Facing decades of diminished attendance, decreased income, potentially dangerous building conditions, and the inability to afford critical repairs to its 130-year-old church building, the Vestry and active members of Grace Episcopal Church Plainfield prayerfully decided in 2020 to sell the building and find another worship space to continue ministering to the spiritual needs of the people of Plainfield.
This decision to sell was finally made after several years of thought, reflection, prayer, and effort. In 2020, it was undeniably clear that Grace did not have the numbers of people or the financial resources needed to repair and maintain the building. The Diocese of New Jersey approved the decision made by Grace.
Grace Church and the Diocese of New Jersey feel the pain of the loss of a building that has been a home for worship and service in Plainfield for so many years. However, Grace has great hope about its future as a worshiping and mission-driven Christian community in Plainfield. Shortly after the decision to sell the building was made, an opportunity arose for Grace to merge with St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Plainfield. The Vestries and active members of both churches agreed with the idea and a Steering Committee has been formed to develop a plan for merger.
The merger can expand Grace’s and St. Mark’s ongoing worship and community engagement ministries, which include: after-school programs, summer programs, SAT prep and other education support services, and recreation activities for Plainfield children; English language and other programs for Plainfield adults; a thrift store to make new and slightly-used clothing available affordably to Plainfield residents; a food pantry and soup kitchen to feed hungry people in Plainfield; and other community engagement activities.
In the Episcopal Church, this type of ministry is called discipleship, and it is central to our commitment as Christians. The funds from the building sale will give Grace, or the new merged church, the financial resources it needs to continue to be a spiritually and socially transformative force in the lives of the people of Plainfield. This will be done in the name of Christ. The Diocese of New Jersey supports and upholds these decisions made by the Vestry and active members of Grace Church Plainfield.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How and why was the decision made to sell the Grace Church building?
Membership and income at Grace have been declining for decades. In the five years between 2016 and 2021:
- The average yearly pledging was about $87,000. However, in 2021 pledges brought in only $34,000.
- The number of pledges decreased from 45 to 17.
- Average expenses were more than $225,000 a year.
- Average Sunday attendance dropped to about 35 in a building that was designed to seat more than 500 people. This year, average attendance is 24.
In 2020, the Vestry began holding congregational meetings to share critical information about Grace’s precarious financial situation, the structural deterioration of the church building and its immediate repair needs, and to hear ideas on how to continue worshiping together and carry on Grace’s mission work in Plainfield. Following the meetings, the Vestry gathered to discuss the ideas and support shared by active members of Grace about the long-term sustainability of Grace based on its financial resources, declining membership, and building conditions. Ultimately, the Vestry decided by majority vote that selling the building and using the proceeds to build, buy, or rent an affordable and sustainable worship space in Plainfield was the best option to maintain Grace as a worship community.
What conditions exist in the building?
A 2021 building inspection revealed dangerous health and safety issues, including asbestos in all areas of the building, lead paint, mold, and a potentially catastrophic electrical condition. The report found exterior and interior structural deficiencies and other critical problems that must be addressed to make the building safe and habitable. The millions of dollars it would cost to make the repairs needed to transform the building into a safe, habitable, and easily maintained state far exceed the resources Grace has available.
What has been the community response to the sale of the Grace Church building?
Many people who once attended Grace have fond and nostalgic memories of growing up at Grace – baptisms, marriages, funerals, friendships, community service, and more. Today, some of these people are protesting the decision that the current Vestry and people of Grace Church have made and fully believe is best for them. Grace has an inviolable right to make prayerful and thoughtful decisions for its future growth and success, even when those decisions are uncomfortable to others.
Can a church building be altered or sold if it is on a list of historic sites?
Neither federal nor state historical register listing can stop a private owner such as Grace from selling or altering a property – this covers the Tiffany windows as well as the building itself – unless the owner has a grant from the Historical Trust that imposes an unexpired easement. A previous easement at the Grace Church building expired in 2014.
Does the City of Plainfield need to approve a sale of Grace?
Buildings in areas regulated by the Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission can have a change in ownership, but changes in their exterior appearance must have the Commission’s approval. The Commission can approve demolition of a building if restoring it to code is not economically feasible or if a replacement building would make the city a more desirable place to live.
What will happen to the cremains that were interred in the Grace Church Memorial Garden?
When churches with memorial gardens close, the usual practice in The Episcopal Church is to hold a sacred ceremony to transfer the earth from the memorial garden (down to a depth of three feet, which is well below the level at which cremains are buried) to the nearest Episcopal Church that has a memorial garden. In this case, earth from the memorial garden at Grace will be transferred to St. Mark’s Plainfield. A plaque will be placed at the original internment site indicating the location of the new internment site; and a marker will be placed at the St. Mark’s memorial garden. A notification of this transfer will be made to the Plainfield City Clerk for inclusion in the public record to facilitate future searches. Grace will contact family members of people whose cremains were interred at Grace to give them detailed information before any of this happens.
Has the Grace Church building been demolished?
The Grace Church building has not been demolished. A sales agreement has been reached with a developer who will negotiate with the City of Plainfield about plans for redevelopment of the site.
Will there be a de-consecration ceremony or a final church service at Grace?
If health and safety conditions permit, the Office of the Bishop will schedule a formal de-consecration ceremony at the Grace Church Plainfield building.
Will the Grace Church rectory also be sold?
No decision has been made on whether to sell or retain the Grace rectory.
What factors contributed to the decline at Grace?
Many churches like Grace are closing, mostly because attending church on Sunday mornings is no longer the norm in American culture. Reduced Sunday attendance leads directly to loss of the income needed to maintain church buildings, many of which are old and in need of expensive repairs and renovations. In the case of Grace Church, systemic racism may also be a factor. One result of systemic racism has been the creation of a wealth gap between white Americans and black Americans by giving greater economic privilege to white people and at the same time economically disadvantaging black people through greater or lesser opportunities for education, housing, jobs, and other factors crucial to financial success.
When Grace was founded in 1852, the congregation was all-white. About 50 years later, Grace started a mission for black people in Plainfield. However, the black people they reached out to were not welcome to worship with them on Sunday mornings. Instead, they were asked to worship on Sunday evenings in the basement of the building. Those black people who responded to the call for mission declined to do so. They separated from Grace and formed St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Plainfield. According to lore, a long-time rector at Grace is said have advised black people who visited Grace that they would be more welcome at St. Mark’s. After he retired, the numbers of black members at Grace increased. But the numbers of white members decreased as white members of Grace joined the white flight from urban communities that was happening nationwide. As they left, they took their wealth with them and “gifted” an already deteriorating building to the maintenance of a congregation that no longer had the same economic resources to properly maintain it. A merger between St. Mark’s and Grace will right a wrong that happened a century ago. It will be symbolic of the forgiveness and reconciliation that is essential in Christianity. The sale of Grace’s building will give the new merged church the resources it needs for sustainability and to continue discipleship in Plainfield.