Ohio protests
Signs by protestors at New Beginnings Ministries. Twitter (@llhayhurst)

Residents of an Ohio community are urging a church and a strip club to end their years-long feud, which has led to a topless protest outside the church's Sunday congregation.

I don't have a problem with people expressing their First Amendment rights, but at what point does it become harassment. But they backed us in a corner, and we have no recourse at law.
- Thomas George, Owner of the Foxhole club

The row started when members of the New Beginnings church in the town of Warsaw, Ohio, started weekly protests outside the Foxhole strip club on Friday nights.

The members of the congregation would record the car number plates of patrons and question them if their wives and mothers knew where they were.

In retaliation, exotic dancers from Foxhole staged a topless protest outside the Sunday congregation at the church, reported Cleveland News.

The strippers were holding signs saying, "He who casts the first stone."

The heated protests have become a ritual to the despair of the residents.

Thomas George, the owner of Foxhole club told AP News that the first time that the club dancers protested outside the church wearing bikinis was four years ago, yet the church continues on its efforts to drive the customers away from the strip club.

"We're just worried about violence breaking out," said Bob Skelton, the County Law Director.

Letters signed by Skelton and police officials were sent to Pastor Bill Dunfee of the New Beginnings church and Thomas George, the owner of the Foxhole club, urging them to end the row, which is giving the neighbourhood a bad image and keeping the police occupied needlessly.

George has replied saying his strippers are willing to end the protests on the condition that the Church stops harassing its customers.

"I don't have a problem with people expressing their First Amendment rights, but at what point does it become harassment. But they backed us in a corner, and we have no recourse at law," said George, who later apologised to the residents and other churches for the Sunday congregation protest.

Pastor Dunfee, however, says the Church will not stop unless the "lost souls" from the strip club turn towards the religion.