Canadian Pastor Could Face 1 Year in Jail for Leading Easter Worship Service

By Michael Foust - Posted at Christian Headlines:

A Canadian pastor says he could face up to one year and jail and a $100,000 fine after local police charged him for violating health restrictions by leading his congregation in worship on Easter Sunday.

Jacob Reaume, pastor of Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo, Ontario, says in a blog post that local police, known as by-law officers, visited his church last Thursday to "hand deliver two new summonses to appear in court." One was for the congregation, while the other was for Reaume.

"Our offence? We worshipped the risen Christ together on Resurrection Sunday," the pastor wrote.

The charges could become costly if not overturned, Reaume wrote. This is the church's third summons and Reaume's sixth.

"Each summons to the church carries a maximum penalty of $10 million," he wrote. "... Each summons to me carries a maximum penalty of $100,000 and one year in jail."

Read more here.