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She blogs at The Migraine Runner. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents. Grace Community Churchs lead teaching PastorJohn MacArthursubmitted astatementto theSuperior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeleson April 2, 2021 in which hedefendedGrace Community Church (GCC) from allegations regarding the church ever having a COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in some congregants dying. . Cho, the former elder, said that at this stage, elders must unanimously approve cases that go before the church body a few times a year, during monthly Communion services. Certain parallels to Eileen Gray were immediately clear to him. As we explore this vital account of the incarnation, ministry, and atoning work of Jesus Christ, our faith will be Wednesday, April 19, 2023 7:00 pm9:00 pm God has a way of taking care of us as we love each other and share our germs, MacArthur told congregants, who laughed in response on Sunday. To that end, we are looking forward to a day of prayer led by our elders. On the first day of the Shepherds' Conference Wednesday, the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and chancellor of The Master's University, preached about the need for churches to be separate from the world or risk becoming corrupt. Nothing will come to us except the affirmation that the Lord preserved and protected us through this, MacArthur said. When wives felt like they needed to move out for their safety, they said pastors told them to stay. Grace Community Church is led by MacArthur, one of Americas longest-standing and most influential pastors. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the settlement on Tuesday. LOS ANGELES A judge has agreed to delay next weeks scheduled hearing on whether he should cancel a preliminary injunction he issued last summer against a Sun Valley church that flouted coronavirus health mandates, saying he wants to give lawyers for the house of worship and Los Angeles County time to discuss a possible settlement. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. The women were reminded of the biblical directive for wives to submit to their husbands. I cannot un-know it, and I am in fact accountable before God for this knowledge, and if you have labored mightily to read this far, you are now accountable before God for it as well.. Its not just another thing to do. Grace Community Church will be paid $800,000 by Los Angeles County and the state of California after reaching a legal settlement to a lawsuit over COVID-19 restrictions in churches. They were telling me to back off, essentially. Update (8/31/2021, 10:30 p.m.):This article has been updated to include a statement from Jenna Ellis and Charles LiMandri, attorneys for John MacArthur and Grace Community Church. It's Not the Role of Government to Protect Us From Apps, Don't Put Tiktok Out of Business Based on Hypotheticals, Biden Admin Uses Trump's Own Words to Blast McCarthy's Wall St. If public safety always outweighed liberty, then wed never have liberty, she told the court at the time, an argument that paralleled with the argument of church attorney Charles LiMandri. We will be deposing the key health officers and county officials and requiring them to answer for their oppressive actions under oath, and requesting all documents and information supporting their arbitrary attempts to restrict our religious liberty as a church, the statement said. MacArthur considers church discipline a distinctive at Grace Community Church, where elders follow guidelines taken from Matthew 18first confronting the accused privately, and then with another witness, before publicly announcing cases of discipline that have made it to the third stage of the process, when unrepentance would preclude a member from participating in the Lords Supper. They had also been doubted, dismissed, and implicitly or explicitly threatened with discipline while seeking refuge from their abusive marriages. Cho said MacArthur had been warned about the concerns but has defended Shannon and kept him in the same position. Two GCC elders went on to submit sworn statements on behalf of her husband. Jaclyn Cosgrove is an assistant editor at the Los Angeles Times. Cho and his wife resigned their membership the next day. On Sunday, MacArthur admitted to congregants that "many people" contracted COVID-19 while it "went through" the church in December and January. Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the NEW AMERICAN . After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some public health safety measures could not apply to houses of worship, resolving this litigation is the responsible and appropriate thing to do, read a statement from the countys counsel. Celebrating 45 Years of Worship with Stephen Sturz, Planting Gospel Seeds: An Invitation to Serve Our Children, A Shared Calling: Church-Based Pastoral Training, The Entrusted: The Convictions and Legacy of John MacArthur. She also uses Phil Johnsons Twitter post, who is the executive director ofGrace to Youand an Elder at GCC, saying he had the virus in December 2020. It takes a tremendous amount of courage, humility, and vulnerability to even seek help from the church when there has been abuse in the home, said Wendy Guay, who spoke to The Roys Report last year about abuse by her father Paul Guay while he was on staff at Grace Community Church in the late 1970s. A declaration from the other pastor and elder, Brad Klassen, said that the woman came to him concerned about pictures taken by her husband but that she didnt have evidence of the abuse. In court filings obtained by CT, she stated pastor and elder Rodney Andersen told her that she should submit to her husband as unto the Lord rather than provoke him. No One Like Him: A Study of Gods Perfections. Grace Community Church attorneys cite two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions in their motion to lift the preliminary injunction in its entirety and end the countys effort contempt effort. The Essential Church is an upcoming feature-length documentary that traces the history of governmental assaults on the church, both ancient and modern. Just because someone quotes a verse to you and theyre in a position of authority doesnt mean theyre doing it well, she said. The county is very concerned about the public health impacts that could come from an event like this if its held, especially as we continue to see high case numbers and large numbers of people in hospitals who are sick with Covid-19, Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles Countys health officer, told reporters earlier on Friday. How strong a politician is Gavin Newsom, really? On Monday, members of the House Judiciary Committee met in New York for a hearing on violent crime in the city. Grace Community Church Grace Church App . Now, they say theyre spending their retirement paying for it. Six pastors and elders were contacted for comment by phone and email repeatedly over a three-week period prior to this articles publication, as well as one former pastor and elder. At the core of the legal battle, which played out in the Los Angeles Superior Court room of Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, was the question over whether there a compelling governmental interest to prohibit the indoor services. I believe that the county was correct on the law, she said. In February, the high court struck down the all-out ban on indoor services after a series of California churches brought a case. MacArthur, in July 2020, held in-person services with congregants singing and sitting next to each other without masks, flouting COVID-19 public health orders that temporarily banned indoor religious services at the time. Some did and dismissed its findings anyway. Four months earlier, the court had rejected a Chula Vista churchs challenge to Californias indoor worship restrictions. The Opportunity Sheet is a weekly publication of Grace Community Church, offered as a courtesy to our church family. Please login or create an account to use this feature, Learn More | Livestream | Bulletin During a monthly Communion service, MacArthur characterized her decision as unrepentant sin, saying the mother of three chose to leave and forsake her husband. Sunday, April 23, 2023 9:00 am12:30 pm (RNS) On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with "This Is Amazing Grace," a 2012 hit that has remained one of the most popular worship songs of the past decade. Read More Grace Community Church in Sun Valley has been in a legal battle with L.A. County and the state after the church defied COVID-19 mandates prohibiting indoor worship services. The pastor brought up again claims of her bizarre behavior and wasnt inclined to reconsider her discipline. According to her own filing, the photos include pictures of her toddler touching her husbands pants zipper and her face being sprayed with water as well as selfies with the child while she was naked. For this story, CT spoke with eight women who recounted how they and others at Grace Community Church had been counseled to avoid reporting their husbands and fathers to authorities, to accept their apologies, and to continue to submit to them. Up to that point, the county repeatedly cited the church, which prompted county officials to seek an injunction requiring the church to adhere to health regulations, saying they were essential to control the spread of COVID-19. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Remember Me. Although Grace Community Church followed public health restrictions during the early months of the pandemic, it reversed course by the summer of 2020. Judge gives Grace Community Church, LA County a, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Judge gives Grace Community Church, LA County a chance to settle COVID case, While California lifts mask, vaccine mandates, some restrictions will endure in LA County, After three days of learning loss due to strike, LAUSD offers two bonus days, LA Countys COVID emergency ends tonight; heres what that means, LA County to lift COVID emergency declarations; some residents urged to be ready, Senate votes to end COVID-19 emergency in the US, In push to block Biden judicial picks, GOP revolts against plan to replace Feinstein on panel, Man wore armor in Northern California hostage killing, report says, They spent their lives teaching. GCCs reach extends far beyond the crowds that fill its 3,500-seat auditorium for multiple services each Sunday, through MacArthurs popular books and commentaries; affiliated schools The Masters Seminary and The Masters University; Grace to You teaching ministry; and the churchs annual Shepherds Conference. The Opportunity Sheet is a weekly publication of Grace Community Church, offered as a courtesy to our church family. Welcome to Every Woman's Grace! If you have ever felt like most worship music sounds the same, it may be because the worship music is written by just a handful of songwriters.. Last year, Hohn Cho concluded Grace Community Church had made a mistake. He texted and called individual members of the elder board to share concerns. L.A. County spent more than $900,000 on fees to its own outside attorneys to litigate the case against the church, as well as to defend against a countersuit by the church. Indoor worship, without face masks or social distancing, soon resumed. Even then, the ruling was seen as vindication after months of defying the previous county order, which aligned with the states guidelines, allowing only outdoor services, with strict physical distancing. In a letter to supporters of the John MacArthur Charitable Trust, obtained by The Los Angeles Times, MacArthur called the settlement a monumental victory and said there is no circumstance that can cause the church to close. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents. Grace Community Church, which defied Los Angeles County orders to stop indoor services in the pandemic, may get $400,000 if a settlement is approved. In a statement, county public health officials said the settlement was prompted by U.S. Supreme Court rulings that restricted public health measures against houses of worship. I knew I could not pass by silently on the other side of the road, that I needed to help this woman and to call out a warning, or else the blood of the people would be on my head.. ]. Anyone can read what you share. Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. Grace Community Church has not apologized to Eileen Gray, rescinded its discipline, or made a public statement on the case, nor did it offer a response for this article. Eileen Gray was repeatedly disbelieved and accused of being bizarre, which wasnt relevant to the reason for her discipline, and leaders cast doubt on her account despite David Grays history of deceit. Its amazing to see the Lord protecting us, he said. Sun Valley church cites Supreme Court in saying LA County can't stop indoor services. The county had already spent a lot of money on legal fees and was unlikely to win if the case got to the Supreme Court, she said. Multiple women named Bill Shannon, a pastor of counseling and ACBC fellow, as discouraging them from reporting abuse to police and directing them to stay in homes where they had been threatened with violence. The high court later struck down the indoor worship ban while allowing caps on attendance and a ban on singing, according to the churchs attorneys. MacArthur read from Matthew 16, the passage where Jesus predicts His suffering and . for less than $4.25/month. Members, be sure to register your attendance via the pew card or the Grace Church app. Women have hidden, persevered, and tried to handle things on their own until there was no other choice, she added. He taught that women and children should get to a place of safety and that perpetrators of domestic violence are no longer behaving as believers and have therefore forfeited their right to marriage. A woman reported that church leaders had advised her to move back in with her husband and not get a restraining order despite his documented grooming behaviors, infidelity, and angry outbursts. And we thank God that the sanctifying power of His Word is producing men and women of integrity who hunger Home Bible studies are all about this life-on-life fellowship and accountability. . Its reporting and editing staff cover public safety, courts, local government and general assignment stories. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, violated the Constitutions protection of the free exercise of religion. Events on the other side of the country would change that, however, at a cost to taxpayers. The countys $400,000 payment will come out of the public health budget, and it is on top of more than $950,000 in legal fees the county had already spent on the matter. Southern Baptist leader Brent Leatherwood calls on the state to restrain evil through Governor Lees plan to keep weapons from those deemed a threat to themselves or others. If theres a noticeable power differential, why am I lining up on the side of the person who may be the oppressor and not the person who may be oppressed?. As a lawyer and one of four officers on the elder board at Grace Community Church (GCC), Cho was asked to study the case. (RNS) On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with "This Is Amazing Grace," a 2012 hit that has . 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