Emmaus United Methodist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emmaus United Methodist Church |
|
|---|---|
South profile and east elevation, 2011
|
|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Methodism (UMC) |
| Leadership | The Rev. G. Ewart Morris |
| Location | |
| Location | Albany, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural style | Collegiate Gothic |
| Completed | 1914 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | east |
| Materials | Brick, stone |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | February 28, 2008 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 08000094 |
| Website | |
| Emmaus United Methodist Church | |
Emmaus United Methodist Church is a special building in Albany, New York. It was first known as Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church. This church has had five different names over the years! It's a beautiful brick building built in the early 1900s. Its style is called Collegiate Gothic. In 2008, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site.
The Calvary church took over from another Methodist church in Albany. That church had to move in 1912. The city needed their land to build a new school. So, the church members found a new spot. They moved to the Pine Hills neighborhood. This area was just starting to grow. New streetcar lines had just been built there. The church helped make this new neighborhood a strong community. It became a central place for everyone.
The church building still looks much like it did when it was first built. Later, the church joined with another church called St. Luke's. In 1994, they joined with another Pine Hills Methodist church. That's when they got their current name, Emmaus United Methodist Church. In the early 2000s, the church started a big program. It helps refugees and immigrants from Africa and Asia. They help these new families settle into the Albany area.
Contents
Exploring the Church Building
The church is on the northwest corner of Morris and West Lawrence streets. It's a large building with a unique look. Next to it are other big buildings. Across the street to the east is a parking lot. South of the church are many homes. These homes were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The church takes up the whole block between Morris and Yates streets. There's also a house for the pastor nearby. The church lot has some tall, old trees.
Outside the Church
The main church building is one story tall. It sits on a high basement. It has a tall, steep roof with a flat top edge called a parapet. A three-story bell tower is on the front right corner. At the back of the church is the parish hall. This part of the building is used for meetings and events.
The church is made of brick. The bricks are laid in different patterns. Stone decorations divide the sections of the walls. There are four sections on the north side and five on the south. Each section has a beautiful stained-glass window. These windows have a pointed arch shape.
The front of the church faces east. It has two large stone supports called buttresses. These buttresses are on either side of a tall, five-part stained-glass window. Steps made of concrete and brick lead up to the main entrance. The entrance is next to the bell tower.
The parish hall looks similar to the main church. Some of its windows are rectangular and have stained glass. The wooden doors and windows are mostly the original ones.
The bell tower has two large buttresses at its corners. There are narrow windows with stone trim on the first and second floors. The second floor also has arched openings with vents for the bells. At the top of the tower, there's a stone band and a flat top.
Inside the Church
The main entrance has original wooden doors. They have old iron hinges and a decorative window above them. These doors open into a small entry room. This room is inside the bell tower. From there, you can go into the main worship area, called the sanctuary.
The sanctuary has wooden panels on the lower walls. The upper walls are exposed brick. The ceiling has dark wooden planks. These planks are held up by special wooden beams. The church pews are arranged in a gentle curve. There are aisles in the middle and on the sides.
At the back of the sanctuary, there are doors. One door leads to the choir area. The other leads to the parish hall. The parish hall has a large main room. Smaller rooms around it are used for classrooms and meetings. There are also bathrooms and closets. Most of these rooms still have their original plaster walls. The basement of the main church building is also a large open space. It has smaller rooms around it.
Church History
The church started as the Ferry Street Methodist Episcopal Church. It later moved to Trinity Place and Westerlo Street. This area is now part of Albany's Mansion neighborhood. At that time, it became the Ashgrove Methodist Episcopal Church. They built their church there in 1863.
A school was across the street from the church. In 1912, the city decided to build a new school. They chose the land where Ashgrove church stood. So, the church decided to move. The street west of the intersection was even renamed Ashgrove Place in its honor.
When looking for a new spot, the church followed where Albany's population was growing. For a long time, Albany stayed close to the Hudson River. But after the Civil War, new ways to travel appeared. Horse-drawn streetcars allowed people to live further out. By 1890, these were electric streetcars. They went even further into new areas.
One of these new streetcar lines went along Madison Avenue. A company called the Albany Land Improvement Company was formed. They divided a large piece of land near Madison and Western Avenue. This area was named Pine Hills.
The company didn't last long, but building continued. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church started nearby in 1897. The new Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church was also built. Its building was much bigger than the old one. These churches helped make Pine Hills a stable and growing suburban neighborhood. In 1994, the church joined with another Pine Hills church. It was renamed Emmaus United Methodist Church. This name comes from a village where Jesus appeared to his followers after his resurrection.
What Emmaus Church Believes and Does
Emmaus Church believes that God is active in people's lives and in the community. They encourage members to live with faith. They also believe in being active and serving both the church and the wider community.
The church is well-known for helping refugees and immigrants in Albany. In 2007, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants chose them. They hosted 17 people who survived a terrible event in 2004. These survivors were from the Banyamulenge people. They had been in a refugee camp in Burundi. The pastor at the time, Denise Stringer, said they "fell in love with them." The refugees found the church and Albany to be very welcoming. That summer, they held a special ceremony. It was for all the survivors who had moved to the United States.
Because of this experience, the church started Refugee and Immigrant Support Services – Emmaus (RISSE). This program helps new arrivals from other countries. It offers English classes. It also helps families connect with other services. RISSE provides child care and helps with paperwork. Since it started, the program has grown. It now helps immigrants from Asia too. In 2009, Pastor Holly Nye said, "Emmaus is now a multi-language, multi-cultural congregation." This means people from many different languages and cultures are part of the church.
Other programs at the church include a youth group and a food pantry.
See also
