Legal battle between a church and its city

Amari Signorello 

April 4, 2024

Brookings, a small town with a charming flair, is a town in Oregon, six miles from the California border. Driving through, one would see a town with many trees, beaches, pretty houses with scenic views from mountains. 

It has expanded over time due to desirable weather, views, and good property. However, every town whose population is fairly big has gotten to the point of many having homeless on the street. Many people on the sides of the road holding signs, sleeping on the grass, and seeing tents surrounded by trash. 

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church is a church within the neighborhood, which provides various services to the people on the street in need. People come in to shower, do laundry, get food or drink, warmth, or charge their devices. 

They help provide people with access to get their birth certificates, get ID cards, driver’s licenses, connections to cars, legal advocacy, expungements, and get driving privileges reinstated. They also help people with rent, utilities, tents, and backpacks.

However, over the years, the city has developed some issues with the church’s location and their feeding service. 

St. Timothy’s feeds around 60-85 homeless people four days a week according to Father Bernie Lindley, Pastor of Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church, said.

Despite the established four days, when the pandemic hit, the city wanted the church to cut down to two days a week. 

The City of Brookings created an ordinance that required a permit to allow a church to become a soup kitchen/restaurant, and legally provide their meal services to the needy even though it is their religious belief to help the less fortunate.

“We said we’re not going to get some permit you can take away that’s going to limit how many days we can feed,” Father Lindley said.

Since the Church refused to cut down on the amount of days they provide their feeding services, The city was going to fine the church for every day they were open without the permit. 

Ultimately, this was what began St. Timothy’s choice to sue the City of Brookings for violating RLUIPA or the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Person’s Act.

The Federal Department of Justice protects the rights of American citizens and enforces federal law. 

The Department of Justice contacted the church most likely after seeing the story of the lawsuit in a larger newspaper, and they filed an amicus brief on their behalf since the City of Brookings is violating RLUIPA which is a part of the rights the Department of Justice protects.

According to the Department of Justice,  a report on  RLUIPA is the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Person’s Act "protects individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking zones, which Brookings has violated by fining the church for their religious obligation." 

“It’s a firmly held religious belief that God wants us to do these things,” Father Lindley said.

He believes that it is unjust for the city to have fined St. Timothy’s due to the First Amendment. 

The First Amendment states; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

The City denied the church’s right to be open four days a week which is within their religious right, but the city still prohibited them despite it being a constitutional right of American citizens.

After the initial lawsuit, Father Lindley expected the city to negotiate and try to reach a settlement with St. Timothy’s, but it never happened.

“The city likes the fact we’re doing this, but they want us to do it elsewhere,” Father Lindley says.

The church's location in the neighborhood causes problems with the families that live there. The problems range from vandalism all the way to property damage.

The only problem with the city wanting the church to move their  services elsewhere is that “there is nowhere else,” Father Lindley said.

Now, the judge in Medford, Oregon will soon reach his verdict on whether the City of Brookings is in violation of the RLUIPA or not.

All the residents of Brookings can do as members of the community is to bring more resources to our city.

If a resident wanted to help, they could all come together to provide more opportunities to help the needy. Members of the Brookings can bring places such as shelters or rehabilitation centers so that the community can provide to the people who need it the most. 

Photo Credit: https://www.goodfon.com/landscapes/wallpaper-ssha-shtat-oregon-okean.html