CC San Jose Continues to Battle in Religious Freedom Lawsuit

Continue to pray for Pastor Mike McClure of Calvary Christian Fellowship (CCF) in San Jose, CA, in the church’s ongoing legal battle against Santa Clara County. CCF is facing $2.87 million in fines for keeping its doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic, against county orders.  

On Thursday, Pastor Mike and Advocates for Faith & Freedom (AFF), the non-profit law firm representing him, appeared in a hearing in federal court. CCF is suing Santa Clara County and its officers for implementing and enforcing unconstitutional COVID-19 public health orders. “Plaintiffs seek to enjoin the Defendants from collecting one penny and seek a judgement that the Defendants violated the First Amendment and the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment,” according to AFF. 

The judge made no ruling on Thursday and indicated that the decision may be two months away. 

The day before the hearing, CCF posted to Facebook: “Our lawyers will be presenting all of their evidence against Santa Clara County and its officers, gathered over the last 18 months through the discovery and deposition process. Our hope and prayer is that, based on the evidence presented today, the judge will rule in our favor, and our case will not have to go to trial. This is the best possible outcome for our church.”

In addition to praying for the judge and lawyers at AFF, Mike emphasized, “Pray that God will be glorified today and that He will use this as another opportunity to bring more people to salvation.” 

Many consider this case to be one of the most notable examples of excess government overreach and persecution toward the Christian church in America.