The return of the Episcopal parish to Grace Church downtown on Palm Sunday is a joyous occasion for its 500 members.
But the move doesn't come without baggage - namely, the cost of the church itself.
A $2.4 million mortgage remains on the North Tejon Street property. Monthly upkeep is about $25,000.
And in a structure more than 80 years old, unexpected repairs are, well, an expected part of maintenance; in January, the occupying congregation shelled out more than $20,000 for a boiler repair.
"If you're going to have this building, you got to know it will cost you a lot of money," said Donald Armstrong, rector of St. George's Anglican Church, formerly known as Grace Church & St. Stephen's, which has been meeting at the majestic church for two years. "It takes $1.2 million a year to keep the church open," he said.
The annual budget of the returning parish is about $500,000.
"It will be a stretch, but we are confident we can make it," said Martin Pearsall, priest-in-charge of Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal, which, following a judge's order this week, will return to the Tejon Street church no later than April 3.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/church_50747___article.html/grace_cost.html
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