San Diego
The Christian SonRise Fellowship is seeking a restraining order to stop city officials from impeding what they see as their religious right to feed the poor.
The non-denominational Hillcrest church was told to close its kitchen on May 15 because of health and zoning violations and allegedly using the building for “not a church use.”
The church offered free meals on Wednesday nights after a prayer service and on one Sunday a month, but neighbors in the upscale neighborhood complained about the transients it drew.
In a complaint filed in federal court Monday, the fellowship contends the city is interfering with its First Amendment right to practice religion and offer a “common meal” as part of the sacrament.
“Even in the earliest churches, the congregations broke bread together,” said the Rev. Don Shuman. The case is scheduled to be heard today by Chief U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson Jr.
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