Church Pursues Legal Action Against Proposed Treatment Facility

The church recognizes need for facility, but question judgment of placing the facility next to the church's K – 8 school.

By: Arthur Mondale | WNCT-On Your Side
Published: November 22, 2008

The battle over a group home next to a church, is still not over.
Church leaders who took the Town of Winterville to court over the Triniti House of Restoration for troubled teens say, they aren't done yet, even though they lost in court.
The Seventh-day Adventist church in Winterville has been battling with the founder of trinity house for a year.
But Joe Cray of Trinity says this is a battle the church shouldn't be in.
Joe Cray says he has had the plans for the 1.58-acre Triniti House for at least four years.
But as with any building, location has turned out to be a problem.
He wants to build it adjacent to The Seventh-day Adventist Church and its school.
"We agreed to a lot of things to satisfy the church,” Cray said. “We agreed to put a higher fence--an 8-foot fence up...we agreed not to have any of our youth out during the time that they would have children out from their day care center…We will not choose another location.”
The group home would house young men between the ages 13 – 18.
After a year long court battle over the conditional use permit that allows Triniti to build, a Pitt County judge ruled against the church.
Consultant Gwendolyn Sharrod adds, “It could very well touch any member of folks that go to the church or people that they know. Friends of theirs.”
In a statement, Seventh-day Adventist senior pastor John Seaman says: The church recognizes the need for the facility, but they question the judgment of placing the facility next to the church's K – 8 school.
They will continue to pursue legal alternatives.