Cornerstone Church reopens doors Sunday morning with capacity limit

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno's Cornerstone Church is reopening for in-person services Sunday morning.

Pastor Jim Franklin held a news conference on Saturday to announce that he is moving forward with those plans.

His decision comes after a divided U.S. Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal on Saturday by a California church that challenged state limits on attendance at worship services.

Franklin believes the limits are unconstitutional because they differ between churches and other establishments.

However, Chief Justice John Roberts said the restrictions appear consistent with the First Amendment.

"We're here in our theater today," Franklin said during the news conference. "As you look around you'll see each seat that is marked with a piece of paper. You can see the seats that will be empty tomorrow. You can see the social distancing that will be in this place tomorrow. People will be kept safe."

Franklin says the church has already reached its limit for the number of people who have pre-registered for the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services Sunday morning.

He hopes to be able to increase the number of people allowed to attend in the near future, but online services are also still available.