California bans singing in churches amid coronavirus pandemic
Church leaders are speaking out agaist a new ban on singing and chanting in California houses of worship. Center for Disease Control and Prevention officials point to singing as a proven way to spread a virus. The ban order the discontinution singing and chanting activities and limit indoor attendance to 25 percent of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees.
Hundreds in California gathered at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom's coronavirus ban on singing in churches.
Between 300 and 400 people gathered for two hours last week, joining together in the middle of the iconic bridge and worshipping in defiance of the Democrat governor's new order, according to organizers.
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"We were protesting with worship," Sean Feucht, a millennial worship leader at Bethel Church and founder of Hold The Line, which hosted the event, told Fox News.
Sean Feucht, Hold The Line founder, leads worship at the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Between 300 and 400 gathered to protest the state's ban on singing in churches due to a surge in coronavirus cases, organizers said. (Hold The Line, Sean Feucht)
"Nobody was angry," Feucht said. "We were just like, 'We want to worship. We want to declare a blessing over the state of California.' When they persecute and discriminate, we bless. We want to release hope and we want to unify the sound of the church."
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As the Golden State saw a surge in cases, second only to New York with over 328,000 confirmed, state health officials issued guidelines that said: "places of worship must, therefore, discontinue singing and chanting activities and limit indoor attendance to 25 percent of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower."
Sean Feucht, Hold The Line founder, leads worship at the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Between 300 and 400 gathered to protest the state's ban on singing in churches due to a surge in coronavirus cases, organizers said. (Hold The Line, Sean Feucht)
Faith leaders across the state decried the order.
"In response to the ban on singing, I believe, either one, it's hypocrisy, because the state officials are largely encouraging protests, and I'm not discouraging them," Feucht said, "and at worst, it's discrimination against the church because we can't meet in groups more than 100.
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"Our heart in bringing worship outside was taking it to a place where we could have social distancing," Feucht explained to FOX 11 Monday morning.
About a dozen police officers showed up to protect the rights of the protesters.
A group of Christian gathered at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to protest in worship the state's ban on singing in churches citing a surge in COVID-19 cases. (Hold The Line, Sean Feucht)
"We got to pray for each one of the police officers," Feucht said. "It was pretty rad."
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Two of the officers were on suicide watch as the bridge is a place many have jumped from in the past.
"We want to see the train of suicide and depression and heaviness broken over that spot," the worship leader explained.
Sean Feucht, Hold The Line founder, pictured with law enforcement as his group protested the state's ban on singing in churches. Feucht said they prayed over every police officer present. (Hold The Line, Sean Feucht)
And the officers, who witnessed the worship and prayer, said they'd never seen a protest like that one.
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The group is planning similar worship events at Engaging Heaven Church in New London, Conn., on Friday, July 17; Washington Square Park in New York City on Saturday; and at Calvary Tabernacle Church in Cranford, N.J. on Sunday.
