He argued that the health orders were untenable opinion and policy, which unfairly chipped away at the ability to exercise the most fundamental right at a time when the risk of harm was leveling off. In some cases, like those of Eileen Gray and the woman who agreed to a settlement last month, leaders at Grace Community Church went on to support the men they had accused of abuse in legal cases. But the church reversed course after Los Angeles County officials warned that indoor conferences were prohibited and that the event could worsen the spread of the virus, endangering attendees and the surrounding community. He said he needed to talk about a "sad situation." . He then quibbled with media reports that the church had experienced multiple COVID-19 outbreaks. 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. To that end, we are looking forward to a day of prayer led by our elders. Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. Religious liberty and the Constitution won today against the overbroad, arbitrary, indeterminate, and clearly unconstitutional mandates from Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles County, Jenna Ellis, who previously served as a senior legal advisor on President Trumps campaign, said in a statement. Sun Valley, CA 91352 Maps and Directions. Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the NEW AMERICAN . Childrens Ministry has been actively planning for Vacation Bible School, and we invite you to join us! 9:00 & 11:00 am John MacArthur Jesus' Personal Invitation Matthew 11:28-30. ,and If you're interested in becoming part of our church family, a new membership class cycle (101103) begins each month. Grace Today is published weekly by Grace Community Church. We need to worship. At this point, its not something that is allowed., Under Pressure, California Church Postpones Conference for Thousands, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/John-MacArthur-covid-grace-community-church.html. In February, after Barrett joined, the court lifted Californias ban on indoor religious services, while allowing capacity restrictions as well as restrictions on singing and chanting. MacArthur said that both he and his wife "enjoyed" a bout with the virus at the time. Some did and dismissed its findings anyway. The preliminary injunction was issued last Sept. 10 by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff as a way of stemming the spread of the coronavirus, based in part on evidence presented by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that Grace Community Church was holding indoor Sunday services, prompting the county to sue the church on Aug. 14. The majority were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing. "It has been a hard-fought battle to preserve religious liberty and we hope that this result will encourage Californians, and all Americans, to continue to stand firm that church is essential," they added. They were saying it was un-Christian of me to seek that legal protection because believers dont take other believers to court.. Its a victory, thankful congregant Leon Felipe said at the time. But those admissions mean you need to make it right with the person you wronged; that is utterly basic Christianity.. This year we are studying the Gospel of John, one of the most cherished books in all Scripture. County attorneys were not available for comment. Speech, Jim Jordan's Crime Hearing Takes Surprising Turns, China's 'Artificial Sun' Smashes Nuclear Fusion Record, Putin Issues Ominous Warning About How Russian Navy Could be Deployed, Who Is Ralph Yarl? Immediately after last years coverage in The Roys Report, she said, she learned of even more testimonies of mishandled abuse. The church is not only a building but is the bride of Christ and exists to proclaim the truth.. This story was updated to include the cost of the countys legal fees. County officials said that Tuesday's settlement was "responsible and appropriate" in light of a February Supreme Court ruling that found California could not enforce many of its pandemic restrictions on churches. Sign up for our newsletter: The women were reminded of the biblical directive for wives to submit to their husbands. This is an egregious sin.. . 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. Theres a fundamentally different understanding of what abuse is, said Jonathan Holmes, a graduate of The Masters University and a pastor and counselor in Ohio, noting that the labeland the most serious responsesoften get reserved for physical and sexual violations. After the US 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 county officials. 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. He also said that she twisted the words of one of GCCs leaders for a large adult Sunday school class to create a false impression.. They completed a master of legal studies degree at UCLA School of Law in May 2022. If youre new to Grace, or just looking for a place to plug in, check out a fellowship group today or in the coming weeks. We need to be together, with our brothers and sisters. In the end, she said, the betrayal of her churchnow her former churchhurt the most. News . 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. In a sermon last August, he drew applause when he said, There is no pandemic, and argued that the number of Covid-related deaths had been inflated. The tone of the courts opinion in the Chula Vista case was very government-friendly, while the Tandon ruling was very government-hostile, McDonald said. Last year, when he questioned the decision to discipline Eileen Gray, he said fellow elders suggested they just trust the previous leaders who affirmed it. According to the GCC website, Shannon continues to provide formal and informal counseling to members, teach the churchs premarital and marriage seminar, and preach sermons for an adult small group. At Grace you will experience powerful worship, inspiring messages and genuine belonging. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Mayor Bass seeks $250-million expansion of homelessness program in first State of the City speech, Column: Trump and the NRA might be right about guns and we mostly have ourselves to blame, The LAPD has lost nearly 1,000 officers. He went back and forth in messages with Carey Hardy, the pastor who oversaw the Gray discipline case and now serves at a church in North Carolina. M-F 8:00 am-5:00 pm 818-909-5500 . The church was sued by the county for not following restrictions including a since-rescinded ban on indoor worship, while the church also sued the county and the state over the restrictions. Andrew Cuomos restrictions on churches and won, the church attorneys argue in their court papers. Then, on Feb. 5, the high court struck down the indoor worship ban while allowing caps on attendance and a ban on singing, according to the churchs attorneys. Months after raising his concerns about a 20-year-old case, Cho discovered another grievous GCC counseling case in the fall of 2022. They were telling me to back off, essentially. It was a long and winding road to get to the legal resolution, tapping into many of the issues that have polarized American society since the pandemic took hold early in 2020. He said pastor John MacArthur told him to forget it. When Cho continued to call the elders to do justice on the womans behalf, he said he was asked to walk back his conclusions or resign. But it allowed authorities to leave in place capacity limits and bans on singing and chanting. Servicios en espaol, Grace Community Church Call to prayer on Sunday evenings, 5:00-5:50 PM in the Hive (H114). The elders had called out sin where there was none, he insisted. 10:00 am & 7:00 pm, Wednesday, April 19, 2023 John 19:16-42 | The Crucifixion of Jesus. Each of the women CT spoke with said at some point they considered themselves partly responsible for their husbands behavior or had a church leader indicate they were. (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. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Of the $8,000 in fines the county has levied for violating the public health orders, Grace Community Church has paid $6,500. 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. Cho said MacArthur had been warned about the concerns but has defended Shannon and kept him in the same position. MacArthur claimed that the pandemic was a government plot to control Christians, according to the Times. Two GCC elders went on to submit sworn statements on behalf of her husband. Two other leaders at Grace said they would testify on the wifes behalf, but the couple reached an agreement in January prior to their court date, so none of the pastors ended up needing to testify. Ones own integrity, and upholding justice and righteousness, and being faithful even in the small things, even for something 20 years ago, all matter immensely.. (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 . She said she had reported to church leaders evidence of her husbands infidelity, searches for incest porn, and inappropriate behavior with their daughter starting when she was just a couple years old. Nothing will come to us except the affirmation that the Lord preserved and protected us through this, MacArthur said. 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. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. In February, the high court struck down the all-out ban on indoor services after a series of California churches brought a case. The church, led by Pastor John MacArthur, continually defied county health orders over the past year. . 1,881 were here. Cho countered that Scripture commands us to trust the Lord and examine everything (1 Thess. Sunday after Sunday, people packed Grace Community Church and belted out hymns, openly violating Los Angeles Countys prohibitions against indoor services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Essential Church is an upcoming feature-length documentary that traces the history of governmental assaults on the church, both ancient and modern. After they had separated or secured legal protection, they said pastors urged them to reconcile. Its not unique. Current and former elders had also raised concerns about Shannons incompetent counsel. Its unfortunately prevalent in child abuse and intimate partner violence as well. News & Events; Give; Close. Just because someone quotes a verse to you and theyre in a position of authority doesnt mean theyre doing it well, she said. In 2022, they will manage a yearlong initiative that will explore a variety of issues around mental health medical, structural, personal, societal and definitional. Last summer, county officials sued the Sun Valley church. Grace Community Churchs longtime leader, the Rev. Local pastors say yes. But after Ginsburgs death and the appointment of ultra-conservative Amy Coney Barrett, the court went in a different direction. 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. Often, we view the church as something we attend or a place we go, rather than something we are. MacArthur read from Matthew 16, the passage where Jesus predicts His suffering and . The Opportunity Sheet is a weekly publication of Grace Community Church, offered as a courtesy to our church family. No One Like Him: A Study of Gods Perfections. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Ahead of the legal payments, the California pastor acknowledged that he and others contracted the virus last winter. 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. Professor Margaret M. Russell of the Santa Clara University School of Law said the countys decision to settle was pretty pragmatic.. | Screenshot: Grace Community Church Public health officials in Los Angeles have lifted all outbreak-related requirements and restrictions on Grace Community Church, which were put in place last month after three cases connected to the California church were confirmed. Livestream is available online and on the Grace Media app for the 11:00 am service. During select evening Worship Services, Grace Church welcomes new members with the Right Hand of Fellowship. When she challenged the pastors advice to return to and trust her husband, she said she was reminded of passages like love believes all things and that Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven times. Ryan started his career writing obituaries at the Glendale News-Press, before working as assistant city editor for Times Community News (Division of the L.A. Times) and city editor for the Glendale News-Press, San Bernardino Sun and L.A. Daily News. Grace Community Church had planned to host the Shepherds Conference from March 3 to 5 in Sun Valley, a neighborhood that officials say is among the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus in Los Angeles County. Though the case settled in January, after the woman sought court-ordered protection last year, two pastors had filed declarations on her husbands behalf. On Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a settlement that will pay the church $400,000 for legal fees from defending the lawsuit. On Sunday, MacArthur admitted to congregants that "many people" contracted COVID-19 while it "went through" the church in December and January. I really feel like I was spiritually raped.. He tried to convince the churchs leaders to reconsider and at least privately make it right. Los Angeles County had sued the church and its pastor, John MacArthur, last August after officials said he had he opened the church and held a large indoor worship service with unmasked attendees, in violation of state and county rules. This year we are studying the Gospel of John, one of the most cherished books in all Scripture. (Update: Following publication, Grace Community Church released a statement saying that the elders do not comment on counseling and discipline disputes, but that the church deals with accusations personally and privately. They defended their counsel as biblical, saying, Our churchs history and congregation are the testimony.). Grace Community Church in Sun Valley could receive $400,000 from Los Angeles County and another $400,00 . The settlement with Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, which also includes another $400,000 from the state avoids further litigation over the matter at a time when the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority has signaled that rights to religious practice indoors outweigh the interests of the state to compel places of worship to adhere to public health orders. Just days after Christmas last year, Cho sent what he called a final appeal to each of the GCC elders. Create Account; Forgot Password? The church regularly held packed morning services, defying a court order directing them to refrain from holding indoor services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Dean . In Gods providence, he kept placing reminders in front of me, completely unbidden. This undated file photo shows a face mask sitting atop pages of a Bible. GCC and MacArthur haveremained open sinceinitially suspending in-person services for less than a month during the height of the pandemic, in which they reopened their doors forindoor worshipthat resulted in a near capacity crowd during July. Grace Community Church reversed course after Los Angeles County health officials warned that indoor conferences were prohibited and that the event could worsen the spread of the coronavirus. This mutualization of sin can take place in church settings where both parties are asked to confess and seek forgiveness from each other. This month, we are celebrating a remarkable anniversary in the life of Grace Church. 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