I’m sure many of you who were not at church this past Sunday are curious as to what happened. Media painted a Sunday morning church service as a big showdown between a renegade pastor and police to make a story where there was none.
It is true, Calgary Police and Peace Officers did show up in a large display of force as Sunday School was finishing. They took many photos, noted license plates, and counted everyone going into and out of the building. Attendees had to make their way through groups of law enforcement and media cameras to enter or exit. Officers remained outside our doors and around the building for hours. It was a very intimidating experience.
To be clear (with video evidence), there were zero heated conversations. There was no standoff. There was no sign on the door that said, “We are not beholden to earthly authorities.” We simply asked them not to enter during our service, pointing them to the Criminal Code (Section 176) which criminalizes the disruption of a religious service or its solemnity. They were free and welcomed to enter before or after the service to perform any inspections—and that’s what they did.
After the service was done, I spoke with police and a health inspector. I thanked them for their patience and respect for our gathering. I mentioned to the police officer in charge that the Bible speaks highly of them as they are servants of God to punish the wrongdoer (Romans 13:4). I expressed sympathy for the loss of a fellow officer in the line of duty and welcomed them to come into the church. They took measurements to get a better count of the maximum occupancy and took note of some of the changes we made since last week (we posted the Alberta COVID signs on the doors and provided disposable masks at the entrance). Our goal is to accommodate as much as we can without interfering with the essential elements of the Lord’s Day worship. No fines were given, and the health inspector will send me the report this week.
Now I know this story wouldn’t make much of a headline. I’m not sure why there were so many officers there. It may be a form of intimidation to discourage us (and others) from gathering.
All this attention for a small group of healthy people, brothers and sisters in Christ, joined together in a covenant with God and with each other. People gathered to sing, give thanks, pray, hear the words of God read and preached, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper according to Jesus’ commands.
Through this, we’ve been portrayed as something we are not. We are not COVID deniers. We are not political activists. We are not seeking a platform—in fact, this attention started with a publicly published AHS report after a complaint was filed against the church. We are not troublemakers—I’ve been in contact with AHS the last few weeks via phone and email and our conversations are always cordial and polite. We are not super-spreaders—we’ve never had a COVID case in or connected to our church. And I’ve been portrayed as driven by money and popularity—laughable for those who know me.
In reality, our church community represents a diverse group of people who have one thing in common—we have been reconciled to the living God through His Son, Jesus Christ. When it comes to COVID-19, lockdowns, and gathering for worship at this time, there are a variety of opinions and convictions represented in our church. Yet as a church, we’ve sought to respect each other, give grace to those who disagree, and provide options to gather or watch online. We all seek to be faithful in our commitments to God, to government, to our fellow church family, and to our community of neighbors. However, our first and foremost allegiance is to follow the will of God, to whom we all must give an account.
From the beginning of this pandemic, we’ve maintained that decisions about your health are yours to make. I’m not sure what the future holds. Please pray. Counsel is welcome. I’ll be in touch later in the week with regard to this coming Sunday.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7).