Toledo church seeks restraining order

2/5/2013

A central Toledo church is seeking protection from 13 members of its congregation who allegedly have become disruptive to the church.

Southern Missionary Baptist Church, 1224 Indiana Ave., has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

The church and its pastor, the Rev. Lemuel A. Quinn, have asked the court to block Elmore Sturdivant and 12 others from engaging in disruptive conduct that has included physically assaulting the pastor, holding a meeting in which they allegedly acted to remove the pastor and others from their church offices, making false reports to police, threatening church members and leaders, and circulating rumors of the pastor's death “in order to diminish the attendance at the church’s weekly services.”

The case has been assigned to Judge James Bates.