"The Presbytery
of New York at their session, the twenty-eight day of June, 1808, in the
City of New York, received under their care a new congregation in said
city who contemplated worshipping in Cedar Street and permitted them to
prosecute a call on the Rev. John B. Romeyn of the Presbytery of Albany."
1808:
Our beginnings
So reads the very first entry of The Records of the Session of the Presbyterian
Church in Cedar Street New York. The entry, like the spirit in which it
was penned, followed the congregation uptown to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church. Today, the Cedar Street site in downtown Manhattan is the plaza
area for the Chase Bank complex, barely recognizable as "good soil," but
nonetheless the earth from which the tree of life on Fifth Avenue was
transplanted.
Our first
pastor, Rev. Dr. John B. Romeyn
Dr. Romeyn accepted the invitation to be the Pastor of the Presbyterian
Church on Cedar Street and assumed the post on November 9, 1808. The first
congregational meeting was held December 13. Though 28 people had signed
the June 28 petition to the Presbytery, only 26 attended the December
meeting and became members.
This
small but notable congregation included such members as Oliver Wolcott, Jr.,
former Secretary of the Treasury and son of a signer of the Declaration
of Independence; Archibald Gracie, whose Gracie Mansion is now the residence
of the Mayor of New York, and Betsy Jackson, an African-American slave.
Among the first officers of the church was Richard Varick, an aide to
George Washington and former Mayor of New York City.
Dr. Romeyn was just 28 years old when he was called to the pastorate of the Cedar Street church, yet he was considered one of the finest preachers of the day. The son of a Dutch Reformed minister, Dr. Romeyn was raised in a predominately Dutch-speaking household. In fact, all the family’s Bible readings were in Dutch. He attended Union College in Schenectady and received a degree from Columbia College at the age of 18.
Dr. Romeyn had served a Dutch Reformed church in Rhinebeck, NY, then the First Presbyterian Church of Albany. His preaching skills were renowned, and he received an invitation to preach at the General Assembly of the Presbytery. Two years after coming to Cedar Street, he was named Moderator of the General Assembly.
Our early
outreach
The Church was instrumental in founding such organizations as the New
York Bible Society, The American Bible Society, the Princeton Theological
Society and various interdenominational mission boards. In 1815, members of the congregation
established the first free schools, which later were expanded into the
New York Public School System. A year later, Cedar Street Presbyterian
participated in the founding of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions
and, subsequently, the Board of Foreign Missions. Members of the congregation
also helped found The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural
History, and the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital.
The first manse was located on White Street in a shady, quiet residential area. Dr. Romeyn would drive his horse-drawn buggy from there down Broadway on Sunday mornings to conduct the service. In those days the city allowed the street to be chained off so the congregation would not be disturbed during worship by street noises.
1830s:
A new location for the church
Downtown Manhattan was changing from a residential to a commercial area,
and the city decided to widen Cedar Street around 1830, putting the church’s
future in jeopardy. The congregation sold the land and property for $75,000 and began
looking for a new site for their church. Four lots were purchased from
Trinity Church on the southeast corner of Chambers and Chapel Streets.
However, Chapel Street was part of the City’s street-widening plan and
the congregation was able to void the sale and buy a lot at Duane and
Church Streets. (While there is no historical evidence that street names
played any role in the congregation’s decision-making process, it does
seem to have been divinely inspired.)
A "temple" of marble with a colonnaded portico was built at Duane and Church, and Rev. Cyrus Mason was its pastor. He resigned "due to a condition of health" (he stuttered) not long after the Duane Street Church was dedicated on January 3, 1836. The new church’s design included twelve pews for a choir. Before the 1830’s, it was not proper to have the congregation or a choir sing during a worship service, let alone an organ be played. Today, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church resounds on Sunday mornings to the melodies of joy that reverberate from the Church.
1840s:
Another move is necessary
The paint barely had time to peel off of the new Duane Street Church when
the newly installed Rev. Dr. James W. Alexander began to lobby in 1844
for another move farther uptown. Stiff opposition caused him to resign
in 1849, but he must have been popular, because the move was made to 19th
Street and Fifth Avenue, where a new church was dedicated in 1852 and
the good Dr. Alexander was recalled.
1860s:
A new home and new changes
It was 1867 when women were allowed to vote on church matters. That was
also the year the Rev. Dr. John Hall was recruited as pastor all the way
from Armagh, Northern Ireland. One complimentary newspaper described Dr.
Hall as follows: "He usually wears a gown, and is always reverential,
generally solemn, never in the pulpit humorous."
The design
of the new church was similar to our present edifice, though it didn’t
have a suspended ceiling. Already the roof was being raised by a congregation
that loved to sing. Lowell Mason was the music director. Stores were closed
on Sundays in those days, including the Arnold Constable department store
behind the Church. This was the hub of the Merchants’ Mile (Broadway from
14th to 23rd Streets), and there was no question
that this Presbyterian church was a New York City church. It had 200 pews!
1870s:
The move to 55th Street and Fifth Avenue
Soon even this building was insufficient, and big plans were hatched for
a new church at 55th Street and Fifth Avenue. The land was
purchased at the intersection of what were still two dirt roads amidst
mansions like those that still stand along the east side of Central Park.
The cost of the land was $350,000. The new church was dedicated May 9,
1875, and construction costs were fully paid by 1877.
According to news clips in the archives of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, The New York Times gave the opening of the sanctuary rave reviews. The newspaper reflected that many of the attendees at the first Sunday service, May 9, were not members, and the expectation was that the attendance would decline. It is interesting to note that the attendance more than doubled in ten years’ time.
1900s:
The congregation grows
Under the early 1900s ministry of Rev. Dr. John Henry Jowett, originally
from Halifax, England it was not uncommon for Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church to have to turn away as many as 1,000 would-be worshippers on any
given Sunday. Church membership was at an all-time high of 2,606 in 1916.
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Rev.
Dr. John Bonnell served as pastor from 1935 to 1962 and introduced pastoral
psychology/counseling, a field in which he became recognized as a leader.
His Pastoral Psychiatry, published in 1938, was the first book
on the subject. Dr. Bonnell (1893-1992) was a nationally renowned author
and religious broadcaster on the ABC radio network as host of the series,
"National Vespers, " from 1936 until 1961. In 1956, he introduced
"Dial-a-Prayer," which continues to be a valued ministry of Fifth Avenue
Presbyterian Church today. Dr. Bonnell played a leadership role in the
movement to increase ties between Protestants and Roman Catholics, and
in 1966 he was presented with a silver medal for ecumenical services by
Pope Paul VI during a private audience. He also served as co-chair of
the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Dr. Bonnell's interfaith
interests, as well as his service as a guest lecturer at Princeton Theological
Seminary, helped develop an international awareness of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church. In fact, he "made the name of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
synonymous with human sympathy, evangelical warmth, and spiritual refreshment,"
according to the Rev. Dr. John A. Mackey, President of the Princeton Theological
Seminary, who praised Dr. Bonnell's services in 1943.
1960s: "You can't go it alone in New York."
The
Rev. Dr. Bryant Kirkland served as Senior Pastor
from 1962 until 1987. He was named Clergyman of the Year in 1975 by the
Religious Heritage of America. The
Shelter for the Homeless, which today remains open
seven days a week, 365 days a year, was begun by Dr. Kirkland, Pastor
Emeritus. Dr. Kirkland was the author
of several books, including A Pattern for Faith and Living in
a Zigzag Age.
Dr. Kirkland was succeeded in 1987 by Rev. Dr. R. Maurice Boyd, who came
to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church from the Metropolitan United Church
in London, Ontario. Dr. Boyd's charismatic preaching attracted many worshippers
during his tenure, and it was during his time with the church that his
book, Permit Me Voyage, was published.
1990s:
Into the new millennium
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church renewed its long relationship with
Princeton Theological Seminary in 1994, when a protégé of Dr. Kirkland,
Rev. Dr. Thomas K. Tewell, was invited to the church as Senior Pastor.
Dr. Tewell had held that position at the 5,000-member Memorial Drive Presbyterian
Church in Houston, Texas. Under his leadership, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church established the Center
for Christian Studies, which has rapidly grown into a
highly regarded center of religious education.
2000
- 2008: The early 21st century
For
the first time since our sanctuary was built in 1875 and our church house
in 1925, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church underwent a major renovation
and expansion project. More than five years of prayerful study brought
forth a comprehensive plan for construction, renovation, and mission,
including a new Christian Education Center carved from the unused space
below the sanctuary; an enlarged 55th Street lobby; complete renovation
of the 10-story church house; air-conditioning and fire proofing systems;
and a 10% tithe to mission.
Since 1995, the congregation of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church has grown by 50 percent to more than 3,550. As we celebrate our bicentennial year, 2008, we look forward to continued growth, not only numerically, but also-and more importantly-in our service to Christ. With young families joining at an unprecedented rate, the Sunday School has more than 200 participants from infants to teens. Some 957 members and non-members are enrolled in our Center for Christian Studies, a comprehensive adult education program. In addition to a full schedule of worship services and classes, the church has become a leading voice in addressing New York’s homeless problem and plays host to more than 40 outreach and fellowship programs each week. With our construction and renovation project now complete, we have the facilities to achieve our call to service in the 21st century.
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Copyright © 1999-2008
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church,
7 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019
212.247.0490
