‘They’re certainly not alone;’ Tillsonburg pastor issues letter of support for Trinity Bible Chapel

After facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, and potentially millions in fines for the church, Woolwich-based Trinity Bible Chapel said it’s prepared to hold in-person church service once again – as early as Sunday. In a message to 570 NEWS, Trinity Bible Chapel pastor Jacob Reaume referenced Jesus Christ’s condemnation, and the imprisonment of his Apostles – as he said what the church is doing is what the Church has done for over 2,000 years; “We offer hope to a world in despair, and we invite people to come and worship the Father”.

Issuing a letter of full support to Trinity Bible Chapel’s Elders on Saturday was Faith Presbyterian Church pastor Steve Richardson – as he wrote that the Church “must continue to gather for worship with or without the permission of our civil authorities.” Speaking to his decision to support Trinity Bible Chapel, Richardson said he’d rather not speak to what his congregation is doing during the pandemic, though he did say that many congregations across Ontario continue to gather secretly.

“What’s happening here is … Jacob and the congregation at Trinity have been the public face because they’ve done what they’re doing publicly. They’ve had the courtesy and courage to communicate with the authorities, and of course, the consequences look rather steep,” said Richardson. “While the attention is currently falling on one congregation … they’re certainly not alone.”

When asked by Kitchener Today’s Brian Bourke as to why in-person congregation is such an important part of worship, Richardson said he feels there are two main reasons why churches continue to meet amidst a global pandemic – first of which being a concern for the community. Richardson said some elders and pastors believe there is a great deal of emotional, spiritual and economic damage being done to their communities, and find that the Church is desperately needed to address that.

“The greater concern … is our obligation to God. We are called by God to give him one day in seven. It’s a day that belongs to Him, and a day in which God’s people are called together corporately.” Said Richardson. “We must honour God rather than men – and biblically speaking – we know of no other Church than one that gathers.”

Richardson said elder members of the Church defying the Reopening Ontario Act are “law abiding people that respect authority” with great respect and admiration for the police, as he adds that it “feels weird for some of these men” to be on the wrong side of the law. Richardson added that members of the Church are accountable to God, and if He wants them to gather, then they must regardless of what authorities may say.

“I think there’s going to be growing support – I expect in the days ahead, maybe the next month, there’ll be a growing number of churches that decide to open publicly.” Said Richardson. “We’re very much concerned with our neighbours – we’ve been active for years in service of these communities… but we also recognize there’s something being neglected, and that is the emotional and spiritual side of people’s health, and of course what belongs to God – which is his worship”.

When asked whether he considered that the push to maintain in-person service may be viewed as selfish by some, Richardson said the reaction those making the effort to stay open may be different if the pandemic was more akin to something like the bubonic plague. Richardson said he’s aware that some people have suffered through the virus, and that it shouldn’t be disregarded, though he also argued that the Centre for Disease Control has said COVID-19 has a low mortality rate, and that most will get the virus, be a bit sick and then return to normal.

“We know there are tremendous consequences economically – we’re seeing them and are going to see them for years to come. There are also emotional consequences – we know suicide rates are up, hotlines are busier than they’ve ever been…” said Richardson. “There is that other side – the pre-eminent issue is what belongs to God. That, as Christians, we live and exist for His glory. And if he wants us to gather for worship, we must do so.”

Richardson said he “absolutely” feels as though his religious rights are being infringed upon by the provincial government in being forced to close, as he said it’s disingenuous for them to insist otherwise while telling the Church how it can function. The pastor maintained that there are two Kingdoms – that of the World and that of King Jesus – and the government has “no business in meddling in what goes on in the Church”

“Four of the commandments pertain to our love of god – all four have to do with corporate worship. For us to set those aside would be a pretty serious compromise on our part.” Said Richardson. “Five years ago, if you were to say, ‘you’re allowed to worship and pray privately, you just can’t gather with your churches’ I think most of the communities would be stunned that the government dare do such a thing.”

“The fact that we’ve got to this place where we allow the government or feel comfortable with the government taking such things from us… I think that’s frightening.”