Nearly 350 churches in Ontario have signed a letter urging Premier Doug Ford to allow them to reopen in June, "with appropriate medical precautions developed in consultation with civil authorities."
A number of churches from a variety of denominations drafted the letter together before sending it off on Tuesday. The group is led by Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock of Harvest Chapel Windsor and Rev. Dr. Joe Boot of Westminster Chapel in Toronto.
The letter says that "Neither confessional Christian faith nor the Church institute can faithfully exist without a Lord’s Day gathering.
"We would respectfully remind the civil government that the church does not exist by permission of the state, for its establishment and rule is found in Jesus Christ himself. Please remember, the existence and freedom of the church institute long predates the founding of the Christian Dominion of Canada (our Coat of Arms citing Psalm 72:8), so we cannot stress enough how troubling and perplexing these times have been for us."