Worshippers Kicked Out Of N.Y. School On Principle

For years, small churches have been meeting in New York City public schools. Some want cheap rental space, and others are part of a "church planting" movement. The idea is to "plant" congregations, often in unconventional settings, to attract the unaffiliated.

Hide caption Grace Fellowship Church has been meeting at PS-150 in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., since 2006. The congregation is part of a network called the Redeemer Church Planting Center, which seeks to "plant" churches in nontraditional venues in different neighborhoods to attract the unaffiliated. Previous Next Photos by Fred Mogul/WNYC/WNYC

Hide caption Pastor Jon Storck moved to Queens from Memphis, Tenn., two years ago to lead Presbyterian-affiliated Grace Fellowship. A recent court ruling means this and more than 50 other churches will no longer be able to meet for worship in public schools. Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption Richard Park and about 80 worshippers gather each Sunday in PS-150's auditorium. Other than the setting, this is typical of many modern Protestant services, with an emphasis on singing and Bible study and a relatively informal rapport between minister and congregation. Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption Meeyoung Choi, a Korean-American who grew up in Argentina, translates much of the preaching from English to Spanish for Grace Fellowship's Latino worshippers, who wear radio-transmitted headsets. The church has donated around $2,000 worth of audio equipment to the school. Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption Luis Barriga uses a transmitter and text to follow the weekly Bible teaching. Today's lesson: Being a Christian entails hardship, sacrifice and conflict. "Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child. Children will rise against their parents and have them put to death," Jesus tells his disciples in the Book of Mark, Chapter 13. Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption Murals in the PS-150 auditorium depict scenes from the cultural and industrial arts. Pastor Jon Storck says public school gives the congregation a good position in the community – and other venues, even if nearby, spacious and affordable, wouldn't be as effective. "We look at this as a place to minister," Storck says. "It's a vital part of our mission." Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption Rob and Kasey Powers have been coming to Grace Fellowship for two years, and now are joined by their 6-month-old son, Simon. Initially, Rob said, he felt like he was back in elementary school. "It was a little odd," he said, "but this is New York City – you get used to stuff quickly." Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption James Hall, a native of Omaha, Neb., was looking for a church that wasn't too traditional and attracted many different kinds of people. He understands the argument for evicting Grace Fellowship for separation of church and state. "But churches are paying for the space, like any group would be paying for it, and it's fine for schools to rent from churches," Hall said. Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC

Hide caption PS-150's neighborhood is one of the city's most diverse, with a large population of immigrants. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that religious groups can meet in public schools for Bible study and prayer, but the high court also recently let stand an appeals court ruling that draws a line at schools playing host to regular worship services. Previous Next Fred Mogul/WNYC 1 of 9 i View slideshow

A federal court last year ruled that these school gatherings violate the separation of church and state. The congregations now have one week left to vacate.

The Bible tells of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, before entering the Promised Land. On a recent Sunday, Pastor Jon Storck joked that he envied the Israelites' mobile temple, called the Tabernacle.

"It's too bad we don't have a transportable worship area," Storck told Grace Fellowship Church, during a sermon about the superiority of faith and grace over bricks, mortar and other worldly attachments.

Grace Fellowship has been gathering at PS-150 in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., since 2006, but is scheduled to be evicted in a week by the city's Department of Education. The Presbyterian-affiliated church gets about 80 regulars and newcomers a week.

The city rents school space to hundreds of different organizations — including dozens of churches. But since 1995, the city's Department of Education has been trying to evict religious groups in the name of separation of church and state.

The department gave the churches until Feb. 12 to vacate. Last week, the department provided a list of 53 churches with active permits to worship in schools, but it's not clear how many are still in auditoriums like the one at PS-150. Some contacted by WNYC have already found new homes, and others are weighing different options for the future.

Court rulings have gone back and forth. Last June, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the city. The court said the city, in barring "worship services," was excluding "a type of activity" but wasn't being discriminatory. And it ruled the city was neither infringing on personal expression nor free speech under the First Amendment.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in December, effectively accepted that argument when it declined to hear an appeal.

State Sen. Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, has sponsored a bill he says will override the distinction between religious clubs meeting in schools for education and edification, which is constitutional; and religious congregations making schools their own personal worship space, which isn't.

The Education Committee passed his bill by a 17-1 margin this past week, and Golden expects it to go to the full Senate before the churches' Feb. 12 eviction deadline.

A spokeswoman for his counterpart in the Assembly, Bronx Democrat Nelson Castro, said the committee is trying to get the bill on its agenda. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office has submitted a letter to the legislature asking it to defeat the bill, based on the federal court rulings.

The New York Civil Liberties Union says Golden is missing the point.

"You have a right to pray, of course. You have a right to worship. Freedom of religion is critical," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. "But freedom for a church to take over a school and convert it to a house of worship is not what our Constitution stands for."

Storck isn't sure what Grace Fellowship's next move is. He said he has leads on a couple of rental spaces in Sunnyside, and could also temporarily bring his flock to an affiliated church in nearby Astoria. He's also considering applying for a permit to use PS-150 in ways that are constitutionally permitted and don't involve formal worship.

Fred Mogul reports for member station WNYC in New York.