Jehovah's Witnesses want to build their first church in Hunterdon County
READINGTON – The Zoning Board of Adjustment will hold a hearing on June 15 on a proposal to build a church on Route 22 near the Branchburg border.
Who is JW Congregation Support
The applicant is JW Congregation Support, an organization that assists congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses to acquire, construct and remodel places of worship. The organization bought the property on the north side of Route 22 just west of County Line Road in August 2020 for $800,000.
What is proposed
The plans call for a 4,312-square-foot place of worship. A place of worship is a conditionally permitted use in the PO (Professional Office) zone.
Relief requested
The plan proposes 59 parking spaces, about half of the 116 spaces required by township ordinance. The plan also calls for five façade signs, when only one is permitted. Concrete curbing is proposed in the parking lot while the township ordinance requires granite block curbs.
More: 'Eager for hope:' Jehovah's Witnesses in NJ find more doors open after COVID hiatus ends
Who are the Jehovah's Witnesses?
According to its website, worldwide there are 8,699,048 members in 117,960 congregations in 239 countries. The world headquarters is in Warwick, N.Y. in Orange County across the New Jersey state line.
Following the model of first-century Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses have no clergy-laity division. All baptized Witnesses are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work.
Other Central Jersey congregations are in Bridgewater, Middlesex Borough, Metuchen, Edison, Franklin, New Brunswick, Dunellen, Plainfield, Woodbridge, East Brunswick, South Brunswick and Monroe. There are no congregations in Hunterdon County.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Jehovah's Witnesses want to build Hunterdon County NJ church
