A New Jersey church wanted to build a homeless shelter. Now the town might take its property

(RNS) — The mayor of Toms River, New Jersey, says he has a plan to revitalize the town’s riverfront and to create a new park for local families who live nearby. He’s found the perfect spot— three underused marinas and a large parcel of land with a great parking lot.

There’s just one problem. A local Episcopal church sits on the 11-acre property and has no interest in selling. Instead, church leaders want to build a shelter for the homeless on the property to expand their ministry in the community.

Mayor Daniel Rodrick, a Republican, said God would approve of his plan.

“There’s a real need for the local residents up in those neighborhoods to be able to walk somewhere and put their kids on a swing,” said Rodrick in a recent phone interview. “I just think it’s a very positive thing. And I believe Christ would agree.”

So far, however, only the Township Council has made a call, narrowly passing a first reading April 30 on a proposal to buy Christ Episcopal Church’s property or take it by eminent domain. A second vote is scheduled on May 28.

___

This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story.

___

Church leaders say the city’s proposal, which came as a surprise, is an attempt to prevent their planned shelter from being built.

“It’s just really shocking and surprising and very disappointing,” the Rev. Lisa A. Hoffman, Christ Church’s rector, told Episcopal News Service, an official denominational publication, after last week’s vote.

The dispute appears headed for a long court battle.

“Rest assured; our church campus is not for sale,” Hoffman told church members in a letter posted on the church website. Hoffman, who was out of town, was not available for an interview.

“Should this ordinance pass on the second reading, the church and the diocese are prepared for along court fight to protect our congregation and property from this egregious land grab,” the letter said.

The church’s shelter has been a matter of public debate since it announced plans last fall to ask for zoning approval. A nonprofit called the Affordable Housing Alliance has operated an outreach program on the church’s property since 2023 and hopes to work with the church to build a 17-bed shelter.

The town’s zoning board, whose meetings about the shelter have turned contentious due to opposition from the church’s neighbors, is expected to vote May 22 on the zoning change.

“The answer really is the church is the right place,” Harvey York, an attorney for the church and the Affordable Housing Alliance, told the Asbury Park Press when plans for the shelter were announced. “There is already counseling there. We are not putting 200 people here. It is 17 beds.”

Despite hearing at the last minute of the Township Council’s vote on acquiring the church property along with several other parcels, church leaders rallied supporters to attend last week’s council meeting. Several members of the council tried to postpone a vote on the proposal but failed after an extended shouting match, according to a recording of the meeting.

At one point Thomas Nivison asked fellow council member Lynne O’Toole, who had opposed the motion to table: “Why, Lynne? You hate church, you hate God, you hate Christ? Obviously, you hate humanity like our mayor.”

“Why don’t you pipe down,” O’Toole replied.

After the motion failed, council member David Ciccozzi stood and recited the Lord’s Prayer, with some in the audience joining in. Townspeople also voiced their opposition to the takeover plan during a public comment section, with some accusing township leaders of attacking religious freedom or trying to harm a local ministry.

“What are we doing? There is a thriving church in this location,” Christ Church member Will Wiencke told council members. “We’re trying to help people.”

Before the council meeting, Michael York, another attorney for the firm representing Christ Church in its zoning application, sent a letter to an attorney for Toms River, alleging the town’s leaders were acting in bad faith. The letter noted that Rodrick opposed the zoning variance for the shelter and stated that the church property was not for sale.

“It is clear and obvious that the Township and Mayor Rodrick are acting in bad faith and have ulterior motives,” York wrote. “Clearly, they are not even trying to hide their actions. This attempt to use eminent domain as an excuse to obtain property is not disguised in this instance.”

In an interview, Rodrick declined to speak about the zoning issue but denied that he was trying to attack Christ Church’s ministry. Instead, he said, he was looking out for the best interest of community members.

“It’s not about taking anybody’s rights away,” he said.

Rodrick said Christ Church is a relatively small congregation with an 11-acre property – and a large parking area — that remains empty most of the week. He hopes that the city would rather buy the property than take it by eminent domain, though he does believe using eminent domain would be legal.

Initial drawings for the proposed park included a soccer field and pickleball courts, but Rodrick said nothing is set in stone. He did say that any park would include a large playground. He hopes the dispute with the church can be resolved soon, saying that the congregation could use the funds from any sale to relocate or fund other ministries.

“I would rather come to an amicable settlement,” he said.

Episcopal Church leaders seem uninterested in making a deal with the mayor, who has also made headlines for criticizing a charitable restaurant run by rock star Jon Bon Jovi’s charity.

Hoffman said she plans to meet with Bishop Sally French of the Diocese of New Jersey and a church lawyer next week to discuss the congregation’s options. French did not respond to a request for comment but issued a statement of support for Christ Church.

“As a Christian leader and a resident of New Jersey, I am troubled by the township’s move to block the faithful ministry of Christ Church, and I am saddened that the mayor and township council are prioritizing pickleball courts over responding to hunger and homelessness,” she said in the statement. “I ask that Toms River lift the burden these proceedings have placed on our parish and diocese, and I pray that we can move forward in serving our neighbors.”