Hempfield church pastor apologizes for open services on Sunday

The pastor of a Hempfield church apologized Monday after roughly 200 people attended a Sunday service at Word of Life Church, against the advice of government and health officials.

“Please believe me when I say it was not out of arrogance or defiance, but solely for the purpose of praying for our churches, communities, and nation,” Pastor Tom Walters wrote in a post to Word of Life’s Facebook page.

In speaking with congregants on Sunday, Walters said that the national reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected around 43,000 Americans and killed nearly 460 as of Monday, “could possibly be, disguised in everything else, a direct attack on the church.’” The global death toll is nearly 16,500.

Walters cited much-higher U.S. numbers related to annual car-crash rates, flu deaths and abortions.

“The world doesn’t care about that,” he said in his sermon. “All they’re saying is, ‘Shut your doors to the church, lock your doors in fear, and shut your mouth about faith.”

Walters took a much different tone in the Facebook post.

“We certainly want to be a blessing to our community and have certainly tried to be in years gone by,” he wrote. “My heart was so heavy to experience the amount of hateful comments we received, but I guess I understand.”

The church will continue to stream services, but Walters said it will not hold open services in the foreseeable future. The church’s annual Passion Play has been canceled.

“Please do not blame our people for this past Sunday,” he wrote. “They were simply trying to honor me, and more so our Lord!”

Churches of all denominations began canceling first events and then services amid the spread of the coronavirus.