First Liberty filed the lawsuit in federal court on behalf of The Tarrington Church, accusing Windsor Township of waging what attorneys called a "multi-year campaign" to restrict or prevent the church from engaging in religious activity on its own property.

"The First Amendment and federal law protect the right of churches to operate freely from unreasonable and intrusive government interference," Ryan Gardner, senior counsel at First Liberty, said on The Todd Starnes Radio Show. "The Township's repeated efforts to use the petty tools of government prevent this church from participating in its religious activities at a site where Christians have been gathering for decades cannot continue."

Don and Kathy Hamilton, along with family members, purchased the abandoned church building in January 2024 with the vision of opening The Tarrington Church, according to First Liberty. The congregation planned to use the building for worship services, Bible studies, weddings, funerals and other religious activities.

But after nonstructural renovations were completed, the township sent the church a cease-and-desist letter, claiming it was operating an illegal event venue in a residential zone. Officials also issued $4,500 in fines over three weddings held on the property—two of them for family and friends, First Liberty said.

"We have a church that is caught in what can only be described as a bureaucratic purgatory," he told Starnes.

First Liberty says the township later imposed severe restrictions on the church, including limiting worship to Sunday mornings with no more than 60 people, allowing only four to six community events per year, and requiring all events to end by 9 p.m. Attorneys said other churches and secular event facilities are not bound by the same restrictions.

Previously, First Liberty said the township fire chief limited the building's occupancy to 50 people, even though the building can hold 400, and restricted operating hours to just a few hours per week.

"It's unthinkable that anyone in the Township of Windsor'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," Gardner said. "The Constitution and federal law forbid government officials from intimidating and preventing churches from using their property as a place to exercise their religious beliefs."

First Liberty attorneys said the restrictions have "all but foreclosed any possibility for the church to function and exist."

In the lawsuit, attorneys accused the township of applying its ordinances in a "draconian manner" to curtail or prohibit religious activity based on its own judgment of which gatherings are "religious enough" to receive legal protection.

First Liberty is asking the court to stop the township from enforcing the restrictions and allow the church to operate freely. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

'The Way, The Truth and The Life': Direct Descendant of Muhammad Now Follows Jesus

Food for Thought: The Rich Do Not Get Rich at Expense of the Poor [Video]

Mamdani Erases Little Italy ... and (Of Course) the Jews

A Lesson from King David, and a Call to Prayer from Give Him 15

Prayer Alert: Israel Has Informed the US of Another Specific Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump

Marco Rubio Steps in After Tim Walz Pardoned Illegal Alien Child Rapist before Deportation

Prosecutors Present Texts of Alleged Confession by Tyler Robinson in Hearing for Charlie Kirk Murder

'The Resurrection and the Life': Navy Vet Comes Back to Life After Family Prays

Are Weight Loss Medications Right for You? Pros and Cons of GLP-1s

Company Issues Voluntary Recall of This Specific Kind of 'Pedigree' Canned Dog Food

Prayer Alert: Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burn as Fires Spread in West

HHS Announces $281 Million to Expand Addiction and Mental Health Programs

Results: In Turkey, Trump Ordered a Trade Halt with Spain, Now They've Suddenly Agreed to Boost NATO Payments

As Billboards Promoting 'Birth Tourism' Pop Up Along Border, Trump to Ask SCOTUS to Reconsider 'Insane Decision' in Birthright Citizenship Case

Charlie Kirk Conspiracy Theories Suddenly Disappear as Video Evidence is Shown in Court

Donnie Wahlberg: 'The Most Important Thing I Ever Did Was to Give My Life to Christ'

'Fourth of July Miracle': Missing 4-Year-Old Found Alive after Walking Nearly Five Miles Along Oregon Coast

Christian Hollywood Star Exposes the Perverse, 'Demonic' Fraud Inside Foster Care System

Brazilian Judge Sentences Parents to Prison for Homeschooling Their Daughters

Little Sisters of the Poor Return to Court Again over Obama Contraception Mandate