Jesus is Resurrected in Santa Rita, But Only Under Very Special Conditions
SAN ANGELO, TX — Tuesday’s San Angelo City Council meeting had some surprising twists and turns as the body considered the right of Lifepoint Baptist Church (LBC) to rent its otherwise underutilized gymnasium to a commercial gymnastics training company called the Texas Tumbleweeds. The council threaded a camel through the eye of a needle and said the church’s commercial gymnastics ministry can stay, but only under very special conditions.
The issue demonstrated the tension between municipal zoning laws and the First Amendment and the freedom of religion. LBC was seeking a renewal of a special use exemption to rent its gym to an operational business even though the property is located on a lot that is zoned for residential use. A few nearby Santa Rita residents had sued the City, the church, and Texas Tumbleweeds over the original exemption granted in August 2019. During the present year’s renewal process, 34 nearby residents had expressed opposition to the church’s exemption, citing commercial encroachment.