A church in Mississippi is suing the city of Greenville after a police officer ticketed congregants during a drive-in service.
The church, Temple Baptist, is one of two churches in Greenville resisting an order from Mayor Errick Simmons requiring churches to cancel drive-in services. Police issued $500 fines to congregants on Wednesday after they refused to leave a parking lot where a drive-in service was being conducted. According to members of the church, they had been following social distancing guidelines at the time.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group specializing in religious liberty cases, on Friday filed suit on the church’s behalf. Representatives from the group argued that the government action was not intended to “respect the health and safety of others” but instead amounted to government overreach. The group’s complaint accuses the local government of an unconstitutional action infringing on First Amendment rights.
“Government is clearly overstepping its authority when it singles out churches for punishment, especially in a ridiculous fashion like this,” said Ryan Tucker, director of the ADF Center for Christian Ministries, in a statement. “In Greenville, you can be in your car at a drive-in restaurant, but you can’t be in your car at a drive-in church service. That’s not only nonsensical, it’s unconstitutional, too.”
Temple has been holding drive-in services for three weeks without incident, church officials said.
Another church, King James Bible Baptist Church, on Thursday sent a letter to Simmons, asking him to stop “targeting” the church for similar reasons. Its pastor, Charleston Hamilton, said he plans to hold Easter Sunday drive-in service regardless of whether or not the city lifts its ban.
“We require Greenville, Mississippi, to withdraw the unconstitutional order that, disturbingly, targets religious exercise,” wrote representatives for First Liberty Counsel, the legal group representing Hamilton’s church.
President Trump on Friday urged pastors to stay home on Easter Sunday, telling them to “heal our country” instead of holding service.
