A church in Davenport, Iowa, facing zoning restrictions related to its outreach program to feed the homeless, is appealing its local council and questioning the legality of the city’s regulations. This all stems from a cease and desist order they received — because feeding the homeless is not allowed when you’re zoned as a church.
Pastor Jim Swope founded Timothy’s House of Hope in 2009 and is associated with Compassion Church, which was founded by Pastor Nick Cantwell. One of the primary missions of the church is focused on outreach to poor and homeless individuals, offering addiction resources, haircuts, a food pantry, clothing, and meals at no charge, according to the ministry’s website. Timothy’s House of Hope center has estimated thousands of meals served each month.
Timothy’s House of Hope recently moved its operation from West 4th Street to Washington Street, which is where the Compassion Church is located. The center’s location change resulted in its closure just days later due to what has been described as “zoning issues.”
While the House of Hope was allowed to serve meals at the 4th Street location, their move to Washington Street is reportedly in violation of zoning ordinances. The church is permitted to operate on Washington Street, but “services to the homeless” are prohibited due to zoning regulations, according to the Quad-City Times.
Bruce Berger, Davenport’s economic development and planning director, said that the property must first be classified as a “Planned Institutional District” specified for “Housing and Supporting Services.”
In the meantime, however, to hell with the homeless people who need the food. They can starve whilst the church files the proper paperwork and red tape to help people.
In addition to the zoning issues, Swope has claimed that Davenport Alderman Ray Ambrose is specifically opposed to the notion of a homeless outreach center operating on Washington Street. According to Swope, Ambrose confronted him and “just lit into me and said he didn’t want bums on top of the hill” following the center’s relocation.
The Quad City Times reported that Ambrose acknowledged that he doesn’t view the center as a good fit for the area, which is a business district that he described as “most iconic.”
“It’s a huge issue with me and I’ll fight it to the very end,” Ambrose was quoted as saying. “I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling for the homeless as other people do.”
According to Radio Iowa, Ambrose “says the church lied about its plans and that a homeless outreach center does not fit into his vision for the district.”
A group of community members spoke out at a city council meeting on April 26 urging the city to allow the center to reinstate operations. Mike Meloy, an attorney working with the Compassion Church, argued that the “city of Davenport’s actions violate Pastor (Jim) Swope and Pastor (Nick) Cantwell’s religious freedom of association and religious rights protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (and) Article 1 section 3 of the Iowa Constitution.”
Drew Klein, state director for Americans for Prosperity-Iowa, shared his thoughts on the controversy. “It is truly appalling that city officials are citing long ignored zoning regulations to shut down a ministry that has done nothing but serve underprivileged members of the Davenport community,” Klein noted.
Klein was among other individuals at the meeting who called out Ambrose’s comments about the homeless and said that “Alderman Ray Ambrose’s words on this issue have been particularly distasteful, referring to members of the homeless community as bums and claiming he does not share his community’s sympathy for these individuals.”
“Shuttering a ministry that is doing incredible work in the community is probably not what their voters had in mind,” Klein added.
Klipsch reiterated that the city was hoping to work with the Compassion Church and Timothy’s House of Hope to reach a solution and that the issue was presented to the city as a zoning problem, not an act of opposing the work of the church.
New Hampshire-based writer Annabelle Bamforth is focused on breaking the left/right paradigm through new media and local politics. Annabelle is the editor-in-chief of Emmy-winning journalist Ben Swann’s Truth In Media Project and a producer for Mr. Swann’s Truth In Media episodes. This article first appeared here at TheFreeThoughtProject.com.
If the comments from alderman ambrose are correct. He needs to be recalled and have his home turned over to the homeless outreach to help fund the blessing that the church is being to those in need.
Turn his house over to homeless outreach, seriously? The man may be a total jerk, but last time I checked you can’t steal a jerk’s home, just because you want to use it for good works. Stand back and let the adults sort this issue out, okay?
Don’t assume that churches automatically are doing good by their supposed “dogooding”.
Ignore these suspicious-out-of nowhere immatured trolls, Lowell. Great comment!
CHurches have been helping feed, cloth, the poor for thousands of years, thousands. It was not until the advent of FDR, did this change, 60 years ago. The major hospital systems are 7th day adventist, Baptist, Catholic Health, the churches have been taking care of the sick for thousands of years.
Where is Separation of Church and State. This is the job of the Churches, it is not the job of the government. Where is a great lawyer with the time to coordinate the removal of all government programs,
so that the Churches can return to their job, taking care of the poor, and people in need. It is not
the job of the govt, it is the job of the churches.
I always hear about Separation of Church and State, when it is convenient for the State, but this is a fact, Welfare, health care, feeding the poor is the job of the Churches and the State STOLE IT.
The homeless should all go to his street. Then take trns going to his offices and council meetings, etc. They are citizens and have every right. Then maybe Mr. “I don’t want bums” will change his tune abu a church helping them.
Is this mean-spirited politician Mr. “I don’want bums” for real?! Many of the homeless are also Veterans; so he hates them too if they become homeless?!
This meanie should be made homeless; what goes around comes around……
How Ambrose and city ‘authorities’ work together hand in hand, should be disclosed..
Ah, and the city gets their money from where?? Taxes anyone?? What is the monthly salary of such ‘planning manager’??? Does anyone know?? Those who protect the iconic district, seem to have no heart to watch those, whom they own their property…
How all these masses of homeless were formed in the first place???
Making illegal what God has made lawful (e.g., Christian care of the poor) and legal what God had determined as unlawful (e.g., sodomy and in utero infanticide) is what man-made replacement governments are all about. It’s inherent in their rejection of Yahweh as sovereign and His moral law as supreme.
That fickle finite man’s laws are always in flux is also inherent in that they’re based upon capricious man-made traditions. The following illustrates the disparity between man’s ever-changing standard and Yahweh’s never-changing standard:
“Two people could have walked down any U.S. street in 1930 – one with a bottle of whiskey under his arm and one with a bar of gold in his pocket, and the one with the whiskey would have been a criminal whereas
the one with the bar of gold would have been considered a good law abiding citizen. If the same thing happened in any U.S. city in 1970, the one with the whiskey would be the law abiding citizen and the one
with the gold bar would be the criminal.” (W.W. Turner, The Amazing Story of the British Sovereign (Nashville, TN: 1970) p. 4.)
In a mere forty-year period, man’s standard had completely reversed itself. The same transposition of ethics has occurred innumerable times under all governments based upon the traditions of man.
For more on how Yahweh’s immutable moral law applies and should be implemented today, see free online book “Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant.” Click on my name, then our website. Go to our Online Books page and scroll down to the title.
Then “A Biblical Constitution: A Scriptural Replacement for Secular Government.”
It is only gong to get worse as time goes on.
Iowa!! What else could one expect from corn belt Nazis, KKK and Steve King types.
This is far from the first time this global bank/gov agenda has been pursued. Many people and churches have been punished/arrested for helping others. If the American people allow this irrational institutionalized cruelty to continue, it is the end of us. No doubt about it. If the general public can be “conditioned” to this process we will have lost whatever was worthwhile in humanity and we deserve what’s coming to us.
Sodom and Gomorrah were noted for their hatred of the weak or poor – they beat them up or even murdered anyone begging . Legend has it that one of Lot’s daughters got beaten up for trying to help a homeless thirsty down and out who thought he would receive kindness .
Ambrose might get the same fate of the inhabitants one day. I dont have a warm and fuzzy feeling for him by a long shot .
WHOOPS, I think JESUS the CREATOR has a different world view.
Proverbs 22.9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Luke 14.13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Leviticus 25.35
Deuteronomy 24.19
Job 29.12
Jer. 7.6
Matthew 25.37-40
Proverbs 19.17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto יהוה; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Psalms 82.3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Isaiah 58.7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Why do the Zionazis hate (true) Churches or any religion; that help the poor – because in Luciferian ZNWO, the poor humanity are just disposable slaves or ‘useless’ humanity in their Depopulation agenda!
Look at the way they destroyed devout ancient Catholic world such as Mexico/Latin America; just so that they can acquire continuous supply of cheap labour/sex slaves/organs into the US, through the most savage Cannibal/Necrophila ZioNazi-created drug cartels; see
Zeta gang connected to U.S. Special Forces/Mossad
By Wayne Madsen, March 10, 2011!
Bet if they were illegals or muslim refugee,s he would have no problem…
Or Satanists !
In the old days this is what the church did. Government wants to be your god and the left complain about separation of church and State.
They really meant your religion of Christianity to shut down so they can practice theirs of Satan – called lieberalism. Or the belief in the great lie.
when you abandon the false left/right paradigm, it is easier to see the players for who they really are
Pray for Christ’s return and the destruction of all evil.
There’s a “private” war going on against the homeless/poor. When there’s enough attention brought by the action of the municipal corporate agents (zoning/licensing or just preventing by made up ordinances by muni-corp agents), then the war subsides until the attention disappears. Listen to the mayors words very carefully ( “We can’t let this be interpreted in any way that we do not support the great work that timothy house of hope is doing,”). Many are trying to help those homeless/poor and are being arrested or stopped from doing so by uniformed muni-corp agents bent on gaining income for their corporation. This is all done in/by fraud, and by design. I stand it’s beyond time for these “gov’t services corporations” under Vatican control to be dissolved. It’s also strongly necessary for repentance and turning back to Yahweh and His word as our true source of literally everything, including law. No Torah equals no justice.
Where’s the ACLU?
They are very particular who they help – some of the “poor” more equal than the real poor .
“It’s a huge issue with me and I’ll fight it to the very end.” When was the last time anyone ever made such a statement in regard to upholding Biblical law? Jesus said if His kingdom were of this world, then His servants would fight to protect Him. Is this situation what Jesus had in mind when He commanded us to sell our cloaks, if necessary, to buy a sword? I wonder what Satan’s kids would do if we said, “Whatever we do unto the least of these, we do unto Jesus Christ. We intend to fight for Jesus by fighting to protect these, His people. If you feel that your devotion to Baal, which prohibits us from obeying God, justifies your use of force against our righteous work, don’t be surprised if we feel equally devoted to our God.”
Nationwide there is a war on the poor going on without mercy or care about the outcome. Many sides to this story and all appear to be from greed, arrogance, etc. and not some real concern for the people. Comply or die.
Close the Government – keep the Church’s program to help ” all types” of people. Trust me – people can govern themselves better than any greedy, power hungry Club. Most russian villages have no police force, only a security company monitoring the village. There is a mayor and village workers to take care of utilities, streets and garbage. 90% of the russian people – govern themselves as a village or town. It must be a thing left over from the USSR days but the teenagers are polite and there is more peace than in the states. Yes there is crime – but mostly in the major cities.
Dearest Jesus Christ. I want to appeal to your mercySeat in Heaven. Please authorize us in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS to take these politicians out of their office by whatever force is needed (including killing in selfDefense, any of their city cops who attempt to thwart our plan). Then allow us to burn their homes to the foundations, strip each of them naked, hogTie them, pour maple syrup all over their bodies, and throw them all together, on top of a hill of red ants. Now, please give us title to their respective properties so we may build a church, and a nice soupKitchen on one of them. On the others, we shall erect tiny homes so these people have shelter. Amen. Oh. And for the record, we won’t be applying for any permits you friggin’ satan worshipping morons of Davenport who elected these cretins!!!! Jesus told Peter: FEED MY SHEEP. I guess the Christians in Davenport, Iowa missed that SundaySchool lesson, huh?