greenchurchvert4.jpgFollowing a particularly contentious meeting last week between preservationists and members of the congregation, a peaceful resolution over the fate of the United Methodist Church in Bay Ridge looks increasingly unlikely. During a meeting last night at the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, the church congregation made it clear to me that they are not interested in any proposal that includes keeping the church structure,” said City Councilmember Vincent Gentile, who has been pushing to save the 1899 stone structure from destruction. This is particularly ironic given that the congregation applied for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places less than a decade ago. With peace talks having broken down, it’s looking like holy war. A new group, the Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, was formed this week to try to stop the sale of the church to a developer and and almost certain disfigurement, if not demolition. If there are any Bay Ridgers reading, we’d be curious to know the extent to which this is dividing the community. From what we gather, the congregation has only itself to blame, having rejected offers of help from St. Bartholomew’s in Manhattan a couple of years ago to help it grow increase its membership and financial resources. The Committee is holding a meeting on Tuesday, April 24th at 220 Ovington Avenue at 7 p.m. to gather ideas & support from the community at large. For more information, contact Kathleen Walker at 917-971-8387 or email SaveTheGreenChurch AT yahoo DOT com.
No Savior for ‘Green Church’ [Bay Ridge Courier]
Bay Ridge Church Selling Its Soul For Condos [Brownstoner]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Thanks to the OED, here’s a quote from Caxton’s 1481 translation of the bible:

    “Whan dauid had regned vii. yere in Ebron he grewe and amended moche this cyte.”

    So over six hundred years ago you could grow a city. You can definitely grow membership. 11:22 is at least honest about simply not liking that use of “grow,” but 11:45 thinks he or she knows better than Caxton. Can you both find something real to give Mr. B a hard time about instead of this bullshit?

  2. The job of the Church is to serve God and spread His word and love. If being situated in a good looking building helps this mission, then that is great. But it is wrong for the preservationists to expect the congregation to finance the upkeep of an expensive building on their own. If they care that much, let them buy the building. Building maintenance and providing good scenery are not the reason the Church exists.

  3. It’s too bad there weren’t so many people in Bay Ridge fighting to keep all the grand old houses there, from being torn down in past decades! There are a lot of beautiful old houses there, but a LOT that were lost, too, houses that were older than this church.