A New Jersey pastor that defied the state's orders and reopened his church said that houses of worship are essential services and that members of the congregation want to attend and "be with their pastors."The comments came from Pastor Charles Clark II of Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, Camden County, which recently opened its doors to residents in defiance of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Clark appeared on CNN's New Day on Tuesday to speak about the church continuing services in violation of the state's order to limit indoor gatherings to no more than 25 people."We decided that it was time for our church to reopen, and we feel that we have our First Amendment right to open up our church at this time," Clark told CNN. Newsweek was informed via email that there were approximately 250 people in the auditorium during the service on Sunday. The auditorium seats 1,000, according to the church. Sunday's service did include social distancing measures, Clark told CNN."Our people came in and parked where we were socially distance parked, a spot in between each spot. You had a reservation for your seat, you came in, your family had already had their reservation made. We had numbers on the end of our pews, we went every other pew. Everyone in the auditorium had a mask on," Clark said. "There was a touch-less entry. We took temperatures, touch-less temperatures at the door. 100.4 [degrees] no one would have come in."Clark added that the bathrooms were sanitized after each use and the auditorium is filled with Hepa filters that filter the air in the room every three hours."Church is essential. Our people are New Jersey citizens.....as Jersey citizens they are being told their church is not essential. I understand that a lot of people don't understand why it is so important to us, but as believers we assemble together and these people have discouragement and depression and problems, including economic problems. They want to be with their pastors, and we are doing the best as we possibly can," Clark told CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota. In an email sent to Newsweek, Clark stated that the closure of churches during the coronavirus pandemic is "discriminatory," and "unconstitutional.""The First Amendment puts religion at the front of the line. Governor Murphy has taken us out of the line. The NJ Constitution also guarantees our religious liberty. The governor cannot oppress religion," Clark said in the email."No one in our church is being pressured to come. People want to be in church. They understand that we cannot make any guarantees of safety. However, we are trying to be as safe as possible, sanitized, and using social distancing. They are making reservations for themselves and their families. This is their right as an American. This is their right as a Christian. According to the Constitution, these rights cannot be infringed upon," Clark added. "The virus is real. We grieve for those who have lost their lives and who have been hurt by the virus. All data is taken from the source:
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New Jersey Pastor That Defied State Order to Reopen Says 'Church is:
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