Via Chicago Tribune:
On March 31, Lena police Chief Craig Beintema, who is one of the co-defendants with Pritzker, delivered Cassell a cease-and-desist order insisting on the church’s compliance with the stay-at-home order, according to the lawsuit. The church says it hopes to resume public worship on Sunday without fear of arrest.
The lawsuit criticizes Pritzker for requiring churches to remain shuttered while other highlighted businesses — including liquor stores and dog groomers — are permitted to continue operations.
“Plaintiffs believe that, in these dark times, Illinoisans need the Spirit of Almighty God, but Pritzker’s orders have left them to settle for the lesser spirits dispensed out of the state’s liquor stores,” the document states.
During his daily press briefing Thursday, Pritzker called the Beloved Church an “outlier,” saying many pastors across Illinois have partnered with the state to encourage parishioners to stay home.