Pastor Peikang Dai's congregation of approximately 42 former Chinese dissidents conduct their Sunday "church" service in Grange Park south of the AGO in Toronto, October 31, 2010. They were kicked out of Knox Presbyterian church and have launched a human rights complaint.J.P. Moczulski/The Globe and Mail
Every Sunday the 42 members of Shenzhou Presbyterian Church conduct their services outdoors - rain or shine - in Grange Park.
They begin by cleaning up the area. After the service, they provide a hot meal to those in need. It's been their ritual since they left Knox Presbyterian Church on Spadina Avenue in September, 2009.
The park just south of the Art Gallery of Ontario became their new home after their pastor, Peikang Dai, was ousted from his ministry. He claims he and his Chinese migrant followers were the victims of systemic racial discrimination by the church and the Presbytery of East Toronto, the governing body that oversees Knox.
"They were persecuted once before," said Mr. Dai. "They never expected to be persecuted here in Canada."
The Presbytery and the church have vehemently denied allegations that Mr. Dai or his followers have been discriminated against in any way. And Mr. Dai's initial complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario - after the church denied him a ministry among the mainland Chinese population - was dismissed in April. However, the tribunal took exception to some of the comments allegedly made to Mr. Dai, and revisited those in a hearing on Oct. 19. A ruling isn't expected for several weeks.
"It saddens me that I've had to take this outside the church," said Mr. Dai, who still uses the title "Reverend," tracing his allegations back 12 years to 1998 when he was ordained.
Rev. Tim Purvis, a minister at Westview Presbyterian Church and special adviser to the clerk of the Presbytery, agreed that what has unfolded is sad and unnecessary. "He [Mr. Dai]has tremendous gifts, passion and knows the [Mandarin]language. We thought he was the ideal person to be involved in the Mandarin mission. Everyone worked very hard to make this happen. He was unable to work co-operatively with the process."
In August, 2009, Mr. Dai was defrocked for not adhering to the procedures of either the Presbytery or the Synod. "He was unable to be engaged in the processes and receive any of the help we gave him in a constructive way," said Mr. Purvis.
In an interview before the hearing, Rev. Wayne Hancock, the associate minister of Knox Church, said he harbours nothing personal against Mr. Dai, but "he should not be presenting himself as a minister because he no longer has any credentials with the Presbyterian Church of Canada."
Members of Mr. Dai's congregation say the hardships of meeting outdoors are negligible - they've experienced much worse.
Most of them survived the Cultural Revolution in China and about half of them came to Canada as refugees, bearing the scars and memories that led to their exile.
Their stories of conversion from Communism to Christianity also help explain their commitment to this wall-less church. "I used to believe in nothing. Then someone told me that God created humans, Earth, etc. I got to thinking that the power behind created things must be good," said Yun Lan Zhang. It was Ms. Zhang who introduced her friend, Liu Xian, to these concepts.
It brought some comfort to Ms. Xian, who says that in 1987 she was forced to abort a female fetus under the confirming eyes of her factory boss and community leader, an event that still haunts her.
Mr. Dai, a Canadian citizen originally from mainland China, said that many of his parishioners have horrific stories to tell of deprivation, abuse and persecution for their faith. He said he converted to Christianity himself because of what he witnessed at Tiananmen Square, and left behind a lucrative career in dentistry to pursue a life in the ministry.
Shenzhou (God's continent) Presbyterian Church is made up of a tapestry of professionals from medicine, engineering, accounting and teaching as well as farmers and factory workers. "It's a warm family for me in Canada," said Fengzhen Ma, one of the church elders.
"Whether in biting cold in winter, or scorching heat in summer, we always gather together to study the Bible. One Sunday it was pouring rain and the whole congregation came to worship with umbrellas. We were filled with joy," said Mr. Ma.
"The circumstances aren't normal," said Ms. Zhang, "but I like sitting in the snow." She added, "We don't care about the unusual situation. We want to learn the Bible more than anything. The building is not important."
Mr. Dai said he still sees himself as part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada until the General Assembly (the national body) makes its decision on the case. Despite the lack of a building, that is how the members of this outdoor church identify themselves, too.
"We support and care for each other at Shenzhou Presbyterian Church. I hope the Presbyterian Church in Canada will treat us justly and fairly," said Cheng Yue.
Added Ms. Xian: "Although the current conditions are not very good, the members are faithful because Mr. Dai is a good person. … We must help each other because we all belong to the same family. He is very patient. That's why we follow him to the park."
Special to The Globe and Mail