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South Side pastor has strong message on in-person services
It was a year ago on May 20, 2020, when Pastor Reginald Sharpe Jr. went on a journey that involved a lot of heartbreak, pain and prayer.
CHICAGO - It was a year ago on May 20, 2020, when Pastor Reginald Sharpe Jr. went on a journey that involved a lot of heartbreak, pain and prayer.
Sharpe was only 29-years-old at the time. He moved to Chicago from the south to lead Fellowship Chicago church on the South Side.
Only two months on the job, the church was forced to pivot and go virtual as the coronavirus pandemic reared its ugly head.
"The last time we spoke was May of 2020 and since then we have buried well over 20 people that have passed specifically because of COVID-19," said 30-year-old Pastor Reginald Sharpe, Jr.
The church still hasn’t reopened.
Pastor Sharpe went viral in May of 2020, when during the church announcements he made quite the announcement of his own.
"We won’t return into this building until the Lord wakes me up out of my sleep, slaps me three times," he had said at the time.
That video has been viewed on YouTube well over a million times.
"I am looking forward to a soft reopening in the summer, so the people would be shocked to hear that I am no longer saying that we aren’t coming back up in here," Pastor Sharpe recently said.
The city is now in the Bridge Phase of reopening, and guidelines show the church could reopen at 60% capacity.
But for now, services will remain virtual.
Come late June, some 50 to 60 members will be allowed to worship in person. They will have to register for their seats online.
"Even when you come back in, you will still have to keep a mask on," said Sharpe.
The pastor says the world has shifted during the coronavirus pandemic and he is now preaching a new message for 2021.
"I am encouraging people to get vaccinated because the day may come where you can’t come in unless you’ve been vaccinated," said Sharpe.
Fellowship Chicago is teaming up with the City of Chicago. The vaccination bus will administer shots to anyone 12-year-old and up at 4543 S. Princeton Ave, Chicago, IL 60609. The date and time will be Sunday, May 23, 2021 from 2-4 p.m.
You can register at fellowshipchicago.com.