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Presbyterians show faith in church plans Jacksonville congregation nears $2 million goal, as building project delayed By MELISSA MARTIN Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE - They may not have the building permit in hand, but Jacksonville Presbyterians have nearly reached their $2 million fund-raising goal for a new sanctuary. "People feel there is going to be a church regardless," said elder Mary Ann Byrne, the clerk of sessions at First Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville. "If the building is in Jacksonville or somewhere else, there will be a new church." Jacksonville Presbyterian recently celebrated the anniversary of a building campaign that raised $770,000 in cash so far and $1.2 million more in three-year pledges, said the Rev. Larry Jung, the church's pastor for the past 18 years. Since it applied for a conditional use permit four years ago, the church has battled city land-use laws and a neighborhood that didn't want it. "This has been a tough time but we've encouraged people to be patient," Jung said. "We're doing this all in faith because we don't have the permit in hand." The church case awaits a Salem hearing this spring before the Land Use Board of Appeals. Friends of Jacksonville, a group made up of Pheasant Meadows subdivision neighbors, appealed the Jacksonville City Council's approval of the permit in May. The neighbors said the church proposal violated the city's intent to preserve the church-owned 10 acres near the subdivision. The acres were originally designated for two homes on five-acre parcels, the neighborhood group's attorney Tonia Moro told the City Council last year. In spite of the dispute, church members like Becky Scott have been stepping out on faith. She and her husband, Doug, pledged $100 a month and took a paper route to make ends meet. "That was the theme of our campaign, what can we sacrifice, not just handing over money, but what can we do?" Scott said. "So I took off walking every morning to deliver papers and discovered other benefits like weight loss and going off my blood pressure medication and having more time with my husband," Scott said. The church received a variety of gifts, from stock transfers and real property to a portion of a Jacksonville resident's lottery winnings. Jacksonville Presbyterian hired Cargill & Associates of Fort Worth, Texas, in October 2000 to launch a $2.2 million building campaign. Some 245 households attend Jacksonville Presbyterian. They no longer fit into their 125-seat downtown sanctuary, which can't be expanded because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church, which dates back to 1857, accommodates the crowds with summer services on the lawn and by renting space at nearby Cascade Christian High School. "Pastor Jung is a dynamic Bible-preaching teacher who has a humble spirit," said Doug Burwell, chairman of the building committee. "He attracts people interested in learning more about Christianity, so our church is growing." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.