The Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts is an active Conservative Congregational Church at the corner of Tremont Street and Park Street. The church is currently pastored by Gordon P. Hugenberger.
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History
Park Street Church is a historic stop on the Freedom Trail. It was founded in 1809 by twenty-six local people, mostly former members of the Old South Meeting House. The cornerstone of the church was laid on May 1 and construction was completed by the end of the year, under the guidance of Peter Banner (architect), Benajah Young (chief mason) and Solomon Willard (woodcarver). Banner took inspiration from several early pattern books, and his design is reminiscent of a London church by Christopher Wren. Park Street church's steeple rises to 217 feet (66 m), and remains a landmark visible from several Boston neighborhoods.[1] The steeple is seen as the terminus of both Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street, two of Boston's radial avenues. The church is adjacent to the historic Granary Burying Ground.
The church became known as "Brimstone Corner", in part because of the missionary character of its preaching,[2] and in part because of the storage of gunpowder during the War of 1812.[3]
Park Street Church has a strong tradition of missions, evangelical doctrine, and application of Scripture to social issues. Edward Dorr Griffin (1770-1837) served as the first pastor of the Park Street Church and preached a famous series of Sunday evening sermons attacking the New Divinity.[4] In 1816 Park Street Church joined with Old South Church to form the City Mission Society, a social service society to serve Boston's urban poor. In 1826 Edward Beecher, a notable abolitionist, became pastor of the church. On July 4, 1829, William Lloyd Garrison delivered his Address to the Colonization Society at Park Street, making his first major public statement against slavery. The church also hosted the debut of My Country, 'Tis of Thee, also known as America, by Samuel Francis Smith on July 4, 1831. Benjamin E. Bates, an industrialist who founded Bates College in Maine, was a Sunday school teacher and active attendant of Park Street in the mid-nineteenth century. Gleason Archer, a prominent inerrantist theologian and son of Suffolk University founder Gleason Archer, Sr., was the assistant pastor of Park Street from 1945 to 1948.
Today
After almost 200 years, the church is still engaged in current social issues. For example, Park Street Church helped launch a private high school in Hyde Park in 2002 to help address the educational needs of inner-city Boston (more than 70% of its students are on scholarship and more than 50% are minorities); it supports ministries for the homeless, such as Boston Rescue Mission; it partners with Daybreak Pregnancy Resource Center and A Woman's Concern to assist women facing unplanned pregnancy; it provides English classes for international students and immigrants; and through a ministry called Alive in Christ, an affiliate of Exodus International and an advocate of conversion therapy, it seeks to "help those who struggle against their homosexuality and seek Christian guidance."[5] Park Street is an international congregation, with members from more than 60 countries. The church attracts many regular worshippers from among the undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty at Boston-area universities.
Boston Mayor Menino[6] announced February 27, 2009 as Park Street Day in honor of its bicentennial.
Senior Ministers (1811-present)
- Edward D. Griffin 1811 - 1815
- Sereno E. Dwight 1817 - 1826
- Edward Beecher 1826 - 1830
- Joel H. Linsley 1832 - 1835
- Silas Aiken 1837 - 1848
- Andrew Leete Stone 1849 - 1866
- William H.H. Murray 1868 - 1874
- John L. Withrow 1876 - 1887; 1898 - 1907
- David Gregg 1887 - 1890
- Isaac J. Lansing 1893 - 1897
- Arcturus Z. Conrad 1905 - 1937
- Harold J. Ockenga 1936 - 1969
- Paul E. Toms 1969 - 1989
- David C. Fisher 1989 - 1995
- Gordon P. Hugenberger 1997 - present
References
- ^ Park Street Church history and architecture from the Park Street Church website
- ^ Roff, Sandra. "The Beecher Tradition: Edward Beecher." http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/2001/beecher/edward.htm
- ^ "Park Street Church: Our Beginnings" http://www.parkstreet.org/our_beginnings
- ^ Old, Hughes Oliphant. The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church: Volume 6, The Modern Age. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007: 164.
- ^ Patricia Wen (2005-10-28). ""'Ex-gay' ministry reaches out to Hub"". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/10/28/ex_gay_ministry_reaches_out_to_hub. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
- ^ ""Park Street Church Celebrates Its Bicentennial"". 2009-03-01. http://www.pr.com/press-release/135559. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
External links
Images
 Park St. Church, 19th c. |
 Park Street Church lot at Mount Auburn Cemetery |
| Preceded by Old North Church |
Tallest Building in Boston 1810—1867 66m |
Succeeded by Church of the Covenant |
| Preceded by Massachusetts State House |
Locations along Boston's Freedom Trail Park Street Church |
Succeeded by Granary Burying Ground |
Coordinates: 42°21′25″N 71°03′44″W / 42.356911°N 71.062151°W
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