Churches want higher priority in reopening plan
EL CENTRO -- At Tuesday’s Imperial County Board of Supervisors meeting, Christ Community Church Pastor Walter Colace made an impassioned plea to allow churches to reopen in Stage 2 of the county’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan, while another church in the county has started holding services in its own parking lot.
On Wednesday, Colace said thanked the supervisors for allowing him to speak for 10 minutes during public comment, when normally the time limit is three minutes.
He also said he realized the county and health department are doing all it can, as the ultimate decision rests with the governor.
He questioned why there are some stores that can allow hundreds of people inside to shop, while the churches cannot do the same one day a week if implementing or even going beyond the safety measures the stores are following.
Colace on Tuesday said he was representing at least 27 churches that feel the same way. He added there are a lot of other churches that want to have Sunday services that he had not yet contacted.
“With churches in
Stage 3, there is no light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “It is going to affect the mental health of all the people (who want to go to church).”
He read from news accounts on how alcohol sales have skyrocketed as people medicated themselves with spirits, so liquor stores were deemed essential. However, the people who want to attend church to “honor the spirit of Jesus Christ” could not do so, he said.
Colace said five churches of more than 1,000 members have already begun the process of making them safer with sanitizer being easily accessible and high-tech thermometers being in place to quickly check temperatures in a non-invasive way.
“We want to take all of the precautions that are necessary,” he said.
For example, he mentioned every other pew could be kept empty.
Colace said he believes the governor erred in including churches as a place where mass gatherings take place. He explained that churches are not a spectator sport.
“We do believe the churches are different from mass gatherings. We know each other. It is affecting our people spiritually,” he said.
While the main campus of Christ Community in El Centro can hold several hundred churchgoers, Colace said the church could always hold another service to prevent overcrowding and ensure social distance guidelines are followed.
“We don’t want to think we are above anyone else,” he said. “We want to implement and go beyond what these businesses are doing.”
Before the pandemic, Christ of Community Church was already streaming its services to members at home.
“It’s not the same as being there,” he said. “We realize it’s not the same. Gathering at the church is an important part of their personal life.”
New Destiny Christian Center Pastor Thomas
Alvarez and his congregation for the past three weeks have been holding services in the parking lot. Worshippers stay in their cars while the sermon is delivered.
Once the governor decided to allow drivethrough church services three weeks ago New Destiny Christian Center began this practice. About 150 to 200 church members attend.
“It was a joy to see the church family,” Alvarez said.
He said the drawback to services of this type are the weather and not being able to meet in the church.