The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Christian group that owns a beach in New Jersey, has been blocking it for prayers on Sunday mornings for the past 155 years. However, state officials recently ordered the association to stop blocking the beach, leading to the public being allowed access for the first time in over a century and a half. The decision to open the beach was met with enthusiasm by sun-worshipers and beach-goers who took advantage of the opportunity over the holiday weekend.
Many residents were surprised to learn that the beach had been closed for prayer for so long, with some visitors not even realizing they were making history by accessing the beach on this particular Sunday. The ban on public access to the beach on Sunday mornings was in line with the association’s religious practices, which involved holding prayers at the beachfront property. However, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection intervened and ordered the association to open the beach to the public during the previously forbidden hours.
Despite the association’s objections to the state order, they complied and opened the beach to the public during Sunday mornings, providing lifeguards during the new hours. The association sees the beach as a sacred space known as “God’s Square Mile at the Jersey Shore.” However, the issue of restricted access to the beach on Sunday mornings had been a point of contention as the surrounding neighborhoods grew and more locals sought access to the beach during those hours.
The association had argued in court that the beach was open to the public for the majority of the year and that the limited closure on Sunday mornings was reasonable. However, the DEP ruled otherwise and ordered the association to cease its use of barriers that restrict access to the beachfront. Failure to comply with the order could result in fines for the association. While some locals support the state agency’s decision, others believe that the Sunday morning closure is in line with the rules that residents agreed to when purchasing property in Ocean Grove, which included understanding and abiding by certain restrictions on Sundays.
