Pastor says parishioners should worship together despite stay-at-home order

For the first time in recent memory, Christians all over America will be celebrating Easter weekend at home and now some churches may be taking legal action to return things to normal.

News 12 Staff

Apr 10, 2020, 7:25 PM

Updated 1,470 days ago

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For the first time in recent memory, Christians all over America will be celebrating Easter weekend at home and now some churches may be taking legal action to return things to normal.

Attorney Stephan Seegar says he's heard from religious leaders all over the country who are calling the stay-at-home order by Gov. Ned Lamont and other governors since the COVID-19 outbreak unconstitutional.
One of those religious leaders is Pastor Gary Cortese at Beacon Hill Assembly of God in northern Illinois. He was born and raised in Stamford and had a church there.
He says parishioners need to worship together and it is a constitutional right.
Cortese says his church is a smaller church like 60% of the churches in America.

"I think we're at risk of seeing a foundational institution die," he said. "Churches have to gather, I mean that's at the heart of what we do we -- gather."

Cortese says he's concerned that churches may also take a financial hit and his church has applied for stimulus benefits as a small business. He says he has been holding services online.
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