EXCLUSIVE: Manitoba pastor in hiding after warrant issued

CounterSignal_User

May 28, 2021


Tobias.png

A Christian pastor in Manitoba is currently in hiding after local police obtained an arrest warrant for Tobias Tissen.

Manitoba’s government continues to infringe the Charter, says Tissen, who preaches at the Church of God in Steinbach, Manitoba.

He represents a congregation of over 200 hundred people who he says have come under increased duress since November, with public health agents curtailing in-person worship on several occasions.

Tobias called The Counter Signal from his place of hiding to explain his situation.

“In November, they blocked the entrance to The Church of God and prevented us from having a drive-in church,” said Tissen. “We complied for a while, observing worship outside. However, we returned in in-person worship because it was not feasible to attend church outdoors during the cold winter season.

Manitoba’s government continues to observe strict public health orders regarding places of worship, refraining from all indoor gatherings.

Only members of the same household are permitted in a vehicle to attend drive-in service. 

Tissen is represented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF). Jay Cameron, a lawyer with the JCCF said that “the arrest and detention of civilians who peacefully assemble to protest Manitoba’s draconian health orders, or assemble for the purpose of worship in accordance with their God-given right to do so, is a needless and concerning escalation by authorities. It only serves to increase public distrust in those authorities who continue to trample on the Charter rights and freedoms of Manitobans.”

Since the province adopted restrictive measures last year, Tissen says his church remains a target, with public health officials issuing 18 tickets over their failure to comply with no indoor gatherings.

Currently, no one is permitted to enter the church. 

“The agents have taken the last month to monitor and gather evidence for the province to take us to court, which they finally did last month,” he said. 

“They’ve taken out warrants on me and a few other individuals from my congregation to send us a message and to prevent us from attending a pro-freedom rally today,” he said.

The warrant is a public interest warrant for contravening an order made under the Public Health Act.

Anti-lockdown activist Chris “Sky” Saccoccia was expected to attend the rally but is now confined to his Markham household as a condition of his bail for uttering death threats towards several premiers, per public record court documents.

When asked about his next steps, Tissen said: “Why would I voluntarily turn myself in? I have an obligation to my congregation to attend mass on Sunday.”

He told The Counter Signal he would not be attending the rally as observing mass was a “higher priority”.

The police told him yesterday to come to Winnipeg to surrender himself for arrest. They intended to release him if he agreed not to hold service in person – a condition similar to the bail for Pastor James Coates of Edmonton’s GraceLife Church.

Coates spent over a month in maximum security prison after refusing to comply with Alberta’s restrictions on religious freedoms.

“My situation is very similar to that of several pastors in Alberta, who have had their Charter rights revoked under the auspice of saving lives and ensuring the integrity of the health care system,” he said.

But unlike Coates, Tissen has no intent to willingly surrender to the authorities, citing the “legacy of religious persecution” faced by his parents and ancestors across Europe.

“History is repeating itself with our religious freedoms under continued assault,” he said.

“My parents faced persecution in Germany for homeschooling their children because they wanted to protect us from the ‘political agenda’ of public schooling. That is what pushed them to move to Canada. 

“If I go back further in my lineage, I have ancestors who were persecuted, jailed and in some instances killed under the tyranny of the Soviet Union for their devotion to Christianity. 

“They took a stand for their religion, and now I find history is repeating itself.”

Having preached the gospel for eight years now, Tissen argues the need for worship is paramount now more than ever.

“Religious freedom is guaranteed and is suppose to be guaranteed under the Charter and Bill of Rights, with the former acknowledging that Canada is founded on principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.”

“It seems like that is lost, with unelected bureaucrats content with overriding our freedoms,” he said. 

Tissen intends to keep the church open and to keep being there for his people, as the budding distress and uncertainty push people to “turn to God in their time of need”. 

He called out conservative premiers Jason Kenney and Doug Ford for embracing big-government tactics during the pandemic and for jailing pastors in their respective provinces. 

“Now our premier, Brian Pallister, is following their lead,” stating the province has yet to arrest and jail a pastor.

Uttering a word of caution, he told The Counter Signal that the authorities are degrading a key institution of society that keeps people together and are there for people who need hope in troubled times. 

“As Christians and as Canadians, we pray and intercede to God for help and protection. And when that is lost, I want you to be assured that God will not let them destroy his church.”

Despite his ordeal, Tissen remains confident that more people will open their hearts and minds and stand for unity.

“We need to stand together and be there for each other. Unity will get us through these times with our heads held high and in unwavering devotion to our values and each other,” he said.

Aware not everyone will agree with his religious stance, he is hopeful that humanity will band together against the big-government overreach during the pandemic in search of harmony, peace, and mutual respect.


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