Ohio Pastor Faces Charges for Sheltering Homeless in Church, Sues City

Dad’s Place Church in Bryan, Ohio, remains open 24/7 despite city ordinances, citing religious obligation to care for the needy.

Pastor Christopher Avell of Dad’s Place Church in Bryan, Ohio, is facing 18 criminal charges for keeping his church open 24 hours a day to provide shelter and food to those in need, violating several city ordinances, zoning codes and state fire codes.
City officials sent Avell a cease-and-desist letter over zoning and safety code violations, as the church is zoned within the city’s central business district, which prohibits residential use of the first floor of any building.
Despite the city's demands, the church chose to remain open, citing its religious obligation to care for 'the least of these' in its community.
The city alleges that the church has serious safety violations, including a gas leak caused by improper installation of an unapproved gas dryer, inadequate exits and limited ventilation.
Dad’s Place Church has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that the city’s actions violate the church’s First and Fourteenth Amendment protections. The church is seeking a temporary restraining order to keep city officials from using the city’s ordinances to burden the church’s religious exercise.