MASSILLON, Ohio (AP) - Is it worship? Or disturbing the peace?
Neighbors of Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church have petitioned the city, saying screams and sounds of glory and praise coming from the building are a nuisance. But church members contend they're being harassed because of how they worship.
"Sunday morning is God's day of worship," the Rev. Troy Sowell said. "I'm not going to tell this congregation, 'You're being too loud.'"
Sowell says he's open to finding a solution but is not going to forfeit his right to worship God.
Police responded to noise complaints three consecutive days during a revival last year, after the congregation moved in.
"They have a sound system over there that is very loud," said neighbor Reginald Winters. "I'm in my house with the door shut, and literally, my windows are vibrating in my house. ... This year, it's started right back up."
The church closed its doors and windows, but the complaints have continued, said Jerena Copeland, associate pastor.
Sowell said light bulbs have been stolen from the building and beer bottles have been wedged beneath the tires of members' vehicles.
Church members recently met with Police Chief Robert Williams.
"I'm still hoping for an amicable, diplomatic solution," said Williams, an ordained minister and the son of a pastor.
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CHURCH CONFLICT The Rev. Troy Sowell, senior pastor at Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church in northeast Massillon, claims his congregation has been targeted because of its loud worship style. Some residents who live nearby say the sound emanating from the church frequently is excessive. REPOSITORY MICHAEL S. BALASH |
(Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Thursday, April 26, 2007
BY CHARITA M. GOSHAY
REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER
MASSILLON, Ohio (AP) - Is it worship? Or disturbing the peace?
Neighbors of Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church have petitioned the city, saying screams and sounds of glory and praise coming from the building are a nuisance. But church members contend they're being harassed because of how they worship.
"Sunday morning is God's day of worship," the Rev. Troy Sowell said. "I'm not going to tell this congregation, 'You're being too loud.'"
Sowell says he's open to finding a solution but is not going to forfeit his right to worship God.
Police responded to noise complaints three consecutive days during a revival last year, after the congregation moved in.
"They have a sound system over there that is very loud," said neighbor Reginald Winters. "I'm in my house with the door shut, and literally, my windows are vibrating in my house. ... This year, it's started right back up."
The church closed its doors and windows, but the complaints have continued, said Jerena Copeland, associate pastor.
Sowell said light bulbs have been stolen from the building and beer bottles have been wedged beneath the tires of members' vehicles.
Church members recently met with Police Chief Robert Williams.
"I'm still hoping for an amicable, diplomatic solution," said Williams, an ordained minister and the son of a pastor.
(Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Some members of a northeast neighborhood want the congregation that attends Sunday services there to tone it down when they praise the Lord, and they've petitioned the city to do something about it.
But church members claim they're being harassed because of the way they worship.
The Rev. Troy Sowell, senior pastor at Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church at 1133 10th St. NE, wants to find a solution, but says heis not going to forfeit his right to worship God as he pleases.
"We're not going to whisper, but we're not going to blatantly disregard the law," he said. "It's not 'noise.' We're going to praise the Lord and worship. We're talking 50 members. We plan on filling it up. What are they going to do then?"
The nondenominational church conducts worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, a Bible study and prayer meeting on Wednesdays, and chorus rehearsals on Fridays.
"Sunday morning is God's day of worship," Sowell said. "I'm not going to tell this congregation, 'You're being too loud.' "
Volume has been an ongoing problem since the congregation moved into the church in 2006, said Associate Pastor Jerena Copeland. She said that last year police came to the church three consecutive days during a revival in response to noise complaints. Copeland said the church closed its doors and windows, but the complaints have continued.
"Sunday was 75 degrees," Sowell said. "The neighbors' doors and windows were open; (from) some you could hear what they were watching on TV. With 50 members, we're one of the smallest churches, but yet we're the noisiest?"
Copeland said a member was threatened by a neighbor with a baseball bat last year for asking neighboring children to stop playing in the church's yard. Sowell claims that spouting has been pulled from the building, lightbulbs have been stolen, and beer bottles have been found wedged beneath the tires of members' vehicles.
Neighborhood resident Richard Laase, who signed the petition, said he welcomes the church in the neighborhood, but contends that sometimes the worshippers get too loud.
Regarding last year's revival, Laase said, "I live half a block away; I thought there was a fight outside. There was screaming going on. I have no problem with their religion, but when you can hear it half a block way, you the need to close the windows. I've been a resident here 15 years. It was kind of disturbing to me, but if that's their belief, that's what they want to do, that's fine by me."
Copeland said Christ the Warrior King's effusive style of worship is "not disrespect, but glory to God."
"I get excited about what Jesus has done for us," she said, adding that God healed her from a stroke. "I'm not ashamed of what Christ has done in my life. We've invited the neighbors. They've judged us before they knew anything about us."
AMICABLE SOLUTION
Church members recently met with the city's police chief, Robert Williams.
"I'm still hoping for an amicable, diplomatic solution," said Williams, an ordained minister and the son of a pastor.
Williams said one problem is, unlike newer buildings, the church, which was built in 1954, does not have a "buffer" such as a large parking lot separating it from the surrounding houses. It previously was occupied by a wedding chapel, and the Souls Harbor Baptist Church.
Williams said he didn't know how many times officers have been to the church, but that following up citizen complaints is standard police procedure.
The problem appears to be unique.
Nisha Mohammed, a spokeswoman for the Rutherford Institute, a religious-freedom advocacy group in Washington, D.C., said the issue has not been one the agency's encountered.
"Most of the cases we've dealt with have been zoning issues, such as parking lots, or church expansion," she said. "To my knowledge, we haven't come across such a case."
is it a race issue?
Church administrative assistant Gerald Woods argues that the city's noise ordinance is violated every time a canon is set off to celebrate a touchdown made by the Washington High School football team inside Paul Brown Stadium.
"It's a predominately white neighborhood. We're a predominately black church. That's the problem," he said.
Laase takes issue with such a characterization.
"No one's trying to pick on them because of their race, creed or color," he said. "It's not a racist neighborhood. We have a mix of people here."
"It is not a race issue," said Reginald Winters, who lives across the street from the church. "It's not the way they worship. It is simply respect. They have a sound system over there that is very loud. I'm in my house with the door shut, and literally, my windows are vibrating in my house. ... This year, it's started right back up."
Winters said he recently spoke with another associate pastor, the Rev. Eugene Copeland - Jerena's husband - about the issue.
"He's a very nice guy," Winters said. "I explained to him, 'I'm an African-American myself; this is not a racist neighborhood.' I told him, 'Nobody dislikes you because you're a black congregation. It's nothing like that. Just turn down the volume a little bit.' "
Winters said he tries to keep a watchful eye on the church, and has seen no acts of vandalism, apart from some children banging on the windows.
Church members say they have no plans to leave the neighborhood.
"This is 2007," Jerena Copeland said. "We're not running."
"The only way we'll move is if we outgrow the building," Sowell said. "If they want us out, come on over and help fill it up."
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