{"id":7730,"date":"2023-09-14T11:09:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T15:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=7730"},"modified":"2023-09-14T11:09:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T15:09:50","slug":"new-jersey-challenges-ocean-grove-christian-groups-limit-on-private-beach-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2023\/09\/new-jersey-challenges-ocean-grove-christian-groups-limit-on-private-beach-access.html","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Challenges Ocean Grove Christian Group’s Limit on Private Beach Access"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ocean Grove, a New Jersey community in Neptune Township, founded by Methodist ministers in 1869 as a \u201cChristian seaside resort,\u201d has been warned by state officials that their longstanding tradition of limiting access to their privately owned beach before noon on Sundays in the summer months to accommodate church services and maintain the character of their community is a violation of state law.<\/p>\n

A warning letter sent by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group that owns all the land in Ocean Grove, says the Christian group can\u2019t use chains and padlock barriers to block beach access on Sunday mornings from Memorial Day to Labor Day because it violates the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act.<\/p>\n

Robert H. Clark, a region supervisor for the state Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement,\u00a0wrote in a letter<\/a>\u00a0made public by the activist group Neptune United, \u201cThe purpose of this warning is to advise you of the above potential violation to provide you with an opportunity to voluntarily take corrective actions and to engage in discussions with the DEP.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group said in a\u00a0statement on Facebook on August 18th<\/a>\u00a0in response to the warning, \u201cNeptune United would like to thank the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for listening to the concerns of the community. On August 10th, the NJDEP sent the OGCMA the attached \u2018Warning,\u2019 informing them that their \u2018use of chain and padlock barriers to deter public access to the beach during daylight hours\u2019 violated state regulations. Now that it is known the OGCMA has been put on notice by the NJDEP, we look forward to seeing a barrier-free entry this Sunday morning!\u201d<\/p>\n