A Virginia pastor who defied orders against large gatherings, holding a church service, contracted the coronavirus and died within a week, according to the New York Post.
Bishop Gerald O. Glenn vowed to keep preaching "unless I'm in jail or the hospital," holding a church service at Richmond's New Deliverance Evangelistic Church on March 22 and asking his congregation to stand to prove defiance of orders against large gatherings, per the Post.
The church announced his death Sunday, within one week of having tested positive for COVID-19, according to the report.
"I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus," Bishop Glenn had reportedly said. "You can quote me on that.
"I am essential. I'm a preacher — I talk to God!"
And now he is with Him.
His wife, Marcietia Glenn, is also COVID-19 positive and his daughter, Mar-Gerie Crawley is now urging people to stay home and obey social distancing guidelines.
"It becomes very real to you," she told WTVR, per the Post.
"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."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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