Chicago church service on Mother's Day attracts 200 people

CHICAGO - More than 200 people left their homes on Mother's Day and went to church, and leaders at the Albany Park church who hosted the service say they will do it again.

They say they feel like they have enough safety measures in place to hold services and this comes at a time where statewide churches are not supposed to gather with more than 10 people.

“A church can’t function a year, a year-and-a-half without services,” said Senior Pastor Cristian Lonescu of Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Albany Park.

The pastor says for both his morning and evening services Sunday, 110 people showed up. He says not only is the church practicing social distancing, it was professionally cleaned and they limit who can attend.

“We offer complimentary mask, we have disinfectant all over the place, we even tested their temperature at the door. We do more, I went to Menards, no one checked my temperature,” Lonescu said.

The church filed a temporary restraining order last week, along with a church in Niles, aimed at Governor JB Pritzker that claims the coronavirus rules for churches are unconstitutional.

The governor and Mayor Lori Lightfoot say having the services was dangerous, given that many people are asymptomatic.

Some members have caught the virus, and less than a handful died. They were senior citizens with underlying health conditions.

Pastor Lonescu says no one can stop him and that the doors of the church will remain open.

“As long as I am the pastor and as long as the good Lord doesn’t take me, I am going to have service in this church with these measures strict and drastic,” he said.

The mayor says she spoke with the senior pastor and they plan to have a meeting this week to reach a resolution.