Beshear asks some churches to forgo meeting in person for two weeks as COVID spikes
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked the 1,100 congregations represented by the Kentucky Council of Churches to forgo in-person services for two weekends due to the a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, said council President Kent Gilbert.
“This is not an executive order from the governor. It’s a request,” said Gilbert, who also is pastor of the historic Union Church in downtown Berea.
On Friday, Gilbert said Beshear made the request Wednesday to the council’s judicatory leadership during his weekly check-in with the group.
Beshear, who has held a news conference each day this week to discuss coronavirus-related developments, has not made any public request for churches to suspend in-person services.
Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley, said Beshear “suggested during a call with the Kentucky Council of Churches that faith leaders continue to host virtual or drive-in services or double down on safety precautions for in-person services.”
“Over the next two weeks it is crucial that Kentuckians take protective steps to slow the spread of this deadly virus,” she said.
Staley said many of the state’s new COVID-19 cases have been linked to Kentuckians traveling for vacation or returning to daily routines, including going to work and houses of worship.
Beshear added late Friday that his staff has been contacting other church organizations. He emphasized that his suggestion is not a mandate.
Beshear on Monday limited the size of non-commercial social gatherings to 10 people and recommended a 14-day quarantine for people traveling to other states with substantial outbreaks. The 10-person limit does not apply to churches.
The council has been informing its members of the governor’s request, Gilbert said. The council represents about 1,100 congregations with about 800,000 members. They include 11 different denominations, said Gilbert.
Gilbert said his church has not held in-person services since Beshear declared a state of emergency in March.
Beshear said in early May that houses of worship in the state could open May 20, though he urged caution.
His reopening of churches after ordering no mass gatherings in March came after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order that allowed churches to reopen immediately, as long as they follow social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Since then, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request from a church in California to block enforcement of state restrictions on attendance at religious services.
In a message to United Methodist pastors, Leonard E. Fairley, United Methodist bishop of the Kentucky Annual Conference, this week asked each congregation to “consider honoring the governor’s request.”
“As the trajectory of COVID-19 cases has risen over the past 14 days, Gov. Andy Beshear has requested that all churches in Kentucky suspend in-person worship services for the next two Sundays — July 26 and Aug. 2,” Fairley wrote.
If churches decide to stay open, said the bishop, he asked them to follow safety guidelines “even more stringently, if possible, than you have.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 1:42 PM.
