Couple sues to continue home prayer meetings

NEW MILFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut couple is suing after being ordered to stop hosting prayer meetings in their home.

Robert and Mary Murphy say the town of Milford violated their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of religion. Since 1995 the Murphys have invited friends to their home for Bible study.

The meetings don’t usually exceed 25 people, but after neighbors complained the zoning commission ruled the meetings illegal because participants use the Murphys’ back yard for parking. Attorney Vincent McCarthy of the American Center for Law and Justice, who is representing the Murphys, says banning a family from using their own home for prayer is “a direct assault on our client’s constitutional rights.”