A Christian couple who runs a bakery that was fined thousands of dollars for refusing to bake a same-sex wedding cake are fundraising to start a new bakery at a different location, CBN News reports.
Melissa and Aaron Klein have faced a legal fight for nearly 10 years after refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. Sweet Cakes by Melissa, in Oregon, closed down after a barrage of venomous criticism and online death threats. The children of the couple were even singled out as people wished tragedies upon their family. Another person expressed a desire to trespass into the Klein household with a gun and “take you out of this world,” according to Aaron.
The Oregon Court of Appeals decided in January this year (2022) that the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries violated the First Amendment by not acting with neutrality when the bakery business was given a $135,000 fine, causing it to close. The couple’s attorneys are looking to request a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Melissa and Aaron Klein have launched a fundraising drive to open a new bakery in Montana after moving there two years ago.
On the fundraising page, Melissa wrote: “Over the last several years we have been strong as a family and strong as part of our church body. With life’s stresses comes a void that can sometimes be overwhelming. That void for me was my loss of love for baking and the joy that came with that. I’m here to say it never went away but it was a struggle to fall in love with it again.
“Almost two years ago we moved to Montana. I had said I was never going to open a bakery again, but God has seemed to change my heart with this. It’s been 10 years since having my shop in Oregon and I greatly miss it along with all my sweet customers.
“As you know, Aaron and I have been looking for a permanent home for our business and we love this area as a family. There is a restaurant currently for sale and not only do we believe as a family all things are possible, we believe in Jesus Christ our Savior!
“I so would love to make this the home of Sweet Cakes and provide service to everyone in the flathead Valley. I need to raise $50,000 for a down payment on this cute cafe. So I’m selling cookies to raise the money.”
The baker passed on her sincere thanks to supporters for helping with the new venture.
She added: “Everyone has been so helpful during these times and there is no way to thank you more than for us to keep going forward and building our business stronger than ever as a family. Showing resilience and faith that God is the rock we stand on and His love will conquer all fears.”
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