Churches continue battle with Baker administration over reopening

DEDHAM, Mass. — The battle between church leaders and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker intensified as churches seek to be part of the state’s potential reopening on May 18, when the latest stay-at-home advisory is set to expire.

“We have had liquor stores, we have had marijuana shops be deemed essential services and the church hasn’t been worthy of being put in that category,” said Pastor Roberto Miranda of Lion De Juda, a Boston church located on Northampton Street.

Miranda, one of the more than 260 pastors who signed a letter to Gov. Baker saying churches are essential, told Boston 25 News in a Zoom interview that churches offer what other institutions cannot.

“We offer hope, we offer consolation, we offer spiritual encouragement,” he said.

Miranda added that churches have a plethora of literature on public health guidelines and are planning to make necessary adjustments so large groups of worshipers do not overwhelm houses of worship.

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Boston 25 News asked Miranda if he was prepared for frustration or anger from parishioners unable to attend services because of social distancing.

“I think the reaction would be more, ‘okay, tell us why this is so and how can we make this work so we can come in shifts,’” Miranda suggested.

The same week pastors sent the letter to Gov. Baker, a young Dedham pastor, 25-year-old Nick White, received a cease-and-desist letter from the town of Dedham for attempting to open his church to worshipers on Sunday, May 10.

“We do have that constitutional right both in our United States Constitution and in our state constitution that they can’t really make a law really prohibiting us from free exercise of religion,” White said during a Zoom interview.

Victory Baptist has about 30 people in its congregation, according to White, and rents space at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio on High Street in Dedham.

“By our landlord’s wishes, we are going to respect his wishes not together tomorrow, but things are changing day by day and we are hoping we are going to be able to have services while being social distanced and keeping things under 10 right now,” White said.

He added that the effort to open on Sunday was not based on getting attention for his church.

“I’ve heard every single thing, ‘you’re trying to take money, you’re just trying to do it for the collections,’ this or that,” White said. “All we’re trying to do is push for this fact, that church is essential. And we’re willing again to do it, we’re willing to cooperate. We don’t see the government as our enemy, we want to work together with them.”

Boston 25 News asked the Baker administration for a response to the pastors’ letter.

“The Administration is thankful for the individuals, businesses and organizations that are playing their part to stay home, stop the spread and protect at-risk populations, and the Administration is working to return to a new normal as safely and as soon as possible,” said Ryan Boehm, spokesperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

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A spokesperson referred us to comments made Friday by Gov. Baker:

“I’ve said from the beginning that one of the most difficult elements of that gathering order, which limited gatherings to 10 or less, was the impact it had on people’s ability to practice their faith. But that said, there’s plenty of evidence from around the world that in places where people didn’t do that, religious gatherings became a really big hotbed, and a hotspot of outbreak. So, whatever we do here, and that’s part of the reason why I’m anxious to hear what they have to say, is we have to do that as safely as we can, working collaboratively with our colleagues in the religious community, to ensure that it’s not a short-term thing.”

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