June 13, 2009

MASPETH, NY – A raging two-alarm fire gutted a 102-year-old Maspeth United Methodist Church, shattering the main stained glass window – and generations of memories. Fire authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze that engulfed the church at 66-35 58th Avenue in the wee hours of Tuesday, June 9.

"The fire was so intense you felt the heat across the street," parishioner Stephen Shklanko reportedly said. Shklanko, who was married and baptized his sons in the church, said the smell of smoke was so intense he initially thought his own home was on fire.

"This is a nightmare. I actually feel sick, like a part of you is gone," Shklanko's wife, Victoria was quoted as saying, while his 80-year-old mother Ruth could only say "It's breaking my heart," as she cried for the church she attended for 55 years.

According to published reports, Pastor Aviela DeLeon said he believed that the clapboard structure may have been ignited by lightning strikes during the furious overnight storm.

"My wife woke me at 2:45 a.m. because she heard three loud thumping sounds and thought maybe somebody was breaking into our car," DeLeon reportedly said. "About 45 minutes later I smelled smoke, and noticed that the back corner of the church was on fire. A few minutes later, the first fire truck showed up."

It reportedly took until 8:10 a.m. to "knock down" the fire, according to officials, who said that two firefighters suffered minor injuries extinguishing the blaze. At one point, about 5 a.m., firefighters were withdrawn from the building for a time because of the intensity of the fire. The cause is still under investigation, they said.

Later on Tuesday, the NYC Department of Buildings determined the structure to be unsafe and issued an Emergency Demolition Order. The City's HPD had the building leveled by Wednesday afternoon.

The church congregation was founded in 1853 as an off-shoot of the United Methodist Church in Middle Village, which is the oldest Methodist congregation in Queens, dating from 1768. Having worshiped for 54 years elsewhere in Maspeth, it moved to its 58th Avenue location in 1907.

For the past four years, it has shared space with the Vision Christian Fellowship, an English-speaking Korean congregation of The United Methodist Church.

The heavily Catholic neighborhood celebrated the congregation's 150th anniversary in 2003.

Like many older congregations, membership dwindled over the years, and reports say that Sunday attendance averaged about 25 for services. Nevertheless, the church was a center of community activity according to locals, being a home for 175 girl scouts, yoga classes and an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter that met on Sunday nights. The Church also sponsored several sections weekly of a Play Group for pre-school children.

"Everyone on the block is involved with the church," said Mike Walter, 54, an accountant. "It has an open-door policy."

The congregation's Council met in emergency session and determined that worship this Sunday would be in a local park. Many churches of all denominations in the area have reached out to the Methodist congregation, offering space for services and other assistance.

The Rev. N. J. L'Heureux, Jr., served as pastor of Maspeth United Methodist Church for five years from 1973-78 before becoming Executive Director of the Queens Federation of Churches.

Pastor Avelio DeLeon retires at the end of the month. Bishop Jeremiah Park of the New York Conference of The United Methodist Church has appointed the Eumin Kim to be the new pastor, effective July 1. The announcement was made today, along with pastoral appointments to each of the 400+ congregations in the Conference, on the final day of the annual Conference session which met at Hofstra University.

Queens Federation of Churches