KENTWOOD, Mich. — Inside of Royal Priesthood Ministries off of Eastern Avenue in Kentwood, it feels like any other Sunday.
"What the devil wants to do is get us off of our square," said Bishop Eric Barnes Sr.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Bishop Barnes and dozens of worshipers have gathered for the past four weeks.
"The churches were exempt [from the stay-at-home order] so I said, 'thank God' but the church still has to use wisdom," he added.
The church is doing everything it can to keep those in attendance safe, including everybody filling out Mercy Health questionnaires to ensure they haven't come into contact with anyone who is sick.
"We take temperatures, we have the scanners and everything in place, we have masks, gloves, hand sanitizer," added Bishop Barnes.
Assistant Pastor Henry V. George says the congregation understands the seriousness of the pandemic but refuses to let it get in the way of their faith.
"Fear is not going to get control of us," George said, "we took the necessary precautions and made our own hand sanitizer, we just believe in loving the Lord and what he says."
The church has nearly forty people in attendance right now during this pandemic with dozens more watching at home via Zoom or Facebook.
"We do have some with underlying health conditions," said Associate Pastor, Dr. Lisa Barnes, "we want them to wise and tell them to stay home."
As the church continues to gather, they say they aren't focused on themselves but the nation as a whole.
"We are praying for our city but more importantly, we're praying for our country," added Dr. Lisa Barnes, "I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, it doesn't matter, this isn't a political issue. We pray for our president and all of our governors for every state."
