Reverend Wants Community Church To Be "Spiritual and Social Lighthouse"

Rev. Linden DeBie has taken the reins as the Community Church of Douglaston’s first full-time pastor in four years.

Now, he wants to emphasize one of the words in the house of worship’s name.

“I feel very much that this is a community church,” LeBie said. “We want to reach out to the community as a spiritual and social lighthouse. The church has been leaderless for a long time. So, we want to re-establish its structure and reinvigorate our programs and grow them.”

DeBie took over at the church, located at 39-50 Douglaston Parkway near the Long Island Rail Road station, in late November.

The church had been operating for years without a senior pastor. Adrienne Flipse Hausch, a local attorney with a master in divinity, had been leading services at the house of worship.

The pastor, who was born in southern California, attended seminary school at Rutgers and received his Ph.D. in philosophy from McGill University.

He first served as pastor for the Reformed Church of America at houses of worship in New Jersey before moving to Florida, where he led a Fort Lauderdale church for eight years.

The tumultuous weather he has encountered during the past month-and-a-half in the borough has inspired a new Community Church initiative.

“The big blizzard hit soon after I got here,” he said. “We are going to coordinate an effort where people can call us immediately after a snowstorm and we’ll come out to make sure their sidewalks have been taken care of.”

DeBie said the initiative would focus especially on aiding elderly members of the community.

The pastor has been residing in a home owned by a congregation member as he awaits an old cottage at the church’s site to be renovated.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “When we got here, I had no furniture. People from the community provided mattresses and comforters.”

DeBie said he plans to seek out new members for the church in northeast Queens.

“We want the focus to be on our worship,” he said. “We want to build up the membership.”

DeBie said he also plans to call non-active members to get them involved once again with the church.

One program he is launching is called the Brain Trust, during which congregation members will meet weekly to discuss issues facing Christians today.

The first session, Christians and Guns, will take place on Feb. 5.

“It will be topical and on controversial issues,” he said. “I will guide it, but will not be lecturing.”

The church will also kick off some new programs, including a youth group, this spring as well as continue its popular concert program.

“It’s an historic church that has always been active,” he said. “We have a large facility and we want to make it available to the community.”