Roseville church holds currently-prohibited outdoor gatherings

Light of the Gospel Missionary Church in Roseville held an outdoor prayer event with live music Friday through Sunday in which scores of attendees did not wear masks and chairs were within inches of each other. In addition, a few youth did not wear masks as they held signs on the sidewalk and raised their voices in windy weather, encouraging those in passing cars on Cirby Way to attend the concerts. The Light of the Gospel Missionary Church Facebook page on Sept. 21 posted: "ONE EXPERIENCE, CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING. We're so excited to announce that this weekend, Sept. 25-27 at 6pm on the lawn at LOGMC, we are getting together as a church, outside for three days to seek God. To cry out to him for peace, for his presence, for his blessing, for his miracles, for his breakthrough in our lives. We are going to pray for salvation & healing. Its a time of miracles for the church & it's a time to bring your friends to Experience God!" According to the Placer County Public Health Department on Wednesday, concerts and other large gatherings that encourage congregants/visitors to travel and break physical distances are not currently permitted under the California Department of Public Health's COVID-19 Industry Guidance for places of worship. That guidance from the state Department of Public Health says, "Discontinue large gatherings that encourage congregants/visitors to travel and break physical distances during activities, such as concerts, large holiday and life event celebrations and remembrances." Gold Country Media asked Light of the Gospel Missionary Church why the large gatherings were held, why physical distancing wasn't practiced and if church officials were concerned about COVID-19. Pastor Alex Pekun emailed a reply that the weekend event was "a prayer event joining our Nation and so many at the Nation's Capital in the National Day or Prayer. Our goal was pray for our community, California and our United States of America and to serve and encourage people in this difficult time. We deeply care for our community and for our Nation, and we care for people and fighting against Covid-19. Therefore, our event was held outside and every effort was made to comply with Placer Counties Distancing regulations. We were honored by the community's response to the event and the people that showed up. We provided consistent reminders of the regulation measures and encouraged everyone to distance. Most importantly, so many people were blessed, encouraged and stood united for our great Nation. We strongly believe that America needs God in every area of our life, therefore we will continually love, pray and do everything in our strength to support and seek good for our community." Gold Country Media asked the Placer County Public Health Department whether the county plans to tell the church that the event was not permitted and whether actions of churches and businesses are being enforced in reference to COVID-19 guidance. The county replied that the "Public Health department does not hold legal enforcement authority; we provide outreach and education to local businesses and other organizations around health guidelines. In this case, because the facility is located within Roseville's jurisdiction, it would be referred to our partners at the city of Roseville." As of Wednesday, there were 3,604 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Placer County. This week, Placer County Public Health Department reported the first COVID-19 fatality of someone in their 40s. The individual was a South Placer resident in their 40s with underlying health conditions. There are now a total of 48 COVID-19 deaths in Placer County. Forty-one deaths are in the 65-and-older category, six deaths are in the 50 to 64 category and one death is in the 18-to-49 category.