For months, the fate of Park Church Co-op at 129 Russell St., has remained in the balance. Tonight, September 28, at 7 p.m. at The Palace (206 Nassau Ave), those working hard to preserve the beloved neighborhood institution are hosting an information session to bring likeminded community members up to speed on the current status of the space.
Park Church closed its doors on July 1 and is currently up for sale at a steep $4.5M by its parent organization, the Metropolitan New York Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Historically, it was known as a bustling community center with various activities and opportunities for neighbors to come together.
During the information session, which is slated to last around 30 minutes, organizers will share the vision for the building and community, and what you can do to help make this vision a reality as opposed to the alternative, which is the building being turned into condos.
I have fond memories of Messiah Lutheran Church. Unfortunately, Messiah faces the same problems as numerous other houses of worship- lack of a solid congregation and minimal revenue. About a decade ago the same Synod tried to close up here. However, through the determination of a handful of parishioners the church remained open. Don’t give up.
Vincent Alukonis, formerly of Morgan Avenue.