June—Northeast Jurisdiction, Part 2

The Methodist Church of the 1950s and 60s saw a proliferation of new facilities named Aldersgate, after John Wesley’s journal article describing his “Aldersgate experience”. Wesley described of a 1738 London experience, “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans…. About a quarter before nine… I felt my heart strangely warmed.” This journal entry went to influence the naming of hundreds of United Methodist Churches built in the midcentury. Anecdotally, I have observed many the facilities I visit are named Aldersgate, after a saint (St. Mark’s, St. Paul’s, and St. Andrew’s), or after the town at which it is located, the ubiquitous “First” church.

I got up early to stake out Aldersgate UMC in South New Brunswick, New Jersey. On their website, I admired a distinctive, vintage cross-hatch pattern on the exterior. When I had called the office, the administrative assistant didn’t seem to recognize what I was talking about so when I had arrived to see the pattern mostly covered by tree overgrowth.

UMC of New City, New York is one my favorite buildings so far in this project. Located parallel to the Hudson River, about 30 miles from Manhattan, this 300-seat, saddle roof sanctuary is nestled between evergreen trees in the upscale, distinctly New York suburb of Rockland County. While Rev. Barbara Hoffman was out of town, Children’s Ministry Director Pat Javenes gave me a tour of Angle’s Attic Thrift Shop, a series of converted Sunday school classrooms which had racks of clothing and kitchen gadgets. It is no secret that many suburban Methodist church congregations are contracting, so spaces originally designed for one use are often transformed into another. As she left, Pat recalled the packed Sunday school classes of several decades ago. We just want more children here.

As I pulled up to UMC of Danbury late Friday afternoon, the parking lot was abandoned. After repeated emails and phone calls, nothing. It looked impressive from the outside, so I poked around and drove to Massachusetts for the night.