New Hope Presbyterian Church in Castle Rock is housing the homeless in RVs on its property—despite legal resistance from the town. According to Seth Klamann of the Denver Gazette, the church says this is its biblical duty. The town says it’s a zoning violation. What started as a compassionate response to homelessness has become a jurisdictional standoff, pitting ministry against municipal code. Castle Rock officials claim it’s a matter of health and safety. The church says it’s a matter of faith. And in the middle? Human beings sleeping in 100-degree heat who need more than bureaucracy—they need help.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Jesus in an RV
New Hope Church is offering sanctuary—literally—to people living in vehicles, allowing them to park on-site and access restrooms, showers, and community. It’s not glamorous. It’s gospel. - Castle Rock: Not In My Zoning Code
The town is pushing back, citing sanitation, fire risk, and the usual government handbook of “we care, but not like that.” They say they’re just trying to keep people safe. Okay, but is that really what’s happening here? - Church: We’re Called, Not Consulted
Pastor Russ Kane isn’t waiting for government permission to be obedient to Christ. He’s made it clear this is a faith response, not a policy experiment. Translation: this is the church being the church. - Government’s Unholy Catch-22
Cities say homelessness is a crisis—but the second someone actually does something, they get slapped with a violation notice. Pick a lane: crisis or code enforcement? Or find a compromise that works for all! - Not Just a Tent—A Message
Every RV parked at New Hope is a declaration: the government’s not the answer to every problem, and the church has been asleep at the wheel too long. It’s time to wake up and act.
My Bottom Line
This is what stepping up looks like. Not another press release. Not another task force. Not another city-funded “study” that ends with a PowerPoint and zero changed lives. This is a church looking at homelessness and saying, “We’re not waiting on the state—we’re following the Savior.” Jesus didn’t issue zoning citations to the lepers. He touched them. He didn’t defer to the Roman Senate when He saw the hurting—He fed, healed, welcomed, and dwelt among them. That’s the gospel in action, and New Hope Presbyterian is living it.
Now, to be fair: Castle Rock has legitimate concerns. Sanitation, fire hazards, emergency access—these things matter. But if you’ve got a church willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus, the right move isn’t no—it’s how can we help make this work? Instead of shutting the door with code enforcement, the town should be busting it open with collaborative solutions. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t a battle between zoning and charity—it’s a test of what kind of society we want to be.
The real problem in America isn’t a lack of government—it’s a lack of God. And if the church isn’t rising up to meet the moment, then all we’re left with is more meetings, more mandates, and more misery. So yes—GOOD ON, and GOD ON, this church. May others follow. May Castle Rock cooperate. And may the Body of Christ finally remember that ministry starts not with permission, but with obedience.
