Church Fights New Jersey Town Over Plans To Seize Property And Turn It Into Park

A Christian church is fighting a New Jersey municipality for attempting to prehend their property, alongside different land, and move it into a waterfront park. 

Christ Episcopal Church is fighting plans from Toms River, NJ officials to prehend their religion property, alongside 3 different municipality marinas, arsenic portion of nan township's plans to revitalize nan downtown community. 

Bishop Sally French, successful a missive to parishioners, told churchgoers that connected April 30, astir a time earlier a scheduled municipality meeting, officials were alerted by a concerned organization personnel that nan church's spot had been "added to a connection for an eminent domain ordinance." The church, which has been a portion of nan organization for 160 years, says nan action comes amid trying to build a bum shelter connected their property. 

"As a Christian leader and a resident of New Jersey, I americium troubled by nan township’s move to artifact nan religious ministry of Christ Church and their attraction for those successful need, and I americium saddened that nan politician and township assembly are prioritizing pickleball courts complete responding to hunger and homelessness," Bishop Sally French said successful a connection provided to Fox News Digital. "I inquire that Toms River assistance nan load these proceedings person placed connected our parish and diocese, and I believe that we tin move guardant successful serving our neighbors." 

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Republican Mayor Rodrick told Fox News Digital he feels nan scheme is successful nan champion liking of nan constituents because children do not person a playground successful nan contiguous area. The municipality ordinance allows officials to participate into negotiations to unafraid nan areas aliases get them by eminent domain should nan religion not want to waste nan property.  

"We person astir 20,000 residents, 5,000 households wrong a stone's propulsion of nan Episcopal church," he said. "The spot is very large, it's a 10-acre parcel and has a tremendous magnitude of parking and nan parking, we would ne'er beryllium allowed to make that overmuch parking connected a spot that size anymore. It would beryllium very difficult... truthful it would beryllium awesome for nan kids successful nan section area and nan families successful that area to person a parkland that they tin locomotion to pinch their kids and a playground. We're besides willing successful doing a skate parkland there." 

Rodrick based on that nan project, which he believes would use some residents and businesses, is portion of a larger scheme to "redevelop downtown" and make it much of a "destination" for residents. The schedule would "enhance business downtown" by bringing much customers to nan area. 

He besides said to Fox News Digital astir really he is proud of his fund arsenic mayor, explaining they were "DOGE earlier DOGE was cool" arsenic they trim nan fund from $146 cardinal to $135 million.

The Episcopalian church has a different return connected nan matter, pinch nan bishop offering her afloat support to nan organization church. 

"The group of Christ Episcopal Church person my support and gratitude for their Gospel ministry of feeding nan quiet and providing shelter to unhoused people," she said. "Jesus tells america to attraction for nan mediocre and susceptible arsenic we would attraction for him, and nan group of Christ Church are putting that commandment into action." 

Should nan municipality get nan property, Rodrick says nan religion would person clip to acquisition different spot aliases whitethorn take to consolidate churches according to nan religion leader’s digression, pointing to location perchance being a metallic lining to consolidation for nan religion owed to nan precocious worth of nan spot compared to liabilities. 

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"Nationwide, nan Episcopal religion is successful steep decline. I deliberation they mislaid 40,000 members past year. A batch of these Protestant churches person seen large decreases successful membership. They still person a batch of these bequest costs and pensions for their pastors that they request to make payments connected and it costs a batch of money. So, if you person 75 group put $10 in, and you bring successful $3,000 a month, do you cognize what it must costs to power a 20,000-square-foot church? So, they could astir apt use from immoderate consolidation and galore of nan smaller Protestant denominations are doing that." 

The religion is opinionated alongside "approximately 150 religion members, organization members, clergy" and others successful their conflict against nan ordinance, according to nan website.

"Christ Church Toms River is simply a captious assets successful nan community," Mother Lisa Hoffman, rector of Christ Church successful Toms River, told Fox News Digital. "Our outreach includes astir 20 12-step meetings per week. While nan members of Christ Church are disappointed pinch this situation, we are wished to protect our Gospel ministry." 

As for adjacent steps, nan assembly has already voted 4 to 3 and "anticipates" it will walk for a 2nd clip 4 to three, according to nan mayor.