Lehigh University and the three merging Lutheran churches on Bethlehem’s Southside finished the sale of the three properties, hoping to salvage the dying churches through the merger, which included raising funds through the sale.
Lehigh Valley News, the new news outlet created by Lehigh Valley Public Media, The Morning Call and 69 News, all wrote the superficial aspects of the story in little pieces published this week. As the news business continues to evolve in the world of social media, we are going to see important stories missed, complicated stories oversimplified, and more stories treated with kid gloves because reporters won’t want to harm their access to sources because they’ll blackball them in future stories.
The story of St. John’s Windish Church probably checks off all of the aforementioned boxes.
Here is the stuff that isn’t finding its way into the story.
More than 20 years ago, my former employer, the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, set out to do some ambitious work on the Southside through its recently-established subsidiary, the Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem, through an initiative called Southside Vision 2012. It included the creation of a comprehensive plan drawn up with extensive input from neighborhood residents. Out of that planning effort came two signature proposals: first, the creation of a “linear park” made out of the train tracks and their right-of-way; second, acquiring the parking lot across from St John’s on the 500 block of East Fourth Street, and turning it into a European-style plaza. The plan would include green space, community space and accommodate the parking needs of the church and surrounding residents and businesses.
Despite our assurances to the contrary, the church was anxious. Bethlehem Steel’s attorney (basically the guy who would end up turning off the lights at the plant), offered to turn the property over to us. St John’s freaked out. I got a call from a city official asking us to defer to the church, saying, “I think they’ll work with us.”
[Cue the thunderous noise indicating that the television game shows used to indicate that a contestant was wrong.]
I said, “I don’t know. Their involvement to date would suggest otherwise. Nonetheless, we deferred. It was a disastrous mistake.
The parking lot is still an eyesore, the church is still closing and I’m left with the minimally-satisfying consolation of being able to say, “I told you so.” We sent three different mayors to speak with the church about our plans and, despite concessions on every demand, the church told us to drop dead.
That lot should be in the hands of the community right now. We should be planning the plaza or, alternatively, the development of affordable housing on that lot as I write. It is clear that any offer coming from any group, no matter how worthy, was going to be dismissed.
So, when Lucy Lennon’s obsequiousness is quoted in the news outlets, they dutifully and lazily reported it. The truth is that St John’s Windish Church was not a good neighbor.
At the time when the church was pretending to consider all offers, I was vocal in criticizing Lehigh University for competing with the city for acquisition of all three properties. But I learned from a senior Lehigh staffer that Lehigh only wanted St Peter’s Church. It was the churches that wouldn’t unbundle them. I apologize to the university for being so critical without having all of the facts.
In fact, I also learned that Lehigh wants to be part of a community-based effort to determine what to do with the St. John’s property. The task force would include neighborhood residents, city hall, the university, St. Luke’s University Health Network (CEO Rick Anderson has an interesting proposal for use of the church) and others. The task force would be chaired by lifelong Southside resident and City Councilwoman Rachel Leon.
I’m not sure what’s holding it up but I am glad the situation still can be salvaged.