Posted on 04/13/2021 3:21:12 AM PDT by A Formerly Proud Canadian
GraceLife Church held an in-person service at an undisclosed location Sunday after Alberta Health Services (AHS) erected metal fencing around the building last week for violating COVID-19 health orders. The Parkland County church posted a video to YouTube on Monday of the service, which was led by pastor James Coates. During the service, Coates described the actions by AHS as having “jailed” the church’s facility. AHS with assistance from RCMP shuttered the building last Wednesday after months of defiance of provincial health orders.
It’s unclear where exactly the church held its Sunday service but one performer on the video described it as an “underground church.”
Grace Community Church pastor John MacArthur, who lives in Southern California and is a teacher of Coates, said in a separate video that he received a letter from Coates about holding a service without disclosing its location to the public.
“It’s amazing to have an underground church in Canada,” he said to a surge of cheers and chuckles from the congregation.
“The government of Alberta triple-fenced the church in and locked it so people couldn’t go there. There are no legitimate reasons for doing what they did. This is a first for the western world to have the government lockout believers from church and that after imprisoning James Coates … in a maximum-security prison. They led him away in chains.”
The church’s shuttering came after it held two packed services over the Easter weekend in violation of a closure order issued in January for previously flouting COVID-19 restrictions. Coates, who has led several services in recent months, was ticketed in December and then jailed in February for 35 days after refusing to follow court orders. He was released on March 22 from the Edmonton Remand Centre. The video follows a massive protest on Sunday where roughly 400 people gathered outside the church.
The current health measures for faith services include limiting in-person attendance to 15 per cent of fire code capacity, physically distancing between households and mandatory masks. The province encourages virtual or online services.
What Heinrich Himmler, er, Tyler Shandro, the Minister of Health in Alberta, tried to do, failed. You try to prevent Christian church services in public, you drive them underground. It is in persecution that The Church grows! Keep up the good work, Shandro and Premier Kenney, so called 'conservatives'. BTW, Kenney calls himself a Christian. What a hypocrite!
Albert’s gone from having a Premier nicknamed “Bible Bill” to having one whose nickname is “Comrade Kenney”.
Criminal government and once again, 200 compliant cops who want to keep their pay check show up to intimidate the people.
That’s why I joined an Alberta separatist political party last week. Kenney can KMA.
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Any cops who believe in the Canadian Constitution, have now been put behind desks or pushed to retire. The only cops on the streets in Kanadahar (Canada) have drank deeply of the COVID kool-aid. We are a fascist state now.
Underground church services in Canada?! Is the USA next? Who would have ever believed it possible?
Anyone doubting that the devil and his minions are using Covid as a tool to try to destroy followers of Christ, is a fool!
The church will not be eliminated!
Wildrose independence party?
I texted Travis Toews last night that I’m done and actively working against their party. I will do all that I can to make sure they are gone. It was only a few weeks ago I went to his ranch and talked. He said it was almost over etc. Well, he said quite a few things. Turns out he’s just another politician.
We need a DJT in this country. Unfortunately, we are pretty much SOL.
I’m sure Alberta Health Services and the Mounties are shuttering the local mosques, amirite?
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