After police shut down the service at New Hope Community Church in Llanrumney, Cardiff. Pastor Mclennan came out to say that it is not moral and legal for the government to order places of worship to lockdown to the public during the lockdown.
On Sunday evening, the police showed up at the service after they have received calls from neighbours. When entering the service, the congregation were told that they were gathering illegally and that they had to continue worshiping at home.
Pastor McLennan said it was an upsetting moment for some church members and believes the government shouldn’t have the right to stop public worship.
“It was quite distressing for many of them,” he said, “One of our older ladies, she actually went home and what she said to us is she cried all night long.Worship is something that’s given to us by God. It’s not something that’s actually given to us through government, that’s given to you by your Creator.”
“One of the things in Wales is you can’t sing. The Christian faith is one that singing has always been a part. We have an entire book of the Bible given towards singing, it’s the centrepiece of the scriptures.”
The church went along with the police order, but Pastor McLennan will probably have another service coming Sunday.
“We’re not a lawless kind of people. We’re not out riding and destroying things but we wanted to gather, and certainly we should have the liberty to gather.”
The church has put the Covid -19 safety protocols in place for the safety of their members. The 150 member church holds three services every Sunday in order to obey social distancing rules.
“We support all faiths in Wales and have not stopped people from worshipping, but we face a very serious situation; people are dying every day as a result of coronavirus. We need everyone to work together to make this firebreak successful if we are to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed and even more people losing their lives over the weeks and months ahead.” – Welsh Government.
“We are absolutely aware of the serious impact loneliness can have on individuals, and we are determined to do everything we can to support people through these difficult times. We have made changes to our regulations to allow people to form an “extended household” if they live alone, whilst our Looking Out For Each Other campaign offers advice about how we can support others.”
South Wales Police said: “Officers followed the policing style which we have adopted throughout the pandemic of explaining the rules and encouraging people to comply. Officers moved outside the church to allow five minutes of prayer after which all those present left. No fixed penalty notices were issued.”
“We know civil restrictions are frustrating and disheartening for people, but by following them, we can all play a part in protecting our communities and the National Health Service.”
Last week a group of Christian leaders in Wales asked to First Minister Mark Drakeford to review the restrictions in placed and they also mentioned taking legal action against the Welsh Government for an “extreme interference” of the Human Rights Act.
Source: Premier Christian News