The church's pastor, the Rev. Steven Avinger, instructed his approximately 300 members, who drive in from Upper Darby, the Northeast, West Philly and other neighborhoods, to start parking on nearby Bainbridge Street between Taney Street and Grays Ferry. But that solution was short-lived because residents began complaining to then-City Council President Anna Verna, who represented South Philly. Within weeks, Greater St. Matthew members got a second letter from police, instructing them to use the bike lanes on South Street between 23rd and 25th streets to park during church services. But for many of the elderly members, that location was too far for them to walk.
"When we lost the parking on Grays Ferry Avenue, our attendance immediately dropped, and people have not been as consistent since," Avinger said earlier this month. "Let me give you an example. For [New Year's Eve] watchnight services, we had members coming here who had to leave because they could not find parking. They turned around and went back home. They told me Sunday morning."
Church members were outraged, insisting that they've been good stewards of the community, running a soup kitchen and allowing residents to meet on their property.
"It was turmoil, complete turmoil, for a while, until I finally said, 'Well, wait a minute. Hold it. Let's look at this. This may be an opportunity here,' " Avinger said. "That's when I decided it may make good business sense to just leave. Sometimes there's just agitation in the air, so you can make some decisions you need to make."
In August, Avinger quietly put the 123-year-old church up for sale for $2.5 million.
Luck was on his side.
It wasn't long before he had two offers. An undisclosed developer has it under contract with plans of converting it into offices for small businesses. Should things go as planned, the sale of the church sanctuary and adjacent four-story office building should net a tidy profit for the congregation. Greater St. Matthew purchased the property, the former home of St. Anthony of Padua Church, from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1999 for $325,000.
"I'm glad it worked out for them," said Tony Radwanski, Verna's former spokesman. "This will reflect former Council President Verna's view, which is to be respectful of each other and try to come up with an accommodation that both sides can live with."
Meanwhile, Greater St. Matthew will relocate to Tioga-Nicetown at 16th and Wingohocking inside a building formerly occupied by Triumph Baptist Church. And, yes, there is dedicated parking, even if it's just 75 spaces.
