Park Street Church
Encyclopedia
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, colloquially known as the CCCC or 4C's, is a Protestant Christian denomination operating in the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul...
at the corner of Tremont Street
Tremont Street
Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts.-Etymology:The name is a variation of one of the original appellations of the city, "Trimountaine," a reference to a hill that formerly had three peaks. Beacon Hill, with its single peak, is all that remains of the Trimountain...
and Park Street
Park Street, Boston
This article refers to Park Street in Boston. For other Park Streets, please see the Park Street disambiguation page.Park Street is a small but notable road in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It begins at the top of Beacon Hill, at the intersection of Beacon Street, where it is lined up with...
. The church is currently pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
ed by Gordon P. Hugenberger
Gordon P. Hugenberger
Gordon P. Hugenberger is the senior pastor at historic Park Street Church, in Boston, Massachusetts . He was born in Wellesley, Massachusetts, one of seven children...
.
History
Park Street Church is a historic stop on the Freedom TrailFreedom Trail
The Freedom Trail is a red path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that leads to 16 significant historic sites. It is a 2.5-mile walk from Boston Common to Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Simple ground markers explaining events, graveyards, notable churches and other buildings, and a...
. It was founded on February 27, 1809 by twenty-six local people, mostly former members of the Old South Meeting House
Old South Meeting House
The Old South Meeting House , in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston, Massachusetts, gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. 5,000 colonists gathered at the Meeting House, the largest building in Boston at the time.-Church :The church, with its 56 m ...
. 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
Peter Banner
Peter Banner was an English-born architect and builder who designed the Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts, and other buildings in New England in the early 19th century.-Brief Biography:...
(architect), Benajah Young (chief mason) and Solomon Willard
Solomon Willard
Solomon Willard , was a carver and builder in Massachusetts who is remembered primarily for designing and overseeing the Bunker Hill Monument, the first monumental obelisk erected in the United States.-Background:...
(woodcarver). Banner took inspiration from several early pattern books, and his design is reminiscent of a London church by Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
. Park Street church's steeple rises to 217 feet (66.1 m), and remains a landmark visible from several Boston neighborhoods. 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
Granary Burying Ground
Founded in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground in Massachusetts is the city of Boston's third-oldest cemetery. Located on Tremont Street, it is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Paul Revere and the five...
. It had its first worship service on January 10, 1810.
The church became known as "Brimstone Corner", in part because of the missionary character of its preaching, and in part because of the storage of gunpowder during the War of 1812.
Park Street Church has a strong tradition of missions
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
doctrine, and application of Scripture
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
to social issues as well as a notable list of Firsts. Edward Dorr Griffin
Edward Dorr Griffin
Edward Dorr Griffin was a Christian minister and an American educator who served as President of Williams College from 1821 to 1836 and served as the first pastor of Park Street Church from 1811 to 1815.-Life and career:...
(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
New Divinity
The New Divinity is a system of Christian theology that was very prominent in New England in the late 18th century...
. In 1816 Park Street Church joined with Old South Church to form the City Mission Society
City Mission Society
The City Mission Society, is a social justice agency founded in 1816 by the congregations of Old South Church and Park Street Church with a mission to serve the urban poor of metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts....
, a social service society to serve Boston's urban poor. In 1826 Edward Beecher
Edward Beecher
Edward Beecher was a noted theologian, the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. He was born August 27, 1803 in East Hampton, New York. He graduated from Yale College in 1822. After this he studied theology at Andover. In 1826, he became the pastor...
, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
and son of Lyman Beecher, a notable abolitionist, became pastor of the church. On July 4, 1829, William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
delivered his Address to the Colonization Society at Park Street, making his first major public statement against slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. From 1829-1831 Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason was a leading figure in American church music, the composer of over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His most well-known tunes include Mary Had A Little Lamb and the arrangement of Joy to the World...
, a notable Christian composer, served as choirmaster and organist. The church hosted the debut of My Country, 'Tis of Thee
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody derived from Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, and is shared with "God Save the Queen," used by many members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
, also known as America, by Samuel Francis Smith
Samuel Francis Smith
Samuel Francis Smith, , Baptist minister, journalist and author, is best known for having written the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", which he entitled America.-Early life:...
on July 4, 1831. Benjamin E. Bates
Benjamin E. Bates
Benjamin Edward Bates was a New England industrialist and philanthropist, who was the namesake and a founder of Bates College and the Bates Mill in Lewiston, Maine.-Biography:...
, an industrialist who founded Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in Maine, was a Sunday school teacher and active attendant of Park Street in the mid-nineteenth century. Gleason Archer
Gleason Archer
Gleason Leonard Archer, Jr. was a Biblical scholar, theologian, educator and author.-Early life:Archer's father was Gleason Archer, Sr., the founder of Suffolk University in Boston. Archer graduated in 1938 with a B.A. from Harvard University and received an LL.B...
, a prominent inerrantist
Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...
theologian and son of Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
founder Gleason Archer, Sr.
Gleason Archer, Sr.
Gleason Archer, Sr. was the founder and first president of Suffolk University and Suffolk Law School. He was also an extensive writer and radio broadcaster for NBC.-Early life and education:...
, was the assistant pastor of Park Street from 1945 to 1948. Park Street also notes it was founded the First "Homeland" or American Mission to the then Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii), where that church still stands; the Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
started there, and Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
's first transcontinental mid-century crusade started there in 1949. Harold J. Ockenga, notable theologian and co-architect of the (Neo-)Evangelical movement was the senior pastor from 1936 to 1969, and during this time co-founded Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
, co-founded Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
, the National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
, War Relief (which later became World Relief
World Relief
World Relief is an international relief and development agency. Founded in 1944 as the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief offers assistance to victims of poverty, disease, hunger, war, disasters and persecution. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the...
), and the Christian publication Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
.
Today
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Massachusetts
Hyde Park is a dissolved municipality and currently the southernmost neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Hyde Park is home to a diverse range of people, housing types and social groups. It is an urban location with suburban characteristics...
, Boston Trinity Academy
Boston Trinity Academy
Boston Trinity Academy is a private Christian school in Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It currently enrolls roughly 220 students in grades 6-12...
, in 2002 to help address the educational needs of inner-city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
Boston (more than 70% of its students are on scholarship and more than 50% are minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
); it hosts many English as a Second Language classes during the week; it has and supports ministries for the homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, such as Boston Rescue Mission and Park Street's Starlight Ministry and Thursday Evening Outreach; it partners with Daybreak Pregnancy Resource Center and A Woman's Concern to assist women facing unplanned pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
; it provides English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
classes for international student
International student
According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
s and immigrants; and through a ministry called Alive in Christ, an affiliate of Exodus International
Exodus International
Exodus International is a non-profit, interdenominational ex-gay Christian organization founded by Michael Bussee, Gary Cooper, Frank Worthen, Ron Dennis, and Greg Reid...
and an advocate of conversion therapy, it seeks to "help those who struggle against their homosexuality and seek Christian guidance."
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. Park Street believes strongly in education integrated with faith, so it is associated with Park Street Kids, Park Street School, and Boston Trinity Academy
Boston Trinity Academy
Boston Trinity Academy is a private Christian school in Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It currently enrolls roughly 220 students in grades 6-12...
, as well as partnering with Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries...
and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is an inter-denominational, evangelical Christian, student-led ministry which for the past 70 years has been dedicated to establishing witnessing communities on U.S. college and university campuses...
for undergraduate and graduate ministries, and a long-time partnership with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Park Street recently sponsored a $200,000 contest for social change.
Boston Mayor Menino 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 BeecherEdward BeecherEdward Beecher was a noted theologian, the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. He was born August 27, 1803 in East Hampton, New York. He graduated from Yale College in 1822. After this he studied theology at Andover. In 1826, he became the pastor...
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
- interim senior minister Pablo Polischuk 1995-1997
- Gordon P. HugenbergerGordon P. HugenbergerGordon P. Hugenberger is the senior pastor at historic Park Street Church, in Boston, Massachusetts . He was born in Wellesley, Massachusetts, one of seven children...
1997–present
Further reading
- The semi-centennial celebration of the Park Street Church and Society: held on the Lords̓ Day, February 27, 1859 : with the festival on the following day. H. Hoyt, 1861
- Committee for the Preservation of Park Street Church, Boston. The preservation of Park Street Church, Boston. Ellis, 1903.
- Arcturus Z. Conrad. Commemorative exercises at the one hundredth anniversary of the organization of Park Street Church, February 26-March 3, 1909. Published by the Park Street Centennial Committee, 1909.
External links
- ParkStreet.org
- http://www.historicnewengland.org/catalog/images/pr0020_lg.jpg