UPDATE: LA County Department of Health informed me this afternoon (12/21) that “No additional outbreaks have been reported by Grace Community Church to Public Health since” the earlier employee related outbreak in October.
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Twitter user and Medium writer Modern Day Zorro posted a piece on Medium with news of another Grace Community Church COVID outbreak (there was one back in October). MDZ is close to GCC and has never been wrong with news on the church. (My question mark in the title is admittedly self-protective, and because I have not been able to get confirmation from Grace’s PR firm. – See the update below) Given the lack of mitigation measures and the ignorance about COVID which have been apparent at Grace, I don’t doubt the report. However, if corrections or modifications are needed, I will make them.
According to the Medium report, multiple Grace members and staff may be infected:
So, two weeks ago at the Grace Staff Christmas party lunch was served and maskless elderly and Elders sat shoulder to shoulder, hugged and shook hands and along with the Filet Mignon, were spoon fed the following from John MacArthur:
- COVID PCR tests are inaccurate and should not be trusted.
- Don’t take the vaccine as it’s just a money ploy.
- Grace is welcoming 400 new members.
- The giving is the best it’s ever been.
- There are no long-term side effects to COVID.
Then, he acknowledge and thanked Clayton Erb for his many years of service, and that was that. Everyone there was exposed to COVID:
Bill Brandenstein, Mark Zhakevich, Clayton Erb, Elders and staff. John MacArthur.
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**One week later, 7 in attendance, now have symptoms and have tested positive for COVID.
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Yes <hits mic and blows into it> 7 people, elders and staff, have COVID symptoms and have subsequently tested positive as a direct result of going to a Staff Christmas party.
While I await confirmation of specific numbers, I can note that one pastor at Grace, Will Varner, has tested positive for COVID and announced this publicly. He also said a musician affiliated with GCC’s Sojourners ministry tested positive.
Let’s not forget that MacArthur’s attorney Jenna Ellis tested positive for COVID-19.
As someone who has had COVID, I certainly wish the best for these folks. I post this because I sincerely doubt that certain church leaders at GCC will provide the congregation with appropriate information. At least, it hasn’t happened so far.
UPDATE: Julie Roys has an article out on Sunday with reporting that people at Grace are being discouraged from telling anyone about their COVID diagnosis. She also has much more documentation of GCC members and staff who have COVID. It seems pretty clear that MacArthur’s rosy picture of a church meeting indoors without caution and without cases of COVID is false.
During church on Sunday morning, MacArthur did not comment on the cases identified by the sources noted above and by Julie Roys.
Another update from Modern Day Zorro:
Last night at the Christmas Music Service:
I was informed by a musician friend that Clayton Erb was directing it on behalf of his nephew, Bill Brandenstein, who was ill. The final rehearsal for Friday night was cancelled. Ultimately, the adult choir was too sick to attend, so pic.twitter.com/u538OR93W3
— Modern Day Zorro: Reporter and Muppet of the #WCT (@ModernDayZorro) December 22, 2020
MacArthur said everybody has a bug.
they had a few soloists. No…distancing, no masks when so many on that stage had been exposed to the virus.
John MacArthur in the video explains that people have the flu or the bug, "aside from this COVID thing".@reachjulieroys @wthrockmorton
— Modern Day Zorro: Reporter and Muppet of the #WCT (@ModernDayZorro) December 22, 2020