Home Christian News This Is What Palm Sunday 2020 Looked Like

This Is What Palm Sunday 2020 Looked Like

Laurie, who says he didn’t know about Trump’s plan beforehand, tweeted Monday: “Yesterday, we had 1.3 million join us at http://Harvest.org for our Palm Sunday service. 11,207 indicated their desire to have a relationship with Christ. Thanks for joining us, @realDonaldTrump. A lot of new people visited us because of your tweet!”

Laurie, a Trump supporter, says he’s behind all elected officials during this crisis. “This is not a time for partisan bickering,” he says, “but rather a time for us as Americans to work together to fight this virus and get back to whatever our new version of ‘normal’ will be.” Harvest is distributing food to people in need and hosting drive-thru coronavirus testing.

President Trump, who has warned of “a lot of death” in the weeks ahead, says prayer is key right now. Though worshipers are temporarily separated, he says, “We can use this time to turn to reflection and prayer and our own personal relationship with God.” The president requests prayers “for the hero doctors and nurses, for the truck drivers and grocery store workers, and for everyone fighting this battle.” He adds, “Most of all, I ask for your prayers for the families who have lost loved ones. Ask God to comfort them in their hour of grief.”

During Sunday’s White House briefing, Trump also said Americans are praying for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hospitalized with the virus.

Holdout Churches Continue to Defy Orders

Not all Palm Sunday services were conducted online yesterday, however. Some pastors and worshipers, saying freedoms are at stake, are ignoring guidelines and orders designed to stop the spread of the virus.

In Ventura Country, California, Godspeak Calvary Chapel offered Palm Sunday communion while urging worshipers to practice social distancing. “We want to respect everything that’s requested of us,” says Senior Pastor Rob McCoy, “but we still want to have access to what is a sacrament.” Because he violated government orders that labeled churches as non-essential, McCoy recently resigned his position on the Thousand Oaks City Council.

The Solid Rock megachurch in Ohio also continues to hold services, saying it is “taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of anyone who comes” to worship. Physical distancing is possible in its large facilities, the church says on its website. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, however, calls any gatherings right now “a huge mistake” and “not a Christian thing to do.”