Thu Nov 17, 2022 – 2:01 pm EST
CRESTON, British Columbia (The Justice for Constitutional Freedoms) — The Justice Centre is pleased that the Crown has dropped the charge against Pastor David Ripley of Grace Christian Fellowship, who was personally ticketed for allegedly violating a provincial health order.
The provincial health orders issued by Dr. Bonnie Henry during the final months of 2020 prohibited in-person worship services – entirely.
In carefully reading the document, Ripley found a particular clause allowing people to attend houses of worship for prayer and reflection. The local public authorities he called, including the mayor, the fire chief and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), confirmed his understanding that the provincial health order permitted him to open his church for prayer and reflection. So, Ripley opened up the church on Sunday mornings, roped off pews to ensure physical distancing and complied with the public health guidance. There was no singing, no preaching. The people who came prayed and read Scripture.
On January 3, 2021, as a small number of individuals attended Grace Christian Fellowship for prayer and reflection, two RCMP cruisers pulled up on the property. Ripley’s wife Gina showed them the
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