A South Carolina church filed suit Monday after a town prohibited worship services from being held in a public civic center, even though the congregation had rented the facility in the past.
Redeemer Fellowship of Edisto Island had outgrown its former meeting space when it began searching for a new place to meet earlier this year, according to the federal lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom. The Edisto Beach Civic Center seemed to be a perfect fit, and the congregation rented the facility for meetings on April 1 and May 6.
The church then requested to continue meeting at the civic center, but the town council, at its May 10 meeting, voted to ban all rentals for “religious worship services,” according to the suit.
“The Town’s Amended Guidelines permit virtually all community groups to rent the Center for all expressive activities, with the sole exception of religious worship services,” the suit says.
The suit notes that an Episcopal church had rented space in the civic center for five years to use as offices. The civic center also has been rented for bridge games, birthdays, weddings and Christmas parties, according to the suit.
“Churches shouldn’t be treated less favorably than other groups that want to rent facilities,” said Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Christiana Holcomb. “The town of Edisto…
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