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Jacksonville church plans head back to council First Presbyterian tries again to get use permit By Melissa Martin JACKSONVILLE � The congregation that has outgrown its National Historic Landmark building has raised $1.87 million to build a new sanctuary. First Presbyterian Church has collected stock, real estate property, jewelry and cash pledged over a three-year period. The church has most of the $2.2 million it needs for the building, as well as the 10-acre parcel to put it on. But it doesn�t have a conditional use permit, the document needed before construction can begin. First Presbyterian will present its building plans to the Jacksonville City Council during a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the large group room at Jacksonville Elementary School. Beginning with the public hearing, the council will look again at blueprints, listen to planners, accept testimony for and against the project and take a new vote on whether to grant the church's application. The council recently voted to begin the hearing process again to help reduce legal costs in the case that was pending before the state Land Use Board of Appeals. The Jacksonville City Council denied the church�s conditional use permit in March 2000, citing neighbor concerns about traffic, noise and lights in the 40-home Pheasant Meadows Subdivision where the church property is located. Meanwhile, church leaders last fall hired one of the most successful fund-raising companies in the country � Cargill & Associates of Fort Worth � to launch a building campaign. People donated $1.877 million, which included a stamp collection, three pieces of real property, a life insurance policy, interior decorating services, building skills, U.S. savings bonds earmarked for college tuition and more, said the Rev. Larry Jung, Jacksonville Presbyterian�s pastor. The largest gift was $220,000 in cash and the smallest was $2, sent from a 104-year-old donor from Iowa. "How�s that for the widow�s mite?" Jung asked. The congregation�s generosity extended from families still raising their children to retirees living comfortably on their assets, he said. For example, the church received four offers on a piece of donated property in Jacksonville, with one offer from a family with young children higher than the asking price. "There�s been sacrificial giving in this campaign and tremendous spiritual growth through the whole congregation," Jung said. "People are growing in their faith and in their understanding of stewardship." Jung was in Salem this week speaking before the Oregon Legislature in favor of a bill that would prevent governing bodies from discriminating against churches in land-use issues. The Jacksonville received $17,000 from its Louisville-based Presbyterian Church USA denomination to help with legal fees. Jacksonville drew national media attention in February 2000 when the City Council and planning commission set hours of operation and banned funerals and weddings at the new sanctuary. Following an outcry that such conditions would infringe on religious freedom, the council reversed its earlier vote and denied the conditional use permit on March 2, 2000. Nearly one year later and with two newly elected, pro-church members, the Jacksonville City Council voted to give the church a second chance. The hearing process begins again on Tuesday. 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.