Tensions High Over Church's Plan
March 7, 2010
Reported by Joshua Zuber
A Casper church has the neighborhood up in arms.
Hundreds of people gathered inside the new Set Free church Saturday in the Paradise Valley neighborhood because they say they don't want that congregation in their back yard.
That's because the set free church will have a "live in discipleship" program that will allow 20 to 30 men to reside at the facility, and some of those taking part in the program could be ex-criminals.
It's a story you heard first on News 13.
"If somebody else says if they moved in on my block, would I just let them move in on my block, heck no! I would fight them living on my block. 20 them here! we want to fight that.
This church has got the residents of the west Casper neighborhood pretty upset.
"How do I know that someone's not going to break into the house and corner me? Or just take one of the kids?" one concerned resident said.
That's because ex-cons could be moving in to this church as part of a live-in discipleship program put on my the Set Free church.
"It doesn't matter if you came from a jail house or pent house, we're here to serve Jesus and to help these people understand a life in Jesus," Pastor John Herman said. He's going to be one of two immediate staff members at the church.
They say they'll have strict security for those taking part in the program, and that there will be no sex offenders allowed.
"We just thought that the good of rehabilitation and bringing them back into society, giving them hope and promise, that can come through Christ, that that will be far more beneficial to this community to Casper at large to our culture at large," Pastor Quin Williams said. He is the Pastor of the Boyd Ave. Baptist Church.
But residents say they don't buy it.
"Somebody on parole is supposed to be supervising these people?" said one woman in the crowd, concerned that just because Pastor John has made something of his life, that he will not be able to rehabilitate others.
Besides the safety concerns for their community, PV residents say the church came in under the cover of darkness and didn't tell anyone what is going on.
"We care about people making their lives better. But this has struck a nerve because we've been not invited in to know about this," another neighbor said.
And for that, Pastor Williams apologized.
"I want to apologize personally that is much my fault as anybody's," Williams said to the crowd.
No matter the apology, residents say they still don't want this church, with the possibility of live in ex-criminals, in their back yard.
Now, Pastor Williams says he will bring these concerns back to the steering committee putting the church together.
Still, the Set Free Church is scheduled to open at the end of April.
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