1890-Present
Judson Memorial Church
New York, New York NY/NY
I have cherry-picked sentences and paragraphs from the historical section of the Judson Memorial Church website and appreciate this good congregation for sharing their history so thoroughly and so liberally.
In 1890, distinguished preacher and church leader Edward Judson initiated construction of Judson Church as a memorial to his father, Adoniram Judson, Jr. The church was affiliated with the Northern (now American) Baptist Churches denomination. In the 1950s, it became dually-aligned with the ABC and the denomination now known as the United Church of Christ. Edward envisioned the Judson Memorial as an institution to serve the growing population of Italian immigrants in Lower Manhattan through health, nutrition, education, and recreational programs, as well as vibrant worship and religious instruction.
Backed by John D. Rockefeller and other prominent Northern Baptists of the time, Edward Judson commissioned the leading artisans of the day to create a splendid edifice where the immigrants of the South Village and the aristocrats of Washington Square North could meet on common ground. It soon became apparent that the established rich were none too keen on rubbing shoulders with the immigrant poor.
Edward did foresee that financial troubles would follow when he was no longer able to raise money from his rich friends; therefore in 1912, Edward persuaded the New York Baptist City Society (the local denominational organization) to assume responsibility for Judson’s finances, property, and program leadership. It was not until 1973 that the church incorporated itself and resumed ownership of its property and responsibility for all its finances and program.
Although it declined in membership after Edward’s death in 1914, the church continued to offer distinctive healthcare and outreach ministries throughout the 1920s and ’30s including the Judson Health Center which became one of the largest health care facilities in the nation.
After the Second World War the Judson Church redefined the role of the church to be a faith-based institution that responds to the societal issues of its time and place by working and advocating for progressive change. This approach led the church in the 1940s-‘60s to sponsor an interracial, international residence for students, and to open the first drug-treatment clinic in Greenwich Village. Judson participated actively in the local and national movements for civil rights, peace, women’s rights, and gay rights.
Also starting during the late 1950s and continuing to the present, Judson has become known as a home for innovative, often avant-garde, artists in many genres – dance, painting, theater. Judson became one of the three founding venues of “Off-Off Broadway” theater, and later housed the Judson Dance Theater collective that is now recognized as the creators of post-modern dance.
Worship styles at Judson have also evolved over time. Starting with a standard Baptist service,…the congregation adopted a service order modeled on the Scottish Presbyterian ritual. But in the mid-1960s, Judson relaxed a lot of the formalities, while keeping the basic outline on most Sundays. An “agape” service replaced the formal communion on first Sundays, with an informal bread and cheese brunch around tables and the ritual of communion using the food and drink already at hand.
Moving into the 21st century, the church had to deal with issues of deferred maintenance created by Judson’s aging buildings. Current minister Donna Schaper is dedicated to providing “spiritual nurture for public capacity” for Judson’s growing congregation, which now numbers approximately 250. Judson is proud of its history, but much more interested these days in shaping the present and looking to the future.
(See the Judson Memorial Church website for additional details.)[1]
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[1] http://classic.judson.org/Historical-Overview