Madison, WI – Wisconsin Family Council has sent a letter to Governor Tony Evers asking him to immediately clarify and correct what county departments have been telling churches about holding Easter-related services in their parking lots with people staying in their cars while they attend the service.

Earlier today, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) sent Governor Evers a letter laying out the legal issues involved and asking that he “clarify, correct, and restrain local government officials who are using Emergency Order #12 …to ban drive up religious services conducted in accordance with social distancing guidelines.”

Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Council, commented, “Numerous legal opinions made it clear that the governor’s Emergency Order No. 12 allows for parking-lot services, a position also held by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Council. Never has Wisconsin needed strong churches and ministries more than now. Our citizens need to be able to safely, and within the orders from officials, worship together, especially at Easter. The governor and his administration should be looking for ways to encourage that rather than to completely dismiss that idea, which is what county health departments have told churches. We have asked the governor for an immediate response so that churches and worshippers may appropriately gather during this Easter season.

“We are grateful to WILL for quickly reminding the Governor of the legal issues and for calling on him to urgently clarify and correct this situation.”

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 Wisconsin Family Council is a statewide organization engaged in strengthening, preserving and promoting marriage, family, life and religious liberty in Wisconsin.

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