Mississippi church suing over COVID-19 restrictions burns down

[TexasTowelie]

A church in Mississippi was destroyed by a suspected arson fire, about a month after its pastor filed a lawsuit challenging the city of Holly Springs on gathering restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi, burned down Wednesday morning, news outlets reported. When investigators from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office got to the scene, they found graffiti in the church parking lot that read: “Bet you stay home now you hypokrites.”

“We’ve kind of racked our brains and we have no idea,” Jerry Waldrop, the pastor of the church, said. “No enemies that we know of. We don’t know anyone that we even think could be capable of doing something like this.”

Waldrop had filed a lawsuit against the city of Holly Springs last month, alleging police officers had disrupted a church bible study and Easter service. Holly Springs City Attorney Shirley Byers said nearly 40 parishioners inside the church building were not practicing social distancing on April 10 when a violation citation was issued for the church.

Read more: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2020/05/22/holly-springs-church-suing-over-covid-19-restrictions-burns-down/5248349002/

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. I was actually hoping it was lightning, not arson

Ya know, retribution from god.

[trc]

2. I would not be surprised if this was an inside job.

Insurance payout makes up for lost tithes and builds sympathy for a new building...totally a conspiracy theory, but I have no faith in churches that put their parishioners at risk. Its always about money. And, this just seems too pat “Bet you stay home now you hypokrites.”

[Tribetime]

3. That's my first thought

[catrose]

4. Besides, our side can spell.

[3Hotdogs]

5. Wouldn't that need two policies? One for the building, one for income.

Do other churches have policies for loss of income? I know that my rental property had loss of tenant income.