St. George's United Methodist Church (Philadelphia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. George's Methodist Church
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(2013)
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 324 New Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Built | 1763 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000064 |
| Added to NRHP | May 27, 1971 |
St. George's United Methodist Church is a very old church located in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. It's special because it's the oldest Methodist church in the United States that has been used continuously since 1769.
The church started in 1767. At first, the members met in a sail loft, which is a place where sails for ships were made. In 1769, they bought the building that is now St. George's. It had been built in 1763 by a different church group but was not finished. Back then, Methodists were still part of the Anglican Church. The Methodist Episcopal Church, which is a separate group, was formed later in 1784.
Richard Allen and Absalom Jones were the first African Americans to become licensed preachers in the Methodist Church. This happened at St. George's Church in 1784. However, just three years later, in 1787, Allen led most of the Black members out of St. George's. They were protesting against racial segregation, which meant Black people were forced to sit in separate areas during worship.
Richard Allen and his group went on to start the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Absalom Jones became an Episcopal priest and founded the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.
In the 1920s, St. George's Church was almost torn down to make way for the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. But a court case saved the church, and the bridge had to be built in a different spot.
St. George's has seen many changes over its long history. In 1769, it had about 100 members. By 1835, it grew to a huge 3,200 members! But after the Civil War and as the neighborhood changed, the number of members dropped to just 25 by 1900.
Today, St. George's is still an active and lively Methodist church. It continues to follow the same core values as the first Methodists who met there: love, acceptance, personal change through faith, and helping the community. The church is also working to make up for past racial injustices, especially with its African-American brothers and sisters.
Contents
Early Methodist Beginnings in Philadelphia
The Methodist group in Philadelphia started in 1767. They first met in a sail loft on Dock Street. After a few years, they moved to a public house at 8 Loxley Court. This house was owned by Benjamin Lowley, a well-known person in Philadelphia.
In 1768, John Wesley, who started the Methodist movement in England, thought about sending preachers to America. The next year, in 1769, two preachers named Joseph Pilmore and Richard Boardman volunteered to come to America. They wanted to help the Methodist groups that were already forming there.
Pilmore and Boardman arrived in Philadelphia on October 21, 1769. Boardman then went to New York, while Pilmore stayed in Philadelphia. They would switch places every four months. In Philadelphia, Pilmore and Boardman were welcomed by other Methodists. The group grew quickly under Pilmore's guidance, and they soon needed a bigger place to meet.
Buying the Church Building
On November 23, 1769, Joseph Pilmore wrote in his journal about how they decided to buy a new place to preach. Their old meeting place was too small, especially with winter coming. They tried to find other places, but it was difficult.
They decided to buy a large, unfinished church building. It had been built by a German Reformed group but was left incomplete because they ran out of money. The building was sold at a public auction for 700 pounds, even though it cost more than 2,000 pounds to build! The Methodists were able to buy it for 650 pounds.
On the day they bought it, November 23, 1769, the Methodists took over the building and started worshiping there. They have continued to worship in that building ever since. The next day, Pilmore held a special service to dedicate the unfinished building. About 100 people attended.
The Methodists initially rented the land the church was on from a Dr. Shippen. They paid 70 pounds a year. Later, in 1782, Francis Asbury worked to buy the land outright, and it was fully paid for by June 25, 1802.
The building's cornerstone shows it was built in 1763. When the Methodists bought it, it was just a "shell" – it had no paint, plaster, or finished inside. Over the next few years, they slowly improved the interior. The walls were plastered in 1784, and more comfortable seats were added in 1790. The upper seating areas, called galleries, were built in 1792. In 1800, a porch was added to the front door. More changes were made in 1836, including digging out the cellar to create a vestibule and a room for Sunday School.
Francis Asbury and Early American Methodism
Francis Asbury, who later became one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, arrived in America on October 27, 1771. He came to St. George's after a long ocean journey. Asbury wrote in his journal that the people at St. George's welcomed them warmly.
Asbury preached his first American sermon at St. George's the very next day. He would go on to preach about 16,500 sermons and travel over 270,000 miles across the colonies. He served as a pastor at St. George's but also spent a lot of time traveling. Asbury worked very hard to spread Methodism in the new American nation. He traveled mostly on horseback and helped more than 4,000 ministers become ordained over 45 years. The first conference where Asbury was in charge in Philadelphia happened at St. George's from September 22-26, 1788.
In 1773, Thomas Rankin, who was in charge of American Methodists for John Wesley, called the first American Methodist conference. Asbury and Rankin didn't get along well, and Asbury was sent to Baltimore. Maryland was an important place for Methodism at that time.
The American Revolution and the Church
The start of the American Revolution was a tough time for the new American Methodist Church. John Wesley, the founder, spoke out against the American uprising, which made many people in the colonies dislike Methodists. Francis Asbury refused to promise loyalty to the new American government and was fined. For 20 months during the war, Asbury had to hide at a judge's home in Delaware.
During the war, Methodists faced difficulties. Some were put in prison or beaten for not supporting the rebellion. In 1777, when the British army took over Philadelphia, St. George's Church was used as a hospital and then as a riding school for their cavalry. During this time, the St. George's community worshiped at First Baptist Church. After the war, the church building was in bad shape, but members worked to fix it up. They installed floorboards, seats, and a pulpit. The church was plastered in 1784, and the galleries were added in 1790.
The Revolution also led to American Methodists becoming completely separate from John Wesley and Great Britain. This happened because American Methodists wanted to be able to have their own services and communion without relying on Church of England clergy. Wesley understood this and sent Dr. Thomas Coke to America to make Asbury a superintendent. But Asbury said he would only accept if the other preachers voted for him. This led to the Christmas Conference in Baltimore from December 24, 1784, to January 3, 1785. At this meeting, Asbury and Coke were both chosen as Superintendents, a title later changed to Bishop.
The African American Methodist Split
Early Methodists often supported Black members of their community, both enslaved and free. John Wesley himself spoke out against slavery. Joseph Pilmore, an early preacher at St. George's, openly welcomed and helped the Black community in Philadelphia.
St. George's Church licensed Richard Allen and Absalom Jones in 1784. They were the first Black lay preachers in Methodism. Richard Allen, who was born enslaved, bought his freedom in 1786. He then started a group with 42 people and became its leader. In 1799, Allen was officially ordained by Bishop Asbury.
Because of Allen and Jones's successful work, many Black worshipers joined the church. However, problems arose due to racial tensions. The church started a new rule that made Black members sit in a separate upstairs gallery, without telling them beforehand. One Sunday in 1787, white ushers tried to force Absalom Jones, a Black member, to move to a different seat. They couldn't move him, but Allen, Jones, and the other Black worshipers walked out of St. George's at the end of the service and never returned.
This event led to the creation of two new churches: the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, with Jones as its first pastor, and Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, with Allen as its first pastor. These churches eventually led to the formation of the AME denomination.
On October 25, 2009, a special event called "The Great Gathering" took place at St. George's. Members of Mother Bethel AME and St. George's congregations worshiped together at St. George's for the first time since that historic walkout in 1787.
Church Name History
The building was originally meant to be a German Reformed Church called "Georg Kirchen," named after King George III of Great Britain. At first, the Methodists simply called it "our new meeting house." But later, probably because Joseph Pilmore suggested it, the name was changed to St. George's. This name honors Saint George, who is the patron saint of England and was killed for his faith in the year 303.
Important Moments in St. George's History
- 1769
* October 7: The first Methodist Hymnal (songbook) in America was published. * November 24: Joseph Pilmore led the dedication service and preached the first sermon in the building. St. George's has been used continuously for worship ever since. * December 3: Pilmore shared the rules and beliefs for American Methodists for the first time. * December 8: The first formal prayer meeting organized by American Methodists took place.
- 1770
* March 23: The first "Love Feast" for Methodists was held by Pilmore. * November 1: America's first Watch Night Service (a special service held on the eve of a new year or important event). * December 31: The first New Year's Eve Watch Night Service at St. George's, possibly the first in America.
- 1771
* October 28: Francis Asbury preached his first American sermon at St. George's.
- 1773
* July 14: The First Conference of American Methodism happened at St. George's. The second (May 25, 1774) and third (May 17, 1775) conferences also took place there.
- 1775
* Thomas Rankin recorded that many important people, including George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and Dolly Madison, came to St. George's to worship. John Adams wrote to his wife that he enjoyed attending because he could "worship with the ladies." Betsy Ross became a member after marrying outside the Quaker faith in 1773.
- 1776
* Robert Morris, a banker and merchant, attended St. George's New Year's Eve Watch Night Service. The next morning, he successfully raised money for Washington's army.
- 1784
* November 7: At St. George's, Dr. Thomas Coke first presented John Wesley's plan for how the Methodist Episcopal Church in America would be governed.
- 1785
* St. George's licensed Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, the first African American Lay Preachers in Methodism. Their success brought many African Americans to the church. However, racial tensions grew, leading to separate seating. This caused Allen and Jones to lead the African American congregation in a historic walkout. This led to the creation of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- 1789
* August 17: Rev. John Dickins opened the first Methodist Bookstore at St. George's. This was the beginning of the Methodist Publishing House and today's Cokesbury Book Stores.
- 1791
* The church helped organize the first Sunday School Association that included different Christian groups.
- 1794
* November: The African Zoar M.E. Church, led by Harry Hosier, was officially recognized.
- 1851
* November: "The Philadelphia Movement" was started, which helped shape how lay (non-clergy) members participate in the United Methodist Church today.
- 1863
* Robert Henry Pattison served as St. George's pastor during the Civil War. His son, Robert E. Pattison, who was a lifelong member of St. George's, later became Pennsylvania's 20th governor.
- 1952
* June 17: The Northeastern Jurisdictional Board of Lay Activities was founded here.
- 1959
* June 23: President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law that made St. George's part of Independence National Historical Park. The government bought and tore down the building next to the church to prevent fires. In return, the church would be kept as it was in colonial times. * November 24: The first St. George's Banquet was held, honoring service to God's kingdom.
- 1971
* March 29: St. George's was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its historical importance.
- 1976
* July 4: Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a famous author and pastor, led St. George's Bicentennial Services.
- 1979
* December 31: St. George's brought back the New Year's Eve Watch Night Service, following Robert Morris's old custom, to pray during a national crisis (the Iranian Hostage crisis).
- 1985
* January 20: President Ronald Reagan continued the tradition of Presidential Inaugural Prayer, started by Bishop Asbury and President Washington, by exchanging prayers with St. George's Pastor Dr. Robert Lord Curry. Presidents George H.W. Bush (1989) and George W. Bush (2005) also continued this custom. * March 10: Cardinal John Krol became the first Roman Catholic leader to speak from the Asbury Pulpit during a memorial service.
- 1986
* December 7: St. George's hosted the national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the fire service, which Benjamin Franklin helped organize.
- 1991
* July 10: U.S. Representative Thomas Foglietta spoke in the House of Representatives to recognize the retirement of St. George's 140th pastor, Robert Lord Curry. He praised Dr. Curry's work in preserving Philadelphia's historic churches.
- 1993
* January 20: An important meeting of Philadelphia clergy took place at St. George's. White clergy apologized for the sin of racism and how Mother Bethel AME's founders were treated unfairly.
- 2009
* October 25: "The Great Gathering" happened, where Mother Bethel AME and St. George's congregations worshiped together at St. George's for the second time since the historic walkout of 1787.
- 2019
* November 24: UMC President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, along with other church leaders, celebrated St. George's 250th-anniversary service. State and city officials also recognized the church's two longest-serving members.
