By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – The congregation of Grace Lutheran Church, which has been a fixture in the Freehold Borough community since 1952, has been dissolved.
According to its website, the congregation celebrated its final service on April 3 at the church on the corner of West Main Street and Park Avenue.
Thomas M. O’Brien Jr., who has been the pastor at the church since 2012, said a series of financial issues over the past two years led to a decision by congregants in early February to dissolve the congregation.
That decision was subsequently approved by the Synod Council of the New Jersey Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Hamilton Square, he said.
Among the challenges the congregation faced during the past 18 to 24 months were the move out of New Jersey of several individuals who had provided significant financial support and their time to the church, and several problems in the building that were only partially covered by insurance and drained the church’s reserves, O’Brien said.
“The congregation was doing well, we were bringing in new members, in fact the building is still being used by various groups,” the pastor said.
O’Brien said many congregants from Grace Lutheran have joined the Hope Lutheran Church, Freehold Township. O’Brien, who has been on disability since October dealing with a medical issue, said his involvement at Hope Lutheran will be limited to being a member of the congregation.
Arthur Casement of Marlboro was a member of Grace Lutheran for 39 years. He said that as the president of the church council, he lived through everything that occurred during the past two years.
“The church could not support itself financially anymore. It was a tough decision (to dissolve), when reality hits you in the face … The Mission of the church could not pay our bills,” he said.
Casement said Grace Lutheran drew its congregation from a region that included Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Marlboro, Manalapan, Monroe Township and as far south as Toms River.
He said the Grace Lutheran congregation has integrated with Hope Lutheran and said, “we have been warmly welcomed.”
According to its website, Grace Lutheran Church began in 1952. After meeting in a local YMCA for several years, Grace Lutheran was recognized officially as a Mission Congregation of the United Lutheran Church in America on Oct. 11, 1959. In June 1961, ground was broken for the church at the corner of West Main Street (Route 537) and Park Avenue (Route 33) in Freehold Borough. The building was dedicated on March 11, 1962.
O’Brien said the building is for sale and he reported there has been interest shown in the property, including from representatives of houses of worship.
