OCEAN CITY, Md. — An Ocean City church has been fined thousands for operating what town officials say is a non-permitted housing shelter.
Pastor Jill Williams of St. Paul’s by-the-Sea has gone live on Facebook, recording George Bendler, Ocean City's Director of Planning & Community Development, issuing the church a zoning citation.
In the recording Williams reads Bendler a Bible verse before signing the citation.
According to Williams, the church which is located on Baltimore Avenue, has sheltered 1,679 guests while feeding lunch to 4,826 people since launching its Shelter-By-the-Sea program on March 31, 2026.
So far Ocean City has issued the church three citations totaling $3,000.
The church has since started a campaign to help fund the shelter, already raising more than $32,160. St Paul's says it costs about $200,000 annually to operate and staff the shelter.
Shelter-By-the-Sea was created inside St. Paul's parish hall months after the City ordered the church to remove tents on its property that were used as sleeping spaces for the homeless.
Williams on social media made clear the church would not cave to the City's demands, vowing to keep the shelter open.
WMAR-2 News has reached out to Bendler and City Manager Terry McGean for comment, and are awaiting to hear back.
