Chalk one up for the Church

Misconception of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom has been institutionalized in modern America due to social (non)values. Distortion of a statement made by Thomas Jefferson in a letter addressed to the Danbury Baptists has become canon law to the irreligious. The now classic terminology, "separation of church and state," is regularly used to bludgeon Christians into ineffectiveness. Thankfully, more and more churches and ministries are not taking the beating lying down. That is the case of Point of Connection Ministries in rural northeast Oregon. The irony of the dispute between planning commissioners and the ministry was based in a secular misunderstanding of what a church is and does, and an attempt to apply land use regulations to an exempt organization. The whole process was laced with irony because, before POC acknowledged respect for the county by applying for a conditional use permit, the county had already been referring homeless and hurting individuals to the ministry for temporary housing despite a lack of a CUP. Yet when POC submitted an application in 2015, it was turned down because realtors asserted that rehabilitating addicts and housing homeless is not the job of the Church. Throw in a few neighbors a quarter mile away complaining about possible lawlessness by residents (which had never occurred during the years authorities had already been utilizing POC's services) and the outcome was foregone. The commission response caused the POC Board (full disclosure: I am a member) to wobble their heads in disbelief not unlike blindsided cartoon characters. One of us couldn't keep silent and wrote a column for CanadaFreePress: "When is a church not a church? When real estate agents decide, evidently." (That would be me.)

As a result of the refusal, POC took steps to find representation in order to go forward with its mission to provide safe, sober transformational housing for men in crisis to refocus their lives. The core of the service is an 18-month, Christian program that assists and trains them to re-integrate into society as productive citizens. The program includes Bible study for life guidance, salvation and release from self-destructive behavior; practices in good hygiene, housekeeping, budgeting, team building, family dynamics and, of course, job training. Realizing the scope with which the free exercise of religion had been violated, First Liberty Institute did not hesitate to aid Point of Connection. Drawing a sigh of relief, it wasn't long before two attorneys arrived in Oregon to tour the 5,000 square foot facility on five acres and meet with the board members. Hope had dawned in finding out that First Liberty had somehow engaged one of the top-rated real estate attorneys in the nation to guide the defense. (For those believers who question God's faithfulness, don't. He shows up in answer to prayer (1 John 5:14-15) and usually in unexpected ways.) Despite the high profile representation, the county still refused to allow the ministry to conduct its mission and the case went before the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals where it was remanded back to the county after the county agreed to review the application. The application was ping-ponged for three more years with county executives sticking to their argument that a church must have state licensure to minister to society's unfortunates, disregarding the Constitution (not to mention court precedent, RFRA and RLUIPA). Throughout the four years of praying in faith, confessing God's will and purpose, and waiting, interminable waiting, the planning commission began to see the light. Finally, March 26, 2019, Point of Connection was awarded the CUP to re-open its doors¹ to serve a rural county desperate for housing of the homeless, addicted and lost men who had nowhere else to turn. This small county, which can suffer low overnight temperatures into the minus 30s, had no alternative housing for individuals with no place to go. Still, it took the planning commission four years, under the threat of an expensive lawsuit that could easily have ended up before SCOTUS, to hand over the key. Although First Liberty resolved the case without further battles in federal court, the fundamental argument protecting our freedom of expression of religion has been demonstrated once more. Christians are called to love their neighbor as themselves and the Church is much more than a hollow building only occupied for Sunday worship. The Church is comprised of believers who operate according to their calling, and ministries come in every shape and form that government regulations cannot restrain or regulate. The Constitution ensures our freedoms by constraining government, not the People. And Christ bestows us true liberty to be a blessing however He directs us to serve. Point of Connection Ministry Church (PDF)