The History of

John Wesley United Methodist Church

“We’ve Persevered Long Enough!

Now God’s Doing  A New Thing!”

92 Years of Ministry: 1916 - PRESENT

John Wesley's Pacific Street building in 1934.

John Wesley United Methodist  Church in Brooklyn, New York was begun as a “faith venture” in 1916 by the late Rev. J.R.H. Matthews. Originally based in the community of South Brooklyn (now known as Cobble Hill, Brooklyn), the church grew rapidly, having to move to several storefront locations before finding a then-permanent home in a former Greek Orthodox church on Pacific Street in that neighborhood in 1921.

At the time, the congregation was primarily composed of recent immigrants from the Caribbean, most notably the island of Barbados; and also many African-American Blacks whose families had migrated from parts of the deep South. All of these individuals and families came to New York City in search of a better life.

An interior picture of the former Nostrand Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church (260 Quincy Street), circa 1930.

In the years to follow, the church continued to grow as the second-generation members of the church grew and began having their own families. Many of these families settled in the community of Bedford-Stuyvesant, and commuted to worship at John Wesley. This situation set the stage for a final move to the church’s current home at 260 Quincy Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community of Brooklyn in 1947.

The occasion of the church’s move to 260 Quincy Street was marked by the congregation gathering for a final time at the Pacific Street location and marching across Brooklyn to their new home for their first worship service there.

The new building was the former home of the Nostrand-DeKalb Methodist Episcopal Church, which was a member of the New York Annual Conference, while at the time John Wesley was a member of the Delaware Conference in the Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This situation meant that while both churches were both Methodist Episcopal churches, John Wesley would have to buy the property. John Wesley took out a mortgage on the building which was fully paid, and was burned in a mortgage-burning ceremony in 1963.

In the years to follow, John Wesley transferred its membership to the New York Annual Conference, and became a United Methodist Church with the formation of the current denomination in 1968.

Many ministries would be developed to serve the community, including Worship and Prayer Events, Youth & Young Adult Ministries, Soup Kitchen, Food Pantry, Prison Ministries, Exercise Classes, Senior Midday Activities Programs, Tax Services, Tutorial Programs, Disciple Bible Study, Ismay Harris Larrier Memorial Scholarship, Praise Dance Ministry, Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts and the Justice For Our Neighbors immigration clinic. Also, there would be many capital projects undertaken to repair and upgrade the aging building, including converting the former gymnasium into a Banquet Hall, and more recently installing a chair lift to make the hall more accessible to the disabled.

Also, contemporary worship was introduced with “Pillar of Fire Ministries,” at one time a monthly worship service packaged with increased outreach to the community. That ministry resulted in PowerPoint projections and contemporary music now being a regular part of worship at John Wesley UMC.

This year marks the 92^nd anniversary of the “faith venture” that began in a Cobble Hill storefront so long ago. No one could have ever imagined what has been accomplished from that storefront church in 1916. God’s work in John Wesley church is more than enough reason to celebrate and give thanks.

 Special thanks to Mrs. R. Carolyn Rhue, Mrs. Novalene A. Farmer-Lovell and Mr. Warren Blyden for their gracious assistance.

Where do we go from here?

• Continued faithful service to Jesus Christ in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill communities, the greater New York City area and in the United Methodist Church.

• Increasing our ability to minister to the needs of children, youth and families in our area through after-school programs, community services and evangelistic ministries.

• Expanding our ministries to serve seniors and the disabled, and to minister to the health needs of members of our church and community.