Apr 8, 2020 3 min read

North Franklin Township supervisors were caught off guard by a drive-in church service Sunday, and the planned Easter Sunday followup is unlikely to take place.

According to Bob Sabot, chairman of the board of supervisors, there was a miscommunication that led to Mt. Hermon Baptist Church believing it had permission to use the pavilion near Wild Things Park for its Palm Sunday service.

North Franklin declared a state of emergency on March 26, and the municipality’s parks and pavilions are closed until April 30 as part of the effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“Everything in this township is buttoned down and closed, except for things that are considered essential,” Sabot said Tuesday.

Steven Ramey, the pastor of the Amwell Township church, held a service Sunday morning in which he spoke from the pavilion. People stayed in their cars in the Wild Things Park parking lot, and listened on the radio.

Ramey said he had followed the regular procedure to rent the pavilion through North Franklin’s Recreation and Business Improvement Authority, and was told he was allowed to use the space.

“We did what we thought was right,” Ramey said. “They want things done differently. No one told me that.”

Ramey had planned on holding a similar service Easter morning, but said Tuesday it is not likely to be held in North Franklin, and is still considering other options.

Sabot does not doubt that Ramey believed he had received the proper permission, but said it was not communicated to the supervisors. If it had been, Sunday’s service would not have been allowed to go forward.

“If somebody gave somebody an OK to do something, it shouldn’t have happened,” Sabot said.

Sabot said the township is adhering to Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order, and that following the guidelines on large gatherings and social distancing will protect the township’s vulnerable residents from coronavirus.

Ramey had also gone to the Washington Wild Things to request permission to use their parking lot.

Chris Blaine, Wild Things vice president of corporate relations, said she spoke with Ramey, and believing the township OK’d it, told him the church could use the lot.

“I came up here just because I was curious … I thought it was an amazingly cool thing,” Blaine said Tuesday. “Last night when I got a call from the supervisors, I was floored. There was some kind of miscommunication.”

Sabot said he told the Wild Things that it could not allow gatherings on their property.

“I think the Wild Things were trying to do the right thing, and the nice thing,” Sabot said.

Ramey also contacted Blaine on Tuesday to reiterate that he did not know there would be any issues.

“It’s a shame, because I think he took every precaution possible to make sure they were safe. The cars were parked a distance apart,” Blaine said, adding that people often turn to their faith in times of crisis.

“I think he was was trying to offer that to his congregants … I think everyone had the right thing in their hearts and they were trying to do the right thing. It’s just too bad.”