Note: I’ve personally seen the frozen corpse of a man who died in sub-zero temperatures under a bridge in Lowell, Massachusetts. Needless to say it was a haunting sight. Whatever his issues were he should not have had to try to shield himself from the freezing cold and wind under that bridge. State and local governments should be working to reassess excessive regulations when so many pastors and volunteers would very willingly open their empty church spaces to the vulnerable in extreme weather conditions. This is not an example of transvaluing the Gospel and Deposit of Faith into any cover for deviant theological “Progressivism,” it is rather, simply the living of the Gospel, in our daily lives.  SH.

Ohio AG backs pastor convicted of fire code violation for housing homeless at church

Only government officials could say people are safer in sub-zero temperatures than inside the warmth of a church,’ lawyer says

Ohio Attorney General David Yost has filed a brief in support of a pastor who was recently found guilty of a building code violation related to his church sheltering the homeless.

Pastor Chris Avell of Dad’s Place Church in Bryan was recently found guilty of a fire code violation that was leveled by city officials. 

In an amicus brief filed earlier this week in the Court of Appeals of Ohio, Sixth Appellate District, Williams County, Yost argued that the city was violating the church’s rights.

“This case is about religious liberty,” read the brief. “Applying Ohio’s proper test — strict scrutiny — the Church should prevail, and the preliminary injunction against the Church should be reversed.”

“That is because the City has not shown a likelihood of success that its claimed interests are compelling, nor has it shown that it has chosen the least restrictive means of pursuing its interests. As shown below, the City cannot meet the higher burden that Ohio’s Constitution requires.”

The First Liberty Institute, which is helping to represent Avell, noted that this marks the third brief that Yost has filed on behalf of the church since its legal battle with the city began in 2023.

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