A Gothic Sanctuary Across from Forest Park
Memorial Presbyterian Church stands on the corner of South Skinker Boulevard and Alexander Drive in St. Louis, directly across from Forest Park. Its 1926 English Gothic bell tower, soaring slate roof, and limestone walls have long anchored the western edge of the park, and the church remains one of the most recognizable landmarks along the city's Central Corridor. Today the building is a living work in progress: in May 2025 an EF-3 tornado tore through the neighborhood, ripping fifty-four stone spires from the roof, sending an 800-pound limestone finial crashing through the sanctuary ceiling, and leaving water, wind, and structural damage in its wake. The congregation has continued to gather for worship each Sunday while a multi-phase restoration slowly returns the century-old sanctuary to its original form.
A Safe Place to Be a Sinner Loved by Jesus
The phrase that hangs over Memorial's welcome is simple: it is a safe place to be a sinner loved by Jesus. Members and visitors are not asked to come polished. Some are very involved with the life of the church, some are cautiously curious, some are skeptical. Most in the community were not raised Presbyterian, and a lot were not raised Christian at all. The congregation is made up of students, families, business professionals, university faculty, young creatives, and night-shift workers. Whatever a person's story, the door is open to question, to watch, to care, and to be cared for.
Memorial's vision is to see that welcome carried outward across St. Louis. The church looks at the Central Corridor - from the Gateway Arch through the Central West End to Clayton and University City - and sees more than a hundred thousand people living, working, and longing for something more. Whether through teaching that engages all of life with Jesus, collecting food for a food pantry, fixing meals for a women's shelter, or simply welcoming someone who has never had a positive experience of church, Memorial seeks to unleash the welcome of Jesus in both word and deed.
The congregation affirms the historic creeds of the church - the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Westminster Confession of Faith - because, as the church explains, these reinforce the story of grace. Membership is explored through a quarterly "More About Memorial" seminar, which meets on a Friday evening and Saturday morning for interactive teaching and discussion. Attendance carries no commitment to join.
Sunday Morning Worship
Worship at Memorial begins at 10:45 a.m. and runs about an hour, ending around noon. The service is liturgical in structure, drawing on both modern and ancient music. Worshipers move through a call to worship, congregational singing, Scripture readings (the bold words printed in the bulletin are read aloud together), prayers, the sermon, and a weekly celebration of communion. The climax of the service comes as the congregation comes forward together to receive the bread and cup.
Communion is served every Sunday with gluten-free options. Christians from any denomination are invited to participate; if someone is not ready, they are welcome to come forward without taking the elements. Visitors may take the bread and wine back to their seat if that feels more comfortable, and clear instructions are given each week. Both communion wine and grape juice are available.
Music is led by a worship director and an in-house band. The sanctuary also contains a Steinway grand piano and an Aeolian Company pipe organ - both available, alongside microphones, house sound, and music stands - giving the worship team a wide palette. Services are livestreamed on the Memorial Presbyterian Church Facebook page and on YouTube, and past sermons can be watched on the church's YouTube channel.
What to Expect on Your First Sunday
First-time visitors are common at Memorial, and the church works hard to make a newcomer feel at home. Parking is street parking - on both sides of Alexander Drive, on both sides of South Skinker Boulevard (with 45-degree parking on the southbound side in front of the church on Sundays), and on both sides of Wydown Boulevard just to the north. The church does not have a parking lot, but a half-circle drive offers several spots, including two accessible spaces, with an accessible entrance leading directly into the sanctuary.
Dress is weekend casual, though some regulars dress up. The sanctuary seats 500 people on the main floor and another 100 in the balcony, and the building's Gothic interior - with its stained glass, chandeliers, and pew-stand candles - sets a quiet, worshipful tone. Visitors are never expected to give. A separate "Mercy Box" hangs on the back wall of the sanctuary, an echo of the old poor box, to collect funds for those in significant financial need.
For general questions, the church office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Friday by appointment only) and can be reached at (314) 721-0943. Pastoral counseling needs are referred to trusted colleagues and to free counseling provided through Covenant Theological Seminary. Couples considering marriage are encouraged to complete at least five hours of pre-marital counseling with the officiating pastor or a licensed counselor.
Children and Families
Children are a visible and welcome part of life at Memorial. Babies and toddlers are welcome to stay with their families throughout the service. A mother's nursing room sits next to the water fountain in the narthex, with changing stations in the nursing room and the family bathroom. Wiggles and giggles are considered welcome noises. Toys and books can be borrowed from the Children's Library at the Children's Welcome Desk.
For parents who prefer a staffed option, the nursery is open from 10:30 a.m. until the end of the service for children ages 0 to 24 months. A parent or guardian checks the child in at the Children's Welcome Desk. Only plain Cheerios are served as a snack, though diapers, a change of clothes, and a bottle or water bottle can be brought from home. Volunteers will text a parent if a child cannot be calmed in ten minutes or has other concerns.
During the sermon, two children's classes meet: 2s&3s for two- and three-year-olds, and Children's Church for PreK through 2nd grade. Each class includes music, a Bible lesson, and time for play. Children are dismissed after the Children's Blessing and may be picked up at the classroom door as communion begins. Third through fifth graders stay with their families for the full service and use "Sermon Challenge" bulletins to follow along.
On Sundays between Labor Day and Memorial Day, children ages PreK through 5th grade meet for Christian Education at 9:15 a.m., splitting into age-based small groups after a large-group lesson, with the last fifteen minutes reserved for Kid City Choir rehearsal. Several Sundays a year, the Kid City Choir leads the whole congregation in worship from the chancel.
Families with sensory needs have three quieter options during the service: the church parlor (with a livestream of the service), the Children's Library, and the Play Garden, a fully fenced outdoor space next to the Alexander Street entrance. Every children's classroom is staffed by at least two screened adults, and a two-person rule governs all children's and youth ministries. Katie Kinney is the Children's Ministry Coordinator, and Sam Dolby is the Youth and Family Pastor.
Youth, Students, and College
Memorial has long identified as a college church, and it intentionally integrates university students, faculty, and staff into its community groups and adult ministry.
Youth Group is open to students in 6th through 12th grade. Sunday mornings begin with a Christian Education Hour from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., and the Youth Group Gathering runs from 5:00 to 6:45 p.m. Sam Dolby, the full-time Youth and Family Pastor, oversees the ministry.
For college students, Memorial partners with Reformed University Fellowship, which has ministries at Washington University in St. Louis, WashU International, and Saint Louis University. International students arriving in St. Louis from abroad are paired with Esha Christie, the church's International Student Director, and many find a home in Memorial's community groups.
Adults, Women, and Community Groups
An Adult Christian Education class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the Auditorium, resuming after Labor Day and pausing between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Women's Discipleship gathers women around Bible study, small group discussion, and fellowship events, with the goal of helping them know, experience, and treasure the saving work of Jesus. Julie Robinson leads the women's ministry.
Community Groups, typically eight to fifteen people meeting in a home or apartment one night a week, are described by the church as the most significant avenue of growth, healing, connection, and joy in the life of the congregation. The groups draw members from the same Sunday worship service into deeper shared life across the city.
Beyond Memorial: Ministry Partners
Memorial actively partners with a network of local and global ministries. Locally, these include The Chapel, a sanctuary for the arts housed in the same historic complex, and International Students, a St. Louis ministry serving students from abroad. College ministry partners include InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Reformed University Fellowship. On a global scale, the church supports church planting and leadership development in Japan through Mission to the World, refugee work in Houston through Prestige Institute, and relief and community development in Central Asia and North Africa through Operation Mercy. The church also supports a couple training for Muslim ministry around the world.
Weddings in the Historic Sanctuary
The sanctuary hosts weddings year-round. Four ceremony slots are available each weekend: Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. (with 5 p.m. as the latest start). Each couple receives four hours at the church, including a one-hour rehearsal on the Thursday or Friday before the wedding. Required staff - a custodian, a sound technician, and a facility coordinator - are appointed by the Director of Operations.
Couples must provide their own ordained pastor from the list of approved denominations maintained by the Memorial session. Pre-marital counseling of at least five hours is encouraged. Decoration guidelines respect the historic building: no exterior decorations, no tacks or staples, chancel walls kept clear, and seasonal liturgical hangings left in place. Music may be live or playlist. The church seats 500 on the floor and 100 in the balcony, with an aisle 100 feet long.
Tours are scheduled through Liz Hatfield, the Director of Operations and Wedding Coordinator. Weddings are not available on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, the week before Easter, Easter weekend, Independence Day, Thanksgiving week, the first Saturday of December, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. Application fees, church usage fees, and security deposits are itemized after a couple's tour.
Rebuilding the Sanctuary
The May 2025 EF-3 tornado left a clear mark on the building. Scaffolding has surrounded the sanctuary for more than a year as Memorial works through a multi-phase restoration. Phase 1 - the roof and gutters - was completed at the start of 2026. Every flat roof has been replaced with a durable TPO membrane, while the slate roofs are being replaced with Brava imitation slate. Damaged copper gutters, not fully covered by insurance, are being replaced with new copper to match the original ornamentation and provide roughly a century of service.
The fifty-four stone spires that crown the building are being re-carved to match the original design, and the stained glass - some of which had pinholes patched during the initial emergency response - is being fully restored. Inside, the 1931 sanctuary chandeliers are being rewired so burned-out bulbs can be replaced. New Skinker signage and landscape restoration are on the way, along with repairs to the nursing room, choir loft, and women's restroom.
Insurance is expected to cover most of the more than three million dollars in repair costs, but $300,000 was needed to cover deductibles and items outside the policy - signage, hardscaping, landscaping, lighting, the Playgarden, and drainage. By early 2026, nearly $240,000 had been given toward that goal. Gifts to the Rebuild Memorial Fund are routed through the church's giving platform or by check to the church office.
As the scaffolding slowly disappears, the people of Memorial continue to gather for worship each Sunday at 10:45 a.m., living into a vision of a city transformed by the welcome of Jesus. The Gothic walls are safe, and the welcome is unchanged.