BRYAN, Ohio — A church in Bryan filed a federal lawsuit and motion to get a temporary restraining order against the city and its officials on Monday.
The city and its officials are seeking to shut down what Dad's Place described as religious activities and also its pastor, Chris Avell, for what city officials said is illegal usage of the building based on zoning code.
The pastor faces nearly two dozen criminal charges for keeping his church open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Avell pleaded not guilty on 18 counts during a court appearance earlier in January. Charges included zoning violations for running a church that sheltered the unhoused.
"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 they may not be kids under the law, but they are orphans," Avell said. "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.
Dad's Place began helping the unhoused in March. However, in November, city officials issued an ultimatum to the church to stop operating 24 hours a day or face legal penalties.
After the church refused, city officials "began engaging in a campaign to harass, intimidate and shut down Dad's Place," according to attorneys for Dad's Place.
"They've taken the extraordinary measure of filing criminal charges against a pastor for doing what churches have done for centuries," Avell's attorney, Jeremy Dys, said. "I would ask the mayor to send her attorneys to come talk to us, to have a conversation about what this church looks like going forward in the city of Bryan, Ohio."
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