By Michael Gryboski, Editor Wednesday, March 25, 2026

A Maryland church is facing backlash from city officials over its decision to host a homeless tent encampment on its property.

St. Paul’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Ocean City recently allowed a small group of homeless individuals to set up tents on its property for shelter. However, city officials informed the church that the tents violated a zoning ordinance and threatened the congregation with daily fines starting Monday evening.

St. Paul’s By-the-Sea Pastor Jill Williams told The Christian Post on Tuesday that the church decided to comply with the city’s demands and will move the individuals “inside our parish hall so they have safe shelter.”

The church requested and was granted an extension to April 1 as it oversees the transition from the tent encampment to an indoor shelter.

“We chose to do this rather than putting our clients at the forefront of a battle between us and the city,” she explained. “In order to do so, the church has chosen to use our own financial reserves to transition the people who had been staying outside on our property into a safer indoor space. The timeline has now been moved to April 1 as we prepare that transition.”

Williams told CP that the transition from tents to indoor space is “being funded directly by the church,” as city officials “did not offer an alternative placement or assistance for the individuals who had been staying here.”

“The only guidance we were given was that we could apply for possible grant funding during next year’s funding cycle, which was described to us as a few hundred dollars to a thousand maybe,” said Williams.

“One important point is that the church is stepping forward with its own resources to provide safer shelter rather than simply pushing people somewhere else or allowing them to sleep outside now without the safety and dignity of a tent even.”

Williams said this reflects “a broader conversation happening in the community about what Ocean City wants to be,” as some want it to remain a tourist-centered destination.

“The church understands the importance of tourism, but we also believe a healthy community must acknowledge and care for all of the people who are part of it, including those who are struggling,” she added. “For us, this ministry is simply about living out our faith and caring for our neighbors with dignity.”

City Manager Terence McGean told CP he agreed it is a “difficult issue” and that local officials “recognize the sensitivity of this situation and the complexity of supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.”

“While the tents currently on the property do not comply with existing zoning ordinances, Ocean City is committed to balancing compassion with compliance,” he said. “We respect the intent behind the church’s actions; however, the town cannot simply ignore ongoing violations of our laws.”

McGean said he understood “why people feel strongly about this issue,” clarifying that city officials “have not told them to remove the homeless from their property,” only the tents.

“The town has a responsibility to uphold our ordinances consistently across the community,” he continued, noting that he met with Williams in January to discuss alternatives.

“We are not discouraging support. Rather, we are working to ensure that support happens safely and within the law.”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/maryland-church-ocean-city-clash-over-homeless-encampment.html