Pastor Rob McCoy & National Pastors
Pastor Rob McCoy preaching on August 9, 2020, despite Governor Newsom's orders and the County of Ventura fining his church for each service held. Click to hear pastors sharing their support!
Complete my joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
— Philippians 2:2 ESV
It wasn’t a census but nearly a dozen pastors from across California, and four states, traveled to Ventura County in August to make their voices count. They did so to stand up for the faith—and for a Newbury Park pastor who prayerfully defied Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order banning indoor worship services.
It was a precious sight to behold as, once again, Church United pastors took a dramatic stand for Biblical principles in their community.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder as Pastor Rob McCoy opened the doors of Godspeak Calvary Church for worship, despite COVID-19 orders to keep them closed. The act of civil disobedience signaled Pastor Rob’s willful intention to fight for religious liberty.
“Right now this is one of the most persecuted churches in America,” said Pastor Brian Gibson of His Church, which has congregations in Kentucky and Texas. “I think what happens here is going to set the course of what's going [on] from California to New York, across America.”
Pastor Brian made his own headlines earlier this spring after defying lockdown orders in Kentucky.
“We stood up and we spoke out and we said, ‘Hey, you're not going to limit our religion and you're not going to limit the worship of our God,’ and pastors saw that,” Pastor Brian said. “We saw that people had a hunger, a hunger for that. They just needed somebody to open the door for them. And so we opened the door and people came running through.”
Pastor Brian lauded Church United for our work in supporting Golden state pastors and their churches.
“Church United opened the door in California, got people together, like-minded, and then the pastors came running through that door because they had a heart to worship God.”
Pastor Shane Brunner, who traveled to Southern California from River Valley Community Church in Madison, Indiana, said the action reminded him of the apostle Paul, who was “provoked in his spirit because he saw that God was not glorified” while visiting Athens.
“Anywhere you see where God is not able to be glorified, it’s a concern,” Pastor Shane said. “And as a rural pastor, what's here in California now concerns me. It might be in my state and area soon. If we're going to do the work of the Lord in these last days we've got to be together. There has to be a level of unity in the body.”
It is clear that the new awakening—beginning several years ago with our Awakening Tours to Sacramento and Washington D.C.—is spreading as pastors unify under a shared Biblical worldview.
“There's something about unity when the body comes together,” said Pastor Chris Hostetler of 24/7 Life Church in Madison, Indiana.
“When you're by a real fire you smell it, you feel it,” Pastor Chris said, likening unity to the “coming together for one common goal and that's the freedom of worship, and to worship our Lord and Savior.”
Yes, there is a fire burning, one that annihilates impurities and fuses us together into a single accord and mind. If you haven’t already joined us, you are welcome to be a part of this anointed movement.
Here to serve,
Pastor Jim