Air purification system is the key to bringing people back to church, Fresno pastor says

An air-cleaning technology that has been around for 15 years may be the answer to opening doors to churches and other public areas in the coronavirus era, a Fresno pastor said Wednesday.

Jim Franklin, pastor at Cornerstone Church in downtown Fresno, announced the installation of six dry hydrogen peroxide bio-defense units in the church’s auditorium.

Franklin said the units, which are patented through a company called Synexis, work continuously to reduce harmful microbes in the air and on surfaces. He said dry hydrogen peroxide molecules, or DHP, from the system flow well below the levels naturally maintained inside human lungs but forcing microbes to attach themselves to the DHP molecule, breaking them down and rendering them harmless.

Although Cornerstone Church has continued to hold in-person services since last April, Franklin said many parishioners have stayed away for fear of the coronavirus.

But after two weeks, the new air purification system has already begun bringing people back to church, Franklin said, because they have a “better level of confidence that this is a safe environment.”

“We think that it could be an answer to really helping people be safe,” he said. “We have found this to really help us and we hope others will follow that. I want to get people back in church.”

Last year, Cornerstone Church filed a lawsuit against the state of California challenging the restrictions placed on houses of worship during the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, Franklin said the church is still awaiting a final decision on their case.