A church in the heart of the city, with a heart for the city

Years after Long Island church’s closure, renovated building offers home to Latino congregation

August 12, 2026

[Episcopal News Service] The last congregation to worship regularly at the historic Grace Episcopal Church in Riverhead, New York, shut down in 2017 because of dwindling membership. Then in 2023, the Diocese of Long Island halted any use of the building out of safety concerns from the deteriorating structure. But rather than tear the building down, the diocese chose to invest in extensive renovations that built upon the diocese’s evolving Episcopal ministry to the local Latino community in Riverhead. This month, the diocese officially rededicated the renovated building and reopened it as the renewed home of Iglesia San Francisco, a mission congregation made up predominantly of Spanish-speaking families and farmworkers on Long Island’s East End. The Rev. Luis Fernando López, who has served the diocese as a missioner in East End since March 2025, will move into the church’s renovated rectory while serving as the congregation’s priest-in-charge. “This is a day of thanksgiving for our congregation,” Lopez said in a diocesan news release before the Aug. 9 rededication. “Our people never lost faith. We continued to worship, to pray and to serve our neighbors wherever we gathered. Returning to this church gives us a renewed home for our ministry and a place where we can continue welcoming all who seek God’s love.” The original structure was built in 1871, but Grace Episcopal Church’s deep roots on the East End of Long Island weren’t enough to stem the gradual erosion in membership that led to the congregation’s 2017 closure. In the years since, the site has served as a hub of activity for the diocese’s ministry to farmworkers in the area. The diocese put the building to use as a ministry center and meeting place in support of its long-running partnership with Rural & Migrant Ministry, a nonprofit agency that works throughout New York state to give voice to the concerns of farm laborers. When the diocese was forced to halt use of the building in 2023, it began considering an extensive renovation project that would go beyond merely reopening the church campus. The church was restored for worship while adapting its spaces for ministries led by Iglesia San Francisco. Goals for the church and chapel included “enhancing their beauty, functionality and hospitality,” the diocese said. The parish hall, too, was transformed into a gathering space that can host parish meetings, celebrations, educational programs and community events. And exterior work has included a new roof, accessibility ramps and other safety and accessibility upgrades. The diocese has celebrated the building’s reopening as a sign of Iglesia San Francisco’s  commitment to its mission and the community. “Even when they could not gather in their church building, the people of Iglesia San Francisco continued to be the church — serving their neighbors, worshipping together and sharing Christ’s love,” Long Island Bishop Lawrence Provenzano said in the diocese’s news release. “Today we celebrate not only the renewal of this sacred space, but the flourishing ministry that has never ceased.” – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.