), Whenever I made moves in the direction of the restraining order, it was, Be careful of the heart of retaliation, the woman said. During a monthly Communion service, MacArthur characterized her decision as unrepentant sin, saying the mother of three chose to leave and forsake her husband. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Its a victory, thankful congregant Leon Felipe said at the time. Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the NEW AMERICAN . ]. 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. Come pray with our elders for our church, our nation, and the world. The Grace Church app is available both on the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. 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. As a lawyer and one of four officers on the elder board at Grace Community Church (GCC), Cho was asked to study the case. Black Teenager Shot in Kansas City, Missouri. California and Los Angeles County have agreed to pay a church that repeatedly defied Governor Gavin Newsom's public health restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic $800,000 in a legal settlement. While most evangelical churches have formalized disciplinary processes in written policies and bylaws, its becoming less common for American churches to follow them in practice and even rarer for a church to publicly announce discipline cases multiple times a year, according to Sande, the Christian mediator. 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. Although Grace Community Church followed public health restrictions during the early months of the pandemic, it reversed course by the summer of 2020. Copyright 2023 Grace Community Church. The county's board of supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a settlement with Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, and its pastor, the Rev. espaol, . News & Events. Ellis at the time was also senior legal advisor for President Donald Trumps re-election campaign. California's Grace Community Church announced that Los Angeles County health officials have cleared the congregation of causing a COVID outbreak this summer. Jaclyn Cosgrove is an assistant editor at the Los Angeles Times. He said, Since we are forbidden by the teaching of Christ not to make extrabiblical religious rules that bind mens consciences (Matthew 23:1-7;15:1-9), we neither mandate nor forbid the wearing of masks in worship.. Over almost 17 years of membership there, Cho met his wife, began teaching the Word, and rose to leadership on the churchs board of elders . Grace Community Church's lead teaching Pastor John MacArthur submitted a statement to the Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles on April 2, 2021 in which he defended Grace Community Church (GCC) from allegations regarding the church ever having a COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in some congregants dying. (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 . And that was and is flatly wrong, and needs to be made right, Cho said to CT. Numerous elders have admitted in various private conversations that mistakes were made and that they would make a different decision today knowing what they know now. "From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents.". David Gray, once a teacher on staff at the church, went on to be sentenced for his crimes in 2005: aggravated child molestation, corporal injury to a child, and child abuse. County attorneys reasonably anticipated that the court would continue along those lines, said Barry P. McDonald, a professor at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. Grace Church is involved in several important educational programs that provide multiple pathways to raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Now, they say theyre spending their retirement paying for it, US Coast Guard, Mexican officials search for 3 American sailors last heard from 11 days ago, Rui Hachimuras aggressive shooting pays dividends for Lakers, UCLA footballs first-team offense begins to take shape, Beneath DTLA, ghost trains take final testing of LA Metro Regional Connector. (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 . 5:21). 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. Over the summer and fall, Cho held out a faint hope that the 37-member elder board would reconsider Grays case, praying that God would soften leaders hearts and change their minds. 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. "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. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. John 19:1642 | The Crucifixion of Jesus. Just days after Christmas last year, Cho sent what he called a final appeal to each of the GCC elders. The Associated Press. 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. In some situations, they implied women were looking for fault in their husbands. The church is not only a building but is the bride of Christ and exists to proclaim the truth.. Over the next few weeks, our church family has the opportunity to partner with CHF; heres how yo. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. Ryan earned a BA degree in Political Science from UCLA and in 2022 earned his Master's of Legal Studies at UCLA. Cho and his wife resigned their membership the next day. In one, a Catholic diocese and a group of Jewish synagogues challenged New York Gov. ,and It is in this spirit of service and love that we send short-term ministry (STM) teams from Grace Church each year to build up and encourage our missionaries, and it is therefore with great joy and thankfulness that we look back on the 2022 STM season. The $400,000 for the churchs legal fees will come out of the L.A. County Department of Public Health budget. This meeting is open to our church family. When I go to church, I feel like the pastors are lying. . We need that. Cho still held out that faint hopeThe Lord has so often done far more than I ever could have thought possibleeven knowing that the board was unlikely to move and that his public stance would upset many he used to serve and worship alongside. News and Events Our organist, Stephen Sturz, has been ministering to our congregation for 45 years. This mutualization of sin can take place in church settings where both parties are asked to confess and seek forgiveness from each other. Under the agreement, which the board unanimously approved without discussion, the state of California will also pay the church $400,000. 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. Sign in. 65 views, 2 likes, 4 loves, 36 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Kainos Community Church: Live from Mevo Sun Valley church cites Supreme Court in saying LA County can't stop indoor services. He texted and called individual members of the elder board to share concerns. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. They completed a master of legal studies degree at UCLA School of Law in May 2022. 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. How strong a politician is Gavin Newsom, really? Andersens declaration recounts the husband saying during counseling that he and his daughter had touched tongues while they kissed to imitate a scene in a cartoon. Chances are thousands of other churches around the country also sang that song or one very similar to it. 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. Indoor worship, without face masks or social distancing, soon resumed. 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. Members, be sure to register your attendance via the pew card or the Grace Church app. In the first meeting with Bill Shannon, it was made known that my safety was not the No. Two months later, in Tandon vs. Newsom, the court ruled that California could not prevent people from gathering in homes for Bible study and prayer meetings. MacArthur said that both he and his wife "enjoyed" a bout with the virus at the time. Sun Valley, CA 91352, MF 8:00 am5:00 pm This year we are studying the Gospel of John, one of the most cherished books in all Scripture. 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.. 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. Just because someone quotes a verse to you and theyre in a position of authority doesnt mean theyre doing it well, she said. The pastor brought up again claims of her bizarre behavior and wasnt inclined to reconsider her discipline. If you're interested in becoming part of our church family, a new membership class cycle (101103) begins each month. Two California churches were so eager to meet last weekend that when their services began, worshipers erupted in applause. People arrive for the Sunday 8:30 a.m. service at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley on Dec. 20, 2020. Heres why we do it. Beckloff would ultimately issuea preliminary injunction sought by the county, saying the potential consequences of community spread of COVID-19 and concomitant risk of death to members of the community, associated and unassociated with the church, outweighs the harm that flows from the restriction on indoor worship caused by the (Los Angeles County) health order.. To this day I have direct testimonies from a multitude of witnesses that Grace Community Church is still following a similar unbiblical and unloving way of treating abused women and children who cry out to church leaders for help while suffering under their abusive husbands and fathers. 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. An evangelical megachurch, under pressure from health officials, said on Friday that it had postponed an indoor conference that was expected to draw as many as 3,000 people from across the country to Southern California. Judge gives Grace Community Church, LA County a chance to settle COVID case. Sun Valley and the surrounding areas continue to have among the highest case rates of Covid-19 within the county, and have for some time, Dr. Davis said, and a gathering of this magnitude will create additional opportunities for Covid-19 transmission, both to the people that attend this gathering and the other people in the community.. Its worship.. The Opportunity Sheet is a weekly publication of Grace Community Church, offered as a courtesy to our church family. Was made known that my safety was not the No strong a politician is Newsom! Each month bizarre behavior and wasnt inclined to reconsider her discipline churchs fees... 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