An evangelical church in Belfast is suing the University of Maine System, accusing it of rescinding an offer to sell the church a property because of its religious beliefs.

Calvary Chapel Belfast was close to purchasing the Hutchinson Center from the University of Maine in Orono after winning the bidding process in August, but several local groups, including other bidders, complained that they felt that a public resource was being transferred to a religious entity.

In late August, as initial criticisms mounted, the university system defended its selection of the church by arguing that considering the group’s religious affiliation could amount to discrimination, violating its own internal policies and the law. But one of the losing bidders, both of which filed appeals, argued that the procurement process itself was unclear.

The system later announced in September that it was rescinding the offer and would issue a new request for proposals. It cited a flaw in the bid assessment process that didn’t account for the potential cost savings related to keeping a network hub in the building that the university would still need to access.

Ryan Low, the system’s vice chancellor for finance and administration, emphasized in statements at the time that the reversal did not reflect the details or merits of any individual proposals and was strictly a procedural issue.

Greg Huston, lead pastor at Calvary Chapel, told the Press Herald at the time that he was given no prior notice and told the university “we will not go quietly into the night.”

In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor against the entire university system and several officials, Calvary Chapel alleges it was criticized for its “biblical Christian beliefs.”

The church is suing for religious discrimination, violation of its rights to free speech and other civil rights, according to a copy of the lengthy complaint. It also has filed a request for a temporary restraining order to halt the property’s sale.

The university system “strongly disagrees with any allegations of discrimination,” spokesperson Samantha Warren said in a statement emailed Tuesday night.

“Every proposal received was scored by the same objective standards,” Warren said. “The proposal selected provided the most favorable terms for our public university consistent with the evaluation criteria, including a purchase price that was nearly double that of any other offer.”

UMaine announced last week that it planned to sell the Hutchinson Center for $3 million to Waldo Community Action Partners, a nonprofit focused on addressing poverty and supporting low-income Waldo County residents. The site was appraised at $2.5 million in 2023. Waldo Community Action offered $3.06 million in the second round of bids, while the church put up $1.1 million and another bidder offered $1.8 million, the university said.

The church is represented by Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based firm that takes up religious lawsuits around the country. The same group represented several health care employees who attempted to anonymously sue the state over a COVID-19 vaccine requirement in 2021.

The Hutchinson Center was built by Delaware-based bank holding company MBNA and later gifted to the school by Bank of America. The building has not hosted classes for degree-seeking students since 2020, and rental rates for things like conferences never returned to pre-pandemic levels. Programming ceased completely last year.

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.