Calling Beshear ‘stupid,’ defiant Bullitt Co. preacher to hold in-person Easter service

jack-roberts-04-04-1
jack-roberts-04-04-1

The defiant Bullitt County preacher will continue to hold in-person church services despite an enforcement notice ordering the church to cease the gatherings.

The Bullitt County Health Department, on Tuesday, issued a Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services enforcement notice on Maryville Baptist Church to “immediately” stop holding in-person church services. The order was sent via the strength of Gov. Andy Beshear’s March 19 executive order banning mass gatherings.

The church’s renegade preacher, Jack Roberts, told WDRB, “It’s my life, and I feel like the Gospel is more important than anything else … but our stupid governor says you can’t get together with your family for Easter. What are they going to do stand at my front door and see how many people goes in?”

Beshear breeched the subject of Easter weekend mass gatherings at his daily COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday.

“While I know it will be hard to worship virtually or in other ways, it will save lives and it will mean the people you would normally see in person at church will still be in church months from now,” the governor said. “It protects your congregations, it protects people around you, it’s our test of humanity and maybe it’s even a test of faith to be able to do things differently. But knowing that our faith is strong, that we are up for this and that we are protecting our fellow human beings.”

At Wednesday night’s service at the church, two Kentucky State Troopers were parked in the parking lot. A KSP spokesman told WDRB that the troopers were at the church on an “observational” basis and could return Easter Sunday.

Roberts, 76, said he’s urging older members and those with underlying health conditions, or even people who are scared, to watch the Easter service on Facebook Live, according to WDRB.com.

“I’m not interested in trying to defy the government,” Roberts previously told The Courier-Journal. “I don’t want to battle with anybody. What I’d like to do is just preach the gospel, and that’s become more difficult as time’s gone on. And it’s truthfully what I plan on doing.”

“This is not a test of faith,” Beshear admonished pastors on Friday, “Use the wisdom God gave you.”

Of course, a Hopkins County church, Star of Bethlehem outside of Dawson Springs, held services on March 15 and March 16, spurning a COVID-19 outbreak in Hopkins County and beyond, according to the Hopkins County Health Department.

The services are epidemiologically connected to, according to health officials, not only well over 30 COVID-19 cases in Hopkins County, but also cases in Warren, Muhlenberg and Clark counties. Inside Hopkins County, COVID-19 cases at a nursing home, a healthcare facility, an ambulance service, are tied to the services.

Four deaths Hopkins County are blamed on the virus; all four are linked to the services.

Hopkins County, with a population of about 45,000, currently has 73 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

(Photo: Jack Roberts, courtesy of Facebook)

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com