Pastor: Congregation is going to continue

St. Luke’s United Church of Christ pastor says possible church sale would not impact worship

A local church leader has a clear message for the community, as talks are underway about the possible sale of that church to North Wales Borough.

“The important thing is that the public know that the congregation is not closing,” said Pastor Robert Fogal of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ.

“The congregation is going to continue, on a year-by-year lease arrangement with the prospective owner, which was always in the congregation’s mind,” he said.

Over the past two months, borough officials have been in discussions with church leadership about a possible purchase by North Wales of St. Luke’s, which is located at 125 N. Main St. and was built in the early 1900s. Those talks are still ongoing, and Fogal said Friday they grew out of a desire by church members to plan for the future.

“It’s a very small congregation, and the condition that the church put on any possible sale was that the congregation wanted to continue to use the sanctuary on Sunday mornings for worship,” he said.

“The congregation is simply planning its own future, as to

what might be feasible for it,” Fogal said.

Roughly 35 members regularly attend church services there, according to Fogal, and the number

grows to roughly 75 to 90 for larger services — like the Christmas Eve mass scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 24. The church congregation held initial conversations about selling the church two years ago and decided not to proceed at that point but decided at the start of this

year to test the market.

“It’s been totally transparent to the congregation,” he said.

The sale currently being discussed with the borough would include the main church sanctuary, which was constructed in 1904, and an addition attached by a covered breezeway

and built in the early 1970s. That addition was leased to another congregation for roughly three years, but since that congregation moved on, the building has been largely unused, according to the pastor.

“We are not using it for any active program,” he

said.

Borough officials have said an agreement of sale is under discussion for a purchase price of roughly $339,000, and that money would come from roughly $3 million held by the borough in reserves. In addition to the church congregation, two other tenants

have expressed interest in renting parts of the church space, borough officials have said, and the rental income would likely cover the building’s utility costs.

DAN SOKIL — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA St. Luke’s United Church of Christ at 125 N. Main St. in North Wales is seen Wednesday.