Police block church door to halt service
POLICE were forced to block the entrance of a church after a pastor vowed to hold Sunday service in defiance of lockdown rules because he “serves a greater good”.
Lead pastor Regan King, 28, had vowed to hold a full indoor church service at the Angel in north London during an interview with BBC Radio 4 yesterday morning.
But following his radio interview, the Met Police were alerted to his plans and four officers arrived at the church around 9.15am to stop a group of 30 worshippers entering the premises.
Police allowed 15 people who were attending a support group for vulnerable adults to remain inside, while another 15 took part in a socially distanced outdoor service nearby.
Asked why he had planned to breach the restrictions, Mr King said: “Because I believe we serve a greater good.”
Referring to the police presence, he said: “This is not something I ever wanted. This is an essential service that we provide. It’s about loving our neighbour, and you can talk with a number of people here who are extremely vulnerable, homeless or on the verge of being very isolated.” A Met Police spokesman said: “Officers explained that due to Covid, restrictions are in place preventing gatherings and that financial penalties can be applied if they are breached.
“The pastor agreed not to process with the baptism or the in-person indoor service. A brief socially distanced outdoor gathering was held instead which was agreed to by officers as a sensible compromise in the circumstances. A support group for vulnerable adults was permitted to proceed as normal as it was in line with the relevant registration.”
A 22-year-old man from Lambeth, who took part in the outdoor service but did not want to be named, said: “While the restrictions allow people to go to the supermarket to get food, I think there needs to be consideration for spiritual food as well.”