SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling to reopen California churches to 25% capacity, chairs remained stacked at City Church Sacramento in Oak Park as their online Sunday worship services continued.
"We define worship by more than just being in physical presence with one another," said Pastor Mark Meeks of City Church Sacramento. "God had blessed us with technology."
Meeks said he has embraced that technology. With help from production staff, Meeks has been streaming his services since March 2020.
"So it was nice, I guess, that the Supreme Court said that government can’t absolutely restrict the physical gathering of churches," Meeks said. "I wasn’t looking for the Supreme Court or government to let us know when we can worship."
He said whether churches were permitted to open to in-person services or not, a federal ruling or law would not steer his decisions. He planned to wait until March 21.
"It’s not wise—the 95817 was deemed an extreme hot zone," Meeks said. "How wise would that be for us to gather? God has given us wisdom, and we plan on using God's wisdom and the information from health care providers to help us frame our decision."
While he said he looked forward to the day he could see his congregants face to face, he was not in a hurry.
"Just because we can come together, doesn’t mean we should come together physically," he said.
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