True Discernment

from Lighthouse Trails Research:

Here in New Zealand, we are opening up after Auckland, our largest city, has been in lockdown for quite a while. We have been going to the Salvation Army in _____________. They have now decided that because of the new restrictions coming into place this Friday they will not allow people without a vaccine passport to attend any of their services or even go on their premises. This came as a huge shock as we are not vaccinated yet. We are older people and were told through a Pastoral letter that we are now banned from their services; how about that? Their rationale was it’s the government’s decision, which is just not true—it’s their decision from a list of different options. They also say that it’s done as a safety precaution for our health. I’ve not been able to work that one out yet. How can a church ban anyone from their services? It goes against everything the church stands for. I’ve written to them to tell them of our disgust with their decision. You just can’t do that! They sent back a feeble reply.

What a world we live in, and it will probably get worse.

I have copied the relevant part of their Pastoral Letter detailing their decision, just to confirm to you we do have this right to share this with you.

“After much thought, prayer and discussion the unanimous decision of the Corps Leadership team and Pastoral Care council is that once the new COVID-19 Protection Framework comes into play on Dec 3rd, we will require those eligible for a vaccination, to be fully vaccinated to attend any activity held within our buildings, including Sunday Worship.  This applies to both ourselves and those who hire our facilities for other purposes.”

This simple means anyone without the vaccine passport and those who are not eligible for the vaccine passport will not be permitted to attend their services.

We will keep you updated on any further developments.

Take care, bless you.