This past Easter holiday included many church gatherings, which were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 crisis.
During a recent meeting of the State Affairs Committee of the Texas House, officials heard testimonies and arguments on many bills intended to defend faith organizations from closure during pandemics and other disasters.
The subject was an issue that rose to the front lines when cities and counties all over Texas teased about executed compulsory shutdowns of religious organizations.
“Our nation’s declaration clearly states we are given freedom by God,” state Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) said while presenting his House Bill (HB) 525.“It is our job as legislators to protect these rights. HB 525 addresses this by designating all religious organizations and their activities as essential.”
Shaheen’s bill would maintain faith groups as essential services and enduringly prevent government entities from implementing such executive orders amid pandemics and other disasters. The bill would also waive governmental protection in such cases and allow injured parties to sue for injunctive and declarative relief.
In a statement, Crossover Bible Fellowship lead pastor Blake Wilson told KHOU Channel 11 that he led his church in an in-person service.
"We have a basic theme. Teach people the word of God and touch people with the love of God,” Pastor Wilson told KHOU. “We were actually going to go back in November but when we were going to go back in November was when Mayor Turner said, ‘Hey, in light of what was going on with thanksgiving, holidays and numbers going up,’ we actually stopped back then. We wanted to give our members a chance to get vaccinated. All of our leaders in the church, all of our elders and staff, have been vaccinated."
The pastor also added that they’ve made the building safer and are enforcing social distancing protocols and churchgoers who attend services wear face masks.