Decade of repairs brings Hightstown church back to life
Turton still needs to restore the second and third floors of the 14-room building in order to pursue the organization’s mission of providing housing for those in need. They include travelers whose vehicles have broken down on the nearby New Jersey Turnpike, students visiting from abroad, unemployed and homeless citizens, children from broken families and senior citizens.Before the fire, this practice had made Bethany unpopular with locals, who were not happy with the temporary visitors. Some borough residents also expressed fear in the past that if there was another fire, it could damage other homes in the historic Hightstown neighborhood.
Still, Turton believes the mission is a fundamental aspect of his organization and that there’s still a need for such a service in the area.
“Some people in the neighborhood have taken the word homeless and made it seem like homeless people are terrible,” Turton said. “There’s still a need. I still get calls all the time.”
One son, Michael, became the Stockton bureau chief for Channel 10 before falling under the spell of People's Temple leader Jim Jones in San Francisco in the late 1970s. He gave the cultist $10000 of his savings and followed Jones to the infamous