The Ruckus At The Revival
Massillon, OH
The glory, praise and screams coming from a northeast Ohio church have prompted its neighbors to petition the city about the noise.
But church members contend they’re being harassed because of the way they worship.
“Sunday morning is God’s day of worship,†the Rev. Troy Sowell said. “I’m not going to tell this congregation, ‘You’re being too loud.’â€
Sowell, senior pastor at Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church, says he’s open to finding a solution, but is not going to forfeit his right to worship God.
Volume has been an issue since the congregation moved in last year, said Jerena Copeland, an associate pastor.
Police responded to noise complaints three straight days during a revival last year.
Resident Richard Laase, who signed the petition, said he welcomes the church in the neighborhood, but contends that sometimes the worshippers get too loud, including during the revival.
“I thought there was a fight outside. There was screaming going on. I have no problem with their religion, but when you can hear it half a block way, you the need to close the windows,†Laase said. “I’ve been a resident here 15 years. It was kind of disturbing to me, but if that’s their belief, that’s what they want to do, that’s fine by me.â€
Read the whole story at The Cincinnati Enquirer
Thanks Luann!
April 27th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
a neighbor has a right to his peace and quiet, no matter what the disturbance is.
April 28th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Awwww, Ford, you know when the Spirit fills you, you just have to scream “Mighty Jesus”.
April 28th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
HALLELUYA!…THANK YOU JESUS!……………. PRAISE THE LORD!… OH LORDY LORDY THANK YOU JESUS! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! AMEN JESUS! AMEN!
When the only day you can take a decent dump is while you are at church.
April 28th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
I’d say maybe the Pagans have finally found a new meeting place in Massillon, OH, All they need to do is set the meetings down around the same timeand place! Also a new STURGIS, nah, an “additional” one lol, and ALL HORRIBLE-band tryouts. Maybe these Holy EAR PIERCING SCREAMERS can get a clue. Otherwise, SOUND PROOF! WE have rights too, and reasonable, peaceful, quiet is one of them. Take the decibel detector over and plug that sucker in. Then you can see who’s right and who is just Bitc#in’.
Sorry, ‘nuf said by me. shh
April 28th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
If you live near a church you should expect to hear worship and singing. People put up with a lot worse and don’t complain. I think the church will win on this one. And rightly so.
April 29th, 2007 at 9:51 am
The problem is, Sylvia that they didn’t move in next to a church. A church moved in next to them. They had peace and quiet on Sunday morning when they bought the place.
April 29th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
LOL. YEA RIGHT.
April 30th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Maybe the neighborhood should get together and start attending the “services”. Dress up like it’s a luau, crack open some beers , pass around chips and salsa, and anytime someone speaks, respond with , “Yeah, damn fuckin’ right! Pass the nachos!”
Or dress up like Gabby Johnson from Blazing Saddles, and stand up and yell “Rerren! ” (or some other authentic frontier gibberish). Maybe then the congregation will believe they’ve located their church in a neighborhood of recently released mental patients, and leave.
There’s plenty of large buildings near race tracks, carnivals, and water parks that are empty at least one day a week that can be rented one or two evenings a week. The screams would never be noticed.
April 30th, 2007 at 9:25 am
I have a neighbor that lives more than a block away and on a nice weekend day (and nights), like it or not, we get treated to his garage mega-stereo system blaring Willie Nelson and Patsy Kline CDs. I just thank God he isn’t in to gangsta rap or Barney.
I think the neighbors should appreciate the entertainment value provided at no cost.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:19 am
When I first read this post I thought the church was a small white church in the middle of a neighborhood of homes. But I took a deeper look and this is a hugh story. The church is a very big brick building diagonally across from an elementary school. It is an Afrian-American church in the middle of a predominately white neighborhood. The congregates believe the problems are racially motivated while the neighborhood residents complain above late night outdoor gatherings that are too loud. The entire thing has esaclated out of control. One of my favorite quotes was:
“Eugene Copeland said neighbors have deliberately let their dogs defecate on the church lawn without cleaning up. He said he has a five-quart bucket filled with dog feces to prove it. “This was fresh poop,†he said.”
So, I wish I had something funny (beyond the 5 quarts of poop some clergyman is saving) to share but in light of the sad nature of this story I can only look down and shake my head in disbelief. Maybe we should keep all these folks in our prayers — let me hear ya say “HALLELUYA!”
If you are interested in the story go to this link:
http://www.indeonline.com/index.php?ID=15844
April 30th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
“Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church”
Now THERE’S an interesting theological image. Christ with a .50 cal in each hand with their bandoleers drapped over his massively muscled, bronzed shoulders, a half dozen grenades strapped to his flak vest chewin’ on a stogy. Or, perhaps something more akin to Conan the Barbarian comes to mind with Mary Magdalin at his feet, wrapping herself around his burly thighs.
Ya’ll need to excuse me for a sec, I need a moment to myself here.