The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island, wrote to the diocese on Nov. 29:
Early this morning Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, suffered a fire that has almost completely destroyed the church building. Television news reports have shown the extent of the damage.
I was contacted by the local fire department. Our diocesan real estate manager, Canon Andrew Durbidge, our director of facilities, Stuart Newby, and I made an emergency visit to the site to consult with the FDNY officials.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Eleven years ago, Emmanuel’s parish hall and kitchen were destroyed by fire. Rebuilding of that facility has been a slow process but was underway.
We are grateful that no one was injured.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
