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Brazilians give church New Life: To buy Grace Congregational in Framingham
By Jeff Adair / Daily News Staff
Saturday, April 9, 2005

FRAMINGHAM -- The 800-seat church, standing majestically with its Gothic edifice on Union Avenue adjacent to the Danforth Museum of Art, was described as a "blessing and a curse," by a recent former pastor.

The spacious structure with its high ceilings has been home to many worship services -- the blessing -- gospel, jazz and classical concerts and meetings for such groups as Alcoholic Anonymous, and the Framingham Adult ESL program.

The problem is the size. The 27,000-square-feet building is too large for Grace Congregational Church, a 200-member United Church of Christ denomination.

"We used to have two services because we didn't have room," recalled Jean Burr, 75, a lifelong member.

However, as the face of Framingham has changed, Grace Church has seen its membership plummet and the average Sunday attendance drop to 70-80 people.

The collection plate has naturally gotten lighter while the maintenance bills -- the curse -- have gone in the opposite direction.

"Just heating the place costs us $30,000 a winter," said Linda Hilliard, the church moderator.

Two years ago, church leaders decided to give it one last try. Work for two years. Fight for two years to increase membership and lower costs. Do anything and everything to save the sinking ship.

The time has passed. Sadly, members recently decided they had to bail out and start anew.

So after 134 years of worshiping on Union Avenue, Grace will soon sell the building to a Brazilian congregation, which has leased the sanctuary Sunday evenings for the past three years.

"We just decided it was hopeless, there was no way to turn it around," said Hilliard, who has attended the church for more than 60 years.

The new owner, Comunidade Presbiteriana Nova Vida (New Life Presbyterian Church), will let Grace Church remain for a year, while members decide their next move.

After the sale closes on May 15, Grace will continue to hold services on Sunday mornings. New Life, which holds lively services, filled with singing and hand clapping, to the pulsating beat of drums and guitars, will praise the Lord in the evenings.

"We're noisy," the Rev. Manoel Oliveira, who was called to the ministry at the age of 15 and is founding pastor of New Life, once said.

"They couldn't be nicer," said Hilliard about the predominately Brazilian congregation. "They will keep our beloved building a church -- and be an important downtown presence."

The decline at Grace and the explosive growth at New Life follows a nationwide trend as new immigrant groups move into town centers and attend church to make connections with their own community, say experts.

More than 20 Brazilian churches have opened in Framingham in the past two decades. Many are small, storefront congregations. A few have made the big step toward permanence, like New Life is planning.

"The congregation is just so excited," said Oliveira, whose church started with five members and now numbers more than 300. "It's like, I have no words to describe....The (members) are more excited about what the building will mean for the town of Framingham."

New Life plans to continue Grace's mission to open the building to others, and expand on it by offering after-school tutoring and enrichment programs.

"We envision it as a community center," he said.

New Life is prepared to fix the facade and remodel the inside as needed, said Oliveira. He said taking on a large financial burden "does scare us" but "we have done our homework, we feel confident. It will be a sacrifice and we trust God to allow us to accomplish these goals."

Grace Congregational Church was founded in 1873 by a group of 57 people who seceded from Plymouth Church. The church building in downtown Framingham burned in 1926 and was rebuilt two years later.

The congregation is diverse, with members who are mentally challenged, gay or lesbian, young or old, and people of all racial backgrounds.

The Rev. Gretchen Jones Switzer, the interim pastor at Grace Church, previously worked with several churches in the Midwest that struggled with financial or other difficulties.

Helping members grieve, to deal with change is the main issue Switzer is currently dealing with. For many people in their 60s and 70s, Grace Church is like home, she said. It's the only church they have ever attended.

On the other hand, this is the first home for some newer members and "the idea of changing locations makes them a bit apprehensive." Still others are excited, looking forward to the possibilities of starting anew, she said.

"It's a really nice mix," said Switzer. "The challenge for me is to help that whole mix listen to each other, and to find where God is speaking in the middle of all those voices."

She said right now the congregation has no idea whether it will buy land, purchase an existing building, or unite with another congregation. There are two other UCC churches in Framingham.

"We're keeping all our options open," she said.

"We're grieving but we're also delighted," Switzer explained. "We're excited by the wonderfulness of New Life. They'll make the most of this building and do what we haven't been able to do in recent times."



Brazilians give church New Life: To buy Grace Congregational in Framingham
By Jeff Adair / Daily News Staff
Saturday, April 9, 2005

FRAMINGHAM -- The 800-seat church, standing majestically with its Gothic edifice on Union Avenue adjacent to the Danforth Museum of Art, was described as a "blessing and a curse," by a recent former pastor. The spacious structure with its high ceilings has been home to many worship services -- the blessing -- gospel, jazz and classical concerts and meetings for such groups as Alcoholic Anonymous, and the Framingham Adult ESL program. The problem is the size. The 27,000-square-feet building is too large for Grace Congregational Church, a 200-member United Church of Christ denomination. "We used to have two services because we didn't have room," recalled Jean Burr, 75, a lifelong member. However, as the face of Framingham has changed, Grace Church has seen its membership plummet and the average Sunday attendance drop to 70-80 people. The collection plate has naturally gotten lighter while the maintenance bills -- the curse -- have gone in the opposite direction. "Just heating the place costs us $30,000 a winter," said Linda Hilliard, the church moderator.

Two years ago, church leaders decided to give it one last try. Work for two years. Fight for two years to increase membership and lower costs. Do anything and everything to save the sinking ship. The time has passed. Sadly, members recently decided they had to bail out and start anew. So after 134 years of worshiping on Union Avenue, Grace will soon sell the building to a Brazilian congregation, which has leased the sanctuary Sunday evenings for the past three years. "We just decided it was hopeless, there was no way to turn it around," said Hilliard, who has attended the church for more than 60 years. The new owner, Comunidade Presbiteriana Nova Vida (New Life Presbyterian Church), will let Grace Church remain for a year, while members decide their next move. After the sale closes on May 15, Grace will continue to hold services on Sunday mornings. New Life, which holds lively services, filled with singing and hand clapping, to the pulsating beat of drums and guitars, will praise the Lord in the evenings. "We're noisy," the Rev. Manoel Oliveira, who was called to the ministry at the age of 15 and is founding pastor of New Life, once said."They couldn't be nicer," said Hilliard about the predominately Brazilian congregation. "They will keep our beloved building a church -- and be an important downtown presence."

The decline at Grace and the explosive growth at New Life follows a nationwide trend as new immigrant groups move into town centers and attend church to make connections with their own community, say experts. More than 20 Brazilian churches have opened in Framingham in the past two decades. Many are small, storefront congregations. A few have made the big step toward permanence, like New Life is planning. "The congregation is just so excited," said Oliveira, whose church started with five members and now numbers more than 300. "It's like, I have no words to describe....The (members) are more excited about what the building will mean for the town of Framingham." New Life plans to continue Grace's mission to open the building to others, and expand on it by offering after-school tutoring and enrichment programs. "We envision it as a community center," he said. New Life is prepared to fix the facade and remodel the inside as needed, said Oliveira. He said taking on a large financial burden "does scare us" but "we have done our homework, we feel confident. It will be a sacrifice and we trust God to allow us to accomplish these goals."

Grace Congregational Church was founded in 1873 by a group of 57 people who seceded from Plymouth Church. The church building in downtown Framingham burned in 1926 and was rebuilt two years later. The congregation is diverse, with members who are mentally challenged, gay or lesbian, young or old, and people of all racial backgrounds. The Rev. Gretchen Jones Switzer, the interim pastor at Grace Church, previously worked with several churches in the Midwest that struggled with financial or other difficulties. Helping members grieve, to deal with change is the main issue Switzer is currently dealing with. For many people in their 60s and 70s, Grace Church is like home, she said. It's the only church they have ever attended. On the other hand, this is the first home for some newer members and "the idea of changing locations makes them a bit apprehensive."

Still others are excited, looking forward to the possibilities of starting anew, she said. "It's a really nice mix," said Switzer. "The challenge for me is to help that whole mix listen to each other, and to find where God is speaking in the middle of all those voices." She said right now the congregation has no idea whether it will buy land, purchase an existing building, or unite with another congregation. There are two other UCC churches in Framingham. "We're keeping all our options open," she said. "We're grieving but we're also delighted," Switzer explained. "We're excited by the wonderfulness of New Life. They'll make the most of this building and do what we haven't been able to do in recent times."


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