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    Common Dreams. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
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    chris avell

    Pastor Chris Avell (L) and his attorney Jeremy Dys

    Ohio Pastor Files Federal Lawsuit Over Charges for Helping Homeless

    An attorney for Pastor Chris Avell said city officials have launched a "smear campaign of innuendo and half-truths" to get him to stop hosting homeless people in his church.

    Julia Conley
    Jan 23, 2024

    Chris Avell, a pastor in Bryan, Ohio who opened his church to the city's "vulnerable" residents to give them a place to stay amid freezing winter weather, is suing city officials over what he says is "discrimination" and "harassment" stemming from criminal charges he faced for providing housing for homeless people.

    Avell filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the city of Bryan, Mayor Carrie Schlade, Police Department Capt. Jamie Mendez, zoning official Andrew Waterson, and Fire Chief Doug Pool.

    Keep ReadingShow Less
    News
    homelessness
    Pastor Chris Avell

    Ohio Pastor Charged for Opening Church to Homeless People in Freezing Weather

    "This is actual religious persecution of a Christian by the state," said one journalist. "An actual violation of religious liberty."

    Julia Conley
    Jan 19, 2024

    Outrage spread Friday after the story about a pastor in Ohio who was arrested and charged for opening his church to homeless people when extreme cold weather struck his town gained national attention.

    Chris Avell, the pastor of an evangelical church called Dad's Place in Bryan, Ohio, pleaded not guilty last Thursday to charges that he broke 18 restrictions in zoning code when he gave shelter to people who might otherwise have frozen to death.

    Keep ReadingShow Less
    News
    homelessness

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