By John Burton
RED BANK – A chapter in the borough’s history concluded at the end of September when a long-standing Russian Orthodox church closed its doors for the last time.
St. Nicholas Church, 15-17 Pearl St., moved out of the space it had used for more than 60 years at the end of the month, said the Rev. Serge Lukianov, who has been the church’s archpriest since 2007.
Lukianov said the church and property was never owned by the parish or the Orthodox Church and its official owners recently sought to have the location vacated.
“The owners got us evicted,” Lukianov maintained.
“They said they wanted to close the building. I don’t know what they’re going to do with it.
“For all these years we were using it, taking care of it, paying all the bills,” Lukianov said.
The site’s owner, Kuban Cossack Stanitza, Inc., has had the property since 1953, according to George Borisov, a vice president of the organization.
Borisov said Kuban Cossack Stanitza, which had previously been Kuban Cossack of Red Bank, is a not-for-profit ethnic club registered with the state.
The church building was constructed in 1910 and has been used as a Russian Orthodox church since the Kuban Cossack group has owned it, Lukianov said.
Borisov disputed Lukianov’s characterization, contending the church’s departure was really a mutual decision.
Both men acknowledged the structure is seriously deteriorating and would need a considerable amount of work for any continued use. “It’s in terrible shape,” Borisov said. “It’s not in any shape to be used for any purpose.”
The church’s basement flooded during Super Storm Sandy two years ago, causing mold and leaving the basement unusable along with other complications caused by the building’s age, Lukianov said
Another major issue is the decreasing congregation.
“Unfortunately, there are less and less people coming,” Lukianov said, acknowledging as few as 20 congregants are in attendance for regular worship services.
“With that small amount,” of members, Lukianov said, “it’s just not enough to pay the bills.
“It is disheartening, but you have to be a realist,” he said of the church’s closing.
Metropolitan Hilarion, the archbishop for the church’s Eastern American Diocese, has ordered the parish be merged with Howell’s, which has two churches, Lukianov said.
Despite its condition, the church structure hasn’t outlived its use, Borisov said.
Borisov said his group is in talks with another religious organization to use the building with that group taking responsibility for renovating the structure.
Borisov declined to be any more specific than to say the new group is “an independent religious organization registered with the state of New Jersey” and is a Christian denomination.
The loss of St. Nicholas means that “for the first time since the Russian Revolution,” which started in 1917, “there will be no Russian Orthodox services in Red Bank,” Mayor Pasquale Menna said.
As a historical note, Menna said there had been a vibrant and active Russian, Ukrainian and Polish community on the borough’s west side, dating back to the 1920s and ‘30s. And, while not what it once was, there remains members living in the borough and surrounding communities, he said.
Menna said he’s been talking to Hilarion about establishing a display at the public library or elsewhere that would include some of St. Nicholas’ items, commemorating the Russian Orthodox contribution to the community.
