Long Branch Church To Remain Open As Warming Center

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A Long Branch church facing closure will remain a warming center through April. The City will work with the historic Reformed Church on Broadway's parent organization to prevent a sale of the building, city officials said.

The church — now called Community Mission Center — has served as a warm place for homeless residents when the temperature drop to 25 degrees or lower — or 32 degrees or lower with precipitation.

But the building's future has been in jeopardy. The church has been scheduled to close down Dec. 31, and the Reformed Church of America will eliminate Pastor Marisol Ferrer Malloy's position, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Mayor John Pallone announced that the church will remain a warming center through April through an arrangement between the City and the Reformed Church of America’s New Brunswick Classis, who owns the property. The City will work to prevent the church's sale.

“Beyond its important social purpose, the Warming Center operates in an historic space," Pallone said in a statement. "The Long Branch Church counted President William McKinley among its congregants. It boasts elaborate stained glass windows that serve as a tribute to the martyred President, who was assassinated, making the Church a one-of-a-kind historical landmark in the state, if not the country.”

Long Branch has a historic-preservation law. Pallone plans on asking city council to see how it can be more effective in protecting historic properties in the city.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Long Branch-Eatontown Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.