They’ve tried marching. They’ve tried chanting. So why not try a little New Orleans jazz to save the historic Bay Ridge United Methodist Church?
The so-called “Committee to Save the Green Church” will turn its regular Saturday afternoon rally at the corner of Fourth and Ovington avenues next week into a “New Orleans-style funeral,” said organizer and preservationist Victoria Hofmo.
“Such a funeral has two parts: the celebration and the mourning — both of which are apropos of this situation,” Hofmo said, referring to the imminent demolition of the 100-plus-year-old edifice.
“We are celebrating the life of this church and its importance to the Bay Ridge community,” Hofmo added. “We are mourning the destruction of the three buildings, including the magnificent church, the removal of 211 people’s remains, and the negative impact this demolition will have on the neighbors.”
Green Church pastor Robert Emerick has argued that selling the church’s land is the only way to save the financially strapped congregation, which spends a substantial portion of its annual budget maintaining the old green limestone building, he said.
This week, Emerick was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
Rally to Save the Green Church (corner of Ovington and Fourth avenues in Bay Ridge), March 15, 1 pm. Call (718) 748-5950 for info.
