grace community church california news
Worship, Bible Studies, Sports, and Music. The tone of the courts opinion in the Chula Vista case was very government-friendly, while the Tandon ruling was very government-hostile, McDonald said. Read More Grace Community Church in Sun Valley has been in a legal battle with L.A. County and the state after the church defied COVID-19 mandates prohibiting indoor worship services. The settlement with Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, which also includes another $400,000 from the state avoids further litigation over the matter at a time when the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority has signaled that rights to religious practice indoors outweigh the interests of the state to compel places of worship to adhere to public health orders. Los Angeles County had sued the church and its pastor, John MacArthur, last August after officials said he had he opened the church and held a large indoor worship service with unmasked attendees, in violation of state and county rules. Remember Me. MacArthur on Sunday said the settlement money would go to the Thomas More Society, which represented the church in this court case. When wives felt like they needed to move out for their safety, they said pastors told them to stay. All Rights Reserved. Staff and members of Grace Community Church, which is led by Pastor John MacArthur, say multiple people have been infected with COVID-19 but those with knowledge of the cases are being pressured to remain silent, according to a new report. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. Aug. 25, 2020 4:37 PM PT. Obviously, many people contracted COVID. Every Woman's Grace 2022-2023. The elders had called out sin where there was none, he insisted. Members, be sure to register your attendance via the pew card or the Grace Church app. 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. Grace Community Churchs lead teaching PastorJohn MacArthursubmitted astatementto theSuperior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeleson April 2, 2021 in which hedefendedGrace Community Church (GCC) from allegations regarding the church ever having a COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in some congregants dying. This year we are studying the Gospel of John, one of the most cherished books in all Scripture. Grace Community Church's lead teaching Pastor John MacArthur submitted a statement to the Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles on April 2, 2021 in which he defended Grace Community Church (GCC) from allegations regarding the church ever having a COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in some congregants dying. In February, after Barrett joined, the court lifted Californias ban on indoor religious services, while allowing capacity restrictions as well as restrictions on singing and chanting. Image: Edits by Christianity Today / Source Image: WikiMedia Commons. Black Teenager Shot in Kansas City, Missouri. Women told CT that pastors saw their husbands continued involvement in counseling, caring treatment of their kids in supervised settings, and verbal promises that the abuse would stop as indications that they no longer posed a threat. Up to that point, the county repeatedly cited the church, which prompted county officials to seek an injunction requiring the church to adhere to health regulations, saying they were essential to control the spread of COVID-19. But the church essentially ignored the injunction, continuing to hold indoor services and violating other health mandates. Speech, Jim Jordan's Crime Hearing Takes Surprising Turns, China's 'Artificial Sun' Smashes Nuclear Fusion Record, Putin Issues Ominous Warning About How Russian Navy Could be Deployed, Who Is Ralph Yarl? . "We know that there is no circumstance that can cause the church to close," MacArthur reportedly wrote in the letter. I hit subzero spiritually. At Grace you will experience powerful worship, inspiring messages and genuine belonging. The virus itself would only get worse, with COVID-19 caseloads and deaths hitting their highest levels days in the months after that hearing. Welcome to Every Womans Grace! Responding to Roys report,MacArthursaid, I have never heard or seen any evidence indicating that any of the people on that list believe they were infected with COVID-19 in some gathering at Grace Community Church. Its worship.. Events on the other side of the country would change that, however, at a cost to taxpayers. In fact, argued attorney Jenna Ellis, the exercise of the statutory power was too broad. A month after moving back in with her husband at the request of their pastors, she called 911 out of fear during an argument on the road. Women have hidden, persevered, and tried to handle things on their own until there was no other choice, she added. Cho countered that Scripture commands us to trust the Lord and examine everything (1 Thess. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 31, approved a $400,000 settlement with a San Fernando Valley church that had defied the countys health order through the thick of the pandemic. Though Cho stepped down quietly, he continued to hear from other women from his former church. Childrens Ministry has been actively planning for Vacation Bible School, and we invite you to join us! Portugus, The Roys Reportrebutted Pastor MacArthurs court statement and says they do have evidencethat at least one of the GCC congregants who died was attending GCC. Roys also shared that she believes that GCC was aware of a COVID-19 outbreak within their church and shows evidence in herreport. Its reporting and editing staff cover public safety, courts, local government and general assignment stories. Cho said MacArthur had been warned about the concerns but has defended Shannon and kept him in the same position. How strong a politician is Gavin Newsom, really? My job was not to rile [my husband] up., While the woman was hospitalized due to her husbands physical abuse, Shannon called her and advised her to go home without calling police, she told CT. At times, the torment at home was bad enough that she worried she was going to die, but she said she was told that her situation may be Gods will for your life.. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. This story was updated to include the cost of the countys legal fees. Grace Community Church has not apologized to Eileen Gray, rescinded its discipline, or made a public statement on the case, nor did it offer a response for this article. According to her account, the trauma and warning signs werent enoughthe pastors wanted evidence of physical abuse, skin to skin adultery, or a conviction of child molestation before agreeing she had biblical grounds for divorce. The church held indoor services despite the countys ban on such gatherings. the state of California would also pay $400,000. They were telling me to back off, essentially. (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 remained one of the most popular worship songs of the past decade. Now, they say theyre spending their retirement paying for it, US Coast Guard, Mexican officials search for 3 American sailors last heard from 11 days ago, 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. Cho, the former elder, said that at this stage, elders must unanimously approve cases that go before the church body a few times a year, during monthly Communion services. When my wife and I were asked by a friend to pray for a woman my wife happened to know, she reached out in concern, and we were horrified to discover the same awful patterns of counseling were still happening at GCC, Cho told CT. This is when I sadly came to believe beyond any personal doubt that GCC congregants who we still love could effectively be playing Russian roulette if they ever needed counseling at GCC, especially anything involving the care of women or children. Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the NEW AMERICAN . In early June, California paid out over $2 million to settle two lawsuits from churches that said the restrictions were discriminatory. Los Angeles County officials had said that the Shepherds Conference was not a religious service, but a prohibited indoor gathering. I know God is God and man is man, but I really trusted those people at the church, she said. Grace Community Church in Sun Valley could receive $400,000 from Los Angeles County and another $400,00 . Prayer is vital for the times that we live in todayit gives us an opportunity to share our requests and burdens with our Heavenly Father. MacArthur read from Matthew 16, the passage where Jesus predicts His suffering and . In the first meeting with Bill Shannon, it was made known that my safety was not the No. 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. The remainder was forgiven as part of the settlement. County attorneys were not available for comment. Now, they say theyre spending their retirement paying for it. Professor Margaret M. Russell of the Santa Clara University School of Law said the countys decision to settle was pretty pragmatic.. SUN VALLEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: Grace Community Church Grace Community Church on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020 in Sun Valley, CA. While evangelicals are growing more sensitive to the dynamics of abuse, some conservative communities retain an underlying skepticism around victims-advocacy movements and trauma-informed psychologists, defending the place of the local church in addressing marital conflict. Often, we view the church as something we attend or a place we go, rather than something we are. Yet, as Cho brought up in his letters to key elders last year, a string of women over the past decade said they received different counsel at his church when they feared for their safety or their childrens safety. M-F 8:00 am-5:00 pm 818-909-5500 . The county argued that the order, issued by County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis, did not target religion, but rather took aim at the spread of the coronavirus an illness that has leveled off in recent weeks precisely because of the stepped-up order, attorneys said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Mayor Bass seeks $250-million expansion of homelessness program in first State of the City speech, Column: Trump and the NRA might be right about guns and we mostly have ourselves to blame, The LAPD has lost nearly 1,000 officers. Religious liberty and the Constitution won today against the overbroad, arbitrary, indeterminate, and clearly unconstitutional mandates from Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles County, Jenna Ellis, who previously served as a senior legal advisor on President Trumps campaign, said in a statement. Charles LiMandri, another attorney for the church, said in a statement, Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church refused to bow to government tyranny and they finally obtained the excellent result they deserved.. Just because someone quotes a verse to you and theyre in a position of authority doesnt mean theyre doing it well, she said. Of the $8,000 in fines the county has levied for violating the public health orders, Grace Community Church has paid $6,500. She couldnt wait for that. Contact. Gavin Newsom and other state, city, and county officials, saying the states restrictions on large group meetings and singing restricted its religious freedom. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Pete Singer, the executive director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), said seeing faith leaders defend a perpetrator in court was part of what prompted prosecutor Boz Tchividjian to start the organization in the first place. MacArthur considers church discipline a "distinctive" at Grace Community Church, where elders follow guidelines taken from Matthew 18first confronting the accused privately, and then with . If youre new to Grace, or just looking for a place to plug in, check out a fellowship group today or in the coming weeks. Attorneys for the church celebrated the settlement as a victory. This month, we are celebrating a remarkable anniversary in the life of Grace Church. He repeated pleas to take seriously the concerns about Shannon and the churchs counseling. The county pointed to an interview that Mr. MacArthur had done with Tucker Carlson of Fox News in which Mr. MacArthur said he had held a Sunday service for 3,000 people who hugged each other and they didnt wear masks and they sang songs., Mr. MacArthur had argued that government officials had no power to forbid such services, pointing to Scripture to declare that no earthly state has a right to restrict, delimit, or forbid the assembling of believers.. Originally from Arpelar, Okla., theyre a proud graduate of Oklahoma State University. Sun Valley, CA 91352 Maps and Directions. Patricia and I enjoyed our own bout with COVID for about a week and a half, said MacArthur, who was absent from the pulpit late December. Now that the facts are indeed known, it is not too late to do justice even at this late stage, almost 20 years later, he wrote to the elder board. Months after raising his concerns about a 20-year-old case, Cho discovered another grievous GCC counseling case in the fall of 2022. Until now, Cho had not publicly spoken about the circumstances that led to him leaving GCC and his advocacy efforts since. Because the county subsequently allowed indoor church services to resume amid declining COVID-19 infection rates, county lawyers later said they wanted the church and pastor found in contempt only on the masking and social distancing issues and for the preliminary injunction to be enforced for 25% indoor capacity. Thats when I began to realize how many people were ill.. He argued that the health orders were untenable opinion and policy, which unfairly chipped away at the ability to exercise the most fundamental right at a time when the risk of harm was leveling off. 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