Megachurch slammed for ‘Friendsgiving’ plans after 2,500 attend indoor show in Oklahoma

A church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is receiving online criticism due to a packed crowd at a recent indoor gathering — and its plans to hold a Thanksgiving event.

For Victory Church’s Nov. 22 Friendsgiving, the megachurch is encouraging its members to “bring a neighbor.”

“We always look forward to this meal with you. All of our campuses will be participating at their facility,” the church wrote on Facebook.

The plans come while the city and state are in the midst of a major COVID-19 surge. Tulsa reported 616 coronavirus cases on Nov. 14, 455 the following day and 398 on Nov. 17 — the three highest totals since the pandemic began.

Cases in the state began to spike earlier this month, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Pictures shared on social media also show large crowds at a concert held at the church this week.

The band that played the show, Bethel Music, said on Instagram that “wearing a mask to the event is highly recommended.” However, pictures the band posted reveal little mask wearing and no social distancing.

“@VictoryTulsa I am appalled that you risk your members lives. No masks .. no distancing,” one woman wrote on Twitter. “I believe God has given us intelligence as well as faith. Please be safer.”

“I see @VictoryTulsa holding gatherings like this & they absolutely need to be called out for conducting events (non-church services at that) that fly in the face of public health,” another Oklahoma resident wrote. “People will die as a result of this concert. Pastor @PaulDaugherty, you do understand that, correct?”

An estimated 2,500 people attended the concert, according to KJRH.

Lead Pastor Paul Daugherty told the station it’s the church’s first event this year and it was held at 50% capacity.

“I would’ve said, ‘I think you should keep the stage away where people can’t come up close,’” Daugherty said.

A state public health commissioner, Carrie Blumert, said she was “so incredibly sad and angry” about the event, according to Newsweek.

“Religion does not exempt you from following life-saving guidelines,” she said.

As of Wednesday, there were more than 1,400 people in Oklahoma hospitals due to COVID-19 and only 50 adult ICU beds available across the state, KTUL reported.

Lizzy Bradford, a nurse for eight years in Tulsa, told the TV station “there’s going to come a day” when there will no longer be enough ICU beds for patients.

“It really does feel disrespectful to nurses and the high-risk populations that people are unwilling to wear a mask,” Bradford said, according to KTUL.

The church has not responded on social media, where it has been the subject of hundreds of tweets calling out its events. Daugherty has also not commented online.