Coronavirus: The Porte Ouverte Chrétienne church in Mulhouse takes stock of the gathering at the source of contamination

Context, event and responsibility, the Porte Ouverte Chrétienne church in Mulhouse takes stock of the gathering at the origin of many contaminations in France.

THEéglise Christian Open Door de Mulhouse became a cluster in France following its prayer gathering which was held from February 17th to 24th. Coming from all over France, but also from neighboring countries, some faithful are despite themselves at the origin of a series of contaminations.

The church wished to communicate its "deep compassion towards all those affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus and express to them their concern to carry them in daily prayer ”.

Contacted by phone, Nathalie Schnoebelen, in charge of communication for the church, told us that at the time of the rally, Mulhouse was not "in an alarming zone", adding that other events had then taken place near the church, including a visit from President Emmanuel Macron. She would like to point out, "we are the first victims, we sometimes have the feeling that the Open Door is responsible for the contamination in France".

By a communicated, the Porte Ouverte Chrétienne church effectively recalls that there was then no “active transmission chain in France”.

“From February 17 to 21, 2020, the Church receives approximately 2000 Christians as part of its week of fasting and prayer, as it has every year for 25 years. On these dates, there are no government recommendations. On Friday February 21, the day the rally ended, the DGS (General Directorate of Health) informed doctors that there was no active chain of transmission in France. France is in stage 1, that is to say that the virus is not in general circulation in the population. As a reminder, stage 2 was not passed until February 29, resulting in a ban on gatherings of more than 5000 people in France. "

The church also specifies that the security elements necessary for the reception of the public had been put in place.

“As part of our event, we have put in place the security elements necessary to welcome the public, namely: security service, health permanence, name registrations for minors. Our premises are in ERP standards, as evidenced by the last passage of the safety committee. A first aid service was provided on site and did not note any particular report: no participant in the week of fasting and prayer showed signs of influenza on the spot. "

Church leaders then made a point of making a commitment and showing a spirit of responsibility. At the end of this week of fasting and prayer, Church leaders collaborated with health services and the Prefecture.

“In the days following our event, when the first directives began to be issued by the State services, we collaborated fully and effectively with the health services (Regional Health Agency) and the Prefecture, respecting, and sometimes anticipating (for example the cancellation of our service on Tuesday March 3 on site), all the safety directives that have been given. "

While a lot of false information is spreading about the Christian Open Door, the church is keen to make it clear: it is an evangelical Protestant Church founded in 1965. It is incorporated as a religious association under local law 1905, subject to regular financial audit . It is affiliated to the CNEF (National Council of Evangelicals of France) and to the union of churches FEPEF (Federation of Full Evangelical Churches in Francophonie). A CNRS report dating from 2004 attests to the good reputation and good religious practices of the Church.

In this context, it is now time for solidarity in the Porte Ouverte Chrétienne church in Mulhouse, "an extraordinary solidarity" according to Nathalie Schnoebelen, who mentions the chain of prayer put in place for all those affected by Covid-19.

She also mentions the large number of people who contact the church. Christian people who did not know the Open Door, but also atheists, who congratulate the church on its handling of the situation, or who say they are interested in knowing more about the church. Yesterday, the live worship broadcast saw an unprecedented number of connections, with a record 10 simultaneous connections, while the usual average is between 000 and 4000.

MC

Image Credit: 2015 Christian Open Door © Nathalie Schnoebelen - Wikimedia CC4