4 AUGUST 30, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Ridgewood parish booted over ‘disruptive’ homeless men
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
When Father Mike Lopez and
Father Angel Lugo rounded
the corner of Forest and
Myrtle Avenues on Aug. 29, they were
greeted with handshakes, hugs and
kisses on their hands.
A small group of homeless men
native to Ridgewood, some of whom
struggle with alcoholism and oft en
meet at the '71st Avenue Plaza' in front
of Queens Wines & Liquors, were happy
to see them.
Within minutes, however, Jeremiah
McCarthy, who was raised in Glendale
and has been living on the streets for
Ridgewood Property Owners
& Civic Association
General Membership Meeting
Thursday, September 6th at 7:00 pm
Ridgewood Presbyterian Church
59-14 70 Avenue between Forest Ave and 60th Street (entrance on ground floor Senior Citizen’s Center)
Meet with Elaine and Joseph Haufe,
RPOCA Members who attended the June
RPOCA General Meeting to learn about the
The 20% New York State Historic
Homeownership Rehabilitation Tax Credit.
The Haufe’s took advantage of the 20% Tax Credit.
They will report to you on:
• What they rebuilt
• The Photos required
• Their 3-part application
• Tax Credit Results
The September general meeting is opened ONLY to Paid
RPOCA members and those becoming members that evening.
Catered sandwiches & salads by Frank’s Deli (Maspeth)
Courtesy of Kerzner Realty, Inc.
Ridgewood Property owners are always welcome to submit a membership application,
subject to RPOCA Board approval. For information contact: Paul Kerzner, President - 718 381 3366.
more than 30 years, began to cry. He
still can't bear the news that his friends,
the pastors, are being forced to leave.
Lopez and Lugo's independent parish,
All Saints American Old Catholic Community,
holds masses and provides
services for the poor and homeless at
the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church,
located a block away on 70th Avenue.
But on Sept. 2, the parish will hold its
fi nal liturgy aft er being told its host
church is terminating their agreement.
"Nobody treats me better and helps
more people in my situation than these
guys," McCarthy said. "Some people
just want food, some people just want
housing, but I just want this man's
love."
According to Lopez, Ridgewood
Presbyterian and its pastor, Rev. Victoria
L. Moss, told him that All Saints
must vacate the church by Sept. 4
due to the behavior of the people that
they serve. For the past fi ve years, All
Saints has had a written agreement
with Ridgewood Presbyterian that
allows Lopez and Lugo to park their
community response vehicle, the
Hungry Monk Rescue Truck, in front
of the church during the day and use
the building for its services.
For Thanksgiving in 2017, All Saints
organized its third annual holiday
dinner at Ridgewood Presbyterian
to serve meals to those in need. With
the rescue truck, All Saints has also
delivered meals, helped seniors move,
performed homeless outreach and
more, Lopez said.
"We are being blamed for many of
the issues with the street homeless
and addicted in the Ridgewood area,"
Lopez said.
When asked to explain Ridgewood
Presbyterian's decision to end its partnership
with All Saints, Moss said in
an email that the parish was using the
building for its services "to such an
extent that it was interfering with other
groups." She added that drunk men also
began showing up to the church any
time, day or night, and sometimes were
"threatening and disruptive and 911 had
to be called."
On some occasions, the men would
hide in the building and sleep in bathrooms,
the church balcony or the alley
and urinate in the parking lot, Moss
said. Their behavior led to a number
of complaints from members of the
surrounding community, she added.
When she contacted the 104th Precinct,
Moss said she was told that once the
men were invited they would continue
to return at all hours because they are
"too confused to stick to a schedule."
"All Saints couldn’t control them.
We couldn’t control them and it was
unfair to our other space users to have
to deal with them," Moss said. "It is
clear that All Saints has an important
ministry in this neighborhood. They
need a space of their own to carry out
the work they feel called to."
Ridgewood Presbyterian currently
hosts three Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings per week, the Ridgewood
Older Adult Center and an emergency
bed stabilization program under
the guidance of the Department of
Homeless Services (DHS), as well as
its worship services.
Going forward, Lopez said that he
doesn't know where he and All Saints
will go, but he is reaching out to other
local churches and wants to stay in
Ridgewood where the parish has built
relationships with the homeless. He
said the parish has become a liaison
between the homeless and the community,
and he welcomes residents to
contact the parish to deal with homeless
people they are concerned about.
In a community that is surrounded
by homeless shelter controversies as of
late, All Saints is simply trying to help
everyone, no matter the struggles they
are facing, Lopez said.
"One of the things that the people
with the 'not in my back yard' theory
oft en say is that the churches should
be more proactive in this work," Lopez
said. "So here we are, being a proactive
church, working and serving the poor
and trying to be the buff er."
Photos By Ryan Kelley/Ridgewood Times
Father Mike Lopez (left) and Father Angel Lugo (right) stand next to
their Hungry Monk Rescue Truck in front of the Ridgewood Presbyterian
Church on Aug. 29.
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