Grace City and Sage Hills Churches offering vaccine mandate religious exemption sessions

Since Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced that all school employees in the state must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or they could be fired, there has been a mad dash by some to obtain exemptions from the mandate. In the Wenatchee Valley right in the middle of the state, leaders at Grace City Church and Sage Hills Church have stepped up to help those wanting to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine by teaching them how to claim religious exemptions. Here are a few screenshots from a local Facebook group apparently set up for local educators to communicate about how to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

A screenshot from the group ahead of the meeting at Grace City on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021.

Strategizing on how to acquire religious exemptions.

Interesting to note here that they are aware and discussing about potentially not being eligible for unemployment.

Here are a few screenshots that show part of a message from Sage Hills Church pastor Mike Wilson about that church’s religious exemption session on the same Sunday. I’ll include the full message as a quote below the screenshots. A source forwarded me the message that was sent to members of Sage Hills.

To my knowledge, it’s not illegal to instruct your congregation on how to get a religious exemption from the mandate, but I do find it interesting that they are being so secretive about it.

Here’s the full message from Pastor Mike Wilson:

“As many of you know, this is a challenging season for many in our community. The recent orders by our governor have left several in our church deeply concerned and unsure of how to proceed. This Sunday (August 22, 2021), after third service, I would like to take some time and share what I know regarding religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. This meeting will take place in the Chapel at Sage Hills Church and will not be livestreamed or recorded. I am not a lawyer, nor am I a doctor. However, I have spent hours in prayer, have had many conversations with professionals, and gathered as much information as possible on this topic. As I’ve listened to perspectives on both sides of this subject, and I feel compelled to share some of my findings with our church family. We have had a flood of requests for guidance on the religious exemption process, and this meeting will help streamline communication on what I’ve learned. Let me be clear; this is not a meeting to discuss my views on a vaccine or our government. I want to get information in your hands so you can make the best decision for you and your family. Most of all, I want to pray with you as we seek the Lord for clarity. Be reminded today that the Lord has you, and your pastor loves you! In His unfailing Grip, Pastor Mike”

Although I had these screenshots before Aug. 22, I decided not to go public with them because it didn’t seem super newsworthy to me. Like I said above, it seems pretty reasonable for religious leaders to instruct followers who truly believe they deserve religious exemptions on how to obtain them. But in the context of what has happened in our community during the last 14 days, I think it’s important to establish a paper trail that shows the connections between Grace City and Sage Hills. It’s important to note how much Grace City Church’s leaders want to be involved in shaping public policy, yet they refuse to follow the rules set by the state in of emergency. Since publishing this piece about Grace City and its leaders’ interest and involvement in politics, I have had a few members of Sage Hills Church reach out or approach me to voice their concerns about what they see as increasingly close ties between the two congregations. One man told me he and his wife actually left Sage Hills because of Pastor Mike Wilson and Pastor Josh McPherson were “best friends” as he put it, and Sage Hills’ shift into more controversial rhetoric made them uncomfortable, he said.

At this point, I’m filing this under “interesting and notable, but not earth shattering.” For most folks who have been paying attention, the close relationship between the leaders of Grace City and Sage Hills won’t come as a shock. But to others who might not be following these things as closely as I am, it might be a surprise.

I have heard from multiple sources that Sage Hills’ information session was called mostly because Wilson didn’t want to repeat himself over and over again, and that Sage Hills’ rhetoric has not been as overtly anti-vaccine as Grace City’s. I would also like to say that I know some good people who go to Sage Hills Church, and I am not putting any of this information out there to attack the members of either congregation. I also don’t want to conflate the two congregations and say they are the same. I’m focused on the leaders, and their relationship.

After speaking with folks who describe their experiences in similar churches as abusive (some have even said to me “I was in a cult”) a constant theme or pattern I can identify is that things started out as pretty innocent and fun and then, over time, changed into something more manipulative, authoritarian and toxic. I’m not saying that Sage Hills or Grace City are the same as abusive religious organizations in Wenatchee Valley’s past (see: Bethesda), but I think it is in the public interest for this information to be available to the public. And for free.

Next week I am meeting with a former member of Bethesda to talk about his experiences and I hope to gain a better understanding of how these types of organizations have flourished in communities like Wenatchee and other inland Northwest cities like Spokane and Moscow, Id.