims of her bizarre behavior and wasnt inclined to reconsider her discipline. Cho said MacArthur had been warned about the concerns but has defended Shannon and kept him in the same position. Join us on Sundays for a full day of teaching, preaching, music, and fellowship. He then quibbled with media reports that the church had experienced multiple COVID-19 outbreaks. 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