Trinity Bible Chapel pastor speaks to ‘crackdown’ on in-church service, fines

After two consecutive weeks of visits from regional bylaw and police, Woolwich’s Trinity Bible Chapel is facing a maximum fine of $10 million dollars, while three elders and several pastors face potential jail time and a fine up to $100,000. Finally opting for drive-in service and limited gatherings, Pastor Jacob Reaume said those fines may have contributed in a very minor way to the decision – though he believes the province shouldn’t be under a wide-spread lock down in the first place.

Speaking as a guest on Kitchener Today with Brian Bourke on 570 NEWS, Reaume said the church’s decision to gather in-person was a ‘matter of sincerely held religious belief’, as he said virtual gatherings are not nearly as effective in delivering the spiritual service he provides when compared to an in-person service. While the church had shut down as mandated in the first lock down, Reaume said he saw among the people of his church that isolation had adversely affected them – and that switching to an online model for service would have made it impossible to form meaningful relationships in the long term.

“Christ did not come among us to minister among the sick and needy as pixilated imaged – he came as a man…” said Reaume. “These are deeply, sincerely held religious beliefs that we possess, and these are certainly not distinct from what the church has taught for a very long time.”

Six elders of Trinity Bible Chapel were charged under the Reopening Ontario Act for church services on Sunday, December 27th. After continuing to defy public health guidelines, those elders were again charged along with three pastors and the church itself for gathering on January 3rd.

Reaume stressed the importance of staying open, as he said church is not just a teaching but a gathering. Reaume maintained that it’s difficult for people who don’t have deep roots in the church to understand the situation – as he said members of his congregation love going to church and were willing to risk fines to be together.

“They love being with each other – and if people love being with each other, I see it as cold hearted and cruel to prevent that.”

On the pandemic, Reaume said he doesn’t believe the lock down should be going on – as he said churches and small businesses are being ‘scapegoated for some terrible reasons’. The pastor said if people chose to shut off their source of news and the internet for an extended period, they likely wouldn’t notice the effects of COVID-19 at all unless they worked in the Long Term Care Industry – something he was sure to clearly state he empathized with.

“I absolutely believe in the science – a lot of what’s being thrust upon us is sensationalized reporting and fear mongering…” said Reaume. “There’s people that die every day (…) COVID-19 is a factor, but not the ultimate factor. How many people die a day of smoking? How many people die a day of car accidents? Living in a free society is about learning as a responsible adult how to assess risk and reward.”

The pastor said he had no idea why the provincial government was reacting to the pandemic in the way they have been – while he said he sees the confusion and uncertainty of the pandemic as a spiritual issue.

“One of the things that happens when a society comes under judgement of god is that people are thrown into confusion…” said Reaume. “I’m sitting back and seeing a society that has rejected the law of God intentionally and wondering if we’re sitting under divine judgement at the moment.”

When asked whether Trinity Bible Chapel would continue to adhere to the Reopening Ontario Act guidelines for in-person gathering, Reaume said the church will be taking matters ‘day by day’, though he expressed further frustration toward the provincial government’s ‘constant moving of the goal posts’.

“When we were told to shut down in March it was two weeks to flatten the curve – and now here we are in January. One minute the premier says kids are going to school… then they aren’t going to school…” said Reaume. “It flip-flops every day. We don’t know what’s going on – and I don’t think this is a fair way to treat a population.”

Reaume said there were some members of his church that made the decision to not attend in-person gatherings, as he said that his belief is that adults should be able to ‘make their own choices and assess their own risks’. The pastor said he was taken-aback to see a community that took pride in the autonomy of the individual suddenly allow their decisions to be made for them by the provincial government.

“… if you want to stay home, that’s your choice. If you want to come to church and receive a blessing, come to church. This is the way it should be in the community…” said Reaume. “I’m actually floored over a society that has been so proud of the fact… my choice is my choice (…) and then, boom, it just flipped. I think that should startle anyone…”

On the next steps for his church, Reaume said they’ll be working to figure our how to best care for their people. The church has also since retained the legal counsel of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF), who plan to represent Trinity Bible Chapel in court. A message on the church’s website says they will no longer hold in-person gatherings at the advice of the JCCF – until the end of the lock down period on January 23rd.

“People are in absolute despair – if there’s ever a time for the church’s doors to be open (…) if there ever was a time for a message of hope it’s right now. I want to do what I can to make that message available and see to it they don’t fall prey to the despair that is setting on so many people right now.”

Trinity Bible Chapel has also posted a notice on its front door reminding visitors that preventing a member of the clergy from discharging his duties and disrupting worship gatherings “are not only offences to God” (…) but also “indictable offences under Section 176 of the Criminal Code of Canada.”