City officials in San Juan Capistrano have taken steps to prevent future conflicts after sparking national outrage for fining and threatening a home Bible study group.I don't know if this had any impact, but Saddleback Church, one of the largest megachurches in the country, now owns a large piece of property in San Juan Capistrano and have a branch of their church located there. They also have thousands of small home groups throughout Orange County that would have fallen afoul of the old San Juan Capistrano regulations (at least for those in that city).
The City Council voted unanimously late Tuesday night to adopt changes to its zoning code after lawyers from the Pacific Justice Institute went to court earlier this year to defend Chuck and Stephanie Fromm, who were fined $300 last November for holding “a regular gathering of more than three people”.
The city ultimately reversed course and refunded the fines it had levied against the family, and now seeks to amend its municipal code in cooperation with the Fromm family to find a solution.
The changes adopted by San Juan Capistrano conform to the California Building Code, which does not apply church building standards to home-based groups with less than 50 attendees.
As a result, small home-based religious groups in the city will be treated like similarly-sized secular gatherings and will not be required to get costly use permits.
“There is no reason why any family in the United States of America should have to worry about the government crashing their home Bible study or whatever meeting they’re having because of arduous rules and unreasonable restrictions,” said attorney Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute.
It never made sense to go after small home meetings - classic governmental overreach.
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4 comments:
'Overreach' is an understatement.
Glad to hear the City of San Juan Capistrano finally came to an agreement that is far more appropriate for the family involved here. Thanks for the update, Rick.
My understanding is that this particular Bible Study has had or currently has some notable names within Christendom in attendance. That would put some heat on the City Council there. . . I can understand why Pacific Justice Institute was involved.
If you've noticed, anything that believers try to do outside the church walls comes under fire by the opposition. Having a home Bible Study makes the meeting a warmer, more friendly environment, especially for those exploring the Christian faith. Now on to the issue of sharing one's faith at college campuses. . . a hot potato issue locally where I am and probably lots of other places as well.
Good to know we can now have Bible Studies in the land of the free!
Josh Hunt
www.joshhunt.com
Clearly they would have banned regular poker games, ma jong, etc.
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