The Pines Church was denied a long-term rental within a Maine High School because it held biblical beliefs.
In November 2022, The Pines Church was negotiating a deal with HSD to rent space at Hermon High School for its Sunday services when members of the Committee presented the Pines Church with questions about the Church’s religious beliefs, such as its stance on gay marriage, abortion, conversion therapy, gender reassignment treatment, and sexual education for youth.
Not only were the Committee's questions inappropriate, they were also irrelevant to the church's lease qualification and not applied equally to secular entities and activities. The Committee's questions carry a clear implication: unless The Pines Church aligns with the Committee's stance on these matters, they will not endorse the church's lease proposal. As a result, negotiations between the Church and the Hermon School Committee have collapsed.
The Committee’s actions violate Maine Public Accommodation Laws, as well as the Free Exercise Clause, Free Speech Clause, and Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Plaintiffs seek that this Court declare the Defendants actions unconstitutional award Plaintiffs damages.
Press Release | Maine Church Sues School District After Discriminatory Leasing Process
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 25, 2023
CONTACT: nicole velasco @
media@faith-freedom.COM
Murrieta, CA – On Tuesday, a lawsuit was filed by Advocates for Faith and Freedom on behalf of The Pines Church challenging the Hermon School Committee for their inflammatory and discriminatory leasing processes that unfairly scrutinized church activity. The Hermon School Committee in the past has leased their properties to secular organizations and did not scrutinize their beliefs on sensitive religious and political topics.
The Pines Church was unfairly targeted because it was a church, and the Committee did not want to associate with them. Their beliefs in traditional Christian ideologies opened the door for the Hermon School Committee to discriminate against them by inquiring about their beliefs on sensitive cultural issues like gender identity, issues that bear no relationship to whether the church qualified for a lease. Their conduct violates the First Amendment, as well as Maine’s Public Accommodation Laws.
“Public institutions that seek to lease their facilities for revenue should not be able to discriminate based on religious or political conditions,” said Mariah Gondeiro, Legal Counsel and Vice President for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The Hermon School Committee has a history of leasing their properties to secular organizations without persecution. We are advocating for fair and equitable treatment under the law, and The Pines Church was denied that opportunity by the Hermon School Committee.”
“We are understandably disappointed with the process in which we had to go through, but we are not discouraged,” said Pastor Matt Gioia. “We have seen the Lord move through our church and grow our community so much since our founding. We are hopeful that we will be able to continue our worship and fellowship without discrimination.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.
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Pastor Mike Gioia
The Pines Church Prayer
The Pines Church Worship Team
The Pines Church Gathering
About Advocates for Faith & Freedom (www.faith-freedom.com): Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts.
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