A magistrate court in England reportedly dropped the case against 47-year-old Pastor Chizumie "Chez" Dyer for holding worship services for the homeless during the pandemic, causing local religious freedom advocates to celebrate.
The Christian Post said the Nottingham Magistrates Court ruled on December 10 that Dyer was freed from paying fines imposed for those who violate England's lockdown rules. The court ordered the government instead to pay Dyer's legal fees with the Christian Legal Center. The government filed a case against Dyer for holding an outdoor worship service, particularly on the streets of Nottingham, due to the lockdown imposed in February.
"I am so relieved that this case has been thrown out and justice has finally been served," Dyer said in a statement.
"We stood in the gap for the most vulnerable when others would not or could not. We had people who urgently needed our support and some who said we had prevented them from committing suicide," she added.
According to Dyer, what she was doing for the homeless was providing spiritual healing that a church is expected to do despite having limited finances. She revealed that despite that she was fined so terribly that it devastated her. She expressed hope that her story would inspire others now that she won the case against her.
"We were the spiritual doctors who were not on furlough. People were suffering and needed us. We reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ during the toughest of times. This is what the church is and what the church should do. For this, however, I was treated like a criminal. We are a church with limited financial resources, so to face fines of this magnitude for helping the homeless was devastating," Dyer divulged.
"I hope my story can show people the vital role Christian Street ministry plays in our country," she emphasized.
In a statement dated December 10, the Christian Legal Center, an arm of Christian Concern, said Dyer was spared of paying a £16,000 fine for her "car park church ministry."
Dyer reasoned in court that she ran the "Church on the Streets" ministry with her team out of preventing the homeless from committing suicide. The outreach involved 30 homeless people who they would meet in a carpark for praise and worship, fellowship, and feeding of hot Caribbean food every Sunday.
Dyer disclosed that her team obeyed government mandates for the lockdown while they continued their ministry, which is "engaging in charitable distribution of food to the homeless and hungry." However, two officers arrived on February 27 following complaints on their activity "from members of the public."
The police left only to return in a large police riot van that was used to block the car park's entrance. The police forbade those present from leaving and issued them a £10,000 fine following instructions from their superiors that their activity was an "illegal gathering." The Superintendent at that time did not listen to Dyer's reason that what they were doing was a charitable act and that they were following lockdown guidelines such as social distancing.
On top of that fine, Dyer was afterwards fined £16,000 on top of the £190 victim surcharge and £85 costs of the case because she was absent during the proceedings which were something she was not made aware of.
