Forty-eight hours after a judge ordered the locks on his church changed, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt stood in front of the largest outdoor gathering yet at Aylmer’s Church of God. Friday morning in St. Thomas court, Justice Bruce Thomas not only ordered the defiant church locked down, but fined $35,000, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt fined $10,000 and assistant Pastor Peter Wall $3,000. The Church has also been ordered to pay $69,000 in legal costs.
Sunday morning in front of several hundred congregants and supporters from as far away as Manitoba, Hildebrandt called the service “a God-given freedom rally.”
He added, “We are winning on the front lawn of the Church of God in Aylmer under the authority of God.”
With such a large gathering and no attempt at social distancing, Aylmer Police expect to lay more charges.
Hildebrandt advised, “We are gathered here because we are allowed to by God.”
He added the determination Friday morning by Justice Thomas is an act of the government forcing judges to lock our churches. By gathering here today, “We are taking matters into our own hands.”
He continued, “We are making a mockery of our laws. The government is turning law-abiding citizens into criminals.”
Something Hildebrandt referred to as a “medical dictatorship” invoked by all levels of government.
He suggested, “We are on the verge of seeing police officers taking our side,” and vowed “We will stand up at any cost.”
The church will remain locked until indoor capacity is relaxed to allow at least a 30 per cent capacity under the Re-opening Ontario Act.
