LAWRENCE, Kan. — On Easter Sunday, Heritage Baptist Church in Lawrence ignored Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly's order prohibiting in-person church services of more than 10 people during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The number one reason for having church is because that is what the Lord wants us to do," said the Rev. Scott Hanks, senior pastor at Heritage Baptist Church.
Hanks said he does not agree with the governor on the need to ban in-person church services.
"I know their big thing right now, they say, is safety," Hanks said. "I think we should be safe. We are doing the social distancing and things of that sort ... To say no church, then let's not go to Walmart then; let's not go to the liquor store."
Those on social media appeared to disagree with the pastor, with many on Facebook calling the church "extremely irresponsible," "foolish" and "disturbing."
Hanks said that despite what people say, he and his staff took measures to keep members safe.
"Every other pew has signs that say, 'Do not sit in this pew, thank you,'" Hanks said. "It goes all the way across the auditorium so that every other pew has a space between the other one."
On Monday, Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Basehor was quiet — but it was a change from Sunday. The Basehor church also held in-person services for Easter. CNN reporters were there when members of the congregation arrived.
"What made you decide to go into the service today? It's against the law," the reporter asked.
"Well, actually the advice from the attorney general says it's not. So we're following the advice of the attorney general," said one member of Risen Savior Lutheran Church.
Because of holding church on Sunday, the Rev. Robert Weinkauf told 41 Action News off-camera that he and his family are receiving threats. The pastor also gave a statement which said, in part, "In this time, we also have put in measures that our services are safer than any business that is open."
The church is also skipping pews and has hand santizer available in the lobby.
Whether Kelly's executive order will be enforced at churches continuing to hold services remains uncertain.
"Enforcement is up to the locals," Kelly said at a news conference on Monday.
Both churches say they will continue services going forward.
"We just kind of stress to our church family that, hey this is serious and we need to keep our distance. But we are still going to have church," Hanks said.
Risen Savior Lutheran says it will have at least 25 services throughout the week, and members can sign up online for which one they want to attend. The church will limit the services to fewer than 10 people.
41 Action News asked Heritage Baptist Church why it has not chosen to hold online services instead. Hanks said that because of where the church is located, poor internet connection makes it difficult to host live video streaming.
