COVID-19 spike, deaths after church event 'unfortunate' but part of God's plan, says pastor
CBC
The pastor of a church that hosted an event linked to a COVID-19 spike in Nova Scotia and three deaths told his parishioners this week that what happened is "unfortunate," but it is all part of God's plan.
Robert Smith, the pastor of Gospel Light Baptist Church in Amherst, N.S., held his first in-person service in three weeks on Sunday and live streamed video of his sermon on Facebook.
At the end of October, Smith's church hosted a multi-day gathering of faith groups from across the province. Public Health officials have said more than 100 people attended and were not asked to show proof of vaccination — a violation of public health orders.
"I followed what God wanted us to do," Smith said from the pulpit. "We had a great week of meetings … a young lady got saved."
Watch Smith's comments below:
Three people have died in the past week of COVID-19 — one at a group home in Amherst and two at a long-term care home in Pugwash, N.S. — and the province has said those cases trace back to the Gospel Light event.
Community spread in the northern and western health zones is "primarily associated" with last month's religious event, according to the province.
The number of hospitalizations and people in intensive care with COVID-19 has jumped in recent days, prompting Premier Tim Houston to issue a statement Monday saying he was "very upset and concerned" by the current outbreaks.
Smith equated the response his church has received to persecution.
Several times throughout his 30-minute sermon, Smith said people are trying to shame his community, but he urged his parishioners to resist internalizing the feeling, saying it's Satan, "trying to drag us down."
"The Bible says 'all things work together for good.' Hey, some of the things, people that we know that's in hospitals and stuff, that still applies, too," he said.
Smith has not responded to repeated requests for an interview.
Public Health officials have previously said that about 70 per cent of the religious community that attended last month's event was fully vaccinated, and that the community has been co-operative with contact tracing and testing.
Proof of vaccination is not required at regular religious services, for instance, Gospel Light's Sunday church service. But it is required at any other events hosted by faith groups, such as Gospel Light's "week of meetings."