Congregation limits resisted
Palmerston North’s All Saints vicar Nigel Dixon has added his voice to protests about Covid-19 level 2 rules that prevent worship services going ahead.
Dixon said it showed a huge disrespect for spirituality that church groups were relied on to help welfare efforts, but not trusted to meet for worship while maintaining physical distancing.
It particularly rankled that sport and business, particularly pubs and bars, were being given greater freedom to congregate than churches.
‘‘A rugby scrum isway more intimate than anything that will happen in a church.’’
And he said he did not see how rules for seating groups of up to 10 separately in bars would not lead to groups mingling. Dixon said the rules were inconsistent, providing freedoms for almost everyone, except churches.
He said he was not sure where to take his objections next.
‘‘But if we are silent, that’s a bit limp. I don’t want to roll over and say ‘it’s OK’.’’
Dixon’s comments echo those of the Salvation Army, that spiritual wellbeing had not been given enough respect.
Salvation Army Ma¯ori ministry director Ian Hutson said the restrictions showed a lack of trust in iwi, hapu¯ and community groups to work within the Covid-19 guidelines.
A joint churches’ submission to the Government asked for Sunday church services to be considered an essential service.
It asked for the numbers at church services to increase in line with other commercial and social events able to be held under level 2.
But another Palmerston North minister, Ian Boddy at Wesley Methodist, said he could see the wisdom of keeping low the number of people allowed to congregate.
‘‘Churches are notorious for the culture of hugging, especially over the last 20 years.’’