The City council of Broomfield, CO showed political courage this week by first voting against the expansion of a parking area at a local church, then abandoning the vote and giving the two warring sides, the church and its neighbors, more time to come to some sort of understanding. At its next meeting the council will vote to either 1)turn down the plan or 2) give the plan to the local planning commission for more study. Read all about it here.
From what I can see, the church has grown in recent years and horror of horrors, they are having four services on Sunday and there is congestion around the church. The Methodists want to build a new parking lot to clean up the streets, but the local neighbors think it won’t look nice. They church has agreed to landscape, but it seems the locals may have another issue. Its a 12 pound church in a 4 pound neighborhood, they say.
I’m sorry, I thought churches were supposed to be in neighborhoods. I thought they were great for next door neighbors. I guess I’m wrong. All those Wednesday evening pot lucks must just drive the neighbors crazy. And of course Methodists are a bit raucous. all that singing and organ music. And cars, traffic, and worshiping God. Right here in our neighborhood.
I get the feeling the neighbor groups would like the church to move to somewhere else, and a more "desirable" group take over. I suggest that the Methodists take a lesson from their brethren in the military. There are chapels built throughout bases. They are ecumenical. The Jews use them Friday night, the Adventists on Saturday, The Catholics and Protestants tag team on Sunday and during the week they are filled with denominations singing and praying, all using the same building.
The Methodists could invite the local churches and temples that are just getting started in storefronts and offer their unused time for their services. Seems like a good use of the property to me.
These neighbors are nuts. They want life like it was back when they didn’t live in a city, but in a small country town. They don’t live there any more. Get used to it, and let the church build their parking lot. I have never heard of having a church in your neighborhood driving DOWN property values.
These people must be the ones that moved to Colorado from California to get clean air, and freedom.
JVH
