Pastor Chris Avell is the pastor of a church in Bryan, Ohio, called Dad’s Place. The church is non-denominational and serves a town of about 8,400 people. Pastor Avell decided to try to take a step to help the homeless situation by keeping the church building open to help house them. Now he’s in legal trouble with the town over that decision.
The city, which arraigned Pastor Avell on Thursday, January 18, 2024, alleges that Avell violated 18 zoning laws by keeping his church open to house the homeless. Pastor Avell, for his part, pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges when he appeared before the court.
Speaking to The Christian Post about the situation, Avell’s lawyer, the senior counsel at First Liberty Insitute, Jeremy Dys, said, “Yesterday, the city of Bryan, Ohio, arraigned Pastor Chris on criminal charges for having his church open 24/7.” Continuing, Dys said, “He pled ‘not guilty,’ as any pastor should who is simply doing what churches throughout history have done: care for those who walk through their doors no matter the time of day.”
Then, opening the door to a possible accommodation with the city that would allow Pastor Avell to keep helping the homeless while not violating the law, Dys told The Christian Post, “We hope Mayor Carrie Schlade will drop all of these charges and begin talking with us about how Pastor Chris and Dad’s Place will continue to contribute to the wonderful community of Bryan.”
Pastor Avell, speaking to Fox News Channel about the situation and why he wants to take action to help the homeless population in the city, said, “I was spiritually homeless and God provided a home for me. He’s put a burden on my heart for the homeless.”
Continuing, he went on to tell Fox News that the church needs to step up and help people who face such trying circumstances, saying, “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 it’s life for them, then who will? This is what we’re called to do.”
Dys, his lawyer, then contrasted that attitude of the church with the attitude of the city, saying, “The city would rather kick these folks to the curb in the cold outdoor months of December and early January than allow the church to remain open 24/7 to those who need it the most. It’s unconscionable. We’re going to hold them accountable.”
Watch their appearance here:
The city, for its part, contended that charging Pastor Avell was reasonable because there were “numerous State Fire Code violations that the tenant and property owner were made aware of” and “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.”
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