(ChurchLeaders) Coronavirus infections are spiking in Oregon, where health officials announced this week that 236 new cases of the disease are linked to a single church in the town of La Grande, Oregon. That’s now the largest outbreak in the state, which has temporarily put all applications for reopening on hold.
Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in rural northeastern Union County reportedly held worship services in April and May, despite restrictions on large gatherings. According to one source, the church recently deleted from its Facebook page a video of “hundreds of worshipers singing, dancing, and jumping around” on May 24. Another newspaper states that Lighthouse recently held a wedding and a graduation ceremony—both of which had more than 100 attendees.