Christian leaders around the Valley sent a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey urging him to extend the stay at home orders that were put in place through April 30 to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak.

The letter was written by the Right Rev. Jennifer Reddall, the sixth Episcopal bishop of Arizona, on behalf of Arizona's congregations of the Episcopal Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.

It was hand-delivered to the governor's office on Tuesday, Reddall told The Arizona Republic.

Reddall began the letter by thanking Ducey for his leadership and "Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected" policy which she said has "helped flatten the curve and keep the epidemic somewhat under control in our state."

She added that Ducey was "saving lives," particularly those in vulnerable populations.

But Reddall continued by emphasizing that "to love our neighbors means to stay apart from our neighbors as much as possible" and encouraged Ducey to extend the order "until reliable testing is available."

"We do not want Phoenix or Tucson to be the next New York City, New Orleans, or Detroit," she wrote. "The economic costs of a few more weeks of staying at home are far outweighed by the costs in lives and subsequent economic shut-downs."

Reddall proceeded to ask that Ducey include religious leaders as he and his administration build plans for reopening businesses and organizations in the state, writing that churches are a "significant source of socialization and interaction for many elderly and vulnerable Arizonans."

Reddall described the measures the churches have taken to prevent further spread of the virus, which included canceling in-person worship through May, conferences to be held in Phoenix this summer and church camps.

The churches together have tens of thousands of members in Arizona, according to numbers Reddall offered in the letter.

'Jesus never put money ahead of people'

The other faith leaders involved in the drafting and submission of the letter were the Rev. Deborah Hutterer, bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Rev. Jay Hartkey, regional minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona; the Rev. Robert Hoshibata, resident bishop of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church; and the Rev. William Lyons, conference minister of the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Each faith leader has been reading a "great amount of information" regarding the spread of the virus from sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, Lyons told The Republic.

Their reading helped them come to a mutual conclusion that staying at home is still necessary.

"The task now is to say goodbye to what was and our wish for that to return so we can come to terms with what is and commit to a strategy that will bring as many of us as possible through this alive," Lyons said.

He added that the Christian community in Arizona is a loyal one, something church leaders considered in their decision.

"If we're open, they'll show up — it's part of their devotion," he said. "We have an obligation to make sure they're safe and make sure their faithfulness and devotion doesn't have the unintended consequence of harming them physically."

Reddall said that Ducey hadn't specifically responded to the letter as of Thursday, but that she appreciated Ducey's Wednesday press conference in which he outlined the phases reopening of businesses and organizations. She said she considers it a response "at some level" and hopes that Ducey had religious communities in mind when he said he would be consulting with stakeholders across Arizona as he makes decisions for the state.

Just hours after Reddall spoke with The Republic, Ducey posted on Twitter that he'd had a "productive" call with Arizona's faith leaders to discuss the outbreak and answer their questions. Further details about the content of the conversation were not given.

Though some churches are struggling as their doors remain closed, Reddall said safety of church members is most important.

"The fundamental command of Jesus is to love your neighbor — it is not to have a financially sustainable church," she said. "Jesus never put money ahead of people. As Christians, we are always called to put people ahead of money."

Reach the reporter at bfrank@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8529. Follow her on Twitter @brieannafrank.

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