Our BuildingOur church home was built in 1882 by the Methodist Church and named St. Andrew's Chapel. It is one of the few remaining buildings, and the only church building, designed by New York architect Stephen D. Hatch. As a Methodist preaching station, it was served by the circuit riding preacher, who arrived on Sunday morning, and after preaching and leading worship, rode off to his next charge. In 1890, the building was was bought by a newly-organized Lutheran congregation from the Kingdom of Hannover and re-named the Evangelical-Lutheran Grace Church. What a mouthful! In 1935, the people of Grace Church were joined by the congregation of the Evangelical-Lutheran St. Paul's Church, formerly of 147 West 123rd Street. In 1945 we became Grace & St. Paul's Church.
In 1988 our church interior was completely rebuilt under the direction of Frank Kacmarcik of St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, MN, providing us with a new light and airy worship space, offices and classrooms, as well as living quarters for pastor and staff. The new Baptistery is adorned with an icon of St. Paul, "Preacher of Grace & Apostle of the Gentiles," by 20th c. New York iconographer Christopher Kosmas. In the Sanctuary, a 14th c. South German Virgin and Child oversees the worship of God's people. Our baby grand piano is a gift from the late Joan Kobin, "voice teacher to the stars," and our 20th c. chamber organ was crafted in Germany and assembled in New York. |
The Arts
From the music we use on Sunday mornings and our quarterly "Workshop" events, to our deeply interactive Sunday School curriculum created by professional artists, the Arts is an important part of what we do at Grace & St. Paul's Church.
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SpiritualityThe people of Grace & St. Paul's Church pride themselves on being both deeply religious and deeply spiritual. Click here to read more about our Bible Classes, Christian Meditation Groups, and the Labyrinth we're working to construct in 2014.
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Worship (Sundays at 11am)Sharing the Word of Jesus Christ and administering the sacraments is an important part of any Christian church. At Grace & St. Paul's, however, we've taken that to a new extreme, fulfilling our Mission with a dignity and grace that truly inspires.
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Wednesday Night Vespers GroupOur Wednesday Night Vespers Group meets every Wednesday for snacks & fellowship at 6:30pm, vespers at 7pm and discussion of all things spiritual at 7:30pm.
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