No Easter Sunday: Gov. Kelly limits church and funerals to maximum of 10 people

Churches and funerals will be limited to a maximum of 10 people in Kansas, following an executive order by Gov. Laura Kelly Tuesday, just days before Easter weekend and Passover.

The order is effective at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

“This time of year is one defined by renewal celebration and community for the people of all faiths,” Kelly said. “The disruptions created by this global health crisis has forced us all to approach it differently, regardless of our religious beliefs.”

Kelly’s action follows Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s March 21 directive banning gatherings of more than 10 people. That order includes places of worship.

A March 28 stay-at-home order by Kelly exempted churches and funerals from any limitations. But this week state officials disclosed that at least three clusters of the coronavirus came from church gatherings — roughly 25% of community spread cases in the state.

Kelly told reporters the risk was too high to let religious gatherings continue as usual through the weekend. She said spoke with a group of faith leaders on Tuesday morning about how reducing in-person worship would mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Church services and funerals are still considered essential under state law, Kelly emphasized. Counties cannot ban either events.

“I’m wholly committed to protecting Kansas’ religious liberties as governor,” Kelly said.

The Democratic governor encouraged clergy and faith leaders to seek out alternative forms of worship. Many churches voluntarily began remote services already, Kelly said.

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle criticized Kelly for shutting down K-12 schools and churches, but not the state’s abortion clinics, in a statement early Tuesday evening.

“Our state government must do a better job upholding and respecting our values,” said Wagle, a candidate for U.S. Senate.

Word that the governor canceled Easter services had little effect on parishioners of The Evangelical Covenant Church in Clay Center, Kansas, some 160 miles west of Kansas City.

“We’re having our Easter service on-line,” said Tamara Hutsell, an employee of the Bible-based church, with some 300 weekly attendees.

Of the town’s population of 4,000, more than 1,000 — some 27 percent — are age 65 and older. That age group is especially vulnerable to the COVID-19, according to health officials.

Hutsell said the point of the church is to spread the words and teachings of Jesus, not to spread the coronavirus.

“I think one of the most loving acts we can do is follow the rules and have our worship service on-line, love our neighbors and protect them,” she said.

The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City has been operating online for about three weeks.

Rabbi Doug Alpert, the association’s president, said he thinks Gov. Kelly made the right call.

Social distancing, Alpert said, has created some challenges for traditionally observant Jewish communities who operate without electricity on holy days, but he has seen them rise to the challenge and take care of one another.

“My general sense is everybody has really been good about it,” he said.

The Church of the Resurrection, based in Overland Park, shifted to online only services on March 13.

Cathy Bien, the church’s director of communications, said Kelly made the right call.

“We need to protect our congregants and our community,” Bien said. “We’ll continue to offer all of our worship services and other services online as long as we need to and as long as our leaders and medical professionals tell us to.”

All services in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas were limited to 10 or less people on March 24. It included priests or deacons in its count. Public worship events were canceled on March 17.

“The archdiocese has been commended by several large municipalities for the precautionary measures it has taken and it will continue to comply with all local and state authorities as we all work together to keep our communities safe,” it said in a statement.

Rev. Rick Behrens, a pastor from the Grandview Park Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Kansas, told The Star the church would have “welcomed the governor’s decision regarding churches three weeks ago.” Members have congregated through video conference call since March 15, with no problem, Behrens said.

“We trust that the Spirit of God is at work through all the essential workers, the servants in hospitals, laboratories, and nursing homes and through local leaders like Governor Kelly,” Behrens said in a statement.

There are at least 900 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the state as of Tuesday afternoon. Twenty-seven people have died. Kansas officials anticipate cases and fatalities to peak in late April.

The Star’s Jason Hancock contributed reporting.

This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 2:34 PM.