Now Is the Time!
A Community Campaign For the Future of St. Paul & St. Andrew
Putting Love in Action
A Catalyst for Love in Action
St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church puts love into action every day on the corner of 86th Street and West End Avenue in New York City. A vibrant worshiping community, we live out our values inside and outside of our walls. Together with our interfaith partners and neighbors, we work to advance our longstanding commitment to radical welcome and service to the people of New York, especially the City’s poor and marginalized.
Our landmarked 1897 building serves as the engine for our work, a center of radical welcome and a catalyst for care and innovation.
Here we feed the City’s poor and working classes, welcome new immigrants, advocate for our LGBTQI siblings, educate neighborhood children, nurture arts and culture, and increase hope and justice in our city and world. Every week, several thousand people come through our doors. Long time New Yorkers and new immigrants alike are fed, clothed and linked to city services; dozens of community and interfaith groups find a safe and creative space for worship, meetings, and collaborative action; hundreds of young artists and supporters of the arts are inspired in our theater and sanctuary performance spaces.
Economic Impact of St. Paul & St. Andrew: $32 Million Annually
The Economic Halo Effect, an analytic tool developed by Partners for Sacred Places and the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice, measures the economic contributions of congregations housed in historic and older buildings. It quantifies their economic impact using factors such as support for local and regional businesses, building maintenance and repair spending, visitor spending, activities that promote community economic development, the impact on individuals’ lives, and values inherent to religious properties such as green space and recreation space.
A day spent at St. Paul & St. Andrew reveals the powerful human impact of our work. The Halo statistical analysis reveals the church’s remarkable economic impact. Because of the work done on site, St. Paul & St. Andrew generates more than $32 million of economic benefit not only for the Upper West Side neighborhood but the greater community of New York City and beyond. Comparatively, the average urban historic sacred place generates $1.7 million in economic impact annually.
“All around the city, if not the nation, people are talking about St. Paul & St. Andrew. Obviously (there’s) an amazing food program, West Side Campaign Against Hunger… (an) innovative, unbelievable partnership with B’Nai Jeshurun…(they) have led the entire city on supporting our newest residents, migrants and asylum seekers... nobody else is doing it to the extent that (they) are. It’s this particular congregation that the rest of the city is looking to for how to bring people together in a way that is congregational and compassionate and intelligent. All of this is something that is very, very special. In all of these challenging times, (St. Paul & St. Andrew) really is making a difference in our city.”
NYC Council Member Gale Brewer
Our Building, the Engine of Love in Action
After 127 years of service to the people of NYC, our building urgently needs restoration to secure the future of these programs and to prepare for the emerging challenges and opportunities of our city and world, including climate change. Time and again, our congregation has proven that when we invest in our building, we increase our impact in big ways.
For example, a $4 million capital campaign in 2004 renovated key interior social service spaces, increased handicap accessibility, and upgraded many building systems. In the 20 years since that renovation, our partner food pantry, The West Side Campaign Against Hunger, has increased food distribution by 400%, from 800,000 to more than 4 million meals annually.
In 2020, when New York City was ground zero to the worst pandemic in modern times, St. Paul & St. Andrew took action. Upgrades to our sanctuary expanded square footage for storage and distribution of emergency food and supplies while also launching our new, innovative online worship presence. Post-pandemic, these investments increased arts and cultural events in our sanctuary, such as the Carnegie Hall Citywide Concert series.
Restoring this landmark building is essential to our mission to increase "love and justice in the world" today and for future generations.
Investing in Our Future
Our critical next steps are to replace the roof, eliminate water infiltration and address immediate life safety concerns. Only after securing the envelope of the church will we be able to shift financial and human resources from day-to-day reaction to planning for the future.
Once we have made these necessary repairs, we can turn our attention to reimagining and upgrading the sanctuary, social service spaces, theater and arts spaces, meeting and teaching spaces; and to address critical infrastructure needs of accessibility, electricity upgrades, fire safety, and cooling. Additional exterior work will address terracotta facade restoration, installing a loading lift for our food programs, and lighting and signage.
Restoring and improving the building as the engine of our growth protects our current transformational work and positions us to lead in meeting the needs of future generations of New Yorkers.
To learn more about our programming and partnerships, our restoration scope of work, and our funding needs and fundraising plan, view our full case statement.
Browse our Case Statement
How Can You Help?
Give to the Campaign through cash, stocks, bonds, securities, and personal property.
Provide feedback about the campaign, renovation goals, and campaign materials.
Identify individuals or foundations who might be inspired to participate in this campaign.
Consider including St. Paul & St. Andrew in your estate planning to care for the long term support of our work.