On June 27, 2012 , the Community of St. John Baptist, the First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, the Parish House in Morristown, the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, Stanhope United Methodist Church in Netcong, the Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, and the First Reformed Church of Pompton Plains in Pequannock.



The total funds granted totaled almost $2.1 million.



While I do not doubt the historic value of these religious institutions, and the benefit to the community of their preservation, the grant of government funds to religious institutions for repair of facilities used exclusively for sectarian purposes is unconstitutional. Here are some examples of the grants awarded:

St. Peter's Episcopal, with an operating budget is $937,000, was granted $500,000 to repair the church tower and walls to "ensure continued safe public access to the church for worship."

The Presbyterian Church of Morristown, with an operating budget is $1.3 million, was granted $478,000 for roof restoration to "insure [sic] their continued use by our congregation for worship services…"

The First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, with an operating budget of $626,000, was granted $125,000 for window repair to "restore the original beauty and utility of this historic church."

The apparent neglect of church facilities through insufficient allocation of church resources to maintenance activities should not justify use of public funds for restoration when a building's issues become acute.



Analysis provided by Assistant Attorney General Walter Dellinger in 1995, specifically on the subject of awarding historic preservation grants to religious institutions, states: