Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church
Location	1316 Park Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21217
Country	United States
Denomination	Presbyterian Church (USA)
History
Dedicated	December 4, 1870; 154 years ago (1870-12-04)
Architecture
Architect(s)	Hutton and Murdock (1870) Ralph Adams Cram (1931)
Style	Gothic Revival

The Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church is a beautiful and historic church located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.. Built in 1870, it stands in the Bolton Hill neighborhood at Park Avenue and Lafayette Avenue. This church is known for its amazing Gothic Revival style, which looks like old European cathedrals.

The church was named to honor a wealthy Baltimore businessman from the 1800s. Inside, it's famous for its stunning stained glass windows created by the artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. It also has a very tall, arched ceiling and a rich history connected to many important people. For example, Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a pastor here from 1887 to 1900, wrote the well-known hymn This is My Father's World. Also, the famous concert organist Virgil Fox played the organ at Brown Memorial early in his career, from 1936 to 1946.

Baltimore Magazine once called the church "one of the most significant buildings in this city, a treasure of art and architecture." Between 2001 and 2003, the church underwent a big restoration project that cost $1.8 million to make sure it stays beautiful for years to come. It is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) group of churches.

History of Brown Memorial Church

The Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church building officially opened on December 4, 1870. It was built to remember George Brown, a very important businessman in Baltimore. He was the head of a big investment company called Alex. Brown & Sons and helped start the first major railroad in the U.S., the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, in 1827.

George Brown's wife, Isabella McLanahan Brown, gave $150,000 to fund the church's construction. This amount would be worth more than $4 million today! George Brown was known as a successful leader who deeply valued his faith and loved his church. The first pastor of the church was John Sparhawk Jones, who served from 1870 to 1884.

Pastors and Important Events

Maltbie Davenport Babcock became the church's pastor in 1887 and served until 1900. He was a very popular speaker with a special way of connecting with people. He was known for his inspiring sermons and his ability to reach many different kinds of people. While at Brown Memorial, he helped raise money to support Jewish refugees from Russia who were facing difficult times. He was also a favorite speaker among students at Johns Hopkins University. Under his leadership, the church added more property for a chapel and Sunday School.

The church in 1875

In 1900, Pastor Babcock was asked to lead the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Many people in Baltimore, including professors from Johns Hopkins University, tried to convince him to stay, but he decided to move. Sadly, he passed away suddenly the next year at only 42 years old. A special memorial service was held for him at Brown Memorial.

Inspired by Pastor Babcock, a committee led by James Albert Gary, a former U.S. Postmaster General and church member, raised $50,000 to build a new church in his memory. This amount would be like $1.4 million today! More than half of the money was raised on the first day. The new church, called Babcock Memorial Presbyterian Church, was built on Brown Memorial Church's property.

John Timothy Stone took over as minister after Babcock. During his time, in 1905, the church's main worship area was made larger, and more beautiful Tiffany windows were added. In 1931, under Pastor T. Guthrie Speers, the front part of the church (called the chancel) was redesigned by the famous architect Ralph Adams Cram. A large 4-manual pipe organ was also installed. Pastor Speers was very popular and started programs to connect with Baltimore's Jewish community.

John Middaugh was the minister from 1958 to 1968. He was a regular guest on a TV show called To Promote Goodwill, which discussed social and religious topics. He was also a leader in the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. He was arrested in 1963 while protesting to end segregation at Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore.

Two Locations, Then One Again

In the 1950s, many people moved from the city to the suburbs. Because of this, some church members decided in 1956 to build a new church in the suburban Woodbrook area. Other members wanted to stay at the original Bolton Hill location. So, for a while, the church operated in two places with the same ministers.

In the early 1970s, the church started a tutoring program for local children and a "Meals on Wheels" service. In 1980, the two church groups decided to become separate churches. The original Bolton Hill church became "Brown Memorial Park Avenue" to tell it apart from "Brown Memorial Woodbrook." The Woodbrook church eventually closed in 2017.

Roger J. Gench was the pastor of the Park Avenue church from 1990 to 2002. The current senior pastor, Andrew Foster Connors, has served since 2004.

List of Senior Ministers

Here is a list of the senior ministers who have served Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church since it began:

Current Activities and Music

The current pastor of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Church is Andrew Connors, who started in 2004. He grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and studied at Duke University and Columbia Theological Seminary.

Under Pastor Connors, the church continues to work on important social issues. This includes supporting peace efforts, working for marriage equality, helping to rebuild neighborhoods in Baltimore, and supporting after-school programs for young people. Pastor Connors also takes part in discussions between Jewish and Christian faith groups.

Music Ministry

John Walker, Minister of Music Emeritus at the Skinner organ console

The church has a wonderful music program. Since February 2024, Michael Stefanek has been the minister of music and organist. He followed Michael Britt, who studied music at the Peabody Conservatory. Before them, Dr. John Walker, a world-famous concert organist, was the minister of music from 2004 to 2011. He was named Minister of Music Emeritus in 2012 and still plays there sometimes.

Other famous organists who played at Brown Memorial include Virgil Fox, who became very well-known as a concert performer while at the church from 1936 to 1946.

The church's large Ernest M. Skinner pipe organ has 2,939 pipes! It was installed in 1931 and was fully restored between 2002 and 2005, keeping all its original parts.

The church choir sings many different kinds of music during Sunday services. This includes classical pieces by composers like Mozart and Handel, as well as spirituals and songs by more recent composers. They also perform larger musical works throughout the year, such as the oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn.

Programs and Activities

Besides regular Sunday services, Brown Memorial Park Avenue Church hosts concerts, lectures, and study groups. Their "Tiffany Series" brings high-quality classical concerts and famous speakers to the church. Past speakers have included Harry Belafonte and Marian Wright Edelman, who founded the Children's Defense Fund.

The church's motto is "Alive in the City and the World," and its members are involved in many community programs. For over 50 years, the church has run the Brown Memorial Tutoring Program, where volunteers help more than 75 children from local elementary schools each week. High school students from the church go on summer mission trips, including trips to El Salvador. The church also has a long-standing program with the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where youth and adults from Brown Memorial lead summer learning camps for Lakota children.

Stained Glass Windows

The Holy City

The ornate interior

The church has many beautiful stained glass windows, but those made by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1905 are especially treasured. They are known for their bright colors and amazing depth. Baltimore City Paper called the church and its collection of eleven Tiffany windows "the most magnificent interior space in Baltimore City." During the restoration project from 2001 to 2003, all the stained glass windows were carefully cleaned and repaired to look like new.

Here are some of the Tiffany windows:

• The Annunciation to the Shepherds – This window shows angels telling shepherds about the birth of Jesus. Tiffany used a special "confetti glass" technique for the flames of the shepherds' fire.
• The Baptism of Christ – This window shows Jesus with John the Baptist at the River Jordan. Tiffany used wavy glass to make it look like you are seeing through water.
• Christ Blessing the Children – This window shows Jesus holding a child. The child's face in the window is actually the face of a boy who passed away, and his parents donated the window in his memory.
• I am the Way – This window shows Jesus walking on stormy seas. Special glass makes a glow of light around Jesus.
• Christ in Gethsemane – This window shows Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, with trees made of textured glass.
• If I Be Lifted Up – This window shows Jesus in the clouds, with light shining from behind his head. His eyes seem to follow you as you walk around the church.
• Lead, Kindly Light – The cross in the middle of this window glows brightly when the sun shines through it.
• The Holy City – This huge window shows St. John's vision of the "New Jerusalem" from the Bible. It has bright red, orange, and yellow glass for the sunrise and textured glass for moving water. This window honors Pastor Maltbie Babcock.
• Gabriel – This window shows the archangel Gabriel in the clouds, with each feather made of special glass.
• John, the Visionary – This window shows St. John with an intense look, made with different types of glass.
• The New Creation – Located at the back of the church, this window shows trees, mountains, and streams of "Living Water" from the Bible.

Some of the other beautiful windows in the church that were not made by Tiffany include:

• The young David – This window shows the future Israelite king, designed by Edward Peck Sperry.
• I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes – A landscape window, also designed by Edward Peck Sperry.
• I Am the Vine – Made by Church Glass and Decorating Company.
• The Lord Is My Shepherd – Made by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company.
• Good Shepherd – Made by Wilbur Burnham.

Images for kids

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  Maltbie D. Babcock, minister of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church (1887–1900) and author of the hymn, This is My Father's World

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  The Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Tiffany

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  The Baptism of Christ, by Tiffany

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  The New Creation, by Tiffany

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  Interior details

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  The Good Shepherd, by Wilbur Burnham, and the organ