Hundreds attend his ‘Let Us Worship’ rallies. Now Christian musician is coming to Pismo
Thousands of people across the United States have gathered to see Christian musician and activist Sean Feucht as he travels across the country holding his outdoor-church-services-turned-protest-rallies.
The large-scale events typically bring together hundreds of worship-hungry Christians, many of whom are distraught at the loss of traditional church services in a time of global pandemic.
And now he’s bringing the show to Pismo Beach.
Feucht is scheduled to hold a “Let Us Worship” rally on the beach near Lifeguard Station 1 at the end of Addie Street on Friday at 6 p.m.
Feucht — a self-described “missionary, artist, speaker, author, activist, and the founder of multiple worldwide movements” — launched his “Let Us Worship” tour this summer as California and other areas prohibited indoor church services as they attempted to curb the spread of coronavirus. Feucht hails from Redding and the megachurch, Bethel Church.
His services are held on beaches and rooftops, under bridges and in other open spaces and feature music, testimony and even some baptisms.
The tour has been the subject of some controversy, after videos from services from around California and the Pacific Northwest showed crowds of people gathering close together without masks or social distancing.
On July 30, Feucht went on Fox & Friends to talk about his “Let Us Worship” movement, saying he felt there was a double standard unfairly targeting churches.
“That there’s a target on churches while we are seeing across America, thousands of people gather in protest in the streets ... and our cities are burning — yet we’re not allowed to gather and worship and sing,” he said. “It’s pretty outrageous.”
As of Thursday, more than 11,000 people have a signed a petition by Feucht to “rise up with one voice and tell our government leaders and the rulers of big tech that we refuse to be silenced.”
‘For those who want to gather for prayer and praise’
The Pismo Beach rally is not organized by Feucht himself.
One of the local organizers, Pastor Ralph Hernandez of BStronglife Inc., told The Tribune on Thursday that the event is “simply for those who want to to gather for prayer and praise.”
(BStronglife is an organization aimed at establishing Christian clubs on high school campuses. According to its website, the organization began at Nipomo High School in 2016.)
“We know the power of prayer and praise,” Hernandez said. “From personal experience and from great examples from the Bible, we know prayer can shift a city, county, state or nation from great turmoil to a land of stability and peace.
“It’s not a time for us to remain silent, but for the church to recognize the critical nature of our times,” he added.
A request for comment from Feucht on why Pismo Beach was chosen as a stop was directed back to Hernandez.
In a Facebook Live interview with Pastor Sam Maganag of Liberty Church in Fairfield on Aug. 18, Feucht said he was “so, so excited” to be stopping in Pismo Beach.
“We can hardly wait to be with you on the beach in that beautiful, beautiful region of California,” he said. “Specifically in California, we’re in a crisis of the soul. Not only is the church scattered because of the pandemic, and not only do we have crazy government regulations that are bearing down upon us, but because the church hasn’t been meeting, the spiritual well-being of the nation is really shaken up right now.”
Masks, social distancing encouraged
It is unclear how many people will attend Friday’s rally. Hernandez on Thursday said organizers don’t know how many people to expect.
“It has been a grassroots effort getting the word out, and it’s mostly by word of mouth and some social media,” he said.
Pismo Beach Communications Director Jorge Garcia told The Tribune on Thursday the rally does not require a special event permit because it is a protest.
“The city is aware of the protest and have been in contact with some of the individuals,” he said. Garcia said there are no road closures anticipated in relation to the event.
Those who do attend are encouraged to wear masks and social distance, Hernandez said.
He added that he thinks some especially will choose to wear masks considering the poor air quality in the area due to the California wildfires.
“That may be what most will prefer if they venture outside,” he said.
Hernandez did not respond to further requests for comment on whether organizers were worried about recommendations for people to stay inside because of the smoke.
After his stop in Pismo Beach, Feucht is next scheduled to make an appearance in Los Angeles.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 10:42 PM.
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