New York ELCA Congregation Copes With Terror Alert

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- St. Peter Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that shares a city block with the Citigroup Center in Manhattan, is coping with a significant police presence around its sanctuary and restricted traffic flow. On Aug. 1 the Citigroup Center was named by the U.S. government as a potential target for a terrorist attack.
Tom Ridge, secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the government learned of information suggesting the possibility of attacks against financial targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. One of the sites it named was the Citigroup Center, a 59-story office building at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 54th Street.
Street parking in the vicinity of the Citigroup Center is banned, the Rev. Carol E.A. Fryer, assistant pastor, said in an interview with the ELCA News Service. Traffic on Lexington Street leading up to the building is blocked but traffic continues to flow on 54th Street, she said. The congregation is uncertain about whether members can park on the street for services on Aug. 8, but it hopes to know by the end of the week, she said.
In an e-mail message to the congregation, Fryer said a door that connects the church and the Citigroup Center had been locked, and the only entrance into the church now was from 54th Street. The same door remained locked for several months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but was eventually reopened, she said.
"Security is very tight at the Citigroup building," Fryer said in her message. "They are checking each person coming in." The line to get into the building on Aug. 2 was long, she said.
Another concern is access to a loading dock the church shares with the Citigroup Center. Because of the alert the dock is not available as usual, Fryer said. The church uses the loading dock for food deliveries for ministries to homeless people, people with AIDS and seniors, she said. The programs will go on, but deliveries must be certified by authorities, she said.
Fryer attended a meeting with other Citigroup tenants on Aug. 2 to learn more about the security measures. Next week, a representative from the New York City Office of Emergency Preparedness will present a program at the church about how people can prepare themselves for a fire, explosion or attack, Fryer said. Lutheran Disaster Response-New York is also assisting the congregation, she said.
Despite the inconvenience, Fryer said, most people seem to accept the extra security measures. "There seems to be a balance between people trying to be cautious but not hysterical," she said. "There is a sense of gravity, but most are not being too serious about it. There is no way we cannot do what we're doing at this point, given the information we have."
The congregation normally hosts a midday service, which was attended by four people Aug. 2, Fryer said.
"There was a different feel about this service," she said. "People seemed to be hanging on the words. I told them our security is in the God's hands." She said those who attended were "witnesses to their own faith."
"We cannot live in fear. We must let our faith shine through in the midst of all of this. We will continue to do what we normally do as a sign of hope," she said.
The congregation, founded in 1862, has worshipped at the 54th and Lexington Street intersection since 1905. In 1970 the congregation authorized the sale of its building and formed a "condominium" with Citicorp (now Citigroup) to develop a new complex at the intersection, including construction of a sanctuary.
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Information about St. Peter Lutheran Church is at http://www.saintpeters.org on the Web.


For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news