John Legend grew up in the church so he knows how sacred this Sunday is to many churchgoers in the U.S. Still, he has one message for the saints celebrating Easter: “DO. NOT. GO. TO. CHURCH.”
Over the weekend, the R&B singer reminded church folks how important it is to remain vigilant and continue to self-isolate even on Christian’s most important religious holiday–the one where they celebrate Jesus rising from the grave.
Legend tweeted Saturday a Los Angeles Times story about a choir continuing to practice, infecting dozens of members with COVID-19. Eventually, two died.
The singer captioned the article with this warning message: “This story is for anyone even contemplating, considering, thinking, imagining, dreaming about going to church on Easter Sunday. And please send this to your older relatives who aren’t on Twitter.”
“Don’t let these pastors kill your auntie or grandparent,” he continued when one fan replied that some pastors are dismissing government guidelines.
“I say this as a pastor’s grandson and nephew. I know how hard it is for many churches to pay their mortgage and that most pastors aren’t anywhere near rich and rely on the weekly offering to make things work for themselves and their congregation,” Legend wrote. “BUT. DO. NOT. GO. TO. CHURCH.”
Thankfully for many churches, they can apply for COVID-19 relief loans thanks to the CARES Act, which Congress passed so businesses and organizations can continue to pay employees during the pandemic.
The application opened last Friday. However, the deadline is June 30.
So really, pastors have no excuse to keep their doors open. Instead, many are sharing their messages online through social media apps, including YouTube and Facebook. Just don’t forget to drop a little something in the collection plate (many are allowing members to pay online) to keep your actual church doors open.
In the U.S. alone, the novel coronavirus has infected nearly 400,000 people, killing nearly 13,000, according to the New York Times.