East Falls: Religion’s Bank

East Falls, an eclectic Philadelphia neighborhood, was once populated with a vibrant spiritual community. Recent decades have seen several church struggles with their form of hierarchy. East Falls is always the loser.

The churches of East Falls, for the most part, were built by working class people with occasional gifts from successful East Falls entrepreneurs. For example, Hohenadel’s Brewery, now long gone, gave annual gifts to the churches.

Redeemer was the unexpected recipient of one such estate in 1987—the Steinle Estate. That’s when the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America started salivating.

• First, came the claims of Lutheran retirement home, where our deceased member was planning to move. She died before that happened, but Paul’s Run wanted to keep her hefty deposit. We settled out of court giving them about $20,000. (I was present when our church treasurer visited Paul’s Run and asked to see the director. He was turned away. “The director is not in,” the people at the front desk said. Our treasurer turned and started to leave but abruptly opened an office door by the reception area. There was the director, sitting pretty as he pleased!).
• A decade later, Bishop Almquist grabbed $90,000 from our bank account, but returned most of it after two years—a sort of forced, interest-free loan.
• A decade after that, SEPA tried again, this time claiming everything but our people. They went after our people in court.

No one can say that Redeemer was not contributing to the Synod! By the way, contributions to the synod are not required constitutionally.

Why East Falls?

Denominations have few ways of raising money except to seek more offerings from fewer people. Far fewer people. The suburbs are feeling the pinch, too!

There have always been rich people in East Falls going back to the 1700s. Our streets and schools are named after them. Today, the richest live north of Henry Ave or along Warden Drive. The middle of East Falls—roughly Henry Avenue to the railroad tracks remains solidly working middle class, but rising within that class. The positive trend for East Falls is that the other side of the tracks, the homes of mill workers and the mills (turned condo), is experiencing gentrification. East Falls is coming up in the world!

Redeemer is centrally located to all of East Falls.

Government housing projects on three sides of East Falls had plagued this neighborhood for decades. It was difficult for the community to connect and they became havens of desperation and crime. This had always been a challenge to our churches (for which the higher church had no answers. I asked!). But now two of these projects are gone and the third is better managed. There is nothing stopping the value of East Falls property from rising. Entirely new populations are making East Falls home. Many were finding their way to Redeemer.

Good time to rethink ministry, one might think. And Redeemer did!

Many of those who fled the city in the 60s and 70s became cornerstones of suburban churches. Now the regional bodies are returning for what they left behind.

The land their heritage churches sit on has risen in value.

Denominational regional offices have noticed. One by one, the communities of faith have struggled with their hierarchies with land being the rope in the tug of war.

When Catholic and Episcopal leaders need money, they hold title to congregational properties. Their people can fight, but winning is tough!

Not so under the rules of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. But they flexed their muscles in East Falls anyway, hoping no one would know better. With all the land issues in the news with Episcopal and Catholic denominations, people wouldn’t notice that the Lutheran Church does not own congregational property. The scheme worked. The courts never heard the case, ruling they don’t have jurisdiction in church issues. If they say they own the property, that’s good enough.

No one in the Lutheran Church seems to care about this. They should. It is foundational to their future. Once seized land is sold for a quick financial fix, the ability to make an impact in neighborhoods is gone. Mission fails.

The Lutheran way has always been to empower the foundation—families first (Martin Luther felt the home was the hub of Christian learning), congregations second, neighborhoods third. Regional and national entities are supposed to serve that end. No more.

Land values in East Falls coupled with a working class population makes us seem like easy pickings. We are not supposed to be smart enough to know the rules they are breaking.

St. James the Less lost their battle with the hierarchy ten years ago. The ploy there was to fabricate doctrinal issues.

There were no doctrinal issues raised with Redeemer Lutherans. Any justification for the actions of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod was fabricated to support greed and prejudice after the fact. There was never a discussion with the congregation to test the claims. The synod made claims; that’s good enough.

It wasn’t supposed to stop here. SEPA lawyer stated in court that Redeemer was the first of six or seven churches they intended to claim, close and reopen as MISSION churches. Sounds good. Don’t be fooled.

SEPA STRATEGY: This is part of a complex strategy. Lutheran rules assign certain land rights to churches started by a Synod and initially funded by Synod. They are called mission churches. Congregations with roots as a mission church cannot leave the ELCA WITH their property. Many Philadelphia churches were NOT started by synod. SEPA strategy is to seize control of these congregations and make them mission churches so that property rights revert to Synod. That’s what all the incremental tweaks about Involuntary Synodical Administration in the constitutions are about. That’s why it is so important to SEPA that churches close first and reorganize rather than just outright serving them under their existing names and constitutions. They say its about eliminating baggage of the past. Part of that baggage is land rights. They want property rights. In some cases, the Synod may actually be spending the congregation’s money, but by claiming it as theirs first and then spending it, they gain property rights.

Redeemer’s Neighbor: St. Bridget’s

In recent months, the heart and soul of much of East Falls — St. Bridget’s Roman Catholic Church — has been feeling the impact of the hierarchical clenched fist.

Last year, their school was closed by the archdiocesan “blue ribbon” committee. How can you argue with people who have blue ribbon status before they do anything?

In community discussions, the voices of outrage are heard.

The school had weathered four years of recession better than others. Their closure was supposed to boost the enrollment of schools which were struggling but which the archdiocese had sunk some money into refurbishing. Now both schools are closed.

The school is now the focus of commercial and community developers. The opportunity to use the land to foster religion may be gone.

The congregation had been subsidizing the school by as much as 35%. One community member stated. “Our church is in the black without the school.”

They are in the black for now. The school was an investment in their future. School’s create family involvement and long-term loyalty. Check back in 10 years to see if St. Bridget’s is still in the black without their school.

Meanwhile, the finances of the archdiocese were not discussed. Funny how the focus is always on the finances of congregations and not leadership. The archdiocese is struggling with major legal problems stemming from wide-ranging clergy sex scandals. Children were the victims then. Children and their education are the victims now. Millions of dollars are being spent to settle claims. Schools are closing.

SEPA Lutheran Synod (diocese) is also financially strapped, running six-figure deficits or shortfalls every year.

When regional church bodies cannot support their salaries and rent, they know where to turn. To nice, working class neighborhoods with rising property values.

East Falls fits the bill.

The spoils of East Falls will last only so long.

It will be someone else’s turn tomorrow. Maybe other Lutherans will start caring then!

photo credit: opensourceway via photopin cc