Community Church of Little Neck Teeters On the Verge Of Closure

After 85 years of faithful service, leaders of the Community Church of Little Neck earlier this month faced the very real possibility of shutting their doors for good.

"What a difference a week can make," said Reverend Paul Drake, pastor of the church, who breathed a very cautious sigh of relief on Friday.  

On Jan. 11, church treasurer Warren Darnell wrote a letter to congregants asking for help to raise $50,000 in order to keep the inter-denominational institution running.

Fast-forward to this week, and a church once headed towards insolvency now has a new lease on life — all thanks to a land deal scheduled to close Feb. 10.

According to Drake, the church starting operating at a net loss in 2008. At the time, church elders decided to stem the fiscal bleeding by selling a subdivided plot of land in the back of the property and establish an endowment fund which would bring their operating budget back into the black.

However, unbeknownst to church leaders, the sale of this land would take more than three years to complete, bringing the institution almost to the brink of collapse. 

But at a congregational meeting held last Sunday to discuss the future of the church, Drake announced that as of Jan. 21, the church finally located a buyer for the parcel.

Community Board 11 district manager Susan Seinfeld confirmed zoning for the parcel as subdivided into three residential plots and one strip of commercial real estate.

The sale of this land will help secure the future of the Community Church of Little Neck, according to Drake.

"The closing date has been set for early next month, and once we have the cash in hand we'll begin looking for a money manager to invest these funds," said Drake, mindful that there were still several weeks to go before the celebration could begin for congregants and church staff.

With the crisis still ongoing, Community Church of Little Neck's sad tale is increasingly becoming more common — driven partly by shifts in population and the changing role of religion in everyday life. 

In 1960, the congregation of regular worshipers attending weekly service topped over 300 parishioners, according to Drake.

"Today, we average less than 30 regular worshipers a week," he said.

Still, despite the diminished attendance over the past few years, the Community Church of Little Neck potentially faces a much rosier future.

"It was touch and go there for a while," Drake said. "And while we're not out of the woods yet, in light of last week's positive news it appears like we may get the miracle we need."