COOKE COUNTY, TX -- There is some controversy brewing in a small Cooke County Community, and it centers around a local church. A group of residents say that the Mount Pleasant Baptist has overstepped it’s bounds with its newest addition.

In mid October the folks at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church put up a sign, that they hoped would point the way to brighter future. Instead, the new structure has marked trouble for a small Cooke County community.

"It’s just a small rural community," said Pastor David Hartwig of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.

"The beauty of it, sunsets and sunrises," said Carolyn McAdams, a concerned resident.

The small unincorporated community of mountain springs is beetween Spring Valley and Tioga and sits right on the northern shore of Lake Ray Roberts. The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church has been staple of that community for a long time.

"This church has been here for 105 years," said Pastor Hartwig.

After more than a century church members decided it was time to get a new sign.

"The sign went up in mid October, we had prayed about it and saved up our money for about a year before putting it up," said Pastor Hartwig.

That was news to neighbor Carolyn McAdams who moved into her 107 year old home 12 years ago. She says her first clue that a new sign was up was when the light from the marquee hit her living room

“My initial reaction was oh my God I cant believe they put this big giant sign up here," said McAdams.

From there she did a little research, and it paid off.

"That’s when I found out the sign was double the legal size," said McAdams

The Lake Ray Roberts Planning and Zoning Commission regulates signs and buildings in areas around the lake.

"We did not know of the ordinance, we did not know we were in violation of the ordinance," said Pastor Hartwig.

Besides being out of compliance for being too big, regulations also state that a sign must be externally lit, this one is internally lit. The church was cited and made to turn out the lights.

"It was at that point that we knew we might have a problem," said Pastor Hartwig.

Mount Pleasant Baptist has filed an application for a variance that will let them keep the sign and turn the lights back on, but Mcadams says she is worried about what will happen to her view in the future.

"I don’t want this to set a precedent for every other sign that comes along,” said McAdams.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing on January 6th, at the Mountain Springs Community Center, where officials will decide whether or not to grant the church's request.

If denied, the church can appeal that decision at the Cooke County Commissioners' Court.