Governors around the country continue to be more interested in stopping the spread of the Gospel than the spread of COVID. Maine has extended its lockdown order and church restrictions for yet another 30 days. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says massive protests are OK, but church is not. And Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has now come up with her own church restrictions.

Our country is in a crisis all right, but based on the now 0.26% COVID death rate, it is clear it is not medical, but spiritual! Read on to learn what YOU can do to preserve religious freedom in America.

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Last week, we faced an intense week of legal work. Our team of attorneys and legal support staff worked around the clock to file legal briefs and arguments due every day of the week. This coming week will be no different. I'll tell you about that in a moment, but first let me give you an update on our oral arguments before the Court of Appeals on Friday.

As you may recall, IL Gov. J.B. Pritzker targeted our clients Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and Logos Baptist Ministries in some of the most draconian anti-church restrictions in the country.

Pastors were criminally charged, neighbors' cars for nine blocks surrounding the churches were towed and impounded, the church's private parking lot was blocked by police, and a Summary Abatement notice whereby the city could take possession of and bulldoze church buildings was delivered to our clients. All to stop their church services!

In Illinois, churches were deemed "essential services" from the get-go. However, unlike all other "essential service" categories, church worship services were limited to just 10 people.

The churches could host an unlimited number of people to provide food, overnight shelter or other "necessities of life." But, if the pastor preached or led worship, the number of allowable people dropped to 10. In the same church building, the order allowed an unlimited number of people for "non-religious" meetings but only 10 people for "religious" meetings.

Let me repeat this: If a church opened its doors to feed people, shelter or provide other necessities, there were NO restrictions on the number of people in the building. HOWEVER, if a pastor wanted to give even a 15-minute sermon in the middle of the same group, only 10 people could remain in the room.

IL Gov. Pritzker's motivation was not to prevent the spread of COVID, but to prevent the spread of the GOSPEL.

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Let me give just a few examples:

If the church wanted to feed 500 - that was OK.

If the church wanted to worship with 500 (or even 11) in that same room - that was banned.

If the church wanted to open the sanctuary for 100 homeless people to sleep - OK.

If the church began a worship service in the middle of the 100-person makeshift homeless shelter - that was banned.

On March 15, 2020, President Trump declared a National Day of Prayer to combat the COVID crisis. Prayer, of course, was the single most necessary thing any Christian could do in this time of trouble. But instead of welcoming the heartfelt prayers of God's assembled faithful and their worship of our creator, IL Gov. J.B. Pritzker restricted them.

On May 6, President Trump once again asked the nation to gather and pray, and once again Gov. Pritzker held fast to his ban on "mass worship" of 10 or more gathered in our Lord's name.

But meanwhile, in Illinois the "essential services" included abortion clinics, liquor stores, recreational marijuana shops and big box stores — all with zero limitations on attendees. Gov. Pritzker has clearly treated some "essential services" as more "essential" than others — and that's overt discrimination... as well as a flagrant violation of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion unencumbered by government edicts.

This week, we will be defending three more illegal church closure cases in federal appellate courts...

• 1st Circuit Court of Appeals: We are defending Calvary Chapel of Bangor, ME. Maine Governor Janet Mills just extended her shutdown and illegal restriction of churches until mid-July.
• 4th Circuit Court of Appeals: We are defending Lighthouse Fellowship Church. VA. Gov. Ralph Northam continues to have some of the most stringent restrictions in the country.
• 6th Circuit Court of Appeals: We are defending Maryville Baptist Church. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear had each attendee of the church's drive-in parking lot service put on mandatory 14 quarantine – the equivalent of house arrest – even though none had been tested for COVID. Many attendees lost their jobs for attending church. We won twice at the Court of Appeals and now we want to make sure the Governor does not return to his pattern of oppression.

Additionally, we have a case at the federal Court of Appeals defending the right to have a Nativity Scene. AND we have two Supreme Court cases pending, not counting several Amicus briefs before the Supreme Court. We have three change counsel cases pending at the Court of Appeals.

And, these are in addition to our other outstanding cases like defending Planned Parenthood whistleblower Sandra Merritt, defending the right to fly a Christian flag (also at the Court of Appeals) and the right to choose Christian counselors. Your support is needed right now as never before!

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Finally, please keep praying for our nation to return its heart to our Lord and Savior. Only then will our land be fully healed of all that plagues it.

"If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

In Christ,

Mat Staver
Chairman and Founder

P.S. As a public interest law firm, our legal services are always free to our clients. Few people could afford to defend themselves against well-funded giants like Planned Parenthood or state and city governments on their own.

YOUR generous donations make our defense of churches, pastors, Christian counselors and a heroic whistle-blower on Planned Parenthood possible. Please, make your best contribution today. Select here.