This panorama shows the interior of the Broadway United Church of Christ on Broadway.

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The Broadway United Church of Chirst in New York stands in Upper West Side of Manhattan close to Central Park on Broadway and 93rd Street. It was started by Charles Finney from Western New York in 1836. The original church, designed by Finney, was built on Broadway between Worth Street and Catherine Lane and held 2,400 people. Finney was strongly anti-slavery, but this did not sit well with New York a the time, and a pro-slavery mob burnt the church down during construction.

The next minister did not hold Finney's views, and was not able to maintain a large congregation. The Church then left Presbyterian fold and joined the Congregational movement. Over the next few decades the roots returned, and the church became an anti-slavery rallying point in New York, as well as supporting women suffrage (voting), and for the abolition of alcoholic drinks. Church leaders took a prominent role in raising funds for the defense of the Africans on the Amistad, which led to the foundation of The American Missionary Association that fought slavery, and established schools, colleges, and churches for freed slaves after the Civil War.

The Broadway United Church of Christ continues to follow a long history of welfare and social reform programmes. During the 1990's these have included ministries to churches in South Africa as it threw off apartheid, to prisoners, to people with HIV and AIDS, and to women on welfare. Financial support has been given to Habitat for Humanity as A.D. 2000 arrived. Broadway has joined Advent in preparing and serving food in its meal program for poor people in the neighborhood.

Broadway United Church of Christ
2504 Broadway (at 93rd Street),
New York, NY 10025

Subway: 96th Street (1, 2, 3)