KAILUA — Ministers along Kailua's "church row" may have been praying a little more fervently after a city inspector told them just before Easter that they had only about a week to fix their signs.

Proclaiming the word too largely seems to be one of the problems facing about a half-dozen churches along Kailua Road from Castle Medical Center to the entrance to Kailua town.

A city inspector said they did not have permits, even for signs outlined in the churches' original plans. One complaint centered on the words "Methodist Church" etched in concrete on a lava rock wall when it was built 50 years ago.

"Some exceeded the maximum size, some encroached into yards, some were portable, some didn't have permits, some were in the rights of way," said Henry Eng, director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting.

One violation was an Easter banner strung up the week before the biggest churchgoing day of the year. St. John Lutheran Church's pastor, the Rev. Rick Klemm, was told the banner, which had been flying for about four or five days, violated the city code.

"Churches have events from time to time. ... It's not like the signs are polluting the countryside," Klemm said.

In 2003, Klemm had gone to the city and received a variance for a roadside sign listing church services, but about a week ago was told it was missing the appropriate permit.

"I sure wish they'd told me that four years ago," Klemm said.

Eng said the inspector was sent to church row after the city received complaints, adding that these places of worship must follow rules for signs in residential areas.

"A lot of violations go unnoticed for many years," he said. "Once it's brought to our attention, if it's not in compliance ... "

At least some of the churches thought they had to fix the signs quickly. One minister said his church was told it had a week to get in line or it would be cited and possibly face fines.

When asked about the churches' understanding of the timeline, Eng said: "That sounds a little rushed to me."

"The inspector did not remove any signs," Eng said. "She informed them they had signs in violation."

SIGNS UP FOR DECADES

Bob Grantham, an elder at Christ Church Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians, said that on March 18, his church was told it had two weeks to get its roadside sign in compliance or be cited $50 a day.

Its roadside sign is considered a second sign, a no-no, Grantham said, given that lettering on the side of the church building with its name counts as one sign.

"We need a permit, too," Grantham said, "even though both are on the original building plans and the plans were approved, going back 40 years. ... Both signs have been up there since the building was built in 1966."

They plan to comply with the city code.

"If we wish to fight it later, we'll do that, but we can't pay a $50-a-day fine," he said, calling the situation "incredible."

The Rev. Tom Choi of Kailua United Methodist Church also was surprised by the sense of urgency: "How come nobody brought this up for 50 years?"

"It's ridiculous," added Wes Anderson, who attends Choi's church and serves on its board of trustees. "However, I understand that's the case, if one person complains, they have to follow up."

Marilyn Nobriga, who also serves on the church's board, said they've received an extension already.

As a member of Outdoor Circle, she's a bit puzzled by the timing — it was Holy Week, after all, the most important week of the year for Christians — but "I do appreciate that even on one complaint, they're following through. We're definitely working to satisfy the needs of whatever we have to do to be good stewards."

Others agreed with her sentiments. Klemm and other churches' ministers agreed that the greater good is being served by sign codes.

"None of us want to look like L.A., with billboards everywhere," said the Rev. John Rawlings of Kailua Baptist Church. "We want to do everything we can to make the community look nice and not deface it with obscene signage."

But asked if he thought the 50-year-old Kailua Baptist signage was "obscene," he laughed.

"We have only the one sign, but we were told it needed a permit," he said. "We've taken the approach that we're going to assume we've been grandfathered in unless we get something more official."

CITY 'NOT CHASTISING'

Eng said the city "is not chastising anybody."

"Once a situation is not code-compliant, it needs to be corrected," he said.

Eng suggested the churches call the inspector to "indicate they want to work this through. I don't think the inspector will be unreasonable (about time frames). My best advice would be work with the inspector, try to work the situation out. If they can offer to comply, they forestall issues of citation."

The Rev. John Allard of Faith Baptist Church was pulling up a sign when reached on his cell phone. "We desired to respond by Christ," he said, and quoted Proverbs 15: "A gentle answer turns away wrath."

After more than two days of trying to figure out city sign codes himself, his church decided to pay a sign company $375 to help navigate the permit waters.

But it still needs a variance. Its sign is 20 feet tall but because it's at the bottom of a hill, it rises only about 6 feet above ground level at Kailua Road, he said.

He hopes the city will show some empathy for the churches.

"It'd be really nice if the city would help us," Allard said. "It's not as if we're advertising a Kool-Aid drinking contest on Sunday. We're part of the community.

"It would be nice if the city would be alongside us and help us understand the issues involved."