Churches fighting restrictive zoning laws

EVANSTON, Ill. — For the past six years, members of the Evanston Vineyard Church have been free to meet, sing and pray in the building they own in this suburb just north of Chicago.

Just not on Sunday mornings. And they could not call it church.

That’s because the building lies in an office zone, where, according to Evanston city code, membership associations (both secular and religious) and cultural institutions such as theaters and concert halls are allowed, but worship services are not.

But a federal judge ruled March 31 that Evanston’s zoning code violates the Vineyard’s constitutional rights to free assembly, free speech and equal protection. In ruling against the city, District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer noted that Vineyard’s congregants could legally stage a production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which includes a traditional Jewish wedding, but “could not host an actual religious wedding.” She also noted that membership organizations, like “houses of worship,” hold “ceremonies, social functions and fund raisers and other common activities.”