Chicken manure documentary calls Christians to take a stand
Most Abbotsford churches late to condemn incident to rid area of homeless
ABBOTSFORD, BC—The almost universal failure of Abbotsford’s churches to denounce the decision of city personnel last June to dump chicken manure to disperse a camp of homeless people has prompted at least some leaders to do some serious self-examination.
“We focus so much on personal piety that we shy away from advocacy,” says Christoph Reiners, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church. “We haven’t quite figured out how to put those two pieces together, to honour those in authority but also play a constructive role in advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
The dumping occurred in the early hours of June 4 while the homeless were asleep.
As news of the incident spread, the outrage grew. “I’m sure everyone in the city was offended,” says Reiners. “You can’t treat people as if they were pests.”
Yet none of the city’s 100 churches nor its ministerial association—the Abbotsford Christian Leaders Network (ACLN)—objected publicly. The only pastors who did were Ward Draper and Jesse Wegenast with 5&2 Ministries, which reaches out to the poor and the homeless.
At the time, local Christian filmmaker Kevin Miller was filming Draper as part of a planned documentary on 5&2. “I went down with him to the site,” Miller says. “One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew I was just following this story as it unfolded.”
The final product, The Chicken Manure Incident, premiered in late January.
A key question in the film is the non-response of the churches. “How,” Miller asks, “in the midst of one of the most giving communities in the country, that’s known for a very strong faith presence, can this sort of ongoing treatment of the homeless still happen?”
(According to Statistics Canada, 68 per cent of Abbotsford’s 140,000 residents claim to have a religious affiliation, compared to 56 per cent province-wide.)
Reiners does not excuse the fact the churches stayed silent, but he points out that the ACLN’s executive members—himself included—have no authority to represent the faith community. “We don’t have the structure that we can take a pulpit and say, ‘I speak for everyone,’ because we come from many different denominations and traditions,” he says.
“The faith community is very involved in helping all sorts of people in Abbotsford. But in this particular situation, it just seems that something didn’t quite work.”
Fellow executive member Jim Burkinshaw insists individual Christians have spoken out. Burkinshaw coordinates City of Refuge, an ACLN-sponsored ministry that offers help to people in need.
“I know that half an hour after the chicken manure was dumped,” he says, “one of our [ACLN] pastors was in the mayor’s office objecting strongly to what had just gone on. The mayor was totally unaware. The city manager was also shocked and unaware.”
Miller too says the purpose of his film is not to pin the blame on any person or group, but rather to raise awareness to ensure this type of incident does not happen again.
“The faith community is very involved in helping all sorts of people in Abbotsford,” he says. “But in this particular situation, it just seems that something didn’t quite work.”
Those interested can buy a copy of The Chicken Manure Incident in exchange for a donation. It is also available on VHX, Vimeo-on-Demand and other digital platforms. A portion of the proceeds will go to support 5&2 Ministries.
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