Submitted by: On the Front Lines (2-2-24) — Defending American Freedom, LLC. We are a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting Judeo-Christian values in American government. Advocating for Faith & Freedom. https://officeofthebishop.weebly.com Bishop Andy Roberts, Editor and Chief of Apostolic Voice and The Banner of Truth News.

Chris Avell

Outrage spread on a Friday after the story about a pastor in Ohio, who was arrested and charged for opening his church to homeless people when extreme cold weather struck his town gained national attention.

Chris Avell, the pastor of an evangelical church called Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio, pleaded not guilty few Thursdays ago to charges that he broke 18 restrictions in zoning code when he gave shelter to people who might otherwise have frozen to death.

Avell garnered the attention of the Bryan City Zoning Commission last winter, when he invited unhoused people to stay in his church to avoid the cold and snow.

In November, officials told him Dad’s Place could no longer house the homeless because it lacks bedrooms. The building is zoned as a central business, and Ohio law prohibits residential use, including sleeping and eating, in first-floor buildings within business districts.

Avell told Fox News

Many of these people have been rejected by their families and cast aside by their communities. So, if the church isn’t willing to lay down its life for them, then who will? This is what we’re called to do.

Pastor Chris Avell, of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio, was criminally charged with zoning violations on December 8.

On November 21, the fire chief conducted a fire code inspection and discovered 18 violations. Officials performed two more inspections in January and found several violations that had not been fixed. The city seeks to shut this pastor down and we as the body of Christ must stand with them. Bishop Lee Bowling said in an official statement.  These injustices and unfair treatment of church leaders cannot stand. We must end this plague and barbaric treatment and torment to the homeless people in the United States. The City of Bryan is ruthless and under tyrannical rule when a mayor and city seeks to persecute a local pastor for fighting for the less fortune.  I am asking all churches and pastors to pray against this miscarriage of Justice and rally as champions behind this man of God and local assembly. “We cannot give the devil an inch bold action must be taken said Archbishop Lee Bowling a global fellowship of The Church of God of the Apostolic Faith.

Ohio Pastor Charged with Serving the Homeless | Fox News

First Liberty Institute – You Tube Video

An Ohio pastor is facing criminal charges for opening his church to unhoused people. Let that seek for a minute. Arrested for act of kindness and obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor Avell pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges Jan. 11. He is due back in Bryan Municipal Court for a pre-trial hearing Jan. 30. Bryan, Ohio, is a city in Williams County, about 53 miles southwest of Toledo. At the time of the 2020 census, its population was 8,729.

After the first fire code inspection, Fire Chief Doug Pool wrote a letter to Bryan Police Chief Greg Ruskey recommending criminal charges be filed against Avell for the church’s alleged violations of the city’s zoning ordinance, the complaint contended.

The city officially filed 18 separate criminal charges against Avell on Dec. 18. Avell allegedly learned about the charges through a local newspaper, the complaint said.

The city is also allegedly threatening to charge the church’s landlord if the landlord does not evict the church from the property, the complaint claimed.

The suit alleges that the city’s actions violate the church’s rights under the First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment that forbids discrimination on the basis of religion, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which says the government may not impose a land use regulation that imposes a “substantial burden” on religious exercise.

On Monday, First Liberty Institute and the law firms Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP and Spengler Nathanson PLL filed the federal lawsuit and motion for a temporary restraining order against city officials seeking to shut down the religious activities of Dad’s Place Church and Pastor Chris Avell. 

The 82-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio alleges the “targeted” use of zoning codes and other city ordinances against the church violates the church’s rights “under the Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”), the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), and the Rights of Conscience clause of the Ohio Constitution.”

The complaint said –

“The Church accordingly seeks equitable relief and damages to prevent the City from violating its fundamental rights to pursue its religious outreach to some of the most vulnerable members of its community.”

The suit also includes a motion for a temporary restraining order against the city intimation and bullying actions against the church.

Avell said –

“This is what the word of God teaches, to take care of the widowed and orphaned. We have widows in our church. We’ve had people, who may not be kids under the law, but they are orphans. This is how I worship my God and I just want to be able to worship my God.”

Bryan’s police chief says it is illegal to use the first floor of buildings for residential purposes where Dad’s Place is located.

,Avell said-

“The ministry of the church is not confined to Sunday morning at 11am. We welcome anyone to experience the love and truth of Jesus, regardless of the time of day.”

Archbishop Lee Bowling said that while Pastor Chris Avell, had opened his church to minister to the underserved people in his town. The city of Bryan, Ohio says he’s breaking the law because he opened Dad’s Place Church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to serve his community, including anyone looking for a place to come in out of the cold.

These absurd charges against a pastor that should be dismissed at once. The mayor should be ashamed of herself.  As the church we should be defending his right to show compassion and obey the commands of Jesus Christ! When we opened one of our churches to the homeless in Greenville, Ohio the city officials had our gas shut off and sent different agencies to intimate and bully us as well. Bishop Bowling said Neither you nor I can afford to stand by when everyday Americans like Pastor Chris are punished for living out their faith.

That’s why it’s time to take a bold stand for faith and those in need in Bryan, Ohio. Bottom line, we won’t stand by when an out-of-control government tries to force anyone to say or do something that directly conflicts with their religious beliefs.

Bishop Bowling said-

“We are besieged on all sides by dark forces of evil, and the city wants to show how evil they are toward the church and unhoused people. This is uncalled for and needs to end ASAP .

We are about to gather together “LAW ABIDING, Christian from around the globe that are freedom-loving Americans” to join the movement and protest in the city unless it stops the prosecution against the unhoused and against the church.

Mayor Carrie Schlade began her second term January 1, 2022, and is the City of Bryan’s first female mayor. Email her at mayor@cityofbryan.com let our voice be heard!!

MAYOR CARRIE SCHLADE, in her official and personal capacities; JAMIE MENDEZ, in his official and personal capacities; ANDREW J. WATERSON, in his official and personal capacities, DOUG POOL, in his official and personal capacities are all being sued by the church.

We must continue to fight the good fight of faith.

Bishop Bowling said-

“Do not grow weary of doing good.In due season you’ll reap the harvest if you don’t give up.” Avell has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. His trial has been scheduled for Feb. 9. 2024

Court filing can be found at:  https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24391151-dads-place-lawsuit