Indiana church encourages sick people to attend its services amid coronavirus concerns

FILE: Empty pews before the start of Sunday service at Joyful Heart Church in Stockdale, Texas on Sunday, January 26, 2020. The Joyful Heart Church congregation decided after the 2017 shooting at First Baptist Church in nearby Sutherland Springs, Texas that left 26 people dead, to increase the security of their own church in Stockdale, Texas. Volunteer members of the congregation agreed to carry concealed handguns during service. They also hired a number of security guards and added cameras to monitor activity at the church.

AUSTIN, Ind. (WISH) — A church in a southern Indiana town is encouraging people who are sick to attend its services.

According to a statement posted to New Life Christian Center’s Facebook page Thursday night, the church welcomed anyone, even if they were sick, to come to Friday services.

The church is located at 1200 N Church St in Austin, Indiana.

“Due to the recent outbreak of fear — and the resulting raw, unmitigated stupidity — regarding the perceived threat of the ‘corona virus,’ etc., tomorrow night, Friday, March 13th, 2020, we WILL be having a church service here at New Life Christian Center in Austin, Indiana,” the statement read in part. “Anyone who is sick, you are welcome to come to church. We will lay hands on the sick, and the sick shall recover.”

The post said the church had a goal of gathering at least 250 people Friday night in “direct eye-rolling” at Gov. Eric Holcomb.

Holcomb on Thursday encouraged non-essential gatherings to be limited to no more than 250 people in an effort to protect the public from the coronavirus outbreak.

According the church’s website, the church was founded in 1992 by Pastor Gary Cooper. Cooper passed away in 2009 and the ministry has been lead by Jeremy Hilderbrand. The church participates in mission tips and considers itself a non-denominational Christian group.

You can read the church’s full statement on Facebook or below: