Aylmer, Ont., church sticks to drive-in service after weeks of defiance
Sofia Rodriguez | CBC | Posted: February 7, 2021 6:34 PM | Last Updated: February 7, 2021
'This service is an olive branch. It is not consent,' Pastor Henry Hildebrandt said Sunday during the service
After two weeks in defiance of Ontario's emergency orders, a church in Aylmer, Ont., said it's extending an "olive branch" Sunday and kept its service to a drive-in format instead of allowing parishioners to gather indoors.
About 50 vehicles attended the Church of God's Sunday service, honking their horns as the church leader affirmed their freedom to gather for religious purposes and called the restriction of solely allowing drive-in services "unconstitutional." At one point during the service, several people stepped out of their vehicles briefly, but never entered the church itself.
"This drive-in service this morning is a gesture of conciliation, not an act of consent," said Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who lead the service from an outdoor stage. "This service is an olive branch. It is not consent."
"So according to the law in Canada, in Ontario, I welcome you, everyone that's on this parking lot, to act like you are at Costco or Walmart. So we will not gather. We will not form a gathering, but you are not a prisoner to your car."
Past events
For the past two Sundays, the church has been holding indoor services, allowing dozens to gather and sing inside the church with no physical distancing or masks despite provincial gathering limits to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The indoor gatherings have resulted in charges to several congregants alongside a church leader and the church corporation itself under the Reopening Ontario Act.
On Thursday, the Ministry of the Attorney General issued a cease and desist order requesting the church provide a formal pledge saying it would comply with provincial orders and not hold indoor gatherings of more than 10 people.
On Friday evening, after the church missed its deadline to indicate whether they'd comply with requirements or not, the ministry was granted an interim court order restraining the church from contravening the Reopening Ontario Act.
"That escalates things now," said Lisa Bildy, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms who is representing the church. "If they breach it, not only do they get charges which are bad enough, but now they also face contempt of court proceedings."
"The church is taking the position that they are because they know they have the constitutional protection for peaceful assembly, for conscience, for religion ... Now, of course, restrictions are permissible in certain circumstances, but the onus is on the government to prove that those those violations of our freedoms are justified," Bildy added.
Sunday's hour-long service went peacefully with congregants following orders and staying in their vehicles.
Aylmer Police Service also made an appearance Sunday with a cruiser passing by.
The church will be back in court on Friday when a judge will determine if the court order is permanent. At that point, Bildy said, she will be raising some constitutional arguments.
"We will pray for next Friday as the judges convene again. Let's pray that somebody in there would wake up and recognize, 'what are we doing with our charter?'" Hildebrandt said at the end of the service.