Ferrese granted permission for a one-time event on July 4 to “celebrate freedom on our nation’s birthday” with a rally to include “music, prayer, testimony and preaching,” after the pastor sought another permit. … So, Dekker took to the beach on Independence Day, preaching a sermon by the shore that he titled “Line in the Sand.” More than 1,500 people gathered to hear the sermon, prayers and music as America celebrated its freedoms.

In denying a permit to hold a church service at a popular Delaware oceanside location, the Rehoboth Beach city manager described his actions as a “separation of church and state.” The pastor who applied for the permit and later preached an Independence Day message on the sands of the same beach saw it another way, calling the action one of fear and suppression.

The Rev. Robert Dekker, pastor of New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lewes, Del., sought a permit in May for the use of the bandstand at Rehoboth Beach in Sussex County to provide early-morning services on Sundays for eight weeks in June and July. New Covenant is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

Rehoboth Beach, with a population of a little more than 1,300, sees an explosion of people flocking to its shores in the summer as tourists from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., make their way to the popular town located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The number of people packing the small town and beach swells to about 25,000 during the summer months.

An increased traffic flow in the town can make travel difficult, so Dekker wanted to offer services at the public beach just south of Lewes to allow people a way to conveniently attend church, something he said other pastors in nearby towns have been doing. He also noted that a sunrise service is held on the beach each year at Easter.

The response he received was not what he expected.

Rehoboth Beach City Manager Greg Ferrese denied the request to hold eight weeks of early-morning services at the beach made by Dekker. Ferrese chose to deny Dekker’s request under the guise of separation of church and state, but the decision actually precluded the church’s freedom of religion and freedom of assembly found in the First Amendment.

Dekker reported that he received an email from Ferrese that read, “I am so sorry to inform you that I cannot grant your request to have church services on the public beach in Rehoboth. I cannot mix church and state. I trust you understand. Wishing you the very best.”

“When you’re dealing with church and public property, you have to be careful,” Ferrese told the Cape Gazette. “We’re really in a no-win situation.”

Ferrese said the church requested use of the beach and noted that city policy traditionally has been not to allow religious demonstrations on public beaches, on the grounds of separation of church and state, but also because the city does not want to offend visitors who may not agree with such a service. He also said allowing one church to do so would lead to similar requests from numerous other churches.

“I was absolutely disappointed with the city manager, but I understand why he took the action he did. He was afraid of lawsuits,” Dekker said. “What we did was not in protest of that denial but as a celebration of our freedom.”

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