Dateline : Thursday, September 13, 2007
Church Has Faith They Will Find a New Home

By Shane MillerThe congregation of the 25-year-old Saint Mary Church of God in Christ has suddenly found themselves out on the street, and is hoping a Good Samaritan will come forward and help them find space to they can continue to worship, as well as teach the 21 students enrolled in its Christian Academy. For the last 18 years, the church has leased space from Bethel Tabernacle A.M.E. Church on Schenectady Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The lease was not renewed, and now the church, which draws parishioners from primarily Queens and Brooklyn, lacks space for both its religious services and its school."We've already lost about 100 from our congregation because of this nonsense," said Reverend David Butler, pastor of St. Mary's. "We've also lost seven or eight students from the school, as well."Butler and his parish have reached out to Councilman Tony Avella of Queens for help. Avella has contacted Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on behalf of the church, and reached out to the Diocese of Brooklyn for help, but said the latter was reluctant to lease space to a non-Catholic church. "It will really be a shame if they have to close their doors," said the councilman, who met with Butler and school administrators in Brooklyn last Friday afternoon.Butler said that working with HPD has been a slow process, and while the church has also looked at purchasing several properties, all have come with large price tags. The church's previous rent was an affordable $900 per month, and the church would like to stay in their current area as it is centrally located for their bi-borough congregation.Meanwhile, school officially started last week, but not for the students at St. Mary's Christian Academy. Principal Kim Joseph said she hoped to have kids in class by Monday, but that was looking less and less likely last Friday afternoon. She said that the curriculum the school uses is an approved home schooling program, so the students can study on their own as a back-up plan. The school provides an alternative to public schools, and at $150 per year for one student, or approximately $250 for up to three students, the school is also an economical choice compared with other private schooling options."We aren't trying to make a profit," said Joseph. "We just want to educate our children in a safe environment."Jonathan Hall is preparing to send his fifth child to the academy. He said that closing the school was not an option."There is no way in the world that we are going to allow that to happen," he said. "We are going to do whatever it takes to see that this school is open."One of Hall's daughters recently left the academy after she tested into an elite public school for gifted students. He said he was happy she was doing well, but admitted that her new school was a little impersonal."I drop her off there, and she just disappears into the crowd," he said. "Here, it is more like family. A teacher will actually call you at home if your child is having problems."Hall said that he saw the problems the church is having as part of a broader development issue in the city that is forcing hardworking people out of the neighborhoods they have lived in for years."Why is it that with development, it is always the people who already live in the neighborhoods that are the first to suffer?" he asked. "You should at least be able to educate your children"Anyone interested in assisting St. Mary Church of God in Christ should contact Reverend David Butler at 171 Arlington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11207, or call (718) 774-7932 or (917) 514-4037.