About two years after New London church collapse, another church is condemned – NBC Connecticut

Almost two years after a church collapse in New London, emergency repairs are now being planned for another church in the city.

The city has condemned the Second Congregational Church on Broad Street.

Right now, there is temporary fencing around it because the mayor said the area is potentially unsafe.

And on Monday, work to build more permanent construction barriers is set to start.

It comes after community members raised concerns about gaps and other flaws in the steeple.

That’s when the city called for experts to inspect it and come up with reports.

“The principal one, which was done by an engineer hired by a masonry company that has a great deal of experience with church structures, is not able to tell us whether a collapse is imminent or not, but it was able to identify a structural flaw at the base of the spire above the bell tower and that is the the area that we intend to strengthen structurally,” Mayor Michael Passero (D – New London) said.

The mayor said the owner of the church – Engaging Heaven Ministries – was ordered to do the repairs and so far has not.

We reached out to them for comment, but have not yet heard back. Eventually, the city took on the job of fixing the church over the next month or two.

The work is expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and then a lien will be placed on the property.

But the mayor is hopeful the city can recoup its expenses if the church is eventually sold.

At this point, he said the city has checked all of the steeples in the city and this is the only one with serious structural issues.

All of this has left several congregations looking for a new home. And this is eerily familiar for those who were involved with Engaging Heaven Ministries.

Not only does the organization own the church which was condemned, but it also previously owned the church that collapsed last year.

After the dramatic collapse of the First Congregational Church in New London, the group that owned the building – Engaging Heaven Ministries – thought they had a found a new home nearby after purchasing the Second Congregational Church for a dollar.

“I think even going into the building, we knew that there was going to eventually need to be work done,” Desiree Rosado said.

Rosado and her husband Carlos, former pastors for Engaging Heaven, said concerns quickly grew about the roof and steeple of the historic church.

“Yeah, there was a lot of deterioration over just the past year. When we first got there it was, it seemed to be pretty stable,” Carlos Rosado said.

Besides Engaging Heaven, two other churches held services here. And as the problems with the building came into focus, they found out last month they would have to leave.

“This definitely came as a shock to us,” Rafael Herrans said.

Herrans said his church, Volvamos a Peniel, and its roughly 50 members have found a space for now at a Holiday Inn as they look for a permanent spot.

“Everywhere we’ve been looking at around, it’s a lot. And for a church that, you know, that’s the size we are at is crazy. We’re not able to afford it,” Herrans said.

As for Pastors Desiree and Carlos Rosado, they left Engaging Heaven and started their own church, House of Freedom.

For the past month, they’ve been holding services in the basement of their home as they, too, look for another place.

“Our congregation is pretty resilient after all we’ve been through,” Carlos Rosado said.

“God has always been our strength. He’s carried us through all of it, and he continues to do so,” Desiree Rosado said.

The pastors tell us they think the Engaging Heaven chapter in New London has dissolved. So far, we have not been able to confirm that.

There are now also two lawsuits connected to the collapse of the First Congregational Church in New London last year.

On Thursday, a woman filed a lawsuit claiming she was on the property and hurt when the steeple came crashing down.

It’s not clear right now why she was there or what exactly led to her alleged medical issues, including pain and rashes.

We reached out to her attorney and are waiting to hear back.

Previously authorities had said another person was the only one inside at the time and she was not hurt.

The lawsuit claims First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ and Engaging Heaven Ministries failed to properly inspect and maintain the church.

Both organizations are also being sued by an insurance company.

Following the collapse, it is claiming there were more than $80,000 worth of losses to a building next door to the former church property.

We reached out to both organizations being sued and their attorneys but have not yet heard back.