Ocean Grove, a New Jersey community in Neptune Township, founded by Methodist ministers in 1869 as a “Christian seaside resort,” has been warned by state officials that their longstanding tradition of limiting access to their privately owned beach before noon on Sundays in the summer months to accommodate church services and maintain the character of their community is a violation of state law.
A warning letter sent by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group that owns all the land in Ocean Grove, says the Christian group can’t use chains and padlock barriers to block beach access on Sunday mornings from Memorial Day to Labor Day because it violates the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act.
Robert H. Clark, a region supervisor for the state Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement, wrote in a letter made public by the activist group Neptune United, “The purpose of this warning is to advise you of the above potential violation to provide you with an opportunity to voluntarily take corrective actions and to engage in discussions with the DEP.”
The group said in a statement on Facebook on August 18th in response to the warning, “Neptune United would like to thank the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for listening to the concerns of the community. On August 10th, the NJDEP sent the OGCMA the attached ‘Warning,’ informing them that their ‘use of chain and padlock barriers to deter public access to the beach during daylight hours’ violated state regulations. Now that it is known the OGCMA has been put on notice by the NJDEP, we look forward to seeing a barrier-free entry this Sunday morning!”
Neptune United describes itself as “a nonpartisan, community advocacy organization committed to ensuring fairness and equality for all Neptune Township residents and visitors,” but not everyone in the community agrees with their targeting of the Christian landowner. One woman, identified as Jody Ann on Facebook, is among those who disagreed with Neptune United’s celebration of the warning and noted that the majority of the community supports the long-held traditions.
She wrote, “The concerns of the community? I don’t believe you speak for the entire community. I know that the majority are okay with the closures only during the summer. You should be thanking them for building a new pier free of charge to the ‘community.’ Your group is shameless. There is plenty of room on the beach. The access is only for a few hours on a Sunday. Leave them alone.” In an interview with The Christian Post, Michael Badger, president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, said in the 154 years that his group has owned and operated the beach, they have never had an issue with their beach access tradition until 2023 when Neptune United began their activism.
Badger explained, “We have been the owners and operators of this beach in Ocean Grove for 154 years. It is our beach, our lifeguards, our badge checkers. We maintain and, operate and repair everything — the boardwalk, the pier, and the beach itself. We make sure it gets cleaned.” Badger said the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and the NJDEP are in talks to resolve the dispute and agree that the Methodist group has significant support from the community because their tradition also helps to maintain the quality of life in the neighborhood.