by Tom Jeffreys, Telegraph
Pastor warns of ‘pivotal moment’ for the country after he was told to stop ‘engaging’ with the public
A church is taking a council to court in defence of free speech after it was banned from using a loudspeaker in the street and ordered to tone down its message.
Colchester city council served a community protection notice (CPN) against The Bread of Life Community Church in Clacton, Essex, claiming its preaching had “caused alarm and distress to members of the public”.
It accused the church of “religious messaging telling children and passers-by they are ‘going to hell’,” and threatened it with prosecution or a fine if it persisted.
But the church, represented by the Christian Legal Centre, denied targeting children and claimed the “unprecedented” CPN effectively prohibits the preaching of religious messages.
“We do feel this is almost a pivotal moment in the direction that this country’s going,” said Stephen Clayden, 44, the senior pastor who founded the church six years ago.
“If we were to lose this appeal, it could prompt other councils to start clamping down on local street preachers, or coming into churches and examining what is being said from the pulpit.