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28 cite lack of unity as reason they left Bowne Church

By Cynthia Koons

The exodus comes after nearly two years of debate over whether the historic church building and surrounding property should be landmarked to prevent the house of worship from being demolished.

The congregation has been split since July 2002, when church members learned of a developer's plan to raze the 114-year-old building to make way for a high-rise apartment building on the Roosevelt Avenue property.

In their letter of resignation, the 28 members, nearly all of whom are members of the church's Taiwanese congregation, said they were leaving because “there is no spiritual unity within the Bowne Street Community Church.”

There were 168 members of the church before the 28 disenchanted members decided to leave.

“Bowne Street Community Church is a 'community church.' Hence, it should be a part of the community, a spiritual witness in the community, and should practice the Gospel among community residents,” the letter said.

“However, while the Chinese population in the Flushing area has grown by folds in recent years, Bowne Street Community Church membership continuously dwindles,” it said.

The Bowne Street Community Church has both English- and Taiwanese-speaking members of the United Church of Christ and Reformed Church in America.

Its membership has fluctuated since the house of worship was built in 1892. According to the church's literature, membership reached its height in the late 1930s when 770 people were active in the congregation and 295 people were inactive congregants.

Within the last eight years, the number of members has remained steady around 150. The church's governing board chairman, L.D. Clepper, said there were 157 members eight years ago.

Prior to the church congregants' resignation, there were 186 members.

Today there are 158.

“We still have a large – no, a good group, we still have a good group of Taiwanese left,” Clepper said. “All I want to say about that is they have resigned their membership and we have honored their resignation. They did it voluntarily.”

Clepper said he could not speculate as to whether the weekly offering would be affected by the drop in membership.

One of the reasons church leaders said they entertained the idea of development on the property years ago was because of the organization's shrinking endowment.

Keng Chen, a member who signed the petition to declare his resignation from the church, said he left because of the reasons stated in the letter, namely the threat of development.

“We really have discussed it for a long time,” he said. They can always return to the church, Chen said, if conditions improve.

According to the resignation letter, those congregants believe the church's leaders have “actively promoted 'to demolish the church.'”

“We adamantly opposed their plans,” the letter reads. “With much of our combined efforts, the 112-year-old church was saved. In spite of this, some Bowne Street Community Church leaders are still trying to sell off portions of the parking lot and to build an apartment complex on the church's property, so as to 'finance the church.'”

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission is planning a hearing on the landmarking of the church building.

George Miyake, a governing board member who is opposed to any development plans, said he attends other church services, but he has not signed the petition to formally leave the institution.

Clepper said the church leaders have no plans to build on the church parking lot.

The church's Taiwanese pastor, Norman Chang, announced his retirement from the institution in the midst of the development debate that cropped up in the spring. His retirement takes effect July 31.

Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at [email protected] or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.