K Karpen: "Transfiguring the Church" (Sermon for March 2, 2025)

Happy Birthday! On the first Sunday of March back in 1835, our congregation officially began, dedicated as the "Second Wesleyan Chapel". A church building was soon under construction, down on Mulberry Street.  Barely 23 years later, the congregation moved uptown to a brand-new place on Park Ave S. & 22nd St. - a soaring ediface, clothed in marble, with a 210-foot steeple, largely the gift of church trustee Daniel Drew. It was truly a glorious building, but lasted only 40 years. How surprised those 19th C. saints might be to know that their third church building, dedicated in 1897, is still standing, decades and decades later! One thing has been key. During those 190 years, our focus has always been not just on the buildings themselves, but on the work the buildings have enabled. As we move into the next phase of our Now Is the Time capital campaign, we will work together to make sure that our church building continues to be a catalyst for the work of love and justice. See you Sunday!K