CITY TO CHURCH: REPAINT ROOF

Officials in Cathedral City, California want the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church to remove the red letters he recently painted on his roof that spell out eternity. Pastor Jim Nimmons has been given a notice of public nuisance and is being threatened with fines and a misdemeanor charges. The congregation of more than 2000 just south of Palm Springs doesn’t plan to back down. Although the city claims the sign is somehow a commercial that invites commerce, the church is tucked away down a dirt road and the sign is difficult to see because it is not raised.

COUNTRY TRIES TO STOP CHURCH OUTREACH

A fight over a church’s counseling center and food pantry is headed to federal court. Virginia’s Calvert County tried to shutdown the effort by Chesapeake Church in Huntingtown three years ago, saying the community outreach violated its zoning laws. But last week, a judge turned down the county’s request that the center and pantry be shut down while the court battle continues. He decided that closing the ministry would cause harm to county residents. Calvert officials say the church didn’t get a proper site plan and operating permit for the outreach which operates out of a house next to the sanctuary. They are back in court on March 21.. Good Friday.

CROSS BLOCKED

Ervin Wagner’s plan to build a large cross on his property is being blocked by the St. Joseph, Michigan. The 30-foot cross would sit on property he owns located on a bluff facing Lake Michigan. Wagner wants to stream a shot of the cross over the internet but the city says it’s too big meet zoning standards.