Durham Clergy United Not Opening Churches: “We Can’t Put People We Serve At Risk”
Durham, NC – Durham Clergy United, a civic organization comprised of Durham-based faith leaders, stood strong today (May 21), observing social distancing, to explain to the community why they will not be returning to their places of worship and why it is important that the guidelines regarding assembly and social distancing be maintained. The press conference was in response to a lawsuit by a group of conservative Christian leaders that in essence blocked the enforcement of restrictions that Gov. Roy Cooper ordered affecting indoor religious services during the coronavirus pandemic.
As the state looks to go into the second phase of reopening, Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), recently confirmed that the total number of cases in the state is now 19,700 and the number of deaths is now nearly 700 people.
Rev. Jerome J. Washington, Pastor of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church, upon being presented with those statistics, his initial response was, “We cannot put the people we serve at risk. Real worship has never been confined to a building. Real worship begins first in one’s heart. The scriptures present Pastors as shepherds and congregants as sheep. That being the case, it is the God-given responsibility of the shepherd to keep the sheep safe. Each and every day the people we serve are at risk. We cannot put them at risk in the places they consider sanctuary.”
When asked why the need for a press conference, Elder James Blake, Pastor of the Fisher Memorial United Holy Church of Durham had this to say, “We believe in the divine protection of God and we believe in freedom of assembly. However, as a population that is disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus and resulting COVID-19, it is my heartfelt belief that we should not fully open churches until there is a drastic decline in the rates of exposure, contracting, suffering and deaths from COVID-19.”
Rev. Deborah Cayer, Lead Minister of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, stated she was in full support of all that was said today. “We are here because we love our people and we love each other. We love the city of Durham. We’re here to protect the most vulnerable among us and also the most vulnerable frontline workers. I just came from the grocery store, and we need to protect them as well as our health care workers. And so this is an act of love. This is an act of justice. This is an act of solidarity, all of us together being here for one another by social distancing until it’s safe for us to figure out how to do it a different way.”
Members of Durham Clergy United say they will not rush to open their places of worship until conditions drastically improve. By that they mean, there is a decline in the number of deaths, the number of testing increases, and a vaccine has been developed.
Residents, business owners, healthcare providers, and others have been able and are still able to sign up to receive the daily COVID-19 email updates from Durham County Public Health Department that best suit their needs.
General public: https://bit.ly/2U4CLIq
Healthcare providers: https://bit.ly/2UtVsEe
Businesses, faith communities, & community agencies: https://bit.ly/394P9w7
En Espanol: https://bit.ly/3bhXwGr
I am a member of the IMA and I sent the following email to members.
“I was a part of the process to have the churches reopened. Leaders of the Gospel of Christ Jesus the Son of the Living God must trust God more than they trust men.
Christ Jesus the Son of the Living God was with abolitionists when they opposed slavery at the risk of death. The civil rights leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King risked their lives and persisted against all odds because they knew they were doing the will of the Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus His Son.
Durham is looking for leadership from the clergy. It is because of saints coming together and praying that the Eastern District Court overturned the Governor of North Carolina and the Mayor of Durham orders. The court in their decision stated the churches were being discriminated against while retailers and other businesses did not have the same restrictions.
The mayor and the governor are in compliance with the court’s decision.
After God through His Son Christ Jesus has answered our prayers will we turn our backs on God and follow men?
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
In the service of Christ Jesus the Son of the Living God,
Pastor Sylvester Williams”