An Open Letter to the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors: Regarding the Settlement of Grace Community Church’s Consolidated Case Against You…and many others

To the Esteemed Board:

Your job is not easy. Despite what the Defendant has said numerous times, there is a pandemic and it looks like it is not going away any time soon. On the agenda for Tuesday is a vote to pay the legal fees of the above-mentioned action in the ungodly amount of $938,096.00 DOLLARS and Costs of $13,000 from the Department of Public Health’s budget. Grace Community Church has publicly defied the State and County Health Orders, discriminated and harassed its members out of the congregation if they took any precautions, and still maintain many of the same conspiracy theories of the by-gone Trump era, including maintaining Trump’s attorney, Jenna Ellis.

Since August 2020, this is a case which did not have much substance on both sides, but facts be damned, it proceeded with a whimper as the first Judge assigned to it recused himself. As the First Surge ravaged Los Angeles County, Grace Community Church was not immune as mask-less congregants continued to meet inside the Worship Center and cheer the aging Preacher as he lampooned the “rules” (he meant guidelines, but he always said “rules”) and stood for liberty at least until January 2021 where his sermons equated liberty, religious liberty as akin to supporting hell, or Satan…details aren’t important.

MacArthur’s leadership of flaunting COVID regulations gave rise to rest of the Nation following suit, and as you cam imagine, the COVID cases among church-goers that believed like Grace, suffered and died unfortunately. Former elders, professors and seminary students were reporting that they were also “thankful for Pastor John’s leadership” only to watch as their church succumbed to this disease all the same. The only difference between say a Grace Community Church of Provincetown and the Grace Community Church of the Valley was the mention of COVID.

For over a year, leaders were told they could not mention COVID. As the choir began to take ill, the worship Directors were told not to speak about COVID and to remove any mention of COVID in their bulletin and communications. Then, the many Fellowship groups also were being pressured to remove the mention of the virus from their newsletters and prayer lists. People arriving with masks were mocked and openly ridiculed. Funerals continued, but there would be no mention of the real cause of death because at Grace Community Church, it did not exist.

Later, the LADPH became the enemy. It was an open, shared joke…that the inspectors would be met with a stern word and a “2nd Amendment”. The West got wild (still is). It’s an inside joke that not even the members know about that John MacArthur had COVID in December, late December 2020, but to keep up appearances anyone who even asked about the pastor’s absence was shown the door. Members were telling me that LADPH inspectors were standing at the entrances to the church and “mocking” the attendees. When I asked when, they couldn’t give me any specifics…just the product of the rumor mill.

Circling back to what is of immediate concern, a recent Los Angles Times article detailed that Grace Community Church was going to create a biblically-based religious exemption to the LAPD officers. I understand that this goes under the City jurisdiction, however, the church will be providing them to residents, members and all who inquire for a religious exemption to their employers. Now, wherever you stand on this issue and we all have to admit that there is no clear-cut answer when you consider the stance of Labor Unions and the growing dissenting opinions of our healthcare workers and law enforcement professionals, but consider the message that you’ll be sending if you vote to give this church a sizable settlement amount who has done nothing more than defy basic regulations on Sundays yet all follow the rest of the week. I am quite confident they do not take this attitude to go get their groceries, or walk into any establishment.

When businesses have been shuttered, but Grace Community Church gets a pass, there’s something wrong there. Why should any of us follow the rules when they are not enforced?

They denied there was an outbreak. There were at least three waves…so far.

They stated that “no one was sick” and “no one was dying” — far from the truth.

In the end…the lawyers get their fees. Win, lose, or draw — the house always wins. I appeal to the Board to give the nominal — $1. The usual number for a frivolous case.

Thank you.