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Church Could Lose Home

By Nicole Papageorge

NAPLES - A local church wants to keep worshipping outdoors at Cambier Park, but a nationwide group says; not so fast.

The Celebration Beach Church has worshipped at Cambier Park on Sunday mornings for the past eight years.

"To go inside you go outside," says the church's Senior Pastor Gene Scott.

Scott says sometimes more than 1000 people attend their services.

"We have people here that are pro-life, pro-choice, gay,straight, rich, poor male, female, republican, democrat, it doesn't matter," says Scott.

He says the church has a five-year lease with the city and pays the same rate as everyone else.

"We only use this space on Sunday morning when no one else uses this space at that time," says Scott.

But, a nation-wide group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation doesn't want their lease to be renewed.

In a letter to the city, the foundation says having a long-term lease demonstrates the city's preference for religion and favors christianity over other faiths. Mayor Bill Barnett says that's not true.

"Gosh no," says Barnett. "They've been there a long time and we get a lot of letters for them."

But, the Freedom From Religion Foundation says some members of city council are members of the Celebration Beach Church and should remove themselves from re-negotiating the lease.

"That's not a reality," says Barnett. "If we would do that for everything that comes up before city council we wouldn't be voting on anything."

If the church's lease isn't renewed, the pastor has faith they'll find somewhere else to go.

"God provided this beautiful place," says Scott. "It's not ours it's God's he'll take care of it."

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is asking city council members to only allow the Celebration Beach Church to have a year-long lease. City Council votes on the lease November 4th.
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