By Allison Stormo
Tri-City Herald
Restrictions on church gatherings in Washington state are now guidelines rather than rules following a federal appeals court decision.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s office made the change after a ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in a Nevada lawsuit.
The state is still recommending church service attendance be limited to 25 percent of capacity or 200 people to prevent the spread of COVID-19 indoors.
In the appellate court’s ruling last week, the court sided with Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in its suit against Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and the state over restrictions limiting religious gatherings to 50 people.
In a letter to the court, the church pointed to casinos being able to operate at 25 percent capacity with no numerical limit — with the potential of serving thousands at a time.
“It’s clear that Nevada prefers commerce over religion,” said the brief.
The three-judge panel responded by referring to a Supreme Court ruling in November that compelled it to reverse the lower court’s denial of an injunction barring enforcement of attendance restrictions.
In a Supreme Court case, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish synagogues sued to block a New York order restricting attendance in worship services.
“The court has finally made it clear that the government has a duty to respect the First Amendment and it can’t treat churches like second-classes citizens,” said Garry Leist senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley Garry in a Facebook video.
Singing, weddings, funerals
Gov. Inslee’s announcement this week still restricts indoor singing by congregations and emphasized social distancing between family groups, as well as wearing face coverings.
Solo performers are allowed at services, as long as face coverings are worn or removed only when playing an instrument.
The music guidelines also were extended to wedding ceremonies, receptions and funerals to ensure it aligned with other guidance.
The ruling comes just before Christmas, a sacred holiday to Christians where followers celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Still, despite the ability to hold limited services indoors, a number of churches continue to hold online services.
Kennewick First United Methodist Church, for example, posted it is not having any in-person services and planned online worship only during the holidays.
The church created a children’s Christmas program by recording participants individually, then editing the content into a video posted on the church’s YouTube channel.
