The Vineyard Church plants roots in Lynbrook

The Vineyard Church expanded its branches with a grand ribbon cutting ceremony on its new campus at 180 Denton Avenue on July 31. With blazing a new trail, the church is imprinting on history as the building is the direct descendant of the first church structure in Lynbrook built in the 18th century.

“We are deeply humbled and honored to have been given such a beautiful building with such historic roots, “ said Associate Pastor Steve Munson. “We know we have been entrusted with this lovely building for a purpose, and we take that very seriously.”

With stained glass, carved pews, and a 30-foot vaulted tinplate ceiling, the structure is nearly a century old. Its roots date back to about 1790, where the original church known as the Sand Hole Church stood on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Merrick Road. There was a succession of church buildings at that corner which is now the Rockville Cemetery until the church, later known as the “Old Church,” moved to the Denton site in 1913.

It was on the whim of a chance encounter that the Vineyard church’s dream to expand came true, when they merged with Trinity Evangelical Free Church who previously owned the Denton site in 2009. Munson recounts a definitive moment where one of the church’s interns was riding his bike down Denton Avenue early last year when he ran into a man that would have an answer to the church’s prayers.

“As [the intern] passed this beautiful church, he saw a man standing in front, so he stopped,” Munson said. “The man was the pastor of the previous congregation at Trinity Evangelical Free Church, Rev. Celso DeGuzman, who had been praying for sometime for God to send more people to his church. Ironically, the pastor thought our intern was a homeless man needing help, so they started talking and...well, the rest is history. This is what we call a ‘divine appointment.’