RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Three members of a controversial North Carolina church have died from COVID-19 and some wonder who else could be infected, according to its attorney.
Many people believe the high number of COVID-19 cases in Rutherford County is connected to the Word of Faith Fellowship.
>> Have questions about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the Carolinas? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak -- CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
People have called for a lynching at the church, which is one of the largest in the county, or threatened to burn it down.
Word of Faith Fellowship shared photos of empty services during the last month as it transitioned to online congregations.
“Over the last several weeks, we have received some very disturbing threats directly and we’ve also observed disturbing threats online. It’s just gone way too far,” said Joshua Farmer, church attorney.
____________________
Related Coverage:
- Former Word of Faith Fellowship members share stories of abuse
- Minister at secretive North Carolina church sentenced for fraud
- Ex-sect members say prosecutors obstructed abuse cases at NC church
____________________
The church said it has been 100% compliant with COVID-19 guidelines but social media threats calling for an “old-time lynching” to burning the compound to the ground has gotten the attention of leaders.
A former member was charged with breaking and entering into a minister’s home over the weekend. Days earlier, he also posted comments on his Facebook page directed at the church.
“I think the people who are doing the threats are crazy,” said Courtney Aldridge, county resident. “This is ridiculous. You can’t just blame one church group with what’s going on here.”
>> We’ll bring you LIVE updates on Channel 9 Eyewitness News. Get extended coverage on the free WSOC Now app on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.
“I definitely wouldn’t make threats but still, I would be careful on what you do, especially with the pandemic going on,” resident Kali Pitman said.
Rutherford County has 120 confirmed cases of COVID-19 but the local health department is not identifying specific locations of any possible clusters because of privacy laws.
The attorney for the church said three members have died from the disease, but he believes they contracted it at an out-of-county health care location. He said the church acted early on to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Starting in March, we told any member, ‘If you have symptoms, if your family has symptoms or if you believe you’ve been exposed to anybody with symptoms, do not come to church, period,’” Farmer said.
Threats have also been made against the founder of the church. The church has alerted the sheriff’s office about the Facebook posts.
Channel 9 has reported on the Word of Faith Fellowship for years after members accused the church of being abusive and said church leaders beat and screamed at them to “expel demons.”
This browser does not support the video element.