The pastor of an Orrington church announced Sunday that next week he will open the doors of Calvary chapel to in-person worship in defiance of an order issued by Gov. Janet Mills to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
According to our info partners at CBS 13 news, Ken Graves also said during a drive-in worship service in the church parking lot that the evangelical congregation would be the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit expected to be filed by the end of the week challenging the constitutionality of Mills’ executive order.
By defying the governor’s order, graves and worshippers could be charged with a class e crime with penalties of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Graves said in his sermon Sunday that by not gathering in person, his flock may have been following government guidelines but was not following God’s law.
“I believe that we have been commanded by Jesus to gather together,” he said. “The great commission will not be put on hold.”
Neither the governor’s nor the attorney general’s office immediately returned a request for comment Sunday about how they might respond to in-person worship services.
