Heights Baptist Church in Medicine Hat is part of over 80 churches in the country that have publically stated thier defiance towards the public health restrictions ( Tiffany Goodwien/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Two Medicine Hat churches to flout COVID-19 restrictions this Easter Sunday

Apr 3, 2021 | 5:21 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB– A pair of churches in Medicine Hat are among dozens of churches across the country who have agreed to flout government-imposed restrictions on church services this Easter.

Heights Baptist Church and Grace Family Reform Baptist Church are listed on the Liberty Coalition Canada website under their We Will Gather 2021 initiative. Roughly 80 churches are included on the page pledging to operate without restrictions.

Heights Baptist Church Pastor Patrick Schoenberger told CHAT News that their decision to operate in defiance of Alberta Health is due to their belief that church is an essential service.

“Christians believe in worshipping god. Scripture calls us to not neglect the gathering of ourselves together and so we believe the physical gathering of the church is very important,” he said.

The church pastor also said they need to open their doors to bring hope to the greater community, which he argues has been hurting immensely since pandemic restrictions were imposed.

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“ We see over this past year an increase in isolation, loneliness, despair, depression, hopelessness, and of course it leads to things like suicide, and domestic violence and addiction and so this is really our way to just counter some of that hopelessness,” he said.

One of the churches listed on the Liberty Coalition Canada website is GraceLife Church. Last Month, their pastor James Coates was formally charged with two violations of the public health order and failing to comply with a condition of his undertaking.

When asked by CHAT News if Schoenberger is worried about similar consequences for breaching the public health order, Schoenberger said he believes flouting the order is the right thing to do.

“ We believe this is something worth doing, and you know I think Canadians have to be reminded that these are charter rights, you know the freedom of religion, freedom of worship,” he said.

Heights Baptist Church, is currently taking legal action against the province of Alberta, arguing the public health orders are unconstitutional.

Under the public health order, face masks are mandatory, and churches are restricted to 15 per cent of their fire code capacity, something Schoenberger strongly disagrees with.

“People need each other, they need the Lord, and it would just be cruel to turn people away based on a 15 per cent capacity limit.

Multiple messages and calls to Grace Family Reform Baptist Church went unanswered by deadline.

But their website states they are “fully open and meeting,”