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WINDSOR TWP., Mich. (WILX) – A Mid-Michigan church has filed a federal lawsuit, claiming Windsor Township prohibited religious activity in the church building.
First Liberty Institute filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of The Tarrington Church, claiming the township “pursued a multi-year campaign to restrict or prevent the Church from engaging in activity in a church building where people have been gathering for nearly 60 years.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dispute over church in Windsor Township
The church owns an abandoned church building in Windsor Twp. and after nonstructural building renovations were completed, the church began to host worship services, Bible studies, and weddings, among other religious activities, according to First Liberty.
The lawsuit says the township sent the church a cease-and-desist letter claiming the church “was operating an illegal event venue in a residential zone” and issued $4,500 in fines for three weddings held on the Church’s property, two of which were for family and friends.
A final determination regarding the church’s legal, non-conforming use limited the church to Sunday morning services with no more than 60 people, allowed only 4–6 community events per year and all events must conclude by 9 p.m., according to the lawsuit.
“Other churches and secular event facilities are not bound by the same restrictions. For over two years, the Church has attempted in good faith to work with the Township to satisfy its shifting demands, but in May, the Township amped up its efforts to prevent religious activity at the Church’s property,” the First Liberty Institute said in a lawsuit.
In the complaint, attorneys state, the Township is applying its ordinances in a “in a draconian manner to severely curtail or outright prohibit religious activity at the Church’s property based upon its own misguided notion of which religious gatherings are religious enough to qualify as protected activity under state and federal law.”
“The First Amendment and federal law protect the right of churches to operate freely from unreasonable and intrusive government interference,” said Ryan Gardner, Senior Counsel at First Liberty. “The Township’s repeated efforts to use the petty tools of government prevent this church from participating in its religious activities at a site where Christians have been gathering for decades cannot continue.”
In an interview with News 10, Gardner said the church has been stuck in what he described as a “bureaucratic purgatory” despite operating in a building that has served as a place of worship for decades. He argued the church is being treated differently than other religious organizations in the area.
“There’s another church, I think it’s the United Brethren Church, that’s in the same area as this church. And they haven’t faced any of these obstacles,” Gardner said.
Tarrington Church Pastor and Director Don Hamilton said the ongoing dispute has also created financial challenges for the small congregation.
“My wife and myself, my son and his wife, we finance this ministry a hundred percent on our own. And obviously getting fines from the township doesn’t help,” Hamilton said. He added that they’re “trying to grow a very small church with a limited budget.”
Hamilton said he remains committed to keeping the church open despite the legal battle, adding that prayer is getting him and his wife through.
“It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now, when you’re in the middle of it, but what we believe God’s will be done,” he said.
Some nearby residents also voiced support for the church. Carly Gustafson, whose husband previously preached at the former Dimondale United Methodist Church before it closed, said she believes part of the dispute stems from how the property is being used.
Gustafson said the new owners continued religious programming while also hosting weddings and other events at the property. Other than this concern possibly coming from Windsor Township officials, she is unaware of significant opposition to the church’s activities among neighbors.
Longtime Dimondale resident Norman Wightman, who said he has attended multiple township meetings about the dispute, also questioned why the conflict has continued.
“I can’t understand, for the life of me, why they’re fighting to have a pleasant church and nice people in the area,” Wightman said.
News 10 Lansing has reached out to Windsor Township officials and their attorney for comment on the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.
Read the full lawsuit below:
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