Troy residents voice concern about Christ Church

TROY — Months after the Troy City Council denied a conditional use permit that would have allowed Christ Church gatherings on Sundays at a downtown event center, Troy residents are still voicing their concerns about the influence of church members on the community.

The event center, called the Ye Olde Bank Event Center, hosted a Psalm singing event inside the building Wednesday. Matt Meyer, the building owner, said it is for a group of men who meet several times a year to practice their singing. He said it was open to the public and included people from different churches.

Meyer said it was the first event hosted at Ye Olde Bank Event Center, which he said just received its occupancy permit. Meyer said that today it will host a talk featuring Jeff Shafer, director of the Hale Institute at New Saint Andrews College.

The building is in a commercial zone, and Meyer said the conditional use permit (CUP) he was denied was specifically for allowing church services. He said other events are allowed.

Members of the public expressed their opposition to the CUP during a January public hearing on the matter. They shared concerns about the effect that church services would have on parking, downtown traffic and the limited amount of tax revenue in the commercial district.

When the Troy City Council denied the CUP in March, it echoed some of these fears about parking, and the effect these church gatherings may have on commercial growth in downtown Troy. Idaho code also does not allow a business that sells liquor by the drink to be within 300 feet of a church.

Meyer’s appeal of the council’s decision was also denied. Meyer said he believes the church services were an appropriate use of an event center that is trying to maximize the value of its space seven days a week. He also added the nearby street is often vacant on Sundays.

“There’s nothing going on here in Troy on Sunday mornings,” he said.

A couple of people who were aware of Wednesday’s Psalm singing event shared broader fears about Christ Church with the Daily News.

Barbara Russell, who lives in Lewiston but is originally from Troy, is suspicious of the church’s intentions for locating in the small city.

“I don’t think they should come here and think they should take over the whole town, and that’s what I feel their purpose is,” Russell said.

Troy resident Janet O’Connor said she is concerned about its members pushing their religion on others.

“My Christian faith is in my heart,” she said. “I don’t have to go spewing it all over town and telling other people that they’re not Christians. I don’t have that right, that’s between me and God.”

Both expressed fears about church members buying up properties in Troy. Meyer is listed as a Christ Church parish elder on the Christ Church website.

During Wednesday’s Psalm sing event, a man with a knife and a handgun on his belt parked his ATV outside the Ye Olde Bank Event Center with a speaker playing music in protest of the event.

Meyer said people in Troy feel negatively about the church services because they do not have an accurate picture about the organization.

“If I was a community member and I had built up an impression that was very negative about the church that wants to rent the building on Sunday, then I would think, it’s kind of like, ‘Not in my backyard,’” he said. “I would have a certain angst about that.”

Meyer, who said he has lived in Troy for 17 years, encouraged people to contact him directly if they have questions or concerns.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.