Some church-goers in Williams Lake have been attending parking lot services and tuning in by their vehicle radios due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Andrew Simpson, 29, is pastor of the Heritage Free Presbyterian Church in Prince George and since July 2019 has been travelling to Williams Lake to preach three Sunday evenings a month.
When Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that church gatherings were prohibited in November, Simpson purchased an FM radio system so he could preach over the radio waves.
“We are there, no matter what the cold is,” he said, noting about 20 to 28 people have been attending.
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Originally he held services at the Youth For Christ building on Third Avenue North until it was sold and then made an arrangement to use St. Peter’s Anglican Church on Carson Drive in August 2020.
Services start at 6 p.m. and include singing of hymns, some prayers and his delivery of a message for about 2o to 25 minutes.
He hands out sheet music and broadcasts the accompaniment through an mp3 player.
The whole thing lasts about an hour and is a good way to ‘get people out of the house,’ he said.
Originally from Northern Ireland, Simpson and his wife moved to Prince George in 2018 after he graduated from bible college.
During the winter months he’s downsized to offering the services the second and last Sunday of the month, with the next one being on Sunday, Feb. 28.
“Our 18-month-old son makes the three-hour-trip down with us each time,” he added.
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Back in Prince George he broadcasts his services over the internet, he added.
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