Jesus Sign Case Headed for Court

HAWKINS — The dispute over land along U.S. 80 in Hawkins where a controversial sign still sits is headed to a courtroom. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. “We’re standing for our constitutional rights and our deed,” Marie McDonald said. Her husband, Mark McDonald, is trustee of Jesus Christ Open Altar Church, which in September 2015 took control of property in Hawkins where a sign reading “Jesus Welcomes You to Hawkins” greets motorists traveling into town.

The sign originally was erected this past year by Mayor Will Rogers near his coffee shop/diner. The McDonalds said Wood County court records prove the city of Hawkins doesn’t own the property, but instead the church owns it. They’re taking their research Monday to a Wood County court in Quitman, she said.

The city of Hawkins is suing Jesus Christ Open Altar Church over the ownership to the land as a way to avoid a lawsuit from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. That’s after the foundation threatened to sue the city because the sign was placed on what it considered public property. If the courts rule the land belongs to the city, the city will be able to remove the sign. The McDonalds plan to camp out at the property this weekend, from 7 a.m. Saturday until Sunday afternoon, she said.