Charles Lewis, National Post

A Calgary church has lost its charitable status in part because it spends too much of its time advocating on social issues such as abortion and marriage.

In October, the Kings Glory Fellowship Association, a non-denominational Protestant group, was told by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that for several reasons, including a lack of clarity on how it spends it money, they could no longer issue charitable receipts.

But the letter highlighted that the group spent more than 10% of its time on “non-partisan political activities and therefore strayed into activities “outside its stated purpose.”

“We note ... the members of the Board of Directors espouse strong negative vies about sensitive and controversial issues, which may also be viewed as political, such as abortion, homosexuality, divorce, etc.”

The CRA allows charitable organizations to spend some time on “political activities,” but the cutoff is 10%. A spokesman for the CRA was not immediately available to explain how the percentage of time a group spends on non-charitable works is determined.

Artur Pawlowski, the head of the Kings Glory Fellowship, said his group “has nothing to do with politics and we do not advertise for a party or a candidate. The only political activity you can connect us to is defending our right to speak.”

Mr. Pawlowski said the primary mission of his church is to feed homeless people. He said this group supplies food for about 150,000 a year, mainly to people “that no one else wants to deal with.”

“When we feed people we don’t care whether they are homosexuals or have had abortions or been divorced but we preach what the Bible says about those issues.”

He said the financial issues are just a “smoke screen” and the real agenda is to “keep us quiet.” Mr. Pawlowski also noted that his church has never been audited by the CRA.

Mr. Pawlowski and his group have a long and loud history of dealing with Calgary officials. In 2007 he was arrested for obstruction and littering after attempting to preach the Gospel at a alternative theatre festival. The case was thrown out.

Then last year Mr. Pawlowski went to court to argue against being fined for using a microphone at outdoor events to raise awareness about homelessness. A court ruled on Dec. 7 that tickets violated his freedom of speech.

Mr. Pawlowski’s fight against the city was referenced in the CRA documents. Mr. Pawlowski argued he was the victim of a double-standard, issuing a press release that said officials tolerated some special-interest groups but not others.

“Calgary officials are so on fire for ‘tolerance’ when it comes to left wing minority groups to the point of flying the flag of the homosexual community on masts in front of City Hall,” Mr. Pawlowski wrote.

The release also said that police protect the “peaceful protests of homosexuals ... marijuana activists ... and neo-Nazis ... yet they have done just about everything to shut down this peaceful ministry that cares for the underprivileged.”

The CRA noted the release “seems to connote a strong political stance.”

Mr. Pawlowski said it was not a political statement but a plea to understand “why the city was treating his group unfairly.”

A number of religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Salvation Army, all take strong stands against what they see as immoral activities.

Fred Henry, Catholic bishop of Calgary, called the CRA move against Mr. Pawlowski and his group “the height of hypocrisy.”

“[Mr. Pawlowski] and his people are dealing with people who no one else seems concerned about. He takes care of their physical and spiritual well being. But because of the noise and speakers he used, the city put him through the wringer.”

“From the letter he wrote to the city, the CRA concluded he was involved in politics. What the CRA needs is to have a seminar about religious liberty. They don’t seem to get what religion is about. It starts with worship but it doesn’t end there. Religion cannot be privatized. It has the right to influence public affairs.”

Bishop Henry has a history with CRA. In 2004, tax officials said that he crossed the line when he sent a pastoral letter that said then-prime minister Paul Martin’s support of abortion and same sex marriage were a source of scandal in the Catholic community and reflected a “fundamental moral incoherence.” Tax officials asked him to remove the letter from his website but he refused. The tax-free status of the Church was not removed but he was personally subjected to an audit. “They found out they owed me $70.”

“The incident was clearly meant to muzzle religious leaders,” Bishop Henry said.

National Post
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By Patrick B. Craine

CALGARY, Alberta, January 21, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has revoked the charitable status of Kings Glory Fellowship (KGF), a Christian church in Calgary.  CRA cites a number of issues with KGF's application, but the decision is based, in part, on the ground that certain KGF Board members have spoken out strongly against abortion, and other moral issues.

"The members of the Board of Directors espouse strong negative views about sensitive and controversial issues, which may also be viewed as political, such as abortion, homosexuality, divorce, etc.,” wrote CRA agent Dian Prodanov in an October 29th letter.

These “political” views make the church ineligible because, according to the agent, a registered charity “may only engage in non-partisan political activities as long as it devotes substantially all (usually 90% or more) of its resources to charitable activities."

KGF's pastor, Artur Pawlowski, is also the founder and pastor of Street Church Ministries, which has made headlines because of its battle with the city of Calgary to uphold its right to preach to and serve the city's poor.

In December, a provincial court judge sided with Pawlowski and SCM, striking down several city infractions against them.  Further, the judge found that "the City's attempts ... to limit the scope of the efforts by the accused to minister to his congregants, fall precariously close to being excessive and, to any reasonable observer, an abuse of power."

Prodanov cited numerous problems with KGF's application, such as a lack of detail about various expenditures, but Pawlowski called these other reasons “smoke screens.”

“The main point is that they don't like my opinions about different controversial issues, and I speak about them openly on radio, in paper, and on TV,” he said.  “So that's what happens when you express your views as a pastor.”

“If they take the charity status away from a church, they are hoping that they are going to starve us to death in Canada, and therefore we will not be able to influence anyone,” he continued.  “That's basically what happens.  That's what they want to accomplish.  They want to muzzle us up.”

Contact Information:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hon. Keith Ashfield
Minister of National Revenue
7th Floor
555 MacKenzie Avenue
Ottawa ON  K1A 0L5
Phone: (613) 992-1067
Fax: (613) 996-9955
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

8:30 – 9:00pm - Next we’ll talk to ARTHUR PAWLOWSKI, pastor of King's Glory Church and head of Calgary Street Church Ministries, which lost their tax status because some of the Board of Directors had made politically incorrect statements about abortion, divorce and homosexuality. Ron has some interesting comparisons to make with the case of Calgary's Bishop Fred Henry when the CRA threatened him with the same consequences over a pastoral letter he had sent to RC priests in his diocese. In Bishop Henry, they had tried to hook a fish too big for them to swallow.

 Calgary favours homosexuality over Christianity

http://noapologies.ca/?p=6011

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

Tuesday, December 30, 2009

Homosexuals Yes Christians No

Church to File Human Rights Complaint Against the City

Calgary's Street Church has indicated that the denial of their request for a flag raising ceremony and a proclamation by the City Clerk's Office and the Mayor, is blatant bigotry and Christophobia.  They indicated that the reason which the City gave was that Christians do not meet the criteria for either request.  They further expressed their shock and amazement at the City's response, since the City authorized a flag raising ceremony on the masts of City Hall and a proclamation just three months prior for homosexuals.  The church feels that the requests were the same and that the only difference can be found in the message.  Street Church states that the City now officially endorses homosexuality and firmly opposes Christianity in the public square.

"I knew that the City's Officials discriminate against Christians.  Now I have solid, undisputable, proof.  They raised the flag of the homosexual community and gave the 'Pride Month' proclamation, but when we asked for the same right, they informed us of the answer - 'NO'.  The reason they stated was that we 'do not meet the criteria'.  According to the City website, 'The City will fly the flags/banners of community groups, charitable or non-profit organizations.'  We are a charity, a non-profit organization, and we serve the community.  They made the requirements for applicant clear – 'It is the responsibility of the ethnic, cultural or community organization to request a flag be flown at City Hall, or to have a flag raising ceremony and provide the flag.'  We made the request and have the flag ready to fly, yet we are denied.  What a slap in the face and a straight forward show of bias and bigotry on the part of Calgary's Mayor and the City Clerk's office."

In applying for a flag raising ceremony and a proclamation for the month of December, Street Church was hoping to encourage the values which they feel that Jesus brought to the world; namely true love, true faith, and true hope.

"Christmas is the time of year where people recognize the spirit of love, family, and in the Christian faith the birth of their saviour, Jesus Christ.  Our request to raise a flag for Jesus and to proclaim the month of December 'Jesus month' was flatly denied, yet Christmas is celebrated in the vast majority of homes in Calgary during the month of December.  What troubles me even more about this answer from the City is that their own websites are apparently misleading the public – 'Proclamations highlight important issues, charitable events, civic-minded individuals, or memorable occasions.'  For Christians what could be a more memorable occasion than the birth of their saviour?  This is pure bigotry and we feel that our only option to put a stop to this ongoing discrimination is to file a human rights complaint against the Mayor and the City Clerk's office. We are calling all people of conscience and moral standards to stand with us against this open attack on freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and this kind of discrimination."

- 30 - 

Here is the history and the background leading up to us sending this press release:

Our initial request was sent September 29, 2009

We filled in the application form (http://www.calgarymayor.ca/tools/requestproclamation.cfm) requesting a proclamation from the mayor with the following background information/comments:

Christmas is a time when people celebrate "Christ"mas and this for Christian Calgarians is a precious time to recognize the birth of their saviour, Jesus Christ.  All around the world people benefit from the creator who came and died on the cross for our sins and rose again.  It's a time of peace, joy, great celebration and family time.  We feel that these values are values that should be encouraged and held in high esteem.  We also feel that Jesus was the greatest example of these qualities and his demonstration of and call to holiness, righteousness, and godliness is what makes our society strong.  Our nation's traditions in politics, law, and in all of our history was built on and rooted in Christianity.  In fact, a copy of the "word of God", the Bible, was built into the foundation of City Hall at the time it was being built.  Also, statistically about 70% of Canadians identify themselves as Christians.  Before every City Council meeting, members pray for wisdom.

If you have any more requests or questions, feel free to call me directly at (403) 607-4434 or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

God bless,

Artur Pawlowski

Street Church Ministries

Below is the application for the flag raising ceremony:

Below is the full reply from the City Clerk's Office on behalf of the City and the Mayor, dated November 13, 2009:

Dear Mr. Pawlowski,

Citizen Recognitions & Protocol, City Clerk’s Office, has received two requests from the Street Church:

• request for a proclamation for the month of December, 2009 – Jesus Month
• request for flag raising on December 20, to celebrate Christmas which will be part of a prayer ceremony to celebrate the Christian faith

Thank you for your applications, we have reviewed your requests and unfortunately they do not meet the criteria in place.

The City of Calgary recognizes multiculturalism and our pluralistic society, and we celebrate our city’s diversity and the benefits this offers our community by enriching the lives of all Calgarians. The City recognizes several important cultural and religious events in the community including the Menorah Lighting, Eid celebration and the annual Nativity scene. However, while we allow the celebration of faith-based events at City Hall, we do not issue proclamations for religious or spiritual leaders nor do we raise a flag in honour of a specific religion.

Sincerely,

Catherine Humeny Coordinator,
Citizen Recognitions & Protocol
City Clerk's Office,
The City of Calgary