In The News

Church and Wineries Clash in Temecula

Pastor Clark Van Wick was granted permission to build Calvary Chapel in 1999 by Riverside County. Since then, the county banned churches from being built on wine country land. Now, a legal battle is underway between the church and the wineries. Jacob Rascon reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on August 3, 2012.

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

The Frank Pastore Show Interviews Attorney Bob Tyler and Pastor Clark Van Wick and encouraging listeners to show up at the meeting set for 9am August 22.

Guest: Bob Tyler (and Jennifer Monk), an attorney with Advocates for Faith and Freedom (faith-freedom.com, (888) 588-6888), on what’s going on down in the wine country of Temecula – the Wine Country Vintner’s Association is trying to ban churches from the Temecula Wine Country that’s expanding from 7,000 to over 18,990 acres. Specifically targeted is pastor Clark Van Wick of Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship in Temecula (aka “The Barn”) who own 30 acres.

There will be a public hearing Wednesday August 22 before the planning commission at 41000 Main Street Temecula, Ca 92590. Temecula City Hall in Old Town at 9am and it’s open to the public. Go south on the 15, exit Rancho California, and turn right into Old Town. The commission will decide the fate of churches in Temecula. Please join us to show your support. lunch will be provided by Chick-Fil-A.
Follow the debate at winecountryfreedom.com. Listen Here …

The Frank Pastore Show
Weekdays 4-7PM (PST)
Published: 21 August 2012

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Faith Under Fire County Plans No-Church Zone Pastor told, 'We don't want your kind out here'

Christians in Temecula, Calif., are fighting a county proposal that would effectively ban churches – or the expansion of the area’s only current church – in a 19,000-acre “Wine Country Community Plan.”

Hundreds have already voiced their objection at the first of two public meetings on the development plan; reportedly more than 3,000 have written letters to the county; and that single church, Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship, with the help of the nonprofit law firm Advocates for Faith & Freedom, is gearing up to file a federal lawsuit against what it says is a gross violation of religious freedom in America. Read More…

by Drew Zahn
Email: dzahn@wnd.com
Published: 20 August 2012

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Church taking over Wine Country plan debate

As Riverside County officials prepare to hold a second hearing on Supervisor Jeff Stone's vision for Wine Country, the lone church in the vineyards is determined to use the Wine Country Community Plan to end a 13-year prohibition against houses of worship.

Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship members have flooded the county Planning Department this month with 2,500 letters, arguing the ban should be overturned. Read More...

By DAVE DOWNEY STAFF WRITER for The Californian
Email: ddowney@californian.com
Published: 20 August 2012

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Church-goers decry Wine Country plan

The sometimes tearful testimony of Temecula Valley church-goers is causing the Riverside County Planning Commission to reconsider a prohibition of churches in Wine Country.

The first public hearing for the Wine Country Community Plan, which sets the stage for the future expansion of Wine Country, drew hundreds of people who live, work and play among the vineyards.

Though concerns about noise, traffic and water were of concern for some, audience members were overwhelmingly alarmed by a clause in the proposed plan that would stop the expansion or building of churches.

Read More…

BY NELSY RODRIGUEZ STAFF WRITER for The Press-Enterprise

Email: nrodriguez@pe.com

Published: 25 July 2012 08:36 PM

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300 pack first Wine Country plan hearing

About 300 people jammed the Temecula City Council Chambers and an overflow room Wednesday for the first of potentially several hearings on a Wine Country expansion plan.

Following a lengthy staff briefing, 54 people took turns praising and criticizing the plan, which would set the stage for tripling the number of wineries to about 105.

Among the speakers were two dozen from the lone Wine Country church, Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship. They said they were upset the plan would continue the current prohibition against houses of worship in the agricultural district.

Read More…

By DAVE DOWNEY STAFF WRITER for The Californian
Email: ddowney@californian.com
Published: 25 July 2012 08:15 PM