My name is Rita. This spring, about thirty men, women, and children (veterans, the disabled, and families with nowhere else to go) were ordered off the property of Big Sky Christian Center, where they had been living in trailers and RVs on the ministry's land.

It is the only long-term homeless shelter in the Bitterroot Valley. There is now a court battle to restore the ministry to homeless people living in RV's, and its pastor, a Vietnam combat veteran with a Bronze Star for valor and two Purple Hearts, will not ask for money for his ministry. So I am asking for him.

Every dollar goes to the shelter's legal defense, which has already cost about $150,000. Please give what you can, and share this page.

For nearly thirty years, Big Sky Christian Center has taken in people in need, whether they come on foot, by car, or by trailer or RV. When local agencies and the Sheriff's Department have nowhere else to send someone, they send them here.

The dispute is over a septic system installed in the early 1970s, before permits were even required. In more than fifty years of operation there has never been a single documented case of contamination, illness, or harm. The county accused the shelter of running a commercial RV park and referred the ministry to the State of Montana's environmental agency (DEQ). When DEQ investigated, they found no evidence of this and closed their case. The county pressed on anyway, and when the court's deadline passed on May 4, the residents were forced off the property.

Pastor Harris Himes commanded a Marine tank platoon on the DMZ in Vietnam. He is also an ordained pastor and a retired attorney who has spent his life helping others.

In 2013, Harris was convicted in a Montana securities case. A jury cleared him of the serious charges, the fraud conviction was reversed on appeal, and what remained were only regulatory violations. Since Harris is licensed in California, the California State Bar tried to disbar him and tried his case in front of the California Bar Court in 2018. The Bar Court found no moral turpitude and, in many respects, exonerated Harris. His California license was restored; Harris made it inactive.

There is substantial evidence that the charges against Harris were politically motivated and that there was also significant anti-Christian bias in the state auditor's office. Harris and many others have maintained that Harris is innocent of all these charges. That is why he would not enter into any plea bargains.

This page pays for the legal defense of the shelter. To date that defense has cost approximately $150,000 in legal fees and costs, counting both what has already been paid and what is still owed to counsel. Because this is a complex case, the costs will likely continue for years. The county's lawyers are paid with taxpayer money. The shelter's defense is paid by people like you.

If you would rather give by mail, checks made out to Holy Ground can be sent to Big Sky Christian Center, PO Box 540, Hamilton, MT 59840. Donations are received by Holy Ground, A Corporation Sole, the entity that owns the shelter property, and are not tax deductible.

This is an opportunity to take part in the Lord's work. May He bless all who help His ministry to the homeless here in Ravalli County.

The full story includes the court documents, the sworn statements of the attorneys, and letters of support from the Christian community, among them Hamilton Assembly of God, Grace Lutheran Church, The Salvation Army, and Family Shelter of the Bitterroot.

Read the full story here