Under Legal Pressure, Dallas Suburb Permits Church Build
by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
September 14, 2004
(AgapePress) - A small Hispanic congregation will be able to construct a place of worship in one Texas city after officials backed down from an earlier ruling, which forbade the church to move ahead with building plans.It was back in 1997 when the Templo La Fe Worship Center purchased land for a sanctuary in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs. Earlier this year the city denied a special-use permit for the church, claiming the plans violated zoning regulations. However, Liberty Legal Institute, an organization that specializes in defending religious freedom and First Amendment rights, filed a lawsuit against the city on the church's behalf. Under pressure, the city council reversed its decision and granted the church its permit.
But even though the City of Balch Springs gave in to one of the Worship Center's demands, Liberty Legal's director of litigation, Hiram Sasser, says there are other matters of injustice that need to be resolved before the lawsuit will be dropped. He feels the members of the city council who voted to refuse Templo La Fe's permit request acted unjustly. "As I understand it, they just did not want a church there," he says.
"Here we have a small Hispanic church just trying to exist," Sasser continues, "and we have a city trying to rub out a church and keep them from being able to build their building. It's unfortunate that it's a common problem across this country, but churches need to take note that they have rights. They have the ability to take on the city and win if they need to."
The attorney notes that Templo La Fe filed its complaint in June 2004, charging that the city wrongfully used its zoning regulations to deny the congregation the right to build a church on land it had bought in 1997. When the city initially failed to comply with the demands of the suit, the U.S. Department of Justice got involved and opened its own investigation into the case.
Sasser is pleased that Department of Justice was willing to act in defense of the congregation's constitutional rights. He points out that this is not the first time the City of Balch Springs has been accused of trying to curtail citizens' religious freedom.
"We have to remember," the lawyer says, "these four people on the city council that voted against the church are the same four people that voted against allowing senior citizens to pray over their meals or sing gospel music in their senior center. And we had to go and fight them on that case and win that case last year." He goes on to add, "Cities and school districts across the state of Texas should take note; if they violate the law or infringe upon our religious freedoms, we will take every step necessary to crush the injustice."
The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is continuing its investigation into the matter. Sasser says the Templo La Fe and the Liberty Legal Institute are grateful to have a Justice Department that is willing to defend Americans' religious freedom.
