According to CBS News
A church in Mississippi burned down this week and the incident is now being investigated as arson, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to CBS News First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs had previously defied stay-at-home orders to open for services, and the church even sued the city of Holly Springs for trying to shut down a Bible study gathering.
Investigators said they found graffiti on the church property reading: “Bet you stay home now you hypokrites.”
“I am heartbroken and furious,” Governor Tate Reeves tweeted on Thursday, sharing a photo of the now-destroyed First Pentecostal Church. “In Mississippi, a church was just burned to the ground. They had been trying to open services.”
In April, First Pentecostal Church sued the city, claiming that Holly Springs police officers disrupted a “peaceful mid-week Bible Study and shut it down on threat of criminal citations for violation of Holly Springs’ Stay Home Order, despite the fact that Plaintiffs were practicing social distancing and complying with all applicable health requirements,” according to the lawsuit.
The church also claims that police officers interrupted a worship service on Easter Sunday and issued a citation to Pastor Jerry Waldrop for violating the stay-at-home order. “Plaintiffs se