Curtiss Ostosh, pastor of the Harvest Time Christian Fellowship, speaks at a press conference in August 2025. The church recently filed a lawsuit against the city of Warren.
By: Brian Wells | Warren Weekly | Published June 16, 2026
WARREN — A Warren pastor has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, alleging a years-long campaign of harassment, selective enforcement and religious discrimination that he says has hindered his ability to serve residents in need.
Curtiss Ostosh, a pastor at Harvest Time Christian Fellowship on Nine Mile Road, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in May, claiming city officials targeted the church because of his Christian beliefs and the church’s public religious expression.
The lawsuit names the city of Warren and Mayor Lori Stone among the defendants.
In a May 27 press release announcing the litigation, church officials said the lawsuit stems from what they describe as “continuous religious harassment and religious abuse” directed at the church, its ministries and its leadership. The release further alleges the city seized hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of church property used to support ministry operations.
According to the church, the lawsuit includes claims involving the First Amendment, the “Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act” and Michigan’s Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act. In the release, church officials argue city officials violated both federal and state constitutional protections for religious expression and religious practice.
Ostosh said the conflict intensified after Stone took office in late 2023.
He pointed to an August 2023 mayoral proclamation issued by former Mayor Jim Fouts recognizing Harvest Time Christian Fellowship for more than three decades of service to the community as the start of a dramatic shift in the city’s treatment of the organization.
“We were heroes,” Ostosh said. “Three-plus decades of faithful service to the community, then all of the sudden, now we have people calling every day asking if the city has shut us down yet.”
Ostosh alleges the city issued dozens of citations against the church and confiscated vehicles, trailers and equipment used in its food pantry operations, including a refrigerated truck used to transport temperature-sensitive food donations.
Among other items, he said the city removed pallet jacks, lawn equipment and a commercial dumpster while simultaneously citing the church for property maintenance and waste-management issues.
“They made it 10 times harder for us,” Ostosh said. “They’ve made it more laborious. They’ve made it more difficult.”
In addition to the church, Harvest Time Christian Fellowship also operates a food pantry and community assistance program from the facility, located on Nine Mile Road at Automobile Boulevard, east of Van Dyke Avenue. He said last year, they served 82,939 individuals.
This comes out to approximately 18 to 20 pallets of food each week. Additionally, they provide hygiene products and other necessities to residents facing hardship.
Through the lawsuit, Ostosh and the church seek damages and other relief.
A request for comment from Stone, made through the city’s Communications Department, was referred to legal counsel. A statement returned by the department said the city had not yet been served with a lawsuit.
“Currently, the city of Warren has not been served with a lawsuit filed by the Harvest Time Christian Fellowship. We are aware of a lawsuit filed in the federal district court. Therefore, we will allow the legal process to proceed accordingly,” it said.
Despite the ongoing legal battle, Ostosh said Harvest Time intends to continue serving residents through its food pantry and outreach programs.
“In spite of tremendous opposition, we’ve never missed a beat,” he said. “We’ve never missed a food distribution.”