The Church of St. Matthew and St. Timothy 1797 to 2009

A congregation born of fire, mergers and the language of the people.

Through a series of mergers and fires, as the population of Manhattan has moved uptown, so has our church: Zion English Lutheran Church (1797, Mott/Park Streets, destroyed in 1815 and rebuilt; then in 1851 moved to Madison/38th St., merged in 1880 with Atonement), St. Timothy’s (W. 54/56th St. destroyed in 1890), Zion and St. Timothy’s (merged 1892, W. 56th Street, destroyed in 1921), and St. Matthew’s and St. Timothy’s (merged 1922, W. 84th Street, razed/torched in 1965, rebuilt in 1969).

Our congregation has also been characterized by a need to worship in the language of the people.  At Zion, services in German gave way to services in English, which led Zion to join the Episcopal Church in 1810.  From the 1950s to the present, services in Spanish and English have defined our worship.  Currently, there are people from more than twenty countries in our congregation.  In this diversity, we are united by our desire to contribute to our community and our need to explore the Christian faith and live out the baptismal covenant.

We say that, “We are a joyous and diverse community in New York City, seeking to reflect God’s love through word, sacraments, education and service.”  All of our churches have had a commitment to the community.  Our legacy is that many programs and organizations have come out of this congregation.  St. Matthew’s Church was integral in the late 19th century to St. Ann’s Church for Deaf-Mutes. Under the leadership of the Rev. James A. Gusweller (1956-1973) and Rev. Jay H. Gordon (1973-2002) the church addressed the needs of the community through a Neighborhood Center and a Housing Corporation.  In the early 1980s, the church contributed to the founding of the Jericho Project, now a highly successful non-profit that helps transform the lives of homeless persons.  The Center and the Corporation addressed the substandard housing conditions and violence related to drug dealing in the West 84th Street neighborhood, and gave children and youth a place off the streets and programs to enrich their lives. The Housing Corporation owns a 72-unit apartment building, the Saint Timothy Apartments, renovated in 2008 which provides affordable housing. The Neighborhood Center, now an independent agency, includes a tutoring center, an after-school program and summer day-camp, three pre-school age programs, and a program for seniors, which delivers 500 meals a day.  In its long-standing tradition of excellent music, in 2005 the church helped start the Phoenix Concerts.

In addition to our worship and educational programs the congregation puts great effort into the Sunday Meals program, and the Fishbowl Offering.  The Meals Program is completely volunteer run and serves around 70 meals every Sunday.  The Fishbowl Offering, a loose change offering collected at every service, funds outreach programs at the church and around the world.  From its inception in 2006 we have raised more than $6,600 through the fishbowl and have supported the Carpenter’s Kids, Nets for Life, Seamen’s Church Institute, the AIDS Walk, our Sunday Meals Program, our scholarship fund and the youth, et al.

Since 2007 the Reverend Carla E. Roland Guzmán leads the congregation.  Other clergy include the Rev. David Carletta, the Rev. Deacon George Diaz, and Rev. Luis Gomez.  Our Music Director is Mr. Avi Stein. We are one congregation of over 150 active members that worships in two languages.  In 2009 we celebrated forty solid years of faith and service in this home. In 2010 we celebrate 200 years of ministry in this Diocese, and welcome our 13th Rector.

Researched and written by Winnie Stone

Edited by Mo. Carla