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Jacksonville to ease up on church Ban on weddings, funerals at First Presbyterian likely to be lift By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE -- Brides may walk down the aisle of First Presbyterian's new sanctuary after all, as the Jacksonville City Council is expected to drop its ban of weddings and funerals. "After hearing our counsel's advice this evening, it's unlikely the wedding and funeral ban would stand up in court," Jacksonville Mayor Jim Lewis said after the City Council meeting ended Tuesday. The church's attorney said he is pleased the city is reconsidering its restrictions, especially the ban on weddings and funerals, which are central to the church's mission. "The mission of the church and the kinds of things that a church does are protected by religious freedom," said John Hassen, the Medford land-use attorney hired by the church. "If you can't fulfill your mission, then you have an argument that the city has gone too far." But the city's other restrictions, such as closing the church doors on Saturdays and halting Sunday evening services, also create a constitutional challenge, Hassen said. The City Council Tuesday directed its attorney Robert Bluth to study the constitutionality of three of the city's 23 restrictions, including the wedding, funeral and Saturday ban and the limit of 40 cars allowed in the church parking lot on weekdays. The City Council scheduled another closed meeting with the attorney at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by an open meeting in which they will likely drop the wedding and funeral ban, Lewis said. When the City Council holds its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, council members are expected to sign the final document approving the church's conditional use permit. First Presbyterian Church wants to build a 400-seat sanctuary and an education building on 10 acres situated between Pheasant Meadows Subdivision and a pear orchard. The church has outgrown its current site, a 120-year-old historic landmark building near downtown. Neighbors object to the new church building, citing concerns of headlights shining in their front windows and traffic on the subdivision's narrow streets. Church officials had said they would work with neighbors, partly by setting their own hours -- 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays, with exceptions for Christmas and New Year's Eve services and overnight youth retreats, Hassen said. However, City Council members followed the advice of the Planning Commission and set hours 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, allowing for five exceptions during the year. Prompted in part by the Jacksonville City Council's action, 17 of 30 Oregon senators last week asked the state attorney general's office for an opinion about how far cities can go in restricting church activities. The senators include the Rev. Frank Shields, who is challenging a Portland city official's recent limit on worship services at Sunnyside Centenary Methodist Church. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA