Thursday, April 24, 2008

DEVIL'S WORK



The Devil is busy at work on the corner of 4th and Ovington.

My daughter and I walked past the Green Church today to see that demolition of the Methodist Church is nigh. Workers have started removing the 211 bodies that were interred at the church in 1901.

Pastor Robert Emerick once said “We are a competent religious organization and we know how to handle human remains.”

And look at how they're handling it. They put up a garbage bag wall so no one can see how well they're handling the human remains. I climbed a ladder to see this: a back-ho and some guy looking in a hole. Very very holy. Remind me not to have them handle my remains.

On the other side of the church was a man, who I think said he was a retired head of the NY Cemetery Regulation. He was there to make sure the bodies "found a final resting spot. They deserve that." Um -- this is the 3rd time they've been moved. How many times does a dead body have to be moved before it reaches its final resting spot?

But this guy didn't just make sure everything went smoothly. He also got into a shouting match with Dorcas Kimball's mother about who said what at a CB 1o meeting. I don't know who was right but this guy didn't know how to talk to a woman. "Jerk" does not begin to describe this guy.












So here's my guess as to what is going to happen, and remember, you heard it here first:
  • The congregation will tear down the church (it's their contractual responsibility).
  • Betesh (the new owner) will sell the property (he already has it on the market, and his company is a management company, not a developer)
  • The new owner will not build a church on the property
  • Betesh and Emerick will shrug and say they have no legal ground to force the new owner to build a church
  • A butt-ugly condo will be built and the new owner will hire Betesh to manage it
  • Gentile will say he did all he could do, even though the church hired lobbyist James F. Capalino and Associates and lobbyist George Fontas, who happened to run Gentile's 2003 election.
  • Emerick, who is not planning on building the congregation, will miraculously be offered another job at another church with a congregation in double digits.
So you better get a good last look at the church. The way things are going, the bulldozers will come in under dark of night to tear down the church, just like some of Bay Ridge's other beautiful buildings have been torn down.

And when it's all said and done, Bay Ridge will be the sucker.



13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jesus said unto him, 'Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God'

Luke 9:60

Mark said...

"And if the dead aren't available, get some cheap Mexican labor."

Vinny 4th and Ovington

The Phantom said...

Good reporting and great post.

Anonymous said...

A truly sad day in Bay Ridge history!!

WIBR said...

Great job, Mark. The Borough of Churches is becoming the Borough of Gentrification.

Anonymous said...

This is just another sign of the de-Christinization of Bay Ridge.

People are out protesting the destruction of the church, but no one is doing anything (i.e. making babies and teaching them about Christianity) to keep local congregations strong.

Instead of last minute efforts to save a building, these people should have been building strong families for years.

'Doctor, heal thyself.'
Luke 4:23

Mark said...

Shouldn't it be "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth?"

Genesis Chapter 9

Or better yet:

"I'm in the mood to make sweet love to you
It's always on my mind, babe
All of the things you love me to do
I'm gonna make it nice, I'm gonna make it right "

Barry White The Longer We Make Love

Anonymous said...

The be fruitful and multiply gets at it also from a different angle. I should have quoted that as well.

Bay Ridge can "heal itself" in these matters by "being fruitful and multiplying" !

Nice catch. Leave it to a mensch!

Anonymous said...

Great job with the blog!! I've heard the argument that there won't be a new church to be built.... is there any validity to that? If it does happen, what will happen to all the money?

Kevin said...

I am glad I do not live any where near you. "The devil is at work here"??? Yea, that guy looking into the hole is truly evil. My god, they are using a backhoe!!! Oh, the humanity! Get a grip.

Mark said...

And today's winner for missing the point entirely goes to: Kevin!

Congratulations, Kevin.

And from everyone here, we're just as glad you don't live anywhere near us.

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It was a sad day, but from ashes new and better things will rise.