The state might be constitutionally prohibited from supporting any religion in this country, but that does not mean it can’t support a church, at least if the church is historic and in dire need of repair.

Or so at least runs the logic behind a quartet of proposals to go before the annual town meetings of the four big Island towns this year, which would collectively give about $140,000 in Community Preservation Act grants for the upkeep of churches.

In Edgartown, $24,500 would go to Saint Andrew’s Church, for the restoration of stained glass windows. In Tisbury, $32,000 would be made available for the restoration of stained glass windows at First Baptist Church. In Oak Bluffs, it would be $24,000 for the restoration of — you guessed it — stained glass windows at Trinity Methodist Church, and another $24,000 for clerestory windows at the Tabernacle. And in West Tisbury it’s proposed to give $30,000 for engineering and architectural studies in preparation for the restoration of the First Congregational Church.

That’s a lot of money which does not have to come out of the pockets of parishioners, not to mention a lot of money which will go into the pockets of glaziers.

Yet some might wonder if there is not an issue of church and state separation here.

And indeed, some did. Several weeks ago, when the expenditures proposed by the Oak Bluffs Community Preservation Committee came before that town’s finance committee, members voted four to one, with two abstentions, against recommending the item to voters at the annual town meeting.

“We voted it down on two grounds,” said Thad Harshbarger, chairman of the committee.

“One had to do with the fact that it was private property and the other was because of the doctrine of separation of church and state.”

The Oak Bluffs selectmen had no such qualms. Nor did the other three towns, when it came to their church restoration proposals.

Indeed, the subject of church and state separation did not even come up in the finance committee discussions in Edgartown or Tisbury, committee sources said.

But it did in West Tisbury. So why did they agree to recommend the proposal to give the church $30,000?

Said Al DeVito, chairman of the West Tisbury finance committee: “The idea of using CPA money for churches is not new at all.

“The Federated Church [in Edgartown] has done it maybe last year or the year before. And off-Island several churches have done it.

“We checked with the CPC coalition, which is the state-wide body, and they said it’s fine.”

The key, he said, is that the church be a bona fide historical building. And it helps if it is used also by people not directly connected with the building by religion.

“In our case, not only is it an historic building but I think there are 18 or 20 groups that meet there, not necessarily church groups,” Mr. DeVito said.

So, where does this leave the Oak Bluffs finance committee, given that their own town’s Community Preservation Committee and selectmen, their counterparts in the three other Island towns, other towns in the state and the CPC coalition all disagree with them?

It leaves them reconsidering their position.

“We met with the selectmen about a week ago and got some new information,” said Mr. Harshbarger.

“We learned that public money has been used for a lot of these restoration projects, that they enhance the value of the town and preserve historic buildings.

“And the church is definitely both historic and public in terms of its use by the town,” he said.

And the Tabernacle, as everyone knows, is used for various public, non-religious purposes.

“There’s definitely been a change of sentiment in the committee,” Mr. Harshbarger said, before going to yesterday’s finance committee meeting where the decision would be reviewed.

But last night, when he emerged, Mr. Harshbarger said the decision to recommend against funding the church projects would stand.

“I was surprised. There were fairly strong sentiments expressed that we should not change,” he said.

No vote was taken, he said, because no one present indicated they had shifted their views. The chairman himself remained one of two abstentions.

Churches aside, the four towns will present a wide variety of projects to their meetings this year.

In Vineyard Haven, some $350,000 is earmarked for initiatives to make Island living more affordable, either through the construction of affordable housing or rent subsidies. Other proposed projects include $129,000 for the preservation of the Tashmoo Spring Building, $95,000 for work on the Vineyard Playhouse, and some $34,000 for the restoration of the historic view, conservation and land management at Cranberry Acres.

Among the projects on Edgartown’s list are $165,000 for several affordable housing schemes, $75,000 for restoration work at town hall, $80,000 for preservation of the old horse barn at the Farm Institute at Katama, and $34,000 for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum to preserve the historic Cooke House. One big ticket item, however, is not recommended by the financial advisory committee: $195,000 for work on the town library Carnegie building.

Also not recommended is the expenditure of almost $28,000 to study the feasibility of a bike path on Chappaquiddick.

Several items on West Tisbury’s CPC list are contentious. The finance committee recommended against spending $170,000 to allow Island Affordable Housing to reduce the prices of two houses at its 250 State Road development, and also against $50,000 to support construction of energy efficient affordable housing. It did however, approve of spending $66,000 on rental subsidies.

A proposal to spend $55,000 to build a brick sidewalk in front of town hall was not recommended

In Oak Bluffs, aside from the controversial church issues, the list of proposed projects includes $266,000 for affordable housing projects, $300,000 for a matching state grant project to repair the town comfort station by the Steamship Authority wharf and restore the Civil War monument, $75,000 for shoreline engineering and $38,000 for the preservation of town records.

Oak Bluffs Community Preservation Committee chairman Stephen Durkee was disappointed with the decision of the finance committee.

“Our community has grown around the churches in Oak Bluffs,” he said, adding:

“They are the bedrock of our town and provide more than just a meeting place for religious services. Graduations, art shows, community sings, concerts and gatherings are held in the Tabernacle alone.

“One of the highlights of the summer season is Illumination Night, where the entire Island, it seems, gathers under the old iron Tabernacle.

“Trinity Methodist is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. The restoration focuses on the community’s continued use of this historic property.”