Mennonite church in Grunthal goes vaxxed only

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This article was published 21/12/2021 (1406 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One southern Manitoba church is now requiring proof of vaccination for its in-person Sunday services.

Elim Mennonite Church in Grunthal, located about 28 kilometres southwest of Steinbach, made the decision this month in order to accommodate members who were afraid to join community gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said lay minister David Wiens.

“We knew of members who wouldn’t come because of fear for their safety,” he said, noting this includes elderly people and those with compromised immune systems. One is a resident of a personal care home who is not allowed to go to places where unvaccinated people might be present.

“We wanted to make sure we looked after the most vulnerable in our church,” said Wiens, a local dairy farmer, noting everyone who attends the services also needs to wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

While Elim, which is part of Mennonite Church Manitoba, has been doing online services through the pandemic, “That’s not the same as in-person fellowship,” he said.

As soon as in-person services were permitted by the province, the church started meeting again, following public health guidelines — but not asking about vaccination status.

That changed at the beginning of December, when members were asked to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter.

Since almost all of the roughly 70 members of the congregation are fully vaccinated, most are very supportive, Wiens said.

However, a few “aren’t happy with our policy,” he said, acknowledging the decision will exclude those who have chosen not to be vaccinated.

“We are exploring ways to make it possible for unvaccinated people to be included,” he said, noting it might mean alternating between vaccinated and unvaccinated member services. “We don’t want to exclude anyone.”

Whatever approach the church takes, “We want to be consistent in our understanding of what is a positive Christian witness,” said Wiens. “Right from the start, we wanted to honour and be respectful of the mandates and protect everyone.”

At the same time, the church isn’t “trying not to make a big statement about vaccinations. We’re just trying to do what is right for our church. We’re not trying to pass judgement on the unvaccinated.”

For Erika Dueck, a deacon at Elim, the decision was about what is best for local seniors.

“They haven’t been able to meet in person, they’re feeling isolated and disconnected,” she said. “The pandemic has been very hard on older members.”

By going to vaccinated-only, the church wants to “rebuild a sense of community.”

While the decision has made most church members happy, reaction outside the congregation has been less so.

Some people “are angry. They think we are rejecting people or in cahoots with the government,” Dueck said.

Transitional interim pastor at Elim, Norm Voth, said, as far as he knows, it is the only church (of roughly eight) in Grunthal to move to vaccinated-only in-person services.

“I expect this will be a topic of conversation at the next ministerial meeting,” he said, adding Elim’s decision seems to have generated a “fair amount of conversation” in town.

The issue continues to be a lively one in the church, too, he said, noting there is a lot of discussion about ways to “maintain the unity of the congregation.”

Through it all, the church’s goal is to “fulfill the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves,” Voth said.

“If we take care of ourselves, including vaccinations, the mask-wearing, the social distancing, then we are caring for others.”

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