A Virginia pastor, who held church service despite social distancing recommendations, has died from the coronavirus.
Bishop Gerald O. Glenn promised to keep holding services at New Deliverance Evangelistic Church “unless I’m in jail or the hospital,” according to the New York Post.
“I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus. You can quote me on that,” he said during his last sermon on March 22.
He also acknowledged that he was being controversial by violating safety orders.
“I am essential,” he said. “I’m a preacher — I talk to God!”
Three days later, on March 25, Glenn started experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. He died the night of April 11.
At the time of his last service, Virginia had yet to prohibit large gatherings but had already been suggesting social distancing. Get-togethers of 10 or more were banned in Virginia the day after, and the state issued a stay-at-home order a week later, reports NBC News.
The church announced the pastor’s passing on Sunday in a video posted to Facebook.
“It is with an exceedingly sorrowful and heavy heart that I come to you this morning and regret to inform you that last night, April 11th, at 9 p.m., our father, Bishop Gerald Glenn, transitioned from labor to reward,” said church elder Bryan Nevers in a Facebook post.
According to his daughter, Mar-Gerie Crawley, Glenn initially believed his symptoms were caused by a preexisting condition.
“He has diverticulitis, so it's not uncommon for him to get fevers or you know virus or sinus infection," she told WTVR.
After going to urgent care, his symptoms worsened.
"The next day he was very lethargic, so my mom decided that evening, once his breathing became labored, she took him back and at that point they kept him," Crawley said. "They did the COVID-19 test on him and we got it back that day and it was positive."
He was put on a ventilator to aid in his breathing.
His wife, Marcietia Glenn, along with the couple’s son and two of their daughters, have also tested positive for the virus.
“It’s been very hard to go through something like this with the isolation on top of it,” Marcietia told WRIC.
She described her husband as compassionate.
“He just loved people,” she said. “I believe the Lord gave him that kind of love.”
Crawley said her father’s last service was held to aid those who were scared, not to challenge the social distancing orders. After watching her father contract the virus, Crawley is now urging everyone to stay home.
"It becomes very real to you," she said. "I just beg people to understand the severity and the seriousness of this because people are saying it's not just about us, it's about everyone around us."
The family is leaning on their faith to get them through the tragedy.
“We’ve been through so many hard things,” Marcietia said. “So many difficult things that we know the only thing that got us through was our faith in God.”
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