First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica
Encyclopedia
The First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica is a church in Jamaica, Queens
. At over 345 years old, it is the oldest continuously serving Presbyterian church in the United States
.
, England
. Though there are older churches on Long Island, the congregation has not stopped service ever. In 1699, a stone church was built on what is now Jamaica Avenue, paid for by tax dollars. In 1702, the congregations of Grace Episcopal and First Reformed split off. A new church was constructed in 1813 near 163rd Street. It was moved, along with a manse built in 1824, in 1920 to the present location. 2 years later, a bronze tablet was erected to mark the 260th anniversary. In 1925, a church house, now known as the Magill Memorial Building, was erected to accommodate the growing church's need for office and classroom space. In April 2008, the church celebrated its 345th anniversary. Later that year, the church turned down landmark recognition by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
. Pastor Patrick H. O'Connor, along with several other pastors, recently pressed the state of New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli
to press banks on their high credit rates, and recently called for Citigroup
CEO Vikram Pandit
to reveal his stance on a proposed 10% cap on credit card interest.
The church has many community outreach programs, including blood drives, prostate cancer screenings, sponsoring Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, and running the Bread of Life Food Pantry, which serves the nearly 39% of homes in Queens
afflicted by hunger. It also partners with many organizations, including Alcoholics Anonymous
, Blood Services of New York City, the Cornell University
Extension Program, and the New York City
Department of Youth and Community Development.
The church also partners with YouthWorks, which allows young people from all over the world to experience the wonderful diversity of culture and worship styles found in Jamaica.
, ESL
, and SAT
preparation, financial literacy and job readiness classes, and hunger relief. The Center also complements existing social service providers.
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
. At over 345 years old, it is the oldest continuously serving Presbyterian church in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The church was first organized in 1662. Most of the original members came from Halifax, West YorkshireHalifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Though there are older churches on Long Island, the congregation has not stopped service ever. In 1699, a stone church was built on what is now Jamaica Avenue, paid for by tax dollars. In 1702, the congregations of Grace Episcopal and First Reformed split off. A new church was constructed in 1813 near 163rd Street. It was moved, along with a manse built in 1824, in 1920 to the present location. 2 years later, a bronze tablet was erected to mark the 260th anniversary. In 1925, a church house, now known as the Magill Memorial Building, was erected to accommodate the growing church's need for office and classroom space. In April 2008, the church celebrated its 345th anniversary. Later that year, the church turned down landmark recognition by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
. Pastor Patrick H. O'Connor, along with several other pastors, recently pressed the state of New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli
Thomas DiNapoli
Thomas P. DiNapoli is the 54th Comptroller of the state of New York. He is a former state assemblyman in New York, who was appointed as New York State Comptroller on February 7, 2007. He was formerly the Chairman of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. DiNapoli is a Democrat from...
to press banks on their high credit rates, and recently called for Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
CEO Vikram Pandit
Vikram Pandit
Vikram S. Pandit is an Indian-born American business executive. He is the current CEO of Citigroup.-Early life:Vikram Pandit was born in Nagpur, India to an affluent Marathi family . His father, S B Pandit was an executive director at Sarabhai Chemicals in Baroda. He completed his schooling at the...
to reveal his stance on a proposed 10% cap on credit card interest.
Ministries and community outreach
Internal ministries include communications within the church (e.g. newsletter, bulletin, etc.); drama within the church (e.g. Christmas pageants); small group ministries centering around personal interests; Brothers on the Move, the men's ministry; Presbyterian Women; and the Alice Horn Gift Shop, including the Pastor's Book of the Month Club.The church has many community outreach programs, including blood drives, prostate cancer screenings, sponsoring Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, and running the Bread of Life Food Pantry, which serves the nearly 39% of homes in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
afflicted by hunger. It also partners with many organizations, including Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
, Blood Services of New York City, the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
Extension Program, and the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Department of Youth and Community Development.
The church also partners with YouthWorks, which allows young people from all over the world to experience the wonderful diversity of culture and worship styles found in Jamaica.
Tree of Life Center
The Tree of Life Center is an outreach program to economically empower Jamaica, and make individuals in the community self-sufficient. Programs at the Center include GEDGED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
, ESL
ESL
ESL is a common abbreviation for English as a Second Language, see English language learning and teaching.ESL may also refer to:-Companies:...
, and SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
preparation, financial literacy and job readiness classes, and hunger relief. The Center also complements existing social service providers.