May 27, 2020 4:30 a.m. 
A Roseburg church is part of a lawsuit filed Tuesday saying that Governor Kate Brown’s executive order banning gatherings of more than 25 people in Phase 1 Reopening is a violation of its First Amendment rights.
The Church of God of Prophecy, located on Northeast Douglas, and Edgewater Christian Fellowship in Grants Pass are being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit legal organization that says it advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
A release said the plaintiffs disagree with churches not being able to gather in larger groups when those same people and more could be at a dine-in restaurant with no penalty.
Both churches suspended in-person services in mid-March and have been following the Governor’s orders, but now say they want to resume services beginning this Sunday. The lawsuit said both churches would practice proper social distancing, have hand sanitizer and masks available and would limit the capacity of their buildings, holding multiple services, with sanitization being done in between those gatherings. The lawsuit says there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to reopen with those procedures when places like gyms, offices and stores have done so.
ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker said “singling out churches for special punishment while allowing others to have greater freedom not only makes no logical sense, it’s clearly unconstitutional, just as others have warned the governor”.
The churches have been holding online services since the governor’s orders went into effect but say not everyone in their congregations can access them, either due to a lack of internet access, or because of privacy concerns regarding online platforms.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, indicates a motion for a temporary restraining order is forthcoming that asks the court to immediately halt enforcement of the provision that limits church gatherings to 25 people.