Evangelical church in Clifton wins right to build sanctuary

CLIFTON They spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees, fielded dozens of complaints and waited for more than a decade. But for members of the House of Fire Christian Church, persistence paid off.

CHRIS PEDOTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Members of the House of Fire Christian Church praying in a circle during Sunday morning services at temporary quarters at the Looking Glass Children's Center in Bloomfield.

The House of Fire, a small evangelical congregation of Italian-Americans, two weeks ago won a protracted court battle over whether it could build a sanctuary on a tiny vacant lot off a busy city street.

The Rev. Placido Lentini, who since 2002 has led the church from a rented room in a Bloomfield children's center, said he was delighted that his parishioners will be able to worship in a place of their own in a few months.

"We've been praying for 12 years for this dream to become reality," Lentini said last week as he stood near mountains of dirt at the church property on Grove Street. "Thank God it will become reality soon."

The Clifton zoning board twice denied the parish's application, most recently arguing that the lot wasn't big enough to provide adequate parking. On Dec. 31, a state appeals court issued a strongly worded opinion upholding a lower court ruling overturning the zoning board's decision, calling it "arbitrary, capricious and a manifest abuse of its discretionary authority."

Neighboring residents, who carried on the latest legal challenge, said they worry about traffic jams and accidents as 40-plus parishioners make K-turns to squeeze into 18 spots each Sunday.

"The traffic along here is a nightmare already," said Sharron Lebitsch, who has lived next door to the church's property for 43 years. "Who knows what more that's going to bring."

The church has agreed to enlist a volunteer attendant to direct traffic and insists there will be no problems. Lentini said there are enough parking spaces, and parishioners will make accommodations by car-pooling on holidays.

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Evangelical church in Clifton wins right to build sanctuary