Authorities cited concerns over sound amplification used during Sunday worship services in executing the closure order mandated by the City Council, which acted on a complaint from one neighbor near the church’s warehouse in the industrial district. To read more of the original complaint, please read Open-Air Worship.
The license agreement came following a meeting with the mayor Monday morning that included representatives of both the church and the mayor’s office. Participating on behalf of New Life Covenant were pastors Robert Reed and David Zapata, along with their legal counsel, Lidia Mendez, and the secretary of the Evangelical Council, David Rego. Representing the city were Mayor Angel García Seoane, a representative of City Hall, and a legal representative.
A letter was scheduled for presentation this morning to the Council of Oleiros, formally requesting the permanent license promised by the mayor, which would allow the church to reopen prior to this weekend’s worship services.
A core issue in the controversy was the sound level, especially the music used in the worship service and the amplification involved.
During Monday’s meeting, Reed asked the mayor to authorize the permanent license on condition that the church respect the maximum sound level of 82 decibels, which Reed says is established by law. Reed told Covenant News Service that the church had previously completed a sound test with a company whose name came from a list recommended by the mayor’s office. The intent was to document the level of sound during worship services to ensure it remained within allowable limits.
“The intention of the church was always to respect the obligations of the law and at the same time enjoy the religious liberty that the Spanish Constitution grants,” Reed says. The pastor suggested to the mayor that the city always has the ability to complete spot checks of the sound level to make certain they are not exceeding the limit.
Another issue centered around the question of whether or not the church had been prohibited from using sound amplification equipment in the granting of a provisional license before the church began operating. The city contended the provisional license did not allow it – the church pointed out that a council member had indicated the church could use the equipment.
At Monday’s meeting, the mayor corrected the order that prohibited the church from using amplification, Reed reports, quoting the mayor as saying, “one cannot prohibit the use of amplification, but it is possible to demand that the norms against excessive noise be respected.”
“New Life Covenant Church expressed its satisfaction at the mayor’s position in granting the license and opening the church,” Reed notes.
