Asking the noise to stop

Jun. 7—The continued disruptive noise produced by Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet has prompted neighbors to start a petition for the Wilson County Sheriff's department to take action to stop the noise.

Kylie Blackett lives approximately a mile away from Global Vision Bible Church and was the one to start the petition.

"I started the petition back in January after I heard them for eight hours straight inside my home, and I was told that there was nothing that the sheriff's office could do," Blackett said. "They recommended that I start a petition, so I did that, and it took off."

Most of what Blackett hears is the music and the bass guitar.

"On Sunday nights, we hear yelling where they're calling out the spirits," Blackett said. "I heard them very loud and clear (Sunday) night."

The noise has affected the lives of Blackett and her neighbors.

"We are unable to enjoy our yards," Blackett said. "It's not comfortable to go outside when that's going on. The traffic is another issue. (The noise) is very intrusive inside our homes. We can't escape it. A lot of people plan activities around their church services to avoid being home. If they want to have a gathering at their home, they don't do it during church services."

It's not just Sundays that are affected by the church.

"In the middle of April, they had a three-week-long revival, and they went six nights a week," Blackett said. "It was Monday through Friday and Sunday. There's nothing in place to stop them. They can torment the neighborhood for as long as they want. There's no noise ordinance in place."

Blackett and a few other members of the neighborhood came together to organize a joint lawsuit from the community against Global Vision Bible Church for "preventing the peaceful enjoyment of their property." The neighbors are still in the process of raising funds needed to move forward with the lawsuit. They've currently raised $4,990 of their $10,000 goal.

Blackett and her neighbors' ultimate goal with the petition is to "just get the noise to stop."

Phil Berg lives in the Normandy Heights subdivision, which is approximately a mile from Global Vision Bible Church.

"It's not as bad as some of the houses that we know of who can hear it through their closed windows with the TV on," Berg said. "We can hear them very loudly and clearly in our backyard when we're trying to sit out on the porch. It's multiple times a week. It's Wednesday nights, Sunday nights, Sunday morning, and for the big events, it can be even louder."

During a February law enforcement committee meeting, Wilson County Planning and Zoning Committee Chairman Jerry McFarland was asked to fill in as chair. There, he heard about the concerns of the neighbors, and the law enforcement committee held a discussion about a potential noise ordinance.

The neighbors brought their concerns to a joint meeting of the Wilson County law enforcement and planning and zoning committees on May 24.

"There have been resolutions drawn, and there's been stuff taken out of the resolution," McFarland said. "It's been reconsidered. The last (meeting) we had was a joint meeting of the planning and zoning committee with the law enforcement committee. With both committees in the chambers, we listened to the request of members from the neighborhood."

In addition to the potential lawsuit that the area residents are hoping to file against the church, there are currently two ongoing lawsuits against Global Vision Bible Church, one from the county and one from neighbors directly across the street.

"Global Vision didn't get permits," McFarland said. "There's not a septic permit. There's not a stormwater permit. There's not a building permit. They've violated every zoning rule that I think they can violate. The county filed suit against them, and that's ongoing."

McFarland said that the disruptive noise caused by Global Vision Bible Church goes against Tennessee state code.

"The state statute of disorderly conduct says in the third paragraph that you cannot interfere with somebody that's doing a lawful function, such as sleeping," McFarland said. "Even the chief deputy at our last commission meeting told me that that was in (the codes) and that's what (Global Vision) needs to be held accountable for."

Tennessee law states in the disorderly conduct statute that, "A person also violates this section who makes unreasonable noise that prevents others from carrying on lawful activities."

Attempts to reach Global Vision Bible Church for comment did not result in any response.