Pastor Rob McCoy to defy restraining order, hold indoor service at Newbury Park church
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A Newbury Park pastor said Friday night he will continue to hold indoor services at Godspeak Calvary Chapel hours after a Ventura County judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the church from doing so.
Pastor Rob McCoy shared the decision at 6:45 p.m. in a livestream broadcast on the church's YouTube page.
"I wish it didn't have to come to this, I really do, but we will be violating the judge's order," McCoy said. "We will be open this Sunday."
The temporary restraining order issued by Judge Matthew P. Guasco prohibits Godspeak and McCoy from offering indoor services at the church in Newbury Park or any other indoor venue in the county until Aug. 31.
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The order was issued after county government officials sued the church and McCoy for violating public health orders in place amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aug. 31 hearing is scheduled to determine whether to replace the temporary order with a preliminary injunction, which could last for months, or simply let the order end.
McCoy said the order also applies up to 1,000 people who are noted explicitly named in the order.
Dr. Robert Levin, the public health officer for the county, gave a court declaration for the hearing Friday to justify the public health order, saying the risk of spreading the virus increases significantly when people from different households gather indoors for extended periods of time.
Church leaders agree to defy order
After the order was made, McCoy said the church’s board of elders voted unanimously, with one person absent, against complying with the order.
The pastor said that having services outdoors as allowed by Guasco's order was not acceptable. In an interview Friday evening, he said he didn’t know where he could find a place for 1,500 people to meet outdoors in Thousand Oaks, plus it was a matter of principle.
“We want to worship God,” he said.
During the livestream, McCoy gave several reasons why church-goers could not host services outdoors, including not having a public park large enough to accommodate all the congregants, safety concerns due to threats made to churchgoers and a church staff member's allergy to sunlight.
He also said no members of his congregation have tested positive for the virus.
More:Newbury Park church says it will continue to defy COVID-19 order banning indoor services
McCoy singled out county Supervisor Linda Parks during the livestream, citing her as instigating the legal action against the church.
"She's a remarkably resilient woman, but I don't understand why she would do this and target us," McCoy said.
Multiple attempts to reach Parks were not successful.
Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Shane Matthews said Saturday the agency had no plans to be on site Sunday to issue citations.
"We're not going to take a proactive stance and disrupt the church service," Matthews said.
Instead, Matthews said it is most likely the county will have officials on scene to document the breach of the restraining order and issue citations to offending parties later in the week.
In spite of the possible legal consequences facing those violating the restraining order, McCoy encouraged viewers of his broadcast to attend services in the church.
"Come to church, and if you're one of the first thousand, you win a prize. You will get a citation. It will be a misdemeanor," McCoy said. "It'll go on your record; be mindful of that."
Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.