Ministry attempts to give ‘ruckus’ seeking, ‘Harry Potter’ claiming ‘Church of Urth’ the boot from their building

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Steps for an eviction was in full force at the Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center Thursday.

A Hamilton County Sheriff’s officer delivered two men a Detained Summons telling them they have to go to court.

“What if I’m out of town,” one of the men said.

“The judge will make a decision without you there,” the officer said.

“Our purpose is to cause some ruckus.  We are expressing our words.  As our right as an American citizen, we have a right to do that, okay.  Other people find that upsetting that we have freedom of speech,” Ryan Holmes said after he received the Detained Summons.

Holmes and his partner Tyler Short started renting a work space at Mercy Junction, and they aren’t shy about their unusual missions.

The two claimed to be ministers of a church they said they started called the ‘Church of Urth’.

“We are intergalactic missionaries.  We are here to help answer all of the human’s questions,” Holmes said.

The two men’s “ruckus” has caused center members to halt free services they provide to the community.

The organization’s Director Beth Foster said the center has been shut down since Friday, after strange and disturbing posts began to surface on social media.

“I started getting all these messages about the concerns on Ryan’s Facebook page, and I went and started reading that.  And, then shortly after, I think maybe even before I got out of the bed I heard that someone had seen the post on Facebook, and became concerned, and called police for a welfare check,” Foster said.

Foster said part of the organization’s funding comes from renting work spaces.

She said the the men signed a commercial lease in December, and have been living in their office.

Foster said the guys have claimed to have taken over the building and are in violation of several rules.

“There were also you know claims of being Jesus Christ and Harry Potter, and a Jedi Knight and all of these things.  And, there were also talk about slaying demons and swords and pounding people to the pavement until their blood ran and things like that,” Foster said.

Chattanooga police said they have not responded to any calls to the organization there that are criminal in nature.

Foster said Holmes met with his family, and was given a mental health evaluation but not deemed a threat to himself or others.

Holmes and Short said by refusing to leave they’re taking a stand for free speech, and are not violating rules.

A court hearing regarding the eviction has been set for June.