(PRESS RELEASE) – Pastor Chris Avell of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio will be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday, January 11th, at 10:00 ET at the Bryan Municipal Court, 1399 East High Street, Bryan, OH.
Dad’s Place opened its doors 24 hours a day last March to anyone in need of a place to rest or get out of the cold.
The church is located next door to a county homeless shelter, but often takes in those the shelter cannot help.
But beginning in November, city officials told the church to kick the homeless out of the building or face criminal charges, due to alleged zoning violations.
In recent weeks, Pastor Avell has been charged with at least 18 criminal charges for zoning violations. Police served him during church services on Sunday, January 1st.
Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute said, “To file criminal charges against a pastor for daring to care for the homeless in the frigid winter is unconscionable.”
“The city has decided that it’s better for the homeless to freeze on the fringed cold sidewalks than to allow a church to be a church and remain open 24 hours a day to those who need it the most.”
First Liberty Institute represents Pastor Avell, and their attorneys will attend tomorrow’s arraignment.
6 Comments
This will turn out well for the church and those in need of shelter and the love of Jesus. The courts will eventually rule in favor of Dad’s Place. No government authority can dictate the terms of worship for a church. The First Amendment makes that clear: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40-45 By default, Bryan, Ohio is forbidding the church to minister to Jesus.
The settlement monies the city will eventually pay will go a long way towards providing “privacy spaces” (not bedrooms), increased “baptism stations” (not showers), and “cleansing springs” (not washing machines.) Not sure if the taxpayers of Bryan approve of paying for church upgrades but that will be the end result of all this.
Why do those that govern the City of Bryan hate Jesus?
Let me start by saying that I don’t think he should have been arrested. I think the pastor was doing the right thing as a human being. Now with that being said, I also disagree with your statement. Why do you automatically think that the city “hates Jesus”? Do you think that you should be able to just disobey any law, policy, or regulation that you disagree with? This is almost half way through Jan and the pastor was notified in Nov about what he needed to do. So I guess my question is: how is enforcing the law the same as hating Jesus. I ask because that is what they did and what you accused them of for doing that. I look fwd to your reply.
This isn’t just “violating a law you disagree with” like a drug law or something, this is violating a law against saving lives. A law against providing aid to people who desperately need it. How can you be so inhuman? I guess you’d say “you can’t just disobey a law you disagree with” as you hand over a Jewish family to the SS? Your rationalization of of sheer barbarity is sickening.
Whoa there. I agree with your take on this but you have to stop with the Nazi comparisons. They haven’t experienced cold and hunger themselves and seem callous to you but it’s a long long way from handing people over to the SS. The SS just took you and you weren’t given a trial. You just disappeared. That’s not what’s happening. They aren’t putting homeless people in concentration camps. Let’s be real.
Whoa there. I agree with your take on this but you have to stop with the Nazi comparisons. They haven’t experienced cold and hunger themselves and seem callous to you but it’s a long long way from handing people over to the SS. The SS just took you and you weren’t given a trial. You just disappeared. That’s not what’s happening. They aren’t putting homeless people in concentration camps. Let’s be real.