After seeing the needs in his community, Pastor Chris Avell made the decision to keep the doors of his church open 24/7.
“We’re called to reach the lost, 24/7,” Avell says, adding that that includes the “the hurting, the broken, the least of these.”
Avell’s church, Dad’s Place, in Bryan, Ohio, is “a place they can come if they’re weary and burdened and find rest and true rest for their souls,” the pastor says. Bryan, a town of some 8,600 people, is located about 64 miles southwest of Toledo.
Some people in the community, whether those struggling with mental health issues, addiction, or physical needs, began frequenting the church and even sleeping there if they needed a place of shelter. But several months after the church opened its doors wide with round-the-clock help for the needy, the city told Avell he had to stop.
“According to the…
