Fresno churches and parks empty amid threat of virus, fines for Easter gatherings
Fresno’s faithful largely celebrated the cornerstone holiday of Christianity at home, leaving churches empty on Easter Sunday.
Many churches had gone to online sermons even before Gov. Gavin Newsom issued California’s shelter-in-place order on March 19 and discouraged gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
Shuttered city parks showed the impact, too.
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced Friday he could use police or code enforcement to penalize residents and businesses violating the stay-home order. But most seemed to be complying.
St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Fresno was empty of its congregation on Sunday. Five people staffed the building as two priests carried out the English Mass, live-streamed to worshipers at home.
The historic Wilson Theater, where Cornerstone Church meets, was dark behind locked doors. Video of the sermons was available via the church’s website.
The sprawling parking lot of north Fresno’s Peoples Church was blocked by a gate. A sign draped over the gate said “Join us Online,” along with Facebook, YouTube and smartphone app addresses.
Paula Aranaz and her husband, Wayne, watched a couple of services from home on Easter. First was a sunrise service and then the Facebook-streamed service from their home church, Corneila Ave. Southern Baptist Church in southwest Fresno.
The Clovis resident said she misses the fellowship that a church service brings, but she was grateful to be able to see the virtual version.
“It’s not the building that’s important,” the 74-year-old said. “It’s the people and our ministry.”
“I have no right to complain,” she said.
Fresno’s shelter-in-place rules have now shuttered churches for three Sundays, and it has been extended through May 6..
Aranaz said she had something of a makeshift Lord’s Supper, when Christians remember a Bible story while sharing grape juice and wafers. There was no grape juice in the house so pomegranate had to do, she said.
“Don’t tell Jesus,” she said with a laugh.
Parks closed, quiet
The city of Fresno closed all of its public parks for Easter weekend. Regional parks such as Woodward and Roeding are popular gathering places to barbecue and hunt eggs during the holiday.
Security guards were posted at Woodward Park’s major entrances Sunday to shoo people away. A large electronic sign at the southeast corner read “Park Closed.”
A smattering of people could still be seen walking along the Lewis S. Eaton Trail north from Woodward Park. Dale Malin and his wife, Josceline, were doing that around noon Sunday.
He has had open-heart surgery and the Fresno couple has taken to walking the trail for exercise, he said.
This Easter was unlike any in the past, he said. Normally the couple would go to church and spend time with their nine grandchildren.
This year, they’d watched Peoples Church online and then headed to the park. “But this is a beautiful place to walk outside and get healthy so it’s the next best thing I guess,“ Dale Malin said.
Fresno County closed all of its parks until further notice.
No groups gathered publicly had to be dispersed by police as of early Sunday afternoon, according to Sgt. Jeff La Blue.
Thank you meals
The number of positive cases of coronavirus surpassed 200 in Fresno County during the weekend and there are now more than 500 cases in the central San Joaquin Valley. All of those people and the many more who tested negative for the virus would have come in contact with hospital staffers.
In response, 15 local restaurants used Easter to thank workers at seven Valley hospitals for what they’re doing during the pandemic. The Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association rallied the donations.
“They’re spending days, nights, weekends and holidays like Easter Sunday serving this community,” chapter President Chuck Van Fleet said. “This is our way of giving something back to them.”
This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 2:55 PM.
