Out In The Mountains : News - Anti-Gay Church Evicted From Library

Anti-Gay Church Evicted From Library

       Burlington – The anti-gay "City Streets Church" has been evicted from its former meeting place in Burlington's Fletcher Free Library. Library Co-director Amber Collins said she emailed its pastor, John Hamel, and requested that he meet with her to review the library's community meeting room policies. Hamel refused to sign the policies, and his church is no longer allowed to use the meeting room in the library until Hamel or another representative complies with library policy.
       Among the policies is one limiting use by any single organization to once a month. The church had been using the space every Sunday.
     Collins, on behalf of the library, accepted some responsibility for the confusion. "Our policies were ratified by the board in June 2004, and they’ve been implemented in a piecemeal fashion. A staff member had allowed [Hamel] to sign up for a block of three months."
      In response to emailed questions, Hamel wrote, "The Library policy was to allow 90 days to any group that meets there. Check the Library records. We had our 90 days which is all we asked for. We have not been excluded from anything for any reason."
      Collins said she met with Hamel in her office at the end of May and offered to let the church meet at the library for an additional week if he would change the group's advertising and sign the policies. Hamel's advertising implied that the library was sponsoring the church meetings. "We are certainly not sponsoring him or his church," Collins declared. In the end, the group was evicted because the self-styled pastor refused to sign the policies, Collins said.
      Hamel's email continued, "As to refusing to sign a contract at the Library, my explanation to you is the same as it was to them. 'What for? Our time has ended. I'll no longer be using the facility. What would be the purpose?'"
      Hamel also alleged in his email that during his meeting with Collins, she was "obviously receptive" to, "even intrigued" by his remarks "about what the Bible says about the sin and deception of lesbianism." He wrote to OITM, "Thank you for creating a situation where I was able to spend 45 minutes with her in her office. What you and Satan meant for harm, God used for good."
      When asked to comment on that characterization of the meeting, Collins objected strenuously. "I was not receptive or intrigued. When someone starts spouting Bible verses at me, it's just gibberish," she said. "We met with him in order to explain and enforce the rules, and deal with his advertising, that's it."
      R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center Executive Director Christopher Kaufman had lodged a protest with the library over its hosting of a group targeting the center (see "R.U.1.2? Targeted by Flier," OITM June 2005).