Chicago pastor's sermon goes viral amid coronavirus pandemic

CHICAGO - A Chicago pastor is taking a different stance on reopening and his sermon about it is going viral.

Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Fuller Park has been closed since March 12. The pastor has been preaching virtually, and the last minute of his most recent Sunday service has touched people all across the world.

“We're not coming back to church until the Lord -- the righteous judge -- sweeps me up out of my sleep and says it's time to come back to the building,” Pastor Reginald Sharpe, Jr. said during his Sunday sermon.

The 29-year-old used the last minute of his virtual Sunday service to talk about churches opening before they are legally allowed to.

“You don’t have to call us, you don't have to email me, you don't have to DM me. We ain’t coming back up in here until it is absolutely safe,” he said.

The video is inching towards one-million views.

Christian Comedian Kevin Fredericks, known as “Kev” on stage, has over 3-million followers. He recorded a comedy skit using the video and from there it took off.

“Don’t send carrier pigeon, don’t send a raven from Game of Thrones,” Fredericks said.

Pastor Sharpe, Jr. is a PhD student who oversees a congregation of 4,000. He was only on the job two months when coronavirus hit.

Sadly, five of his church members lost their lives because of COVID-19.

“Until you have to walk a family across that grass at a cemetery and watch that casket lowered down... You really don’t understand why I am so passionate saying, y’all we aren’t coming back right now,” the pastor said.

Three churches, including Elim Romanian Penecostal in Albany Park, did open. The city fined them all.

Pastor Sharpe, Jr. says he will be obedient however long it takes to protect his members.

“I am willing to wait until 2021,” he said.

Wealthy businessman Willie Wilson says he will pay the $500 fine for each church that disobeyed the state’s shutdown order.