Keeping the Doors Open for Church Services in NYC

I want to bring you news of an important victory involving an equal access case in New York City.  We represent Pastor Emmanuel Westbrook, the Senior Pastor of Harlem Christian Center, a non-denominational Christian church with members and attendees who reside in New York City.

The Harlem Christian Center has been utilizing the Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center for Sunday workshop and Sunday school for years.  The church pays fees to use the facility and has been renewing its permit every six months since it began using the facilities in January 2007.  Some 200 people attend the weekly church service and participate in its Sunday school classes.

The Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center is a government entity which is governed by the City of New York Chancellor as part of the public school system. The center is open and in use for its own classes and other purposes Monday through Saturday both during the daytime and evening hours.  And the center is also used for a variety of organizational meetings including political activities.

At the end of October, Pastor Westbrook was told by the newly installed principal at the Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center that a new permit for the church would not be issued because the facility "was going in a different direction."

The Pastor contacted our offices.  We promptly sent a demand letter to the school and put the facility on notice that we would bring a federal lawsuit if this situation was not resolved immediately.  We received word yesterday from Pastor Westbrook that he had been notified by officials at the Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center that the church would be able to use the facility on the same basis as it had been used in the past.

In addition to continuing with its Sunday services, the church will also be permitted to conduct a special New Years Eve service at the facility.

We were prepared to go to federal court to protect the rights of Pastor Westbrook and the church.  We're pleased that this issue has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Pastor and church.  In a letter to us, Pastor Westbrook expressed his gratitude for our assistance saying "you never really know how important it is to have an ACLJ - until you need it."

We're delighted that we could assist Pastor Westbrook and the Harlem Christian Center in this matter. 

Thanks, too, to all of you who support the work and mission of the ACLJ.  Without your assistance, victories like this one in New York City would not be possible.