A COVID-Denying Pastor Died of COVID-19. Now His Family Has the Virus, Too.

Last week, I mentioned that Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, who led Richmond, Virginia’s New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, had died of COVID-19. It happens shortly after giving a sermon in which he bragged about how full his church was despite the threat of COVID-19, saying, “God is larger than this dreaded virus.”

He ignored all the advice out there about limiting public gatherings or canceling in-person church services.

He paid the ultimate price for his ignorance.

After he died, his daughter Mar-Gerie Crawley begged people to take the virus seriously by staying home, perhaps because her mother was also sick.

It turns out her mother Marcietia — Glenn’s wife — is indeed infected with COVID-19.

And so is Mar-Gerie.

And so is her husband Derrick.

And so is her sister Amanda.

She wrote in a Facebook post that all of them were “currently fighting this virus” but that they would “continue to believe God for healing.” I don’t mind ignoring that last part, but the whole statement is a reminder that this virus is spreading quickly, and gathering in one place (like church) is quite possibly the worst thing anyone can do right now.

On Friday, she released a Facebook video saying everyone was feeling better. That’s great. She also said she’s developed antibodies to the virus.

While I hope her family gets well soon, she said in that video that “God is still bigger than this virus.” If the death of her father doesn’t convince her that the virus has a mind of its own, nothing will. Let’s hope the congregation comes to the obvious conclusion a little more quickly.

In the meantime, this take is unfortunately all too accurate: