On May 5, Old First invited the community for a conversation about the history of slavery in NYC given by Dr. Andrea Mosterman. The well attended event was followed by an informative and lengthy Q & A. We are incredibly thankful to Dr. Mosterman for her generosity in sharing her research and time. (Go to post for active links). Link to Video. Link to Event […]
Old First invites the community for a conversation about the history of slavery in NYC (including the role played by churches like Old First) with Dr. Andrea Mosterman on Sunday, May 5 at 1pm at Old First Reformed Church, 729 Carroll Street, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. This free event is sponsored by: Remembrance & Racial Justice Working Group Old First Reformed Church 729 Carroll Street at […]
Our task this month is to unlearn a long practice of forgetting. This practice started with the families who listed these names and numbers in their wills alongside livestock and furniture, forgetting their humanity in order to enslave them. It continued as our congregation left out the memories and stories of these people from our church’s history over the decades and centuries that followed. This […]
Our task this month is to unlearn a long practice of forgetting. This practice started with the families who listed these names and numbers in their wills alongside livestock and furniture, forgetting their humanity in order to enslave them. It continued as our congregation left out the memories and stories of these people from our church’s history over the decades and centuries that followed. This […]
Our task this month is to unlearn a long practice of forgetting. This practice started with the families who listed these names and numbers in their wills alongside livestock and furniture, forgetting their humanity in order to enslave them. It continued as our congregation left out the memories and stories of these people from our church’s history over the decades and centuries that followed. This […]
Our task this month is to unlearn a long practice of forgetting. This practice started with the families who listed these names and numbers in their wills alongside livestock and furniture, forgetting their humanity in order to enslave them. It continued as our congregation left out the memories and stories of these people from our church’s history over the decades and centuries that followed. This […]
The Muste brothers were born in Holland and emigrated to Grand Rapids with their family in the 1890s. Both brothers (A.J. was the elder) graduated from Hope College and New Brunswick Theological Seminary. As a student A.J. held a summer pulpit job at Middle Collegiate among the poor of the Lower East Side, around 1904-05, which changed his life. He went on to Union Theological […]
In the reopening of our sanctuary this past Easter, we celebrated, and announced, “All Are Welcome” with banners and programs. While researching Old First’s collaboration with Centennial Chapel in the 19th century, it was discovered that they too declared, “All Are Welcome” in the news. Newsboys of the Late 1800s Perhaps you have read or seen a photography exhibit of Lewis Hine’s about the newsboys, […]
On June 16, Old First will host an Untapped Cities Insiders tour for members of the tour company dedicated to unearthing New York City’s most unique and surprising places, stories and events. Untapped Cities tours are walking tours led by licensed NYC tour guides for visitors and New Yorkers alike who are curious about sights off the beaten path, with a strong focus on history […]
The donor of two communion beakers to the Reformed Dutch Church of Breuckelen in 1684, Maria Badie, was named, but more than that was unknown, according to our Pastor Meeter a few Sundays ago. Challenge: who was the woman behind our communion beakers? Research led us to Maria Thomas Badie, a wealthy woman who was married three times. In surviving legal documents, Maria used Thomas or […]