Court Declines to Halt Indoor Services at Grace Community Church; Church Must Comply with Masking and Social Distancing (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Late Saturday, 8/15/20, CA Court of Appeal set aside Judge Chalfant’s partial denial and upheld LA County’s Health Order. See this post for more on the Court of Appeal action.
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Today, Judge James Chalfant granted in part and denied in part Los Angeles County’s request for a restraining order against Grace Community Church. John MacArthur led the church to defy the California public health restrictions on indoor worship and filed suit against the state. In response, LA County filed for a restraining order to stop the church from meeting.

Although the judge declined to halt indoor worship altogether, he ordered the church to “comply with the mandates of the Health Orders to wear face coverings and practice physical distancing.” This practice will be a departure from the last two sundays when very few people in the congregation wore masks and the congregation did not sit apart. The county health department will also be allowed to be on site to monitor compliance.

According to press release from the church, MacArthur said, “I am very  grateful the court has allowed us to meet inside and we are happy for a few weeks to comply and respect what the judge has asked of us because he is allowing is to meet.” The full hearing on the matter is slated for September 4.

The church is framing this as full vindication.  In fact, according to Judge Chalfant’s order, the restraining order was denied in part and granted in part. The accurate picture is that the church did not follow safe practices before, but now they have to as a condition of meeting indoors. According to Chalfant’s order, Grace is prohibited from meeting indoors unless the church complies with masking and physical distancing. I asked the public relations firm representing the church if this social distancing requirement would limit the number in attendance but the representative did not have the answer to that question.

Judge Chalfant’s order

LA County’s complaint against Grace Community Church

Grace Community Church’s suit against California

16 thoughts on “Court Declines to Halt Indoor Services at Grace Community Church; Church Must Comply with Masking and Social Distancing (UPDATED)”

  1. My church about 30 mi/50km SE of JMac’s isn’t having any problems. When the first shutdown went into effect on Mar 20, they immediately shifted to livestreaming (Facebbok & YouTube);. Three months later on Jun 15 they went with limited reopening, holding Mass outdoors in the parking lot under open-walled pavilion tents. Masks are required and those over 60 or with co-morbidites are told to stay home and use the remaining Livestreams. But then it’s Apostate Romish Popery, NOT Real True Christianity.

  3. Like Joe Biden said, mask wearing and social distancing isn’t a “rights” issue, these precautions are an issue of personal responsibility and accountability. Conservatives have left conservatism to act to leave behind social , moral and ethical responsibility. They are sliding toward anarchy .

    1. Spun as “Choose whom you will Serve. As for me and mine, We Will Serve The LORD.”
      And Masking up has become Taking the Mark of The Beast.

      1. Social Security numbers were popular candidates for the Mark of the Beast back when I worked the census in 1980.

        1. That dates back to at least the Seventies, when Hal Lindsay started a pandemic of Pin-the-Tail-on-The-Antichrist.

    2. It has nothing to do with “personal responsibility”. If they were concerned with personal responsibility this wouldn’t have wound up in court. It’s a matter of public health and a public emergency, and the legitimate police powers of the state. I take your point about responsibility and accountability, but we’re past that now.

      MacArthur held services in defiance of the county’s health order, hence the court action. (California has over 600,000 COVID cases, over 200,000 in L.A. County alone. Over 11,000 have died from the disease in the state.) The judge blew this case. MacArthur knew very well what the health order said yet continued to defy it. Does anyone seriously think he’ll follow it now?

  4. Any bets the congregation will just ignore the judge’s directions? How would they be enforced? Arresting people for not social distancing in church is not going to fly.

  5. so it sounds like they are now willing to compromise. I see that as a good thing.
    as far as your question, I see that as a no-brainer, (unless they are adding outdoor seating and screens, but with temps over 100, that may be doubtful).

    1. Not that they are “willing” to compromise, they have to, unless they want to defy a court order.

      1. Agreed, note they aren’t saying they are going to do this as long as the health order is in place but only, implicitly, until the next stage of the court proceedings. I hope the county monitors are issued with N95 masks and are trained to use them since those protect the wearer.

        1. “When you play the Game of Thrones, You Win or You Die. There is NO middle ground.”
          — Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros

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