The Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church on Walton Avenue in the Bronx has shuttered, leaving many of its members wondering what happened.
Photo ET Rodriguez
The past few Sundays have been a break from tradition for the devoted congregation of the Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Dating back to April, churchgoers of the 105-year-old church on Walton Avenue told the Bronx Times that their deacon vanished without explanation. And without warning, on June 11, doors to the church, they say, were locked.
In lieu of hymns sung in exaltation inside the church, at a June 15 rally, members of the church sang a different tune: “save our church!”
“Not even the [organ] player knew it was closed,” said Nilda Muñiz, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. “If you told us we had to do a 25-mile run to save our church, we would do it.”
The answer to what’s going on with the church, according to the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — which operates roughly 190 congregations in the city — is that the church is headed for a permanent closure.
“Throughout the years, we have provided financial and pastoral support to the Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church — but we have come to the inevitable conclusion that administrative hurdles and insurance concerns mandate that we cease funding for the church,” a spokesperson from the Metropolitan New York Synod’s office told the Bronx Times.
Officials from the synod said that they still are “fully prepared” to provide pastoral care, and said other congregations in the area are ready to welcome devoted churchgoers to its pews as the church transitions out of use. Adjoining property to the church, such as a pantry and flea market are still in operation, but the place of worship where pews and prayers have been held for a century is now closed.
Back in March, the fate of the church seemed to rest on the desire of the…
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