Millington Baptist Church in Bernard Township, NJ, lost another battle in a seven-year fight to gain approval for a new building. According to The Bernardsville News, the church board and the local planning board, along with vocal neighbors of the new property, have been at odds over the proposed plan for so long that losing the latest battle was no surprise.

Church members quoted in the story just sound defeated, or possibly shaking the dust of their feet. The church already reportedly holds multiple services, employs off-site parking and off-site classes in its badly crowded current location. It wasn’t clear in this story why neighbors are so upset, unless the large size of the new place is a concern (67,390 square feet on 89 acres--ten times smaller than mammoth structures used by Southeast Christian Church or WillowCreek Community Church.) Used to be zoning issues were only about hooch, hog farms and prisons.

The "not-in-my-backyard" war cry has also been raised in Verona, Penn., where the Verona Presbyterian Church began a new after-school program for neighborhood kids. Ironically it is the success of the program that has led to criticism--too many kids hanging around the church each afternoon and evening.

"The overlying problem in Verona is that there is nothing for kids to do," Rev. Don Dilley told the local paper. "We expected to get 10 to 15 kids, we didn't think we'd get this many kids. But the fact that we're getting them shows there is a need."

According to a story in the The Advance Leader, residents prefer that kids who have nothing better to do after school than hang out, do it elsewhere.

One councilman, Kevin Larkin, suggested church members or police address the need by kicking the kids off church property, where they linger even after the program is over.

Dilley said he wouldn't turn the children away. The program director for the church reiterated, saying the initial goal for the ministry was to bring the children in, to provide a safe haven and Christian teaching to keep them off the street and out of trouble.

"There is nothing better we could do for the town than to work with the kids who have problems," Dilley said.

That might be good for the town—it’s imperative for the Church. To rephrase Dilley: there is nothing better we could do for the Church than to work with the kids (as in we’re all God’s children) who have problems.