Pastor Chris Avell of Dad's Place Church has a nasty habit of caring for the downtrodden in the city of Bryan, Ohio.
The Sanctuary Homeless Shelter of Williams County and Sarah's Friends, an organization that provides shelter and housing to those in need, are both located on the same street as the church, and when they reach capacity in the winter, Avell opens the doors of the church to shelter and feed homeless people in need.
The Church's first and primary goal is to save the souls of its members by showing them the love and Jesus Christ and teaching them to believe in Him and publicly confess that belief. As a means of accomplishing this primary goal of meeting people's spiritual needs, the Church also works to meet the physical needs of its members, including providing food, shelter, and a community for anyone who walks through its doors.
However, the Bryan City Zoning Commission told him that Dad's Place is in violation of city code for helping people in need. The church is zoned as "Central Business," so no one is allowed to eat, wash clothes, or sleep on the property. Those homeless need to go back out on the street where they belong.
To this day, Avell has refused to comply, and has continued helping people in need.
He said,
So, my concern would be, ‘Hey, let's make sure we're representing Christ well in all of this.' We're a church, you know. This is what we do.
The Bryan chief of Police responded,
A reasonable amount of time was given for both the tenant and property owner to fix the issues. Due to the safety of all involved, the city moved forward with filing charges.
The city has filed nearly two dozen criminal charges against Avell for keeping his church open, and threatened to prosecute the church's landlord as well.
Pastor Avell is being represented by First Liberty, and his attorney Jeremy Dys answered the charges:
The latest statement by the City of Bryan — filled with half-truths and malicious innuendo designed to vilify the most desperate and downtrodden in their community — is simply the latest in a long line of aggressive actions by the City to bully this church into submission. Instead of supporting a church that is trying to help citizens going through some of the worst situations in their lives (and in the dead of winter), the city seems intent on intimidating the church into ending its ministry to vulnerable citizens or relocating it somewhere out of the Mayor Schlade's sight. The Constitution and the law say otherwise.
In addition to defending Avell against the charges leveled against him, First Liberty has also filed for a temporary restraining order against Bryan, Ohio, and its officials on behalf of Dad's Place Church.
Here's an interview with Avell:
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
