by Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes
The Tarrington, a church in Windsor, Michigan, was fined for hosting weddings and religious events on its property.
First Liberty sent a demand letter this week, after town officials repeatedly tried to stop the church from engaging in religious activity in its building, including issuing multiple citations in just the past month.
In 2024, Pastor Don Hamilton and his wife, Kathy, purchased an abandoned church building with the vision of opening a new church. The history of the property dates back to the 1960s and was the home of a Methodist Church for over 60 years.
The church seeks to host worship services, Bible studies, weddings, and funerals, among other religious gatherings.
The church spent several months making renovations to the property to better accommodate congregants and activities, including installing a new metal roof, painting the interior and exterior of the building, replacing a leaking stained-glass window, pulling out old carpet and pews, installing new light figures and cleaning up the exterior. The church received full approval from the county before making any alternations to the property.
After the renovations were complete, however, the township sent the church a cease-and-desist letter claiming the church was operating an “illegal event venue” in a residential zone and later cited the church with $4,500 in fines for hosting three weddings, two of which were for family and friends.
Additionally, the township’s fire chief arbitrarily limited the occupancy of the building to 50 people despite the fact that the building can hold 400 and limited the church’s operating hours to just a few hours per week.
“It’s unthinkable that anyone in the Township of Winsor’s leadership would be so anti-religious that they would oppose a neighborhood church’s constitutionally protected right to freely engage in its religious activities,” said Ryan Gardner, Senior Counsel at First Liberty.
“The Township’s continual restrictions on the Church’s use of the Property have all but foreclosed any possibility for the Church to function and exist,” our letter notes, explaining that The Constitution and federal law forbid government officials from intimidating and preventing churches from using their property as place to exercise their religious beliefs.
Our legal team also points out that the township is treating the church more harshly than businesses that have also acquired properties recently. A reception hall nearby was purchased by a new owner and advertised it for booking weddings and other social events. Yet, that venue wasn’t “subjected to any of the arbitrary limitations imposed upon the Church, nor has it experienced the bureaucratic red tape the Township has imposed on the Church.”
Houses of worship should not be subject to such discrimination. First Liberty is asking the township to immediately withdraw the citations and allow the church to operate its full ministry at the property.
The township must do what’s right, follow the law and respect the church’s constitutional rights. If not, we’re prepared to take the matter to court to make sure The Tarrington can fully and freely live out its faith.
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