Two Long Island Episcopal parishes merge, selling historic Black church property

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, a historically Black congregation founded in 1902 in Queens, New York, merged with St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in the nearby Hollis neighborhood, with the first joint worship service held September 13. The merger followed decades of discussion about the challenges of maintaining St. Stephen's aging Jamaica property and sustaining parish finances independently. St. Stephen's held its final service September 6 before closing its physical location. The Diocese of Long Island has listed the former St. Stephen's property, a 0.38-acre corner lot adjacent to a public library branch and zoned for commercial and multifamily development, for sale at $11.75 million. Proceeds from the sale will support the merged parish's ministry and resources. The merged congregation plans to preserve spiritually and historically distinctive elements from St. Stephen's, including stained-glass windows and furnishings, though the building structure could be demolished during redevelopment. Bishop Lawrence Provenzano characterized the arrangement as "truly a merger, not simply the closing of one congregation," noting that St. Stephen's members carry forward more than a century of faith and witness into their shared future with St. Gabriel's.

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Source: Episcopal News Service — https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/29/former-long-island-church-to-be-sold-for-11-8-million-as-two-nearby-congregations-merge/