One couple is wary of the church, which charges for services rendered. Its owner says businesses already exist in the area.
By TIM GRANT
Published April 4, 2004
LAKE MAGDALENE - Call it a culture clash between longtime residents and a newcomer to a well-established neighborhood.
It might also be your classic battle against the invasion of commercial enterprise in a residential area.
Or maybe it boils down to traditional Christian values colliding with New Age spiritualism.
Whatever the case, the dispute homeowners Dale and Caroline Roberts have with the owner of Soul Mirror Worship Center has led to a breakdown in communication between the next-door neighbors on Bearss Avenue.
"It would be nice if (the Roberts family) would come speak to us," said Kerry Jones, owner of the center. "I do know they are Methodist. I believe it's a matter of their religious differences."
The Roberts family mounted the most vocal opposition to Jones' plans to operate a metaphysical center and gift shop at 2025 W Bearss Ave. Jones recently was granted a permit that will allow her to legally run her business at that location as a church.
The Robertses did say they are somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of tarot card readings and other new age religious practices occurring next door. But their primary concern, they say, is to fight against commercial activity in the pastoral hamlet that has been their home for 31 years.
"I just wasn't aware of the law that you could start a church in a residential neighborhood," said Dale Roberts. "If it's a legitimate church, that's okay. But I worry about some of the activities.
"It's hard not to wonder. Maybe it's because I don't understand their religion. It's difficult when you don't understand certain things."
Hillsborough County's zoning laws allow churches to locate in residential neighborhoods.
The Soul Mirror Worship Center is a hodgepodge of religions, according to Jones. The spiritual teachers who counsel there use aspects of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and pagan beliefs to help people explore their spirituality.
"It's off the beaten path," Jones says. "But it's another way to seek help."
Jones, 23, said that when her father died from cancer two years ago, she and her mother, Carole H. Jones, discovered healing through new age religious practices. They want to make that same therapy available to others.
"We didn't do this for money," Jones said, adding that they started the metaphysical center with an inheritance her father left her. The Joneses both live in another home off Anderson Road. The Bearss Avenue home is used solely for the church, which is run by Kerry Jones.
Jones hires spiritual teachers to lead the various classes on meditation and healing. Visitors pay a fee for each service they receive.
Mrs. Roberts is not convinced that religious practice is what drives the center.
"I think it's a ploy," Mrs. Roberts said. "They are trying to break in and make the area commercial. That's the reason I complained. I would hate to see this go commercial."
The Roberts family has deep roots in this community.
Mrs. Roberts' grandparents bought the 2-acre property next to the church in the 1920s. Their family still owns four homes in the vicinity. Dale and Caroline Roberts have been members of First United Methodist Church on Florida Avenue for 47 years.
Jones says other commercial businesses already exist in the area. She doesn't understand why the Roberts family has complained so adamantly about hers.
"It's funny they say they are against commercialization because there is a produce stand down the road," Jones says. "A dog groomer is not even a quarter-mile down the road, and there's a lady who runs a clothing boutique from her house in the neighborhood."
Jones and her mother bought the 2,500-square-foot house in October 2002 for $227,500. Soon afterward, Jones placed a sign at the driveway of the property advertising a gift shop, classes and church services at the house.
Jones also bought a display ad in a magazine and promoted the business on a Web site.
"That's when the fun began," Jones said, referring to the complaints.
County code enforcement officers cited Jones for running a business on residentially zoned property in June 2003 after the Roberts family complained about commercial activity at the house.
The county halted its code enforcement action against Jones after she applied for the church designation.
During the review process, she says the county required her to pave a long driveway, provide stormwater retention and build parking spaces to accommodate the public. She also built a long wooden wall to separate her property from the Robertses'.
Jones says the work has cost her $60,000 so far, not to mention the lost income from having to shut down the property for several months during the construction. She anticipates reopening for business in April.
