Travesty: Iowa Church Slapped With Cease & Desist Order

Timothy’s House of Hope was founded by Pastor Jim Swope in 2009 and works closely with Compassion Church, founded by Pastor Nick Cantwell.

“One of the primary missions of the church is focused on outreach to poor and homeless individuals, offering addiction resources, haircuts, a food pantry, clothing, and meals at no charge, according to the ministry’s website. Timothy’s House of Hope center has estimated thousands of meals served each month.”

Problems arose when Timothy’s House of Hope relocated 5 minutes down the road from West 4th street to Washington Street to be closer to Compassion Church. Timothy’s House of Hope was shut down just a few days later by government officials claiming it violated “zoning issues.”

While the House of Hope was allowed to serve meals at the 4th Street location, their move to Washington Street is reportedly in violation of zoning ordinances. The church is permitted to operate on Washington Street, but “services to the homeless” are prohibited due to zoning regulations, according to the Quad-City Times.

Bruce Berger, Davenport’s economic development and planning director, said that the property must first be classified as a “Planned Institutional District” specified for “Housing and Supporting Services.”

Davenport Alderman Ray Ambrose was of the mindset that feeding homeless people on Washington Street would ruin the neighborhood. He approached city officials and requested assistance in finding active legal measures to trap Timothy’s House of Hope in red tape, indefinitely.

According to Pastor Swope, Ambrose confronted him and “just lit into me and said he didn’t want bums on top of the hill” following the center’s relocation.

The Quad City Times reported that Ambrose acknowledged that he doesn’t view the center as a good fit for the area, which is a business district that he described as “most iconic.”

“It’s a huge issue with me and I’ll fight it to the very end,” Ambrose was quoted as saying. “I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling for the homeless as other people do.

According to Radio Iowa, Ambrose “says the church lied about its plans and that a homeless outreach center does not fit into his vision for the district.”

What is truly “most iconic” is how oblivious Ambrose remains to the irony of violating the constitution to force a church to follow old zoning ordinances in efforts to stop them from feeding the homeless.

“A group of community members spoke out at a city council meeting on April 26 urging the city to allow the center to reinstate operations. Mike Meloy, an attorney working with the Compassion Church, argued that the “city of Davenport’s actions violate Pastor (Jim) Swope and Pastor (Nick) Cantwell’s religious freedom of association and religious rights protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (and) Article 1 section 3 of the Iowa Constitution.”

Drew Klein, state director for Americans for Prosperity-Iowa, shared his thoughts on the controversy. “It is truly appalling that city officials are citing long ignored zoning regulations to shut down a ministry that has done nothing but serve underprivileged members of the Davenport community,” Klein noted.

Klein was among other individuals at the meeting who called out Ambrose’s comments about the homeless and said that “Alderman Ray Ambrose’s words on this issue have been particularly distasteful, referring to members of the homeless community as bums and claiming he does not share his community’s sympathy for these individuals.”

“Shuttering a ministry that is doing incredible work in the community is probably not what their voters had in mind,” Klein added.”

Ambrose is likely a liberal. Most of his voters probably weren’t thinking anything when they voted. Although very christianly of Klein to give them the benefit of a doubt.

There are no consequences or true morals in the absence of reality. Everything becomes permissible once the system is infiltrated. Everything that is evil, everything that is corrupt, abounds. And everything that is just or speaks to humanity, choked out. You might go ask Hillary. But, do not look and do not smell. For death abounds and the stench overpowers. The landscapes, they’re spattered with murdered bodies. The bloodied forms, they’re all but indistinguishable from the skeletal remains of the famished homeless. The voiceless screams, they’re the dying prayers of an irreparably weakened people drawing their last breaths. Such is the wayside of the trek to hell. Except that it is no more. Some might ask why. There are many “whys” to be asked but all come back to one pivotal moment in society. The day a question such as this was forced into existence and the people failed to give forth a strong response. For times have already changed. Why would a church be acting like some guy named Jesus and giving to help the poor? That’s what welfare is for, and as for God the pope has just said that we shall all go to heaven. Have you not heard? He is now dead. Meet his replacement. His name is George. Get with the times. There is but one road. Sell yourself. Surrender to the masses. Or dare to resist. Join Timothy’s House of Hope in their fight. Share this story with everyone you know. Tell others what is going on in our society today and refuse to relinquish our God given constitutional rights.

Source: Mint Press News

Photo: Quad-City Times