Fordham Manor Church stands at 2705 Reservoir Avenue in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, a corner of northwest New York that has known this congregation since 1696. What began more than three centuries ago continues today as a multicultural, Christ-centered church shaped by three commitments: Loving God, Loving Each Other, Loving the Community. The church is part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, a family of churches rooted in the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ, and that theological grounding shapes everything from Sunday worship to Wednesday prayer to a long-running soup kitchen that feeds neighbors in need.
Three Pastors, One Bronx Story
The pastoral team tells the story of Fordham Manor as much as any landmark does. Senior Pastor Joe Hernandez grew up on Bailey Avenue in Kingsbridge and met the church as a college student at Franklin and Marshall in 1995, when he joined what was then a small and searching congregation. He served as a young adult leader, deacon, elder, and assistant pastor before becoming the church's senior leader in April 2012, with a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary grounding his teaching. He and his wife Jessica, a Co-Op City native, met at Fordham Manor and have been part of the ministry together since 2001.
Alongside him, Assistant Pastor Olga Rodriguez Figueroa joined Fordham Manor Reformed Church in 1994 looking for a multicultural community and found one. Over the years she has served as worship leader, choir director, deacon, and elder, and now serves as assistant pastor. A Baruch College graduate who also works full-time for the New York City Department of Education as a school placement officer, she leads the women's ministry. Assistant Pastor Vincent Harris has been part of Fordham Manor since 1981, when he and his wife Vivian were married in the church. A jack-of-all-trades who has served in worship, youth ministry, teaching, evangelism, building and grounds, and as a deacon and elder, Vinnie later earned his Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He and Vivian still play guitar together and share their music at churches, coffee houses, festivals, and on live radio.
The pastors are supported by a board of elders, including Margie Ortiz, Carolyn Harrison, and Yolanda Torres, and a deacon team that includes Chris Gervas, Ada Lugo, Sarah Bhatti, Ludy Caba, Ann Rambarran, Justin Molloy, Joe Laubriel, and Carmen Rios.
What Fordham Manor Believes
The Christian & Missionary Alliance identity is more than a label here. The church teaches belief in one God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in Jesus Christ as fully God and fully human, who died for sins, rose from the dead, and will come again; in the Holy Spirit, who lives within believers, guides, teaches, and empowers them to serve; and in the Old and New Testaments as God's inspired Word, the foundation for faith and life.
Salvation is described as a gift from God through Jesus Christ: through repentance and faith in Him, believers receive new life and become children of God. The Church is understood as the community of people who follow Jesus, worshipping, praying, growing in God's Word, serving one another, and sharing the Gospel. The church also teaches that God cares for the whole person and that prayer opens the way for healing, and it holds to the personal and visible return of Jesus Christ as the hope that motivates faithful living. Three values frame everything: Christ-Centered, Spirit-Led, and Community-Minded. The church's own mission statement sums up the orientation: to know Christ and make Him known, to connect with fellow believers, grow in God's Word, pray daily, and share God's love with everyone.
Sundays at Fordham Manor
Sunday is the rhythm around which the rest of the week turns. Adult Sunday School gathers in the church café at 9:30 a.m. for an hour and fifteen minutes of fellowship, prayer, and Bible study, working through different books of the Old and New Testaments in a small-group setting. Sunday Morning Prayer runs alongside it for those who want to lift up needs before the service begins. Worship itself begins at 11:00 a.m. and runs about an hour, with a focus on encountering God through singing, prayer, and a message from the Word. The invitation is simple: come as you are.
Children's Sunday School runs during the same hour as the worship service for kids ages 6 to 11, with worship, hands-on Bible study, and creative crafts in a welcoming space. Infants and toddlers are cared for in a nursery staffed by background-checked volunteers who keep the room safe, comfortable, and full of small joys, because the church believes even the youngest members are part of the family. A livestream of the service runs at the same time online so members who are sick, traveling, or housebound can still worship together. After the service, the building stays open for fellowship, with a café and rooms that are regularly made available to community groups through a meeting-space request process.
Discipleship and Growth Classes
For those who want to go deeper, Fordham Manor offers a structured path through its two discipleship classes. Discipleship School 101, called Your Life in Christ, is a four-week introduction to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and it serves as the formal prerequisite for both membership and baptism. Discipleship 201 follows on Tuesday evenings, also four weeks, and is designed to help believers discover their spiritual gifts and find the places where God can use them inside and outside the church. Both classes meet on Zoom in the evening.
The Bible Reading Book Club is the longer-running study. The group reads through the entire Bible in chronological order across the calendar year, gathering on Zoom for thirty minutes each Thursday evening to share what God has been teaching. Anyone can join at any point during the year. Anchoring the list of educational offerings is the conviction that solid Bible teaching is the soil in which everything else grows.
Life Groups for Every Season
Beyond the classes, a network of Life Groups meets the way real life moves. The Young Adults ministry welcomes people between the ages of 18 and 35 for Bible study, conversation about emotional and mental wellness, accountability, game nights, retreats, and community outings; the goal is for no one to navigate that season alone. Justin and Hilary Molloy lead this group. The Women's Ministry gathers women of varied ages and cultural backgrounds for authentic community, biblical teaching, prayer, and encouragement; the larger group meets two Fridays a month. The Men's Ministry, led by Chris Gervasi, centers on solid Bible teaching and brotherhood, with a weekly "Dudes in the Diner" breakfast for coffee, conversation, and accountability, plus outings and special events.
Two smaller groups round out the picture. Mending Hearts is a knitting and crocheting circle that uses its craft to serve babies, children, and adults in need, making hats, blankets, sweaters, and booties as a tangible expression of care; it meets on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month and asks for prior experience with yarn work. Soul Care is a Women's Book Club that works through an eight-week study of "The Emotionally Healthy Woman" by Geri Scazzero, with flexible options on Thursday evenings via Zoom, Saturday afternoons in person, or Sunday afternoons in person. RESET: Contemplative Spirituality is a quieter offering, a group that gathers regularly for centering prayer, silence, guided meditation, and lectio divina, drawing on the Christian contemplative tradition; both beginners and longtime practitioners are welcome.
Children, Teens, and Families
The next generation gets more than a corner of the program. The Children's Ministry, directed by Grace Patricia Tello, serves kids ages 6 to 11 every Sunday during the worship service with worship, Bible teaching, crafts, and friends their own age. The Nursery welcomes infants and toddlers into a warm and safe space staffed by caring volunteers. Teens have two touchpoints: Teen Sunday School, which meets during the adult service and speaks directly to the questions students are actually facing, from friendships and identity to pressure and purpose, helping them move from knowing about faith to owning it, and Friday Night teen ministry, a high-energy evening for students in grades 6 through 12 that begins with games and hangout time and moves into Bible study and real conversation. Through Bible studies, open conversations, games, outings, and special events, teens are encouraged to have fun while building a strong foundation in Christ.
Once a quarter, the whole church comes together for Family Night, a Friday gathering that opens with a barbecue dinner in the Fellowship Hall and then splits into age-appropriate groups for the second hour, with childcare provided for younger siblings. Couples ministry is led by Pastor Joe and Jessie Hernandez for those who want to invest in their marriages together. Ushers, under Satara Richards, help keep Sunday mornings running smoothly for everyone walking through the doors.
Recovery, Grief, and Prayer Support
Two of Fordham Manor's most distinctive ministries speak directly to the harder parts of life. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, twelve-step program that helps people work through hurts, habits, and hang-ups in a safe, confidential, and supportive community, combining the twelve steps with eight recovery principles based on the Beatitudes. It meets biweekly on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in person and is open to anyone seeking freedom from addictive, compulsive, or destructive behaviors. Carmen Rios oversees the ministry.
GriefShare is the other steady support ministry. Using a weekly video seminar and small-group discussion, GriefShare walks participants through the common stages of grief, from shock and loneliness toward healing and hope, in a caring and confidential setting. The group meets on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Zoom, and there is a one-time cost of $25 for a participant guide.
Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. add a third rhythm: in-person prayer, beginning with a short devotional, moving into small groups, and closing with a time of shared prayer requests. Members who cannot come in person can join the Wednesday Zoom Prayer Night at the same hour. A Monday-evening Zoom Prayer Meeting runs alongside GriefShare for those who simply want to lift up needs and pray together. Anyone can submit a prayer request online, and the form is passed along to the leadership team so that the wider church can stand in agreement.
Helping Hands: Feeding the Neighborhood
Helping Hands Soup Kitchen is the most visible expression of the church's heart for Kingsbridge. Every Wednesday afternoon, volunteers gather to prepare and serve a hot meal to neighbors in need, then share a few minutes of conversation and the hope of the gospel with everyone who comes through the door. The kitchen is part of a broader Missions Department that prays for and partners with missionaries and ministries both locally and among unreached peoples around the world, so that Christ may be known in every nation.
The Missions team also organizes seasonal outreach such as the Back to School Outreach, which gathers supplies and encouragement for students heading into a new academic year. Vacation Bible Camp, run during the summer for children ages 5 to 12, opens the week with the same simple truth that runs through everything else: Jesus is not just a person from history, a good man, or a wise teacher. Jesus is the perfect, proven, and powerful Son of God. Mending Hearts adds its own quiet outreach, wrapping handmade items around the smallest and most vulnerable among the church's neighbors.
Giving and Getting Connected
Tithing envelopes and boxes sit in the back of the sanctuary and the haven for those who give in person, with checks made out to Fordham Manor Church. Online giving is available through the church's giving portal, and prayer requests can be submitted online for the leadership team to lift up. The Connect page gathers life groups, events, giving, prayer, volunteer opportunities, and the livestream under one roof so newcomers can find a starting point in a single visit. Volunteers are always welcome, and the building is regularly opened to community groups through a meeting-space request process.
A community of believers that began in 1696 still gathers every Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m., still opens its doors on Wednesday afternoons to feed whoever walks in hungry, and still prays together on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. Three centuries in, Fordham Manor Church remains what it has always been: a neighborhood church on Reservoir Avenue, learning to love God, love each other, and love the Kingsbridge community one week at a time.