Outdoor worship service in Redding defies California mask order, alarming health officials

Hundreds of worshipers, led by an organizer affiliated with a megachurch whose members believe they can heal the sick and raise the dead, gathered Wednesday at the Sundial Bridge in Redding, flouting mask-wearing orders and bans on large crowds.

Videos of the “Let us Worship” gathering show several hundred people singing in tightly packed groups below the bridge, one of Shasta County’s most popular tourist attractions. Few people were wearing masks.

The gathering wasn’t affiliated with Redding’s Bethel Church, whose members believe in faith healing. A church spokesman said the event was organized by Sean Feucht, a Christian musician and recent congressional candidate. Feucht once produced music under Bethel Church’s record label.

“Sean and his family attend Bethel Church and he is a volunteer worship leader on one of our many church worship teams,” Bethel spokesman Aaron Tesauro said in an email.

Though some church members attended, Bethel had nothing to do with the event, which Feucht paid for an organized on his own, Tesauro said.

“As a church, we value the freedom of each person to express themselves, and people within our congregation have differing perspectives on what this means,” Tesauro said. “Concerns were shared with Sean, and our team believed that a good plan was in place for guidelines regarding masks and social distancing practices to be followed. We agree that the plan did not get implemented to the level it needed to be at this gathering, and that is something that should’ve been addressed more seriously.”

Shasta County health officials condemned the event. In a news release, officials said that when they approached organizers, they were told attendees would adhere to social distancing rules, and the event would only involve a “small battery-powered amplification for acoustic guitar and mic” instead of a concert. Organizers never sought a permit.

Officials noted local residents intermingled without wearing masks with people from out of town, putting the community at risk. Shasta County, population 180,000, has largely avoided a major outbreak. It’s had 268 confirmed cases and 7 deaths from COVID-19.

“We truly empathize with all who have had to change the way they worship in the past few months,” county officials said in the news release. “Very sadly, some of our local cases of COVID-19, including hospitalizations, have resulted from faith gatherings, and it’s critical that our faith community leaders continue to offer safe services that follow the state guidelines.”

In an emailed statement Feucht said “masks were made available, social distancing was encouraged, and the gathering was held outside as an extra precaution.”

“Government leaders voiced support for outdoor protests in recent months, they should not be condemning Christians seeking to gather in worship,” he said. “Freedom to worship God is the constitutional right of every American citizen and those who exercise this right should not be unfairly targeted for criticism.“

Feucht’s Twitter feed said similar protests are planned in the coming days in Pasadena, Bakersfield, Fresno and San Diego.

Who is Sean Feucht

Feucht ran as a Republican against U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, this year. He placed a distant third in the March primary election behind Garamendi and Republican Tamika Hamilton.

Feucht told the Vacaville Reporter in a February candidate profile that he recently attended the National Prayer Breakfast and was among approximately 50 evangelical leaders to visit the Oval Office and pray for President Donald Trump as he was on the verge of being impeached. Feucht said he got to talk to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence about his campaign.

The Trump administration and U.S. Justice Department have warned states that they have deep concerns over some of the restrictions related to worship, and Trump declared in May that he wanted churches to reopen “right now” during the governor’s previous ban on in-person worship services.

Wednesday’s gathering is the latest pushback from California religious leaders against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders banning singing and large church services.

The Newsom administration has largely fended off efforts by churches to win requests for restraining orders or injunctions against restrictions on churches, with judges saying the state had broad authority in dealing with public health emergencies.

But some suits still are pending, including one brought by the pastor of Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi. The state is seeking dismissal of that suit, but three others were filed earlier this month by churches in Ukiah, Fort Bragg and Oroville challenging the ban on singing and chanting in indoor church services.

Bethel and the virus

Bethel is one of the north state’s largest institutions. Some 2,400 students from around the globe are enrolled at the Redding church’s School of Supernatural Ministry. The church has around 9,100 other members in Redding, Tesauro said.

Bethel faithful are well known in Redding for approaching strangers and offering to touch them and to pray away their ailments including at local healthcare centers — a practice that is now at odds with public health officials’ campaign to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Early this spring the church dialed back its faith-healing efforts and canceled services as the virus started to sweep through the country and state officials began ordering lockdowns and bans on large gatherings.

Tesauro, the church spokesman, said at the time that the Bethel faithful believe in the healing power of prayer, but God also wants believers to practice common sense.

“Healing happens, but it’s foolish to take unnecessary risks with your health and the health of others,” he told The Sacramento Bee in early March.

In his email Thursday, Tesauro noted that businesses struggling to stay open, children are being kept home from schools and public health officials are trying to keep their communities safe and healthy.



“Now more than ever, it’s important for the entire community to carefully consider decisions and actions made, as we each seek to love and respect our neighbors,” Tesauro said. “We share in the concerns of risk and potential negative impact that such an event could have on the recovery and reopening of Shasta County as we navigate COVID-19.”

Bethel is controversial even among evangelicals. During religious functions at Bethel, church members reportedly speak in tongues and members claim gold dust and angel feathers appear out of the air.

Late last year, hundreds of church members gathered in an attempt to resurrect a 2-year-old named Olive Heiligenthal, hours after the toddler had stopped breathing and died on Dec. 14. Church members gathered to sing, “Come alive/ Come alive/ Come alive, dry bones/ Awake, arise/ Inhale the light.” Thousands of people posted on Instagram with the hashtag #WakeUpOlive.

In October 2008, a Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry student moved to Washington and started a “dead-raising team” that worked with members of the local fire department to pray over bodies found on emergency calls, according to the Redding Record Searchlight.

The church produces a popular preaching subscription streaming service called Bethel.TV, and it sells products including apparel and books. Bethel is perhaps best known internationally for its Christian music. Justin Bieber is a fan. The Bethel track “No Longer Slaves” was one of the top three songs on his iPod playlist, according to a 2017 Buzzfeed News article.

The song’s YouTube video has been played 115 million times.

This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Outdoor worship service in Redding defies California mask order, alarming health officials."