To worshippers in the Canyon Ridge Baptist Church, the Kearny Mesa Recreation Center is a fine place to bellow hymns and bow heads in prayer – even if yelps and basketballs are bouncing around a nearby gym on Bible study night.
The Rev. Chris Chadwick has plenty of reasons to bless this spot as the Lord's house. It's the landlord that bothers him.
Chadwick filed a federal lawsuit in December contending that the city of San Diego discriminates against his church because the church pays more in rent than other community groups that are also open to anyone and charge nothing to join.
The church is winning. U.S. District Judge John Rhoades Sr. rejected the city's motion to dismiss the case in May. This month, Chadwick won an injunction temporarily barring the city from charging his church top rates.
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