UMATILLA COUNTY — It’s a tug-o-war like no other.

On one side is Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and her stay-at-home order. On the other is a group of 10 churches and 21 individuals that sued the state saying the order violates their freedom to worship.

In the middle is President Donald Trump with a sharp pair of metaphorical scissors with which he simply cuts the rope in two.

Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew B. Shirtcliff blocked the state on Monday from enforcing closure of Oregon churches during the pandemic. Later that day, the Oregon Supreme Court put a stay on Shirtcliff’s ruling, keeping it from going into effect for the time being. Then on Friday, Trump announced he was designating all houses of worship as essential and demanding that governors allow them to reopen.

The subject garners plenty of strong opinions. Polly Johnson, a Pendleton woman listed as a plaintiff in the Baker County lawsuit, said the executive order hampers churches’ ability to worship.

“I support freedom of religion,” Johnson said when reached by cellphone. “I think the state of Oregon made a decision that was unprecedented and that should not have been made. Churches have suffered because of that.”

Johnson, who attends the Pendleton First Assembly of God, said people should be able to practice their religion freely.

“I believe it should be a personal decision,” she said. “It should be a person’s individual right to make that decision.”

People making that decision and choosing to worship safely is exactly what Ray DeLoe, a minister at the Heppner Christian Church, thinks people would have done without government interference.

“I think the people would have made the accommodations on their own to keep each other safe,” he said.

However, DeLoe also said that from his perspective, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Oregon, and particularly in Morrow County, hasn’t elevated the virus to the level of a public health crisis.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, 3,864 Oregonians have tested positive for COVID-19 and the virus has killed 147 Oregonians. In Morrow County, 12 confirmed cases have been reported but no deaths have been attributed to the virus.

While he opposes the restrictions, DeLoe said the church decided to close back in March and reopened last Sunday with distanced seating and some changes in place for communion and the offering plate.

DeLoe said his church’s gatherings had averaged approximately 60 people in the months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those numbers were greatly reduced last Sunday. However, it’s also been a seamless transition for members watching virtually from home because the church began live streaming its gatherings on Facebook in December 2019.

When it comes to the legal wrangling, DeLoe believes the state is standing on shaky ground and expressed frustration for a lack of consistency on what is and isn’t considered essential during a pandemic.

“I think they’ve gone against the Constitution,” he said of the state. “I really think they’ve overstepped their rights.”

Arron Swenson, pastor of the Cornerstone Community Church in Pendleton, wrestles with the right thing to do.

“When do you know when to come back out?” he said. “How do you know when it’s safe to engage? Worshiping and spreading a virus isn’t a godly thing, but neither is not meeting.”

The solution is something of a compromise. Before coronavirus, the church averaged about 100 people at the weekly service. Now, instead of one big group, multiple smaller services take place.

“We take all the chairs out but 25,” Swenson said.

He said the isolation proved traumatic for members dealing with such conditions as depression and addiction, and that the isolation is worse in some cases than the threat of the virus. Virtual services just didn’t satisfy.

“You just can’t do it online,” Swenson said. “We need a real church, not a virtual church.”

The church decided to reopen in a smaller, self-distancing way. Swenson said it feels like a healthy balance.

“It is a decision each church needs to make for itself,” he said. “The Baker City churches — they’re doing what they need to do.”

Chris Hankel, pastor at New Hope Community Church in Hermiston, admits he is getting tired of preaching to an empty room. For now, his congregation stays away, worshiping virtually, but they are getting restless.

“I get asked about five times a day when we will all be together again,” he said.

The church will continue to abide by the executive order, Hankel said, though groups of less than 25 people are encouraged to meet for fellowship and to watch online services.

“If it weren’t for our ability to do stuff virtually and now gather in small groups, if those options weren’t open to us, I might feel differently,” Hankel said. “We’ve got alternatives and for right now we’re OK with that.”

Barrett Brown, pastor of the Calvary Chapel in Pendleton, talked about his reasoning for reopening in a video posted about a week ago to the church’s Facebook page.

“I feel that the current phasing that’s going to take place in regards to churches is unbiblical and unconstitutional and we have decided after a lot of prayer that we are going to start holding services again this Sunday,” Brown said. “God’s word makes it clear that fellowship is a requirement and a command for Christians.”

The next Sunday, some church members gathered. Outside, about a dozen cars sat in the church parking lot.

“We’re not here to disobey the laws of the land, but at the same time when they put us in a position that requires us to choose between continuing to follow God’s word in fellowship and the breaking of bread and in praying and worshipping God together … at some point (we) have to take a stand and obey God instead of man,” Brown said on video.

He advised members to social distance and use hand sanitizer but to gather, though older members with preexisting conditions might wait a while.

“We don’t think we’re being rebellious, we just want to honor Jesus,” Brown said. “We want to honor God rather than man.”

“You just can’t do it online. We need a real church, not a virtual church.”

— Arron Swenson, pastor of the Cornerstone Community Church in Pendleton