LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 165th Anniversary of Andrews
United Methodist Church of Brooklyn, New York

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and Nation to pay tribute
to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to the
ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the
165th Anniversary of Andrews United Methodist Church of Brooklyn, New
York; and
WHEREAS, Ground-breaking for what is now known as Andrews United Meth-
odist Church began on September 15, 1851; since its humble beginnings,
the church has been a true community, serving Protestant people of many
denominations; and
WHEREAS, In 1869, plans were made to enlarge the church building;
though there were only 67 members reported on roll, the attendance was
much greater; in 1878, a committee was appointed to build a two-story
parsonage; and
WHEREAS, During this time, Wesley was adopted as the name of this
first church, and was later changed to the Methodist Episcopal Church of
Union Place; and
WHEREAS, In 1893, when the present building was erected, the Bishop of
New York was the Reverend Edward Gayer Andrews; due to his great inter-
est in the new church and his contributions to its establishment, the
name of the church was once again changed; and
WHEREAS, Andrews United Methodist Church celebrated its 100th Anniver-
sary in 1951, under the pastorate of Dr. Hartley I. Hartman; and
WHEREAS, Through the 1950s and 1960s, Andrews United Methodist Church
continued to flourish; the Brooklyn Sunday School Union's Anniversary
Day saw large parades with many neighborhood churches participating; and
WHEREAS, Andrews United Methodist Church opened the doors of a commu-
nity in transition throughout the 1970s, seeing its congregation dwindle
and the needs of the new community grow; under the leadership of Rever-
end Shelton Johnson, a Spanish ministry began; and
WHEREAS, The 1980s brought even greater challenges to the church; the
community was in decline and the new population needed help with litera-
cy, jobs and education; to meet these challenges in part, the Reverend
Clarence Bigler, pastor from 1982 to 1987, helped form the Cypress Hills
Local Development Corp.; and
WHEREAS, Today, this vital organization has led the community in
acquiring two new school buildings, P.S. 7, and a new home for P.S. 65
on Jamaica Avenue; and
WHEREAS, Located on Richmond Street in Brooklyn, New York, Andrews
United Methodist Church has been under the luminous direction of the
Reverend Dr. Samuel Arhin since October of 2015; and
WHEREAS, At present, Andrews United Methodist Church stands humbly,
prayerfully, meditatively and joyfully; and
WHEREAS, Andrews United Methodist Church stands on the threshold of
tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while
retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 165th Anniversary of Andrews United Methodist Church;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Reverend Dr. Samuel Arhin, Andrews United Methodist Church,
Brooklyn, New York.