Infinity Mennonite Church (New York, New York, USA)
The Infinity Mennonite Church of Harlem, New York, New York, USA began in January 1954. John H. Kraybill had recently come to New York City to perform his I-W alternative service at Bellevue Hospital. He had affiliated with the St. Anne's Mennonite Church, a short-lived congregation in the South Bronx that was soon forced to move by urban development. Members at St. Anne's had a vision for a church plant across the Harlem River in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan.
They first held an Open Air Bible School in Harlem in 1953. John Kraybill found a five-story building on Seventh Avenue between 146th and 147th streets that he rented for the new mission. In 1954 he married and was credentialed for pastoral ministry by the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, and by the middle of the year, with the help of Glen Zeager, purchased the building. He sold it to the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities in 1959. This is where the multi-racial congregation known as the Harlem Mennonite Church began.
The Harlem Mennonite Church was soon renamed the Seventh Avenue Mennonite Church because of its location. In 2008 after the street name changed to Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd., the church's name changed again to Infinity Mennonite Church.
In its early years, the congregation received much support from I-W workers with jobs in the city. John Kraybill, in addition to his pastoral duties, also became the first leader of the Voluntary Service unit set up in what became the Menno House.
In the 1960s, the Seventh Avenue congregation began extensive street work with teenagers. This involved a recreation center in the church basement. Some early leaders were Richard Pannell and Leon Stauffer. Pannell started a community day camp program in 1968. During these years, the congregation also began a Head Start program for children supported by federal funding.
Richard "Dick" Pannell became the first African American to provide pastoral leadership to the congregation.
On 21 October 1974, the Seventh Street congregation suffered a devastating fire. The fire began in a vacant apartment in the building next door and destroyed that building and the Seventh Street Mennonite Church building. The congregation purchased a nearby building on Seventh Avenue, and on 4 April 1976, dedicated a new worship space.
In 2008 Al Taylor became the pastor of the congregation at the time the name changed to Infinity Mennonite Church. At the time, he worked for the local state assemblyman. In 2017 he was elected to the New York State Assembly, an unusual position for a Mennonite pastor.
Bibliography
Huber, Tim. "Pastor & politician: In Capitol and pulpit, Al Taylor takes two paths to one mission." Anabaptist World. 28 October 2020. Web. 28 December 2021. https://anabaptistworld.org/pastor-politician/.
MacMaster, Richard K. Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches of New York City. Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora Press, 2006: 95-103, 190-202, 237-240, 325-331.
O'Shaughnessy, Patrice. "Heads bowed in prayer, Harlem residents 'Man Up' for safer neighborhood." Daily News. 2 February 2010. Web. 28 December 2021. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/heads-bowed-prayer-harlem-residents-man-safer-neighborhood-article-1.195254.
Pannell, Melody Marie. "A Radical Love in Harlem: Resolve, Resilience and Restoration (Part 1: 1952–1975)." Anabaptist Historians. 24 November 2017. Web. 28 December 2021. https://anabaptisthistorians.org/2017/11/24/a-radical-love-in-harlem-resolve-resilience-and-restoration-part-1-1952-1975/.
Yoder, Naomi. "Stop talking about 'Ethnic Mennonites'." The Mennonite. 15 February 2017. Web. 28 December 2021. https://anabaptistworld.org/stop-talking-ethnic-mennonites/.
Additional Information
Address: 2522 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, New York 10039
Phone: 646-669-9645
Website: https://www.facebook.com/IMCOFHARLEM
Denominational Affiliations: https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches]
Pastoral Leaders at Infinity Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John H. Kraybill | 1954-1966 |
| Richard W. Pannell | 1965-1976 |
| Monroe J. Yoder (Bishop) |
1974-1978 1988-2008 |
| Gerry Keener | 1978-1985 |
| Jimmy Johnson | 1985-1988 |
| Al Taylor | 2008-present |
Membership at Infinity Mennonite Church
| year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 18 |
| 1970 | 30 |
| 1980 | 28 |
| 1990 | 33 |
| 2000 | 33 |
| 2007 | 32 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Infinity Mennonite Church (New York, New York, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2021. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Infinity_Mennonite_Church_(New_York,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=176604.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2021). Infinity Mennonite Church (New York, New York, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Infinity_Mennonite_Church_(New_York,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=176604.
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