Century-Old Woodmere Church to Close on Sunday

A Woodmere church that was established more than 100 years ago and is a landmark on Broadway will hold its last service this Sunday.

The , at 1023 Broadway, will close its doors after years of dwindling membership. At its height, the church counted over 600 members. The current congregation has about 20 members.

“Over a period of time, the building, which was once filled with activities, praise, laughter, and some of the best suppers in town, noted a change from growth to a downward spiral,” said the Rev. Wendy Steed, spiritual leader of both the Woodmere church and St. Luke’s Church in Inwood. “Members of this church have valiantly battled the challenges of continuing to support this church. And yet, finally the day has come.”

Leadership of the United Methodist Church met in April and unanimously voted to close the church. The church’s assets, including property and furnishings, will be given to the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. A real estate broker has already been selected. The property is estimated to sell for $1 to $2 million. Steed said that the assets would be used to support new churches that are forming.

The pastor is not sure what will become of the church building, but she is not hopeful the structure will remain as is.

“It’s not in very good shape at all,” she said. “The cost would be prohibitive … to keep it as is.”

The church’s thrift shop, Heavenly Treasures, which has seen a surge of contributions as of late, will close on Saturday. All of the shop’s goods will be packed up and taken to the St. James Church thrift shop in Lynbrook, Steed said.

Members of Lawrence Methodist Church first established the Woodmere church in 1871, according to Millicent Vollono, a reference librarian at Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library. The current church building was erected in 1921. The two congregations merged in 1976 after the closing of the Lawrence church.

“The closing of the mother church in Lawrence was to mark a trend which our own church has now followed,” Steed said. “Why is this happening?  It would be easy to look to demographics as the answer. But the truth is that all houses of worship share in what is a fight against losing members, not to other denominations, but to a lack of interest in God.”