A House of Worship on Park Avenue Since 1940
The Brick Presbyterian Church sits at the corner of Park Avenue and 91st Street, in the heart of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Its Sanctuary, entered at 1140 Park Avenue, and the adjoining Parish House at 62 East 92nd Street hold one of the oldest continuous Presbyterian congregations in the United States. The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York traces its origins to 1767, when it grew out of the Wall Street Church as that body became too crowded for its Lower Manhattan home. Today, after three locations and more than two and a half centuries, the congregation gathers each Sunday morning for worship led by the Chancel Choir and a parish staff anchored by its fourteenth Senior Minister, the Reverend Dr. Thomas E. Evans.
Three Buildings, One Continuous Story
Brick Church has occupied three sites across Manhattan. Its first home was on Beekman Street, a spot now under Pace University's downtown campus; the second stood on Fifth Avenue and 37th Street from 1858 to 1940. The congregation moved to its present Park Avenue and 91st Street location in 1940, following the uptown migration of its members. Through it all, except for the years of the Revolutionary War, when the British commandeered the building as a hospital and later a brig, the church has been in continuous operation.
The church's first pastor, the Reverend Dr. John Rodgers, corresponded regularly with George Washington and served as moderator of the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1789. Gardiner Spring, called in 1810, moved the congregation to Fifth Avenue and instituted its first full choir; he remains known for the Spring Resolutions of 1861 in support of the Union. Henry van Dyke, called in 1883, revitalized a low-membership congregation, edited the Psalter, and wrote the text of "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee." The Reverend Dr. Thomas E. Evans, called as the fourteenth Senior Minister on July 26, 2020, previously served as Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and as Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. He holds a Master of Divinity (1994) and Doctor of Ministry (2003) from Princeton Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Mathematics from the College of William and Mary.
Sunday at Brick Church
The rhythm of the week centers on Sunday morning in the Sanctuary at 1140 Park Avenue. Sunday Child Care begins at 9:00 AM for infants and toddlers through age two, staffed by professionals from The Baby Sitters' Guild. At the same hour, eighth graders gather for Confirmation Class in the Carnegie Room on the third floor. Adult Christian Education runs from 9:45 to 10:30 AM in the Third Floor Living Room, with lectures and discussions that often pair with coffee and snacks.
The principal Sunday Worship Service begins at 11:00 AM and concludes at noon. Children from age three through seventh grade attend Sunday Church School during the same hour, September through May. Following the service, the congregation gathers for Coffee Hour at 12:15 PM and Prayer Partners at 12:30 PM. Communion and baptism are celebrated in the course of regular Sunday worship, in keeping with the Presbyterian tradition.
The Sanctuary organ, built in 2005 by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, is a four-manual instrument of 118 ranks and 6,288 pipes, voiced in the French Romantic tradition of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. A second organ, built in 1996 by Guilbault-Thérien for the Chapel, has two manuals, 19 stops, and 26 ranks. A fully restored 1898 Steinway "C" grand piano is also housed in the Sanctuary.
The Ministry of Music
Music is one of the defining marks of Brick Church. The Chancel Choir is made up of professional singers described as some of New York City's finest choral musicians, with additional volunteer choristers of strong sight-reading ability. The Choir sings each Sunday during worship and at special services for Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter. The full-time Minister of Music and Organist is Dr. Raymond Nagem, who also curates a year-round series of Worship & Arts concerts and recitals in the Sanctuary, frequently partnering with guest ensembles such as the early-music group The Sebastians.
The Worship & Arts season regularly features Bach cantatas presented by the Chancel Choir with period-instrument collaborators, a Festival of Hymnody tied to Reformation Day, the annual Service of Lessons & Carols by candlelight, and seasonal performances of Handel's Messiah with Tenet Vocal Artists and Juilliard 415. Children's music is led by Liz Richter, Director of Children's Music Ministries, who rehearses three youth choirs on Wednesday afternoons: the Cherub Choir at 3:00 PM, the Carol Choir at 3:40 PM, and the St. Cecilia Choir at 4:30 PM. The youth choirs sing regularly in Sunday worship and at signature events such as the Park Avenue Tree Lighting.
Sacraments, Weddings, and Memorial Services
In the Presbyterian tradition, the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion are ordinarily celebrated as part of Sunday morning worship. Brick Church baptizes both children and adults, with most Presbyterian parents choosing infant baptism. Weddings, funerals, and memorial services are scheduled at times other than Sunday morning. All weddings at Brick Church are Christian in theological orientation, with the basic service drawn from the Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (USA); weddings are reserved for members. Funerals and memorial services are services of worship conducted in witness to the resurrection and in remembrance of a life that has ended. A columbarium is part of the church's ministry of remembrance. Members and visitors may also sponsor the Sunday Sanctuary Flowers in memory or honor of a loved one, with the dedication printed in the worship bulletin.
Children and Youth
The Children's Ministry welcomes families with programs for children from infancy through twelfth grade. Parents' Morning Out meets Tuesday mornings from 11:00 to 12:30 in the Third Floor Living Room for parents and grandparents with children three months to three years. Kids on Wheels gathers preschool-age children and their parents on Saturdays from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in Watson Hall. Sunday Church School, running from ages three through seventh grade during the 11:00 AM worship hour, uses an inclusive curriculum of Bible stories, family meals, Advent crafts, a Christmas Pageant, and special Christmas Eve offerings.
Middle schoolers in fifth through seventh grade are known as the Pioneers, with monthly gatherings in the Carnegie Room for fellowship, scripture, games, and mission projects. High school students participate in their own youth group and an annual mission trip. Eighth graders may enter a year-long Confirmation program that meets Sundays at 9:00 AM and culminates in the choice to join the church as an active member. Seventh through twelfth graders may also be called into the Order of St. Paul, a Sunday worship leadership guild in which young people serve as crucifers, flag-bearers, and candle attendants and assist the pastors at special services during Lent.
The Children's Ministry Coordinator is Jeremy Farley; the Associate Pastor for Children and Youth is the Reverend Sarah Logemann. Sacraments Class for first and second graders introduces the meaning of communion and invites the children to join the congregation in partaking at the beginning of worship.
Adult Christian Education and Bible Study
Adult formation at Brick Church includes a rotating Sunday morning Adult Christian Education lecture series at 9:45 AM in the Third Floor Living Room, with topics that have ranged from a New Testament study of Jesus as the Image of God, to book conversations with returning Presbyterian ministers, to discussions of the congregation's history in light of the Prophet Isaiah. The lectures are open to visitors, and childcare is provided on the youth floor starting at 9:00 AM.
Three weekly Bible studies gather throughout the program year. The Men's Bible Study meets Thursdays at 7:45 AM in the Session Room. The Women's Bible Study meets Thursdays at 9:15 AM, also in the Session Room. The Lectionary Bible Study for Men and Women meets Mondays at 8:30 PM via Zoom, with discussions focused on the upcoming Sunday's Lectionary passages. A monthly Book Club, a Tuesday Night Dinner Party for outreach, and other gatherings round out the adult fellowship calendar.
Mission Outreach and the Wider City
The Mission Outreach ministry describes its work in simple terms: the church is not the community it is called to be until it reaches out and offers itself to the world. The Tuesday Night Dinner Party, held weekly from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in Watson Hall, brings families, individuals, youth, Deacons, and other volunteers together to cook and serve a meal with residents of the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter.
Brick Church supports a constellation of mission partners. The Deacons coordinate with the New York Common Pantry on food and toiletry drives and volunteer days, with the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center on an annual toy drive for children and low-income families, with Search and Care on visits and cards for vulnerable older adults, with the Urban Outreach Center on pantry organization and community dinners, and with the East Harlem Tutorial Program in East Harlem. The Day of Discipleship, an annual church-wide service day, sends volunteers to partners including Church of the Living Hope, Urban Outreach, Little Sisters of the Assumption, New York Common Pantry, and Search and Care. A prison ministry pairs members and former inmates in a re-entry program of letters, cards, and mentoring.
The Grants Committee and the Women's Association provide direct financial support to these mission partners and offer scholarships to children of Brick Church members and of the sexton staff.
Women's Association and Men's Association
The Brick Church Women's Association has long organized the annual Brick Church Fair, a two-day November event and the Association's largest fundraiser, with proceeds underwriting outreach grants and scholarships. The Association also hosts a Fall Fling, a Dinner Dance and Silent Auction, an annual luncheon in the Garden, and Mahjong for Ministries. The Men's Association gathers men of the congregation for fellowship and service, including an annual Oktoberfest evening in the Garden with sausage, bretzels, kaesespaetzle, and brew. Both associations maintain their own programming calendars in coordination with the broader church.
Joining Brick Church
New Member Classes meet several times a year, with three Sunday morning sessions per series covering church life, a tour of the building, and an introduction to ministry. New members are received into the congregation in worship and celebrated at a reception at The Manse, the residence of the Senior Minister. Those wishing to explore membership may begin by attending Sunday worship and a Coffee Hour, and may register through the church's online forms.
The Brick Church School
Sharing the Parish House, The Brick Church School has educated young children on the same campus since 1940. The nursery school program begins with the Twos and continues through classes for three-, four-, and five-year-olds, fostering physical, social, emotional, spiritual, language, and cognitive development. The Director is Marie Fabian.
A Congregation in the Presbyterian Tradition
Brick Church is a member congregation of the Presbytery of New York City and of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Its mission statement, adopted by the Session on November 15, 2003, names the congregation's calling: "to respond to the word of God as found in the Old and New Testaments" and to "lead, inspire and enable the public worship of God in the Presbyterian tradition in the city of New York." A 2019 Mission Review identified four pillars of community life - Worship, Serve, Learn, Connect - and a 2021 strategic implementation plan added goals of spiritual vitality, stewardship, outreach, nurture, and education.
Sunday services are livestreamed on the church's online channels, bulletins are posted in advance, and past sermons are available for listening and watching. The Brick Church app, available for iOS and Android, keeps the congregation connected to the calendar, giving, and daily life of the parish.