All Angels' Church

History

All Angels' was founded in 1846 by St. Michael's Episcopal Church. It was intentionally established as a mission-focused church, with the goal of ministering to residents living in Seneca Village, an area which would later become a part of Central Park. The first church building was wooden and housed a racially mixed congregation, including freed African American slaves and recent European immigrants. In 1856 All Angels' relocated to her new building—constructed two years later—on West End Avenue and 80th street. The main church building was used until 1979, when it was knocked down because the congregation grew small and the church was financially strained. Services were moved to the parish house nearby, and have been held there ever since.

Ministry

The church holds morning and evening worship services every Sunday, with Holy Eucharist. The evening service invites homeless individuals from the community to join in worship. Following the service, the community shares in a meal together as a continuation of their Eucharist celebration. The church also holds a Sunday evening shelter, staffed by volunteers from the congregation. In addition to the community meal every Sunday, There is also a weekly program called Pathways, which provides showers, clothing, as well as social, medical, and psychiatric services for individuals who need them.

Besides large gatherings, All Angels' has a number of "house churches," located all throughout Manhattan, as well as individual ones in Jersey City, Bergen County, Queens, and Brooklyn, which foster community growth through sharing meals, studying Scripture, and group prayer. In many respects, these small group gatherings mirror the experiences of early Christian worship.

The ministry of the church also has children and youth programs. The Children's Ministry includes Sunday School, a separate worship service, as well as events throughout the year such as "Footsteps to the Cross" (a dramatic re-enactment of the events of Holy Week), and the Christmas Pageant. The Youth Ministry consists of a youth group for children in grades 6 through 12 to grow in fellowship with each other, other church members, and also with the community and wider world through social justice and outreach projects.

Staff

Currently, All Angels' is led by Reverend Milind Sojwal. Rev. Sojwal was born and educated in India, where he attended seminary. He received further schooling in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and came to All Angels' in 2000.

Vision

Motivated by the profound implications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, All Angels' hopes to nurture not only a deep spirituality through worship and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but also a heart for selfless service and hospitality to others in need of healing. Because of this, the church has never strayed very far from its historical roots as a mission-focused congregation. The vision of All Angels' Church is outlined in greater detail at the church's website, but is also cited here:

The vision of All Angels' is to see people transformed by the gospel,
formed into the image of Christ,
and empowered for missional living.