First it was City Harvest Church in Singapore, then just today, Joel Osteen announced his church services are being moved online for the foreseeable future. And now, Churchome has made the announcement they too are cutting their Washington services.
Judah Smith, the pastor of Churchome, which
has locations in Seattle and Los Angeles, stated that, “Due to the continued
reports of cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington state and Kirkland,
we’re choosing to exercise caution to support the safety and health of our
community. Therefore, we are closing our Seattle Churchome locations (Kirkland,
Bothell, Downtown, and UD) until further notice.
Churchome is the LA church Justin Bieber and
his wife Hailey attend. Bieber also leads worship there occasionally.
“We will continue to follow the recommendations of King County Public Health and the Center for Disease Control for how best to respond to the developing situation.
“While our buildings may be closed for the
time being, church is still happening! We understand this can be an unsettling
time, and it’s in times like these that we are so grateful for our interactive
online church experience.
The site goes on to share how to get in
touch, when the online services begin, and other important information.
On January 21, 2020, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Washington State Department of Health
announced the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United
States in Washington State. The Washington State Department of Health has also established
a call center to address questions from the public.
“On March 12, 2020 at 2:00 pm, Washington
State Governor Jay Inslee announced that all schools in King, Snohomish, and
Pierce counties will close from Tuesday, March 17 through Friday, April 24,” King
County Public Health confirmed. “The decision was made in response to the
spread of COVID-19 in the Washington counties hit hardest by the virus. We are
revising our resources and guidance for schools, childcare and families. Please
check back often for updates.
“This a critical moment in the growing
outbreak of COVID-19 in King County. Public Health — Seattle & King County
is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to
protect the public’s health.
“We understand these actions will have a
tremendous impact on all members of our community. These efforts are meant to
slow the spread of novel coronavirus and reduce the number of people infected.”