By MELISSA DIPENTO

Residents from the Ashland neighborhood have made their voices heard loud and clear about the recent rash of burglaries in their community.

The Cherry Hill Police Department stepped up its presence in the neighborhood and came to the mayor with concerns about the burglaries.

The police department had evidence that the burglaries were connected to an individual staying at the Solid Rock Worship Center at 99 Burnt Mill Rd., township spokesman Dan Keashen said.

Solid Rock’s pastor of 18 years, Amir Khan, said the man who allegedly committed the burglaries was staying at the church.

In Dec., Khan said, he and volunteers were working outside to renovate the building when the man asked if he could pitch in and help.

Khan agreed to let him stay in the building for a couple of weeks once he heard the man’s story.

“He did say he had a record, but we were not aware of the extent,” Khan said. “As soon as we heard of the burglaries, we got rid of him.”

Khan apologized for the robberies in the neighborhood.

“We’re a loving church. We’re sorry that the gentleman robbed the homes,” Khan said.

In Oct. 2010, Solid Rock signed a lease with the Diocese of Camden, Holy Rosary Parish.

In 2009 the parish merged with the Holy Eucharist Parish at 344 Kresson Rd., said Peter Feuerherd, the Diocese’s director of communications.

Solid Rock signed a lease with the parish, with the intent to purchase the property, which includes the former rectory, school, convent and church.

The total cost of the property, Feuerherd said, is $2.9 million. He said Solid Rock, at the time of lease signing, created an escrow account.

The money in the account was to be put toward the purchase of the building, but Feuerherd said the church used it to make rent payments.

Feuerherd said Solid Rock owes $32,000 on the lease. The money, he said, was due to the parish by March 31.

As of March 30, Solid Rock had not paid the balance.

Khan said, according to the lease agreement, he owes the parish the money by April 29.

“Legally, they have not lived up to their part of the bargain,” Feuerherd said. “Our goal is to enforce the agreement.”

At last week’s council meeting, Mayor Bernie Platt told residents that the township is continuing to look into the matter.

“At this point, we have found a number of issues. One is from a zoning perspective. Under their current certificate of occupancy, they cannot run the Nehemiah corporate offices out of this location,” Platt said.

The Nehemiah Group, staffed by Khan’s son, Micah Khan, works with homeless populations in the region, former inmates, as well as mental health consumers. Most of the work is done at the Camden site, Khan said.

“We work with them in mentorship, reconciliation with the family, education and employment opportunities,” Khan said. “We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done.”

Platt said the township also learned that the church may potentially be renting out rooms, which Keashen said, violates the zoning ordinance.

“Because of a November Facebook post advertising rooms for rent, I have asked DCA, the Department of Community Affairs, to come in and do a full inspection of the property,” Platt said. “We have notified Pastor (Amir) Khan that if he is renting to anyone on the property, it makes the property a boarding house. This would violate state statute.”

Khan said he is not renting out rooms to individuals anymore. In September, he said, he placed an advertisement in a local newspaper.

He said the church is planning to use one of the buildings as a school, and before it was set to open in the fall of 2011, he considered using the space as housing.

“It was a thought and it didn’t work,” Khan said.

Solid Rock, Khan said, has operated for 18 years. The church’s home was previously in Clementon.

The mayor called a meeting of staff and residents on March 22 to discuss the findings in the community.

The meeting was scheduled to be held in the former fire administration building, but was relocated to Solid Rock when about 80 residents showed up.

Khan said he received negative comments and feedback at the meeting.

Khan said a few members of the community and officers came up to him after the meeting to apologize about some of the comments.

“The community accuses us of not being a church,” Khan said. “Last Thursday, being called derelicts and hoodies…those are negative and terrible comments.”

Khan said the worst part of the meeting was that some of the congregation’s kids overheard what had transpired.

“Some of the young people snuck into the back. The thing that hurt the most…young men crying; they never felt that kind of hatred before,” Khan said. “It was uncalled for.”

Residents who showed up to the council meeting last week said they were happy to hear that the township was still looking into the issue.

Keashen said the Ashland community was not aware of the sale and transaction a few months ago.

“It’s really about being a good neighbor,” Keashen said.

Rita McClellan, a resident of Carolina Ave., said she hopes the church can be a good neighbor.

“If they do come up with the payment and do become our neighbor, we will do what needs to be done. And that’s not a mob mentality type of situation, it’s more of let’s keep them to the letter of the law, which the township and their neighbors expect them to hold to,” McClellan said.

Nancy Cintron of Palmwood Ave. said the issue has brought the community together in recent weeks.

“It did bring a bad element into the neighborhood with what they did,” Cintron said. “But it did bring the community together. People got to know people; not just the bad but the good stuff, too. This has been positive, no matter what happens with the church.”

Khan said he plans on continuing Solid Rock’s ministry in Ashland.

“Everyone needs respect no matter what they’ve done in life,” Khan said. “It’s difficult. We want to move into a neighborhood where we want to be loved.”

The mayor will provide a status update on the issue on Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m.

The meeting will take place at the Horace Mann Elementary School, 150 Walt Whitman Blvd.