I needed some time to get my creative juices flowing (with the help of a musical excursion over the weekend).
And…here we are.
Enjoy.
-JD
Category: Uncategorized
Location: 83 Marlborough Road, Brooklyn, NY, 11226
Telephone: 718-282-1596
E-mail: templebeth83@aol.com
Website: http://www.bethemeth.net
The temple was originally was conceptualized as a meeting between the few Jewish families at Hannah Hirsch’s house in 1908 regarding their children’s religious education. They decided to form a congregation and were allocated the money to form it in October 17, 1911. It was only after their first rabbi was set up to lead the congregation and a suitable location was located and purchased for $6,300, that the temple was dedicated in 1914. The 1930s was its peak period of growth in terms of both members and facilities. This abruptly ended around the 1960s when many reformed Jews moved out of Flatbush. However, consolidation between the emaciated congregations into the one large Temple Beth Emeth v’Ohr Progressive congregation seen today.
The temple is located within the western part of Flatbush that has suburban-type layout. It is classical in architecture with prominent Corinthian columns.
Today, the congregation:
- offers Hebrew language courses from beginners on
- publishes a monthly newsletter called The Truth
- has a very active youth group called the Flatbush United Jewish Youth
 Frontage |
 Corinthinan Columns |
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 The religious school is still very much active. |
 Suburban part of Flatbush |
<—St. Paul’s Episcopal Church In The Village Of Flatbush | Houses of Worship Main Page |
Location: 157 St. Paul’s Place, Brooklyn NY, 11226
Telephone: 718-282-2100
E-mail:
Website:
St. Paul’s Church in the Village of Flatbush was originally formed in 1836. The current Gothic-style structure was built mainly out of gray granite and trimmed with Indiana limestone in 1877. It is considered one of the most beautiful Churches in Flatbush. It has two towers, which are joined by a Sunday school building. From its inception, it has been dedicated to a very inclusive and liberal congregation.
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<—Lenox Road Baptist Church | Houses of Worship Main Page | Temple Beth Emeuth of Flatbush —>
There is a strong, if not overpowering, presence of churches in the Flatbush community – approximately three churches per block in the busy areas and one per block in the others. The churches are great representations of the diversity of the neighborhood. Generally, Caribbean churches provide immigrants with ways to maintain their West Indian Identity, cultural ties, and to access employment and educational resources. For this reason, many churches have a congregation that is predominantly from one nation. Some of these churches are:
Faith Assembly of God – Congregation is mainly Guyanese
Location: 2170 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn NY 11226
Telephone/Fax:718-469-5295
E-mail: faithaog@faithaog.org
Website: www.faithaog.org
New Jerusalem Church of the Nazarene – Congregation is mainly Haitian
Location: 2431 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11226
Telephone: 718-469-9029, 516-791-0015
Fax: 718-469-9636
E-mail:contactus@churchofnazarene.org, churchofnazarene@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.njcn.org/
Shiloh Apostolic Church – Congregation is mainly Jamaican
Location: 1607 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11226
Telephone: 718-693-7260
World Missions Assembly – Congregation is mainly Trinidadian
Location: 1407 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
Telephone: 718-676-1385
Email: wma1407@gmail.com
Website: www.worldmissionsassembly.org
Writing this note on this very windy Mother’s Day, on the eve of the website’s premiere, I can clearly see all my mistakes: I should have been stricter with deadlines, I should have introduced them earlier to statistical data, spent less time on the history of the city, better anticipated the technological demands… Towards the end of the semester, the website took over: I had to cut some books from our planned reading list, readjust the schedule, cancel another visit.
Yet none of the mistakes invalidate a rather risky, for the freshmen course, decision made at the beginning of the term, a kind of gentlemen’s agreement: no exams, no quizzes, no tests. You, Prof., point the direction and trust that we do the work. At times, this relative lack of control made me almost sick with anxiety and doubt, as when only one post – way too long and essay-like – sat for days, lonely like an orphan, on the blog that Paul had created for us. On the other hand, listening, for example, to the students’ enthusiastic and substantial reports on their first ventures into various corners of the city, I felt proud and pleased.
Paul, thank you for being a firm rudder and helping us steer safely across the techno-seas.
Sara, Chirag, Karim, Benny, Adam, Syeda, Jamilur, Ronald, Deboleena, Elizabeth, Madeeha, Nazana, Eman, Lana, Samira, Aryeh, Erhan, Baruch, Mohammed, Joenard, Marcela, and Sean – note, how the list of your names reads like a “found poem.” Thank you for this rollercoaster ride of Spring 2010. The work you did, indeed, was plentiful and splendid. It was good to see you take possession of the blog and make it your own. To listen to how you were searching for innovative ways to present your varied experiences. To learn, together with you, a new geography of the city.
I think New York became now a larger place for all of us, at the same time more familiar yet still mysterious, still to be further explored. A city where God speaks in tongues on the streets.
– Grazyna Drabik
Working with these students and with Prof. Drabik has been an absolute pleasure. In the early weeks of class, it was not clear if the use of technology would enrich the learning experience, or become just another assignment. I had high hopes, having worked with these tools before, but I could not have predicted the fluidity with which classroom discourse would transfer into the virtual classroom online. As I write this letter, the class blog has 172 posts and 365 comments. The vast majority of these threads have been originated and maintained by the students. This is an inspiring example of how the classroom can be expanded and enhanced via the web.
The final project, which you are viewing now, is the product of research, creativity, and dedication on the part of the students. While it was Prof. Drabik’s vision for a website detailing the religions of New York that fueled the voyage, and my own technical support that helped us to “steer safely across the techno-seas,” this site, like the blog, reflects the great work done by the students.
Students, thank you for creativity, curiosity, and ingenuity.
Thank you, Grazyna, for your vision and for allowing me to be such a big part of your excellent class.
– Paul Riker
Music by Paul Riker – Currents; performed by the Cygnus Enselmble of NYC
Location: 424 East 19th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11226
Telephone: 718-282-5353
E-mail: info@ftcchurch.org
Website: http://www.ftcchurch.org/
The Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church was formed on May 27, 1942 through a merger of The Flatbush Congregational Church and The Tompkins Avenue Congregational Church. The latter began in a school house on Tompkins Avenue in June, 1875. In July of that year, the church rented and later purchased the building of the Tompkins Avenue Presbyterian Church located at McDonough Street and Tompkins Avenue. Under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Robert R. Meridith of Boston, the congregation bought a plot of land across the street and built a new church. When the new building opened in January, 1889, it was the largest church structure and the second largest Congregational Church membership in the country. The membership grew to over 2,400 members and was often referred to as “Dr. Meredith’s Church.”
The Flatbush Congregational Church was organized in September, 1899. The congregation held the meetings in a Masonic lodge on Flatbush Avenue and later in a store. The lodge was dedicated the “Old Church” on October 14, 1900. Around this time, the congregation purchased land on Dorchester Road with hopes of building a new church. On October 2, 1910, the “New Church” was dedicated and the service and sunday school moved to the location.
When the churches merged in 1942, the new membership was over 4,000 making it the largest Congregational Church in the United States at the time. The conregation has since occupied the “New Church'” building. The church’s demographics have changed with the community, going from predominantly from Dutch in its early days, to Scandinavian, Irish, Italian, Russian, West Indian, and Afro-American in to 1920s, to primarily Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino today. Music is especially important in the church, having both youth and adult choirs. The Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church is often seen as an important historical and architectural landmark within the Brooklyn and New York City. The neo-Georgian “New Church”, the beautiful and architecturally unique “Old Church,” the stately Parish House, and the handsome neighborhood parsonage all add to the picturesque architecture of the Ditmas-Park Community .
<--- Dutch Reformed Church of Flatbush | Houses of Worship Main Page | Lenox Road Baptist Church —>
Location: 890 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11226
Telephone: 718-284-5140
Website: http://www.flatbushchurch.org
Ever since the spot where it now stand was partitioned in 1654 by Governor Peter Stuyvesant, the church has been a testament of Dutch settlement and the religion they brought in New York. Yet, at the same time, it has gone through a very interesting transformation. It was initially made out of wood and in a cross shape. But, then it was rebuilt with stone and became integrated to the education of the youth through Erasmus Hall, the main school building at the time. From then on, it developed in a very “conservative fashion”. During this time, Grace Church and the Second Reformed Church branched out from a mission station of the Church and a daughter church respectfully. These were in response to the interests of African-American and German protestants who were residing in this area during this time.
It wasn’t until the 1970s when the neighborhood received an influx of Hispanic, Caribbean, and African immigration that the church physically changed again. To be inclusive of these communities, they currently offer worship times especially suited for the Hispanic community as well as for the Ghanaian community in addition to general worship times. While it was changing, the church attempted to preserve it roots and was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1979. This is very much evident in its well preserved but old façade as well as its long standing cemetery, which still holds some of its founders. Overall, the Dutch Reformed Church of Flatbush has proven to be a successful paradox in that it has both resisted the wearing down of time and preserved its original Dutch settlers, and it has progressed and is still an integral part of the neighborhood and its new, incoming immigrants.
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 The church values and suits its new immigrants as shown by the Ghanian Worship and the service in Spanish. |
 The neighborhood's gratitude towards the church was best shown when they came together and helped out the church after a fire that erupted in January. |
 Peter Stuyvesant |
 It's colonial stone facade is well-maintained. |
 The quaint cemetery within its grounds. |
 John H. Ditmas was one of the founders of the church rightly buried in its cemetery. |
 Grave of Jeremiah Lott alongside his wife Lydia Lott. He was another founder of the church. |
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| Houses of Worship Main Page | Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church—>
Location: 1356 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn NY, 11226
Telephone: 718-941-3359
E-mail:
Website: http://www.lrbc.net/
The Lenox Road Baptist Church started as a prayer group in 1871 and was recognized by the Long island Baptist Association as a church in 1872. The church first erected a worship house near 544 Ocean Avenue. The land was leased by The Dutch Reformed Church of Flatbush. The congregation worked hard to erect the structure, which they called “The Tabernacle.” In 1888, the church moved to the junction of Lenox Road and Flatbush. In 1975 the 103 year old structure was totally desroyed by fire. The congregation moved the service to the Grand Theater. In June of 2009, the church was reopened at the Lenox Road location.
The church had an all white congregation from its inception until the early 1970s. Now, the new immigrants who came from the southern states and the Caribbean make up the majority. The church is very active in the community, offering mentoring services to local youths, annual community health fairs, community meal programs, family fun days, summer vacation bible school and more. The church has two weekly services in English at 8.00 & 11.00, and has a live stream service at noon on Sundays.
Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church | Houses of Worship Main Page | Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church —>
Location: 2530 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11226
Telephone: 718-469-9833
Fax: 718-469-5901
E-mail: holycrossbklyn@aol.com
Website: www.holycrossbrooklyn.org
The Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church was built in 1872 by Father James Doherty. Father J. T. Woods took control of the church in 1883 with a vision of making the church an integral part of the developing Flatbush community. His first task was to renovate the church so that it is comparable to great architectural undertakings of the time. Knowing that the priests and sisters are the backbone of the institution, Woods renovated the rectory and convent to provide them with comfortable living spaces. To serve the children of growing Flatbush, Woods created the Holy Cross RC School, now the Flatbush Catholic Academy. The massive construction had a price tab of approximately $175,000. Father Woods’ vision was realized work made the Holy Cross Church into the that it is today.
The church demographics have changed with the neighborhood, making it no longer predominately white. Offering services in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and English, Holy Cross RC Church caters to the various elasticities. The church has a strong community presence and outreach, offering services such as food pantry for the less fortunate, and after school programs for children.
