Fresno pastors pledge to give up holiday gathering in order to defeat the coronavirus

We again find ourselves at a crossroads in our state as the number of COVID-19 cases soar. Our governor has once more ordered that we implement extreme measures as this pandemic rips through our cities and neighborhoods, claiming lives and forever changing families. Our health-care facilities are beyond peak capacity.

Some California faith leaders have made headlines repeatedly as they challenge these measures, regarding them as an infringement on the freedom to assemble and conduct religious worship. From their released statements it would seem that no authentic faith is possible without in-person meetings, along with corresponding disregard for other measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court — as it did in an earlier case from New York — sided with a California ministry that said COVID-related restrictions on worshipping indoors violated religious liberty. Some local faith leaders also have chosen to disregard state orders on the grounds that God’s work must continue.

We concur that God’s work must continue through people of faith, but we offer an entirely different approach to how that faithfulness is demonstrated, something in which a number of other leaders of worshiping congregations across Fresno join us. To date they include:

Robin Carlson, commissioned minister, Community United Church of Christ; EJ Hinojosa, music director, Community United Church of Christ; Renn Serna, senior pastor, University Presbyterian Church (PCUSA); Karen Pugh, pastor, Wesley United Methodist Church; Gary Stevenson, lead pastor, Hope Lutheran Church; Adam D. Knudsen, pastor, Hope Lutheran Church; Norman Broadbent, retired pastor, United Church of Christ.

We believe and give public witness:

▪ God is not bound by location, time, or manner of worship. Meeting for worship, fellowship, learning, and team building by Zoom or similar technology has proven rich and meaningful.

▪ We — as those who follow Christ — commit to loving our neighbor as ourselves and to a willingness to sacrifice our lives for others. People of other faiths have parallel beliefs and practices. Our commitment to all of God’s children compels us to do everything within our power to protect the vulnerable, care for the sick and support those who engage in the crucial work we rely on.

▪ The critical tenets of faith — healing the sick, supporting the vulnerable, encouraging each another, working for justice — can be practiced uninterrupted and without large indoor, in-person person gatherings.

Therefore, we resolve:

▪ To honor the work done by our health-care professionals and other essential workers by helping to carry their burdens rather than adding to them.

▪ To find ways to come alongside governing officials who seek to protect us and those we love.

▪ To continue to find creative ways to be the people of God in changing times.

▪ To seize this opportunity to assess where previously utilized models no longer serve the furtherance of God’s work.

▪ To take the long view — looking forward to what lies ahead after we have done the hard work of preserving lives and building into the fabric of the community we love.

At this time of year when attending church services is a meaningful tradition, we choose to forego these joys in order to offer the gift of consideration and compassion to our community. We invite you to stand with us.