A Christian-based addiction recovery ministry has withdrawn its application to rezone 20 acres between Grovetown and Harlem after neighboring residents protested.
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners this week voted to accept 143 Ministries' withdrawal of its request to rezone agriculturally zoned land at 5821 Rockford Dr. to accommodate a church building, office, parking and "constructing several structures for a campground," according to the project narrative sent to county planners.
But residents who live nearby aired their concerns before county commissioners about the clarity of the proposal and implied that addicts seeking help onsite could pose a danger.
Neighbor Ruth Nugent wrote to the county July 18, listing concerns over potentially busier traffic on nearby Old Louisville Road.
"Again, this potentially adds a lot of people and traffic to a quiet neighborhood, including overnight stays for an unspecified number of people at the campground," she said in her email. "What measures will be taken to ensure that campers do not trespass on other properties?"
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In a video posted to Facebook before the commission meeting, Ministry co-founder Cliff Nobles said that while he felt "part of me wanted to fight and fight and fight," his group will instead "back up and huddle up" to determine what action to take next.
The ministry has fielded neighbors' complaints before at other locations. To defuse the slander and lies he said have spread because of the request, Nobles said the ministry is, for the moment, backing away.
"We're built for this and we're going to lay down this time and let them have their way, but we own the property and so we're going to carry on and see what God wants," Nobles said. "Whatever we do on the property will be allowed by law, and we'll continue to help people, which is what we've been doing."
Nobles and his wife, Ana, established 143 Ministries in 2018, named for the number of letters in each word of "I love you."
The nonprofit is an umbrella covering several smaller ministries. Katherine's Way serves women and their families grappling with drug and alcohol abuse. Immanuel House is a 90-day men's recovery program. The River, its original outreach ministry, meets at 400 Warren Rd.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: 'See what God wants': Plans stall for proposed Columbia County addiction ministry
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