Mar 09 2008
Asheville Tells “House-Church” to Close
ASHEVILLE — The people of Zacchaeus House will have to find another place to worship after Easter.
The small “house-church” was cited by the city for having a church in a residence, and its two ministers, the Rev. Amy Cantrell and the Rev. Chrystal Cook, were told they would have to bring the house up to code as a public gathering place or close.
“What was ironic to me was that we got the citation on Martin Luther King Day,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell and Cook live in the house and offer their two spare bedrooms to people who need shelter. They open their door to anyone who needs food, clothing or an advocate.
Asinine bureaucrats strike again. Clearly, the building code is far, far more important than the love and shelter these two women are giving to the poor who need help. I sometimes wonder if the government gets jealous that private citizens are more successful with their charitable offerings than the government is with its socialist entitlements. Politicians don’t like the competition.