Methodist Church sold

[bex77]

College Ave. church changes hands
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2010/04/church_changes_hands_on_colleg.html

Comments

[ron_newman]

When we did the Somerville History Bike Tour last spring, with a theme of "Somerville's Historic Houses of Worship", this became quite evident. The other Methodist church in Union Square has been converted to condos. Many other former Protestant churches of various sorts (as well as one former Catholic parish) had been sold to non-English-speaking ethnic congregations or were no longer used as churches.

[jesseh.livejournal.com]

Oh, right, so what I meant to say was (a) I think it's good news that it's another church that bought the building, and (b) they can likely share the space.

[wneleh.livejournal.com]

Keeping the building a church was a very high priority for us, and we only looked at other uses so as to set a reasonable price. The build currently houses the College Ave. UMC congregation; Cambridge Welcoming Ministries, "an open and affirming, progressive faith community dedicated to proclaiming God's love for all with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight persons"; a Sathya Sai Baba congregation; Eagle Eye Institute, an urban-focused environmental group; a recording studio; many twelve-step and other groups; scouting; and of course the Somerville Homeless Coalition's adult shelter. And I know I'm forgetting some groups.

We've tried to keep the building as open and useful as possible. But it hasn't been enough to keep us afloat; and, personally, it's exhausting trying to juggle the needs of so many constituencies AND, well, be a church.

The HBBC has committed to keeping the shelter and, less formally, scouting. Many of the groups who use our building also are of the sort the HBBC would like to support. The logistics have yet to be worked out.