(JTA) — A retired Jewish businessman from Cherry Hill, N.J. has given away a parcel of land valued at up to a quarter of a million dollars to an Atlantic City church. James Horowitz, 82, was planning to sell the vacant parcel of land in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., when he was approached by Pastor Kenneth Applewhite of the City of Hope Worship Outreach Center. Applewhite called Horowitz in answer to an ad in the Atlantic City Press that said to “name your price” for the plot. The pastor was looking to relocate his African-American church after a young man was killed in front of the church in the crime-ridden neighborhood, the 15th murder in recent years on the block on which the church is located. He told his church’s story to Horowitz. “It was a feel-good type of thing. I wanted to do it, and I did it,” Horowitz explained in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer. Applewhite called Horowitz “a blessing to us.” The congregation must raise about $300,000 before construction can begin on a church.