Staff Reports
President Donald Trump has rightly prioritized restoring law and order, yet local governments across America—often under liberal control—continue waging war on churches that step up to feed and shelter the homeless, using zoning laws as weapons to crush faith-based compassion. In Fairfield, California, City Church, led by Pastor Scott Mulvey, faces over $300,000 in fines and forced repairs after years of providing food, medical care, and safe parking for the needy; enforcement intensified after Mulvey considered running for city council, shuttering its clinic and contributing to at least four homeless deaths from exposure. This isn't mere regulation—it's retaliation against a church filling the void left by failed government programs.
The pattern repeats nationwide, with bureaucrats punishing ministries for daring to help where secular agencies fail. In Castle Rock, Colorado, The Rock Church sued after town officials banned RVs used to shelter over 60 homeless individuals, citing zoning violations despite religious freedom protections under RLUIPA; a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, but the fight drags on into winter. Similarly, in Toms River, New Jersey, Christ Episcopal Church's plan for a 17-bed shelter stalled amid neighbor and mayoral opposition, leaving vulnerable people exposed while officials prioritize complaints over lives.
The staff and volunteers at Catholic Charities are truly living our faith, making sure all of our neighbors can have a warm, homemade meal this Thanksgiving.
Grateful for them and for all who are giving back this Thanksgiving season! pic.twitter.com/K6aa7RvP0I
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 25, 2025
Even in red states like Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the state's housing agency in November 2025 for "sectarian exclusions" that bar Christian groups from public funds unless they strip religious elements from homeless services, forcing a choice between faith and aid. In Bryan, Ohio, Pastor Chris Avell's Dad’s Place faced criminal charges and $200 fines for overnight sheltering without sprinklers, but a November 2025 appeals court victory allows it to continue amid ongoing battles. Arizona's Gethsemani Baptist Church settled a lawsuit after San Luis halted its two-decade food ministry to migrants and families, fining Pastor Jose Manuel Castro up to $4,000 for "commercial" activity in a non-commercial zone.
These assaults reveal a deeper hostility: progressive elites view church charity as a threat to their control, preferring streets teeming with the homeless over solutions rooted in Judeo-Christian values that built this nation. While rare court wins affirm religious liberty, the toll on innocents is unforgivable—churches pay legal fees, make futile upgrades, and watch the needy suffer as governments drag their feet on real fixes like Trump's border security push. True leadership demands that states preempt these abuses, shielding faithful ministries from petty tyrants who criminalize kindness.
America's founders enshrined religious freedom precisely to prevent such government overreach, yet today's bureaucrats mock that legacy by fining compassion into oblivion right before holidays like Thanksgiving. Conservatives must rally behind these churches, demanding federal intervention to protect them as they do what failing welfare states cannot: restore dignity to the downtrodden without apology or red tape. If left unchecked, this war on faith will leave not just the homeless, but our moral foundation, out in the cold.
