“Neither Gov. Newsom nor any other state representative has the authority to dictate what is and what is not ‘essential’ to Christian worship," says Steve Meister, a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, who organized a letter to the California governor asking him to ease restrictions on religious gatherings. (Photo: Immanuel Baptist Church) His church building in Sacramento is little more than a mile from the California State Capitol, where stringent COVID-19 restrictions originate, so the Rev. Steve Meister easily could make it there and back on his lunch break. Meister, a Bay Area native and lifelong California resident, has lived in various regions of the state but has called Sacramento home for 12 years, since he became a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church.