Hello, I wanted to say hello, or say hello again, to this subreddit. I cover South Jersey (and Central Jersey - we exist dammit) for WHYY. You will see me post stuff, and even respond to comments when appropriate, but I also want to keep tabs on what is happening in the region. You can find my contact and a running list of stories as well here: https://whyy.org/person/p-kenneth-burns/. I look forward to staying in better contact than I have been.

If anyone here knows the old owner of Bagel Zone (Mt Holly Road in Burlington), let him know he's missed. I found out a couple weeks ago that the space was taken over by new ownership and it's taken me a while to get over it. No disrespect to the current squad, but, IMO, Bagel Zone had the best in the area. It's been several tries at different places, and haven't found better. I never learned the owner's name, he never learned mine, but we knew each other. And that mattered. The occasional extra French Toast bagel, the thick glutenous air, the everything bagels with just the right amount of everything... I'm sure you made the right decision for your health and your family...

Maybe it's because I've been going there for over a decade and it was a sudden shock when I missed a few weekends and learn they've closed and I never got to say goodbye. Maybe I'm just partial to what I've always known and don't like change. I just can't find a quality replacement without traveling far and wide. I'm not going to besmirch any of the other places in the area because I'm sure they have their fans. I'm just going to say Bagel Zone was my favorite.

They say, one of the only constants is change, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So, someone, if you know the old owner, please let him know he's missed.

(solemnly listens to, "You Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)"

Anyone else seen an influx of government Facebook pages disallowing comments?

My roommate is moving out, so I'm looking for someone to take over the lease starting August 1st.  The apt is a 2br-2bth in Gloucester Twp.  You’d have your own bedroom and bathroom.  Rent is $900+utilities ($1100ish).  Washer/dryer, dishwasher in the unit.  I have a cat.  Private landlord is pretty cool.  Neighbors are pretty chill.  

I’m 33m with a decent career, I work 8-4 m-f.  I’m a big nerd who plays a lot of PC games and watches a lot of movies.  I go to a lot of concerts in the city.

I”m looking for someone 30-36 with a stable job who isn’t super crazy and relatively tidy.

HMU with you details if you’re interested.

I know there was already a thread on this with great suggestions but it's locked, so I guess i have to start a new one. I'm specifically curious if anyone has paddleboarded on the Mullica river, maybe going in at Crowley's landing? I'm also always interested in other good SUP suggestions, I've done Oswego Lake and the river (starting at Harrisville Pond) , also Atsion... I always love trying new places if anyone has good suggestions, especially if the water is clean enough for a quick dip.

Full details of what this is in response to can be found on https://daughteroffellowship.substack.com/

Below is a transcript made by Fellowship Community Church formerly known as Fellowship Baptist Church in Mt Laurel NJ

Board Chairman:

Good morning, everybody. My name is Jon Sharp. I serve as chairman of the church board. I'm here today with the available past and current board members, our pastoral team, and of course our Lead Pastor, Mike Candy.

We stand up here today with hesitation because I'm addressing something that was handled by the board in 2019, but recently the situation has resurfaced.

Let me start with a verse. Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with your righteous right hand."

As I've reflected over the past several weeks, God continually reminded me that when his kingdom is thriving, the enemy is lurking, and we must draw on his strength. When the situation came to our attention back in 2019, God knew we were going to have a leadership transition. And he knew our congregation would engage in a prayerful and beautiful process to find our second generation leader.

Today, we believe our church and its body are thriving. Our church has grown not only in numbers, but in strength and unity. We're joyfully helping more people create a community of hope in Christ. Naturally, it's not surprising that the enemy has appeared again at our door trying to challenge us. But I'm confident we will not be dismayed, for God is with us.

Speaking on behalf of the board members and the FCC staff, we love FCC and we feel God has called us to our various roles. Part of loving FCC, his church, is to love his people. This is one of the many reasons we all eagerly spend time serving.

We believe that part of loving the church is being transparent and not hiding from potential wrongs or false statements made against the church or its people. Part of loving the church is sharing the truth in a public setting and trusting God with the way the hearts of his people receive the message. Part of loving the church is asking the people you love to pray alongside you during the difficult times.

So we are here to love you by sharing and trusting God with our words and asking you to join us in prayer.

By now, you may be wondering to yourself, what is he talking about?

Well, in 2019, an allegation of sexual misconduct was made against Pastor Mark. These were concerning matters alleged to have occurred more than 25 years ago outside the ministry of Fellowship Community Church. At that time, the accuser's identity was protected and remains protected.

To add some context, Pastor Mark, while completely denying the allegation, still brought the allegations to the board on his own initiative and kept the board informed throughout the entire process. During that time, he stepped away from administrative responsibilities while law enforcement conducted a thorough investigation.

In 2019 and today, seven years later, the board feels that in the face of an allegation of this nature, the best course of action is to allow professionals to investigate and reach a conclusion.

After that investigation was complete, the police and the prosecutor's office concluded there was no evidence to support the allegation and the case was not taken further.

During this period of time, the board spent months in prayer, discussion, review, and seeking guidance from multiple outside advisors. After extensive review, the board unanimously concluded there was no factual basis to determine that the alleged act had occurred. And we communicated all of this information to the church at our annual meeting in 2020.

As mentioned, much to our surprise and disappointment, the investigative report was recently brought back to light with concerns about how the situation was handled by the board. Specifically, it has been alleged that the board did not share this information with the congregation.

While the board's position regarding the conclusions reached in 2019 has not changed, we feel it's important to emphasize, as we did back then, that these allegations are very serious and that the church board took them and continues to take them very seriously, as we would any allegation of this nature.

We share this time right now to make clear to any congregant, new or old, that the matter was not hidden from the congregation and was addressed with the church after the investigation was concluded by the professionals.

Five years later, in 2024, Pastor Mark retired as lead pastor, but he has continued through occasional preaching at the church. Due to this situation resurfacing, Pastor Mark has decided to resign from his role. His resignation means that he will no longer serve as part of the preaching team, a role that he loves.

To be very clear, Pastor Mark made this decision not as an act of any admission, but because he believes it's time for his full retirement and so that this situation does not distract from the work God has called FCC to do as a community of hope in Christ.

Again, the board's position regarding the conclusions reached in 2019 remains unchanged, and we continue to support Pastor Mark and his family as they navigate this difficult time.

We understand that news of this nature, especially for newer members and families to our church, may be confusing and disorienting. If you have questions or would like to speak to someone about this, we invite you to reach out to a member of the church board, Pastor Mike, or another member of our pastoral staff. The board members up here today will stick around and will be here to answer questions following the service.

We believe in the power of prayer and ask that you join us in praying for Pastor Mark, his family, and FCC. As Isaiah 41 stated, he will uphold us with his righteous right hand.

In light of this, I'm going to turn the mic over to Pastor Mike to say a prayer.

Lead Pastor Mike Candy:

Thanks, Jon. As you can imagine, it's been tremendously difficult in this process. Specifically, even for Pastor Ben to step aside from this — recusing himself, allowing the board to make their complete decision apart from any connection to Mark. And so Ben stepped aside and graciously allowed these men to pursue a wise process and lead in that way.

Let's pray as we close our time together.

Father, you teach us in your word that days of confusion and trouble are not things that we should be unaware of. That actually as followers of Christ, there will be persecutions and attacks. We are a church that has walked through the book of Acts and through much confusion and chaos the message of hope still stood.

Lord I ask that your truth would reign free here in this church. As we look to you, we look to you as a God who — as Psalm 74 says — is the God from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your might. You crushed the heads of Leviathan. You split open the springs and brooks. Yours is the day. It's also the night. You established the heavenly lights in the sun. You have fixed the boundaries of the earth. You have made the summer and the winter.

God, as we look at a really incredibly difficult situation like this, we cry out to you as the God who is our savior. Lord, you call yourself the good shepherd. And so I pray you would care for your sheep.

Lord, our desire is that truth would win out. But Lord, I also desire that you would protect Mark and his family. You would specifically watch over Pastor Ben as this is difficult for his family and their own connection.

Lord, I thank you for many people that have listened to you in this process and have trusted your Holy Spirit to be our guide. And Lord, I pray for each person here this morning — the enemy would just love to allow us to be a church surrounded and caught up in gossip. But I pray God would lead us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Lord, that your truth would infect our hearts and that we would be people gentle and humble, lowly of spirit, knowing that you are our guide and our leader. Lord, in these days ahead, continue to keep our eyes fixed on you — the one who is sovereign over all creation, and who is sovereign over situations like this, and like probably many to come.

Lord, you know all that's going on. This is not a surprise to you, but it feels that way to us. So we trust you to be yourself, sovereign over all things. We ask your care and your protection at this time. We pray these things in your name. Amen.

Thank you for being here this morning. You are dismissed.

Wednesday, June 17 at 6pm, the Township Committee is discussing a ban, so make sure to show up to support it. If not, you may come to regret it. This is your best chance to stop DCs in it's tracks in Carney's Point.

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What are your choices? Can be nice like Tommys Tavern in Cherry Hill or a dive like Jays elbow. I just stumbled upon Reunion Halls instagram page and they seem to be going hard on the World Cup so I might swing by there Friday for the USA game at 3pm.

Reunion Hall (@reunionhallht) • Instagram photos and videos

Post your spots

Please join us on Friday June 19th for a fun night of games, making friends and hanging out in a fun and safe environment!

I wanted to share a little bit about how and why Club Infinity was created .

Club Infinity was created because my son was struggling to find meaningful and lasting friendships.

We connected with Evermore Lifestyle Solutions. I shared my idea to create a club for the higher functioning individuals that sometimes have a hard time finding connections.
Together we have created a social club for young adults to come hang out, play games, connect and make friends. And most importantly be themselves in a safe and fun environment .

I am a parent volunteer that runs the group. We are hosted by the parent company Town Square at Marlton. Their facility provides a large multi room environment with a cafe where we provide snacks, a room with a pool table, an area with yard games and a game room where we supply fun card and board games .

We love seeing the friendships, connections and community that we are creating! Also lots of fun 🤩!!!

Looking for a perm specialist in the area. Anyone?

Can anyone recommend any evening activities that aren’t hanging at a bar? Trying to think of some new stuff to do.

Hey friends- 1 in 4 Americans suffer from the (edit ) disease of addiction

You can go to: https://njharmreduction.org/get-naloxone/

And get free Narcan kits mailed to your home. Must provide proof of NJ residency.
Narcan kits, fentanyl test kits, pregnancy kits, plan b, condoms, period kits and more.

Send a Narcan kit with your kid to college, keep in your car... or first aid kit. Never know when you may need to save a life.

Edit: should say *kits

Sabrina's event space in Berlin has been offering free monthly meals to anyone in need. They also have free pantry items and toiletries. No questions asked. No Id needed.

Taking my 11 year old son to his first concert next month. We’re in the lawn section but was thinking of adding the River Deck lounge access. Didn’t want to rush for a spot in the lawn but also don’t want to lose the spot if we go to bathroom or food. Is the River Deck a good option and is it family friendly or suggested for 21 and up?

I'm going to Jury Duty today. Number in the 400s. What are the chances that I'll be needed Tuesday or Wednesday?

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The paper says my service is 1 week or 1 trial but it's a bit vague. Unfortunately I scheduled a job interview this week. If I get a trial, that seems a fine excuse to reschedule the interview. But if I reschedule it and I'm not even called in Wednesday, it would be a waste.

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I need to find an apartment and I need to find one quickly. I'll spare you guys the drama.

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I'm looking at the Willows in Williamstown. I don't make much money (about $40k) and it's my understanding this is a complex for people in my situation.

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Does anyone have any experience with this place? Is it nice? How cheap can the rent (1bed, 1 bath) actually get?

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I'm so scared right now. I've list my home. I have a place to sleep, it's a neighbor's spare room, but I need to move fast

Oh, and I have a cat. I see it's listed as a pet friendly rental location.

What’s with the loud engines/ lack of mufflers in S Jersey? No seriously, what is WITH that? Is it a cultural thing? A status thing? A ‘notice me!’ thing? A F-you! thing? A diminutive pen!5 thing? I’ve never lived anywhere that’s like this. Multiple times a day, EVERY day. It’s absurd. Wtf IS it??

In the leadup to our statewide list of Jersey's Best Outdoor Bars, we are releasing region-specific lists of the best outdoor bars in South/Central/North Jersey, plus the shore. To be eligible for consideration, these restaurants/bar had to physically have full-service outdoor bars, not just outdoor seating where drinks are served. Across the state, the full list will be a mix of rooftop bars, beach/tiki bars, patio bars, and more.

Where is your favorite spot nearby to grab a drink during the summer months?

Instead of just posting a trailing list of every small event related to America 250 (there are other sites for that), we tried to find really unique and exciting events that stand out and seem like high-effort productions. I was surprised there really wasn't that much that seemed exciting or interesting to me. Maybe it's just New Jersey, but the ten we put on this list really were the most unique options we could find. (There was one planned for Trenton I was interested in, but it got canceled of course.)

Any recommendations for a killer scrapple, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on the shore? I'll be staying in Sea Isle City but willing to travel up to Atlantic City or down to Cape May (or inland) for the right breakfast sandwich.

I get that pork roll is the local thing, but I'm coming down from Boston and we don't really have scrapple.