| United Methodist Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew | |
|---|---|
|
South (octagonal) tower |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | New York City, New York, United States |
| Affiliation | United Methodist Church |
| District | New York Annual Conference |
| Status | Active |
| Leadership | Bishop Jeremiah Jungchan Park |
The Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew is a historic United Methodist church located in the Upper West Side of New York City, New York, on West 86th Street. The Church is known for being socially moderate and for being accepting of people of all races, ages, and sexual orientations.[1] The Church hosts a number of performing arts groups, including the Empire City Men's Chorus, The Prospect Theater Company, and David Parker & The Bang Group.[2]
The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew is the result of a merger in 1937 of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church and St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church. St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1834 as the Mulberry Street Methodist Episcopal Church at 306 Mulberry Street. In 1857, the congregation moved to Fourth Avenue and 22nd Street, where a new church had been designed by Ebenezer L. Roberts. As their members moved uptown, the church relocated to the present building on West End Avenue and 86th Street, designed by R.H. Robertson and opened in 1897. Robertson's church and adjoining parish house are an eclectic mix of Romanesque Revival style influenced by Classical and Renaissance-inspired forms. The exterior is noted for its two towers, one being an octagonal campanile and the other a square tower set at an angle, and a main entrance with its tri-partite porch. Inside, the large sanctuary is flanked by galleries on three sides, and large windows that flood the interior with natural light.
St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1875, and had as its first permanent home a church at 123 West 71st Street. This church, designed by Stephen D. Hatch and built from 1880–81, is now home to Grace and St. Paul's Lutheran Church. In 1889, St. Andrew's moved five blocks uptown to a new edifice designed by Cady, Berg & See at 120 West 76th Street. The Romanesque-inspired limestone church had a low bell tower and a 1000-seat sanctuary surmounted by a dome. In 1937, after St. Andrew's congregation merged with and into St. Paul's Church, the building was acquired by the West Side Institutional Synagogue.[3]
At present, the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew (SPSA) is a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network of the United Methodist Church and its New York Annual Conference affiliate, Methodists in New Directions (MIND). The congregation welcomes all who wish to worship God the Creator, God the Redeemer and God the Holy Spirit; without regard to any arbitrary condition. The senior pastor is Rev. Dr. James (K) Karpen and the associate pastors are Revs. J. Manny Santiago and Julia Kristeller. SPSA also serves as host sanctuary for West-Park Presbyterian Church, Congregation B'nai Jeshuran and the New York Sacred Center. Also housed at 263 West 86th Street are the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, a food pantry and nutritional resource center, and West End Theatre, presenting many performing arts companies. The church building was declared a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1981.[4]