Local churches seeking the province’s permission to reopen for public worship
More than 245 churches in province sign letter, including five from this area
More than 245 churches from across Ontario have signed a letter asking Premier Doug Ford to allow them to reopen — and five local churches are among them. The local churches that have signed the letter are: á Hill City Baptist Church on Argyle Street á Braidwood Bible Chapel on Braidwood Avenue
Westmount Bible Chapel on Clonsilla Avenue á Gilmour Memorial Baptist Church on Chemong Road in Selwyn Township á Victory Baptist Church on Lansdowne Street West in Cavan Monaghan Township
The letter to Ford asks that churches be open for public worship by June. It proposes to open churches on Sundays at 40 per cent capacity to allow for physical distance between parishioners.
The provincial government’s emergency orders during the COVID-19 pandemic prohibit gatherings of more than five people — and that has kept churches closed for weeks.
But the letter says it’s unreasonable to keep the faithful from gathering for prayer or to prevent pastors from ministering to the gravely ill in hospital, for instance.
Just outside Peterborough city limits, there have been drive-in services for seven weeks in the large parking lot at Victory Baptist Church on Lansdowne Street West.
Rev. Wayne Jupp of Victory Baptist — a signatory to the letter — wrote in an email to The Examiner on Friday that “worship is an essential service.”
The right to assemble peacefully and to practice a religion are enshrined in Canadian law, Jupp points out.
Yet churchgoers are being asked to forego their “God-given responsibility” to gather, he notes, while the work the church does to help the marginalized has also been curbed.
Jupp added that it is “greatly disturbing” that clergy isn’t allowed into hospitals in the pandemic, calling it “cruel to people of faith who are ill.”
When asked whether he’s concerned about the health of the elders that come to church, Jupp said he is — he’s a senior citizen himself.
Precautions can be taken to reduce the chance of spreading coronavirus at church, he wrote — people could wear masks to
“We loath to become civilly disobedient, but some may eventually feel compelled if unheard. We must obey God rather than man.”
REV. WAYNE JUPP VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH
services, for example, and any seniors who remains concerned about their health may choose not to attend church. But people should have that choice, Jupp wrote: it’s unreasonable for the government to choose for them.
Churchgoers have been patient with the closures so far, but Jupp doesn’t think the provincial government ought to go unquestioned on this matter any longer.
“We loath to become civilly disobedient, but some may eventually feel compelled if unheard,” he wrote.
“We must obey God rather than man.”
No comment on the letter was available late Friday from medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra.
The CBC reported earlier in the week that it asked for a statement from Ford regarding the request to reopen churches across Ontario, and received the following statement from spokesperson Ivana Yelich:
“It’s important we remain vigilant to avoid additional surges or waves. Our focus is on ensuring the health and safety of Ontarians by ensuring people continue to follow the public health measures in place, including handwashing, social distancing and avoiding public gatherings.
“Ontarians have done a good job so far and health experts are looking at how measures can be scaled back and reduced as we plan the next stages of reopening our province. But as always, we will continue to rely on our chief medical officer of health, Dr. Williams.”
To see the letter and all the signatories, see: https:// www.reopenontariochurches.ca/