The Evening Sun article

Church asks Straban for zoning relief
Freedom Valley Worship Center wants to expand and build an indoor therapy facility.
By ERIN JAMES

The Evening Sun

Caleb Beam, 7, of New Oxford, pets his horse Pedro with the help of his dad, Patrick, in 2007 before going out for his lesson at Shining Star Therapeutic Riding Ministry. The ministry which works with the mentally and physically disabled of all ages operates at Freedom Valley Worship Center on Route 30 between New Oxford and Gettysburg. The program s coordinators want to build an indoor facility so they can operate year-round, but a Straban Township zoning proposal could prevent them from doing so. (Evening Sun File Photo)

Tracey Thomas doesn't know anything about ordinances. She "just realized what a solicitor is."

But the Gettysburg mother did not stammer when she addressed Straban Township officials Tuesday night. Thomas asked the township's supervisors to think twice before enacting a law that would essentially prevent the expansion of a horseback-riding therapy program she said has changed the lives of her two disabled children.

Shining Stars Therapeutic Riding Ministry - which operates on the property of Freedom Valley Worship Center between New Oxford and Gettysburg - is the reason why her young son now sings in the school chorus and plays in the school band, Thomas said.

"The boy who could not be touched can be helped onto a horse," she said, adding that her daughter - who has the same genetic disorder as her brother - has also benefited from Shining Stars.

Thomas was just one of more than 20 people who spoke Tuesday at a public hearing on behalf of Shining Stars and Freedom Valley Worship Center, a local church with plans to double the size of its Route 30 facility. The project would include an indoor arena, where Shining Stars students could ride horses year-round.

But in its current form, the township's zoning-ordinance proposal would prevent Freedom Valley Worship Center from expanding its facility by more than 20 percent - a change from a 50-percent limit in the current law. The change would apply to all non-conforming uses, which includes the church.

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If it is adopted as written, the law "essentially kills our project," said the Rev. Gerry Stoltzfoos.
But before they can consider the public's input, the township's three supervisors and its solicitor need to figure out how the change appeared in the zoning proposal to begin with.

One thing's for sure - it didn't come from them.

Either the change is a typographical error, or it was inserted by a consultant the township paid to review its proposal. If that's the case, it was not noticed by township officials until now, said township Solicitor Walton Davis.

"We're a little bit embarrassed," Davis said after Stoltzfoos addressed the board.

Tuesday's public hearing is the latest development in a process the supervisors launched 15 months ago to amend parts of Straban Township's zoning ordinance. Since adopting a new zoning ordinance in December 2006, officials identified a list of problems with the ordinance, particularly language issues and a lack of requirements for special-exception uses. In June 2008, supervisors voted to hire West Chester-based consultant Tom Comitta and pay him a maximum of $25,000 to take a comprehensive look at the zoning ordinance. The review was supposed to take six months.

But in November, supervisors said Comitta made "significant" changes and that they would need an explanation before proceeding. That might be where the change affecting Freedom Valley Worship Center originated.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Troy Martin said the supervisors will meet with Davis before making any decisions. He said the zoning ordinance is an item on the supervisors' Monday agenda, but "it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be approved."

Davis said the township also needs to speak with church officials to clarify exactly what it is they want. Of those who spoke Tuesday night, some asked that the expansion limit be changed and others asked that Freedom Valley Worship Center be considered a permitted use - thus excepting it from the rule.

"There's a lot that has to be discussed," Davis said.

Consistent among all those who spoke, however, was the request that the township not do anything to stand in the way of Freedom Valley Worship Center's expansion - particularly the plans for a Shining Stars indoor facility.

Since its inception in 2000, the program's enrollment has grown from 18 to 100 students, said the program's founder, Brandy Crago.

Because of the limited facilities, the ministry is having to turn potential students away, Crago said. Shining Stars also closes down during the colder months, which means some students actually regress until the program starts up again.

The program also means a lot to the volunteers who staff it. Several of them spoke at Tuesday's meeting.

Through tears, Kathy Pappas said Shining Stars has been a "blessing" in her own life.

"I've been in turmoil over this all day long," she said.

IF YOU GO

What: Meeting of the Straban Township Board of Supervisors, which will consider adopting amendments to the township's zoning ordinance

When: 7 p.m. on Monday

Where: Municipal building, 1745 Granite Station Road

moving night

Tonight, Straban Township held a meeting for public comment on their proposed zoning amendment.

I wept through it, but not for the reasons you might think!

We opened and I expressed my concern about how we are now a "non-conforming use" due to their last zoning change. This new proposed zoning ordinance suggests that they not allow non conforming uses to expand past 20%! Our proposed building addition had us adding 50% to our facility, which the current zoning allows.

So I asked them to reconsider. They told me that they missed this detail and it was a mistake. They did not mean for it to read 20%.

So the meeting could have been over. But the problem is, more than 100 people had gathered from all over the county to express themselves. And they were going to have their say.

So we heard them. Stories about how God used Freedom Valley to get them off drugs, help them discover purpose, helped them get work, saved their marriage, and cared for their handicapped children. Even people who had never attended our church spoke and defended us like we were their own children. It was unbelievable.

I was so moved by their stories, I sat there and wiped tears for 90 minutes. I felt like God showed me again why church matters, what difference it makes, and how God has allowed us to help Him in His work!

I think the township might be inclined to help us after all that they heard tonight. But no matter what they do, they cannot stop the power of God from working among us, and lives changing for His glory. It simply cannot be stopped.

It could, however, be helped if they chose to allow us to build and move forward.

The START event at Valley Forge

Copied from an email by Tom Rees...

This looks so good, I just wanted to pass this on to you...

VFCC is partnering with the Church Multiplication Network to host the START Event in two weeks on October 28-30.

It will feature this amazing line up:

Dr. Tim Elmore - Growing Leaders
Tom Elmore - Thrive Church
Dakri Brown - Hillsong London
Brian Henley - Journey Life Church
Liz Lynn - Women in Ministry
Jeff Leake - Allison Park Church
Bryan Koch - Glad Tidings Assembly of God
Gerry Stoltzfoos- Freedom Valley Worship Center
Tracey Carpenter - PhD in Legal Psychology
Herbert Cooper - People's Church
Joel Hunter - Northwood Church
Trinity Jordan - Elevation Church
Adalberto Betancourt - Marcos Witt Music

The cost is just $25.00 and it includes the Church Planters' Lunch on Thursday. This will be a great time for you, your staff, Connect Group or Catalyst Group. Come for the entire three days or just for one day.

For the schedule and to register go to: http://www.churchplanterexchange.com/cmn_student.html

Have a great week!

what about Philly?

I had a wonderful little conversation with Dr. Daniel McNaughton today. We chatted briefly about our boot camp, (he suggested some guys that should come) and about an upcoming "START" event at Valley Forge Christian College, where he and I are participating in an event to stir up church planting among students and Pastors.

The we started talking about Philly. About how the answer to the ills of that city, is Jesus. About how a group of Pastors ought to get together and create some strategy to plant like a thousand churches in that city.

Maybe we can do that discussion at the VFCC START event.

unmovable objects, the unstoppable message and stubborness

We are currently in a series of exploration to allow God to REDEFINE CHURCH in us. Specifically, we are devouring the Book of Acts to discover how concepts that Jesus taught, were lived out in real life.

This week, we are discovering what happens when an unstoppable force (God) moves on an immovable object (prison walls)and sets people free. The ultimate lesson? That the real issue is stubborn hearts, not prison walls, or people who disagree with us.

Stubborn hearts? Really?

These stubborn hearts masqueraded as having good intentions. Whether good intended or not, they were headed for a collision course with God, even while insisting that they were performing His wishes!

Which begs introspection: is there any area where I have myself believing that my intentions are good, when I am actually being stubborn? Are there things I would fight for, that I am convinced are right, but are actually fighting against God?

Biblical history suggests that it is not uncommon for people 'of faith' to find themselves on the wrong side of God because they are unwilling to go to the next level with Him. They use their 'faith' as an excuse to be stubborn preventing God from working, and calling it "faithful".

Father, I must have done this -perhaps even more than I know. Please help me not do it anymore. I repent of stubbornness when I refused to move with you and what you wanted to do.