For 145 years, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church has stood as a living landmark of faith, courage, and community in Montclair, New Jersey. Founded in 1880 by a small band of twenty-five determined souls just fifteen years after the Civil War, St. Mark’s became Montclair’s first African American congregation and has remained the beating heart of the town’s Black community ever since.
This November, St. Mark’s family and friends will gather to celebrate that legacy with a monthlong 145th Anniversary Celebration under the theme, “A Family Reunion: Faith, Family, Freedom, and Future.” Joining in this historic moment will be Bishop Moore-Koikoi on Sunday, November 16th, who will worship with us as we honor the past, rejoice in the present, and look forward to the next chapter of grace and growth.
Rooted in History, Growing in Faith
St. Mark’s story begins with a vision of belonging and spiritual grounding. The first members rented and repaired a vacated white Methodist church on Bloomfield Avenue, transforming it into a new home for worship, education, and fellowship. From the very beginning, the congregation’s heart beat with a call to serve, launching a Sunday School that still shapes young lives today.
By the early 1900s, St. Mark’s had already become a hub for social uplift and justice. It hosted Montclair’s first YMCA for African American men and boys and gave rise to clubs that supported the church and community through times of hardship, including the Great Depression. Women like Alice Hooe Foster blazed trails by founding a YWCA for African American women and girls, offering job training, education, and housing to families migrating north.
When Rev. Frederick Handy became pastor in 1915, St. Mark’s voice for justice grew even stronger. He was elected the first president of Montclair’s NAACP branch, marking a defining moment where faith met freedom and conviction became community action.
A People Who Build and Rebuild
Through triumph and trial, St. Mark’s has always rebuilt with faith. When fire consumed the original sanctuary in 1947, members worshiped in borrowed spaces, raised funds, and literally co-signed loans to build again. In 1949, their new red-brick home at 51 Elm Street opened its doors, a building not only of stone, but of hope. Its architecture still speaks: symmetrical, strong, and welcoming.
Generations since have carried that same spirit forward. Under Rev. Ernest Lyght in 1988, the congregation helped found HomeCorp, a nonprofit committed to affordable housing in Montclair. Joining with community partners–for instance, to establish PineRidge Senior Living, feed families through Toni’s Kitchen, and shelter neighbors through MESH (Montclair Emergency Services for the Homeless), St. Mark’s has kept its faith active and alive. The Mark continues that legacy, nurturing literacy, leadership, and liberation in young people through The Freedom School, born from partnership with The Children’s Defense Fund and Montclair Public Schools.
Making History and Embracing the Future
In 2024, St. Mark’s was officially recognized as a site on the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, cementing its place in state history. That same year, it also became the first Black church in Montclair and the first in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference to join the Reconciling Ministries Network, affirming full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons. These milestones echo what St. Mark’s has always believed: God’s love is wide enough for everyone, and true faith always makes room for justice.
Now, under the leadership of Rev. Karline Dubuisson, St. Mark’s continues to weave together faith and freedom, family and future. The congregation remains a place where generations gather, where memories are honored, and where new stories begin.
Join the Celebration
Throughout November, St. Mark’s invites all near and far, to join in this sacred celebration of 145 years of ministry. Whether you join us in person at 51 Elm Street, Montclair NJ or online, you’ll be part of a monthlong family reunion that honors those who came before and inspires those who will carry the torch next. See the full calendar of events here.
This is more than an anniversary. It’s a living witness that faith still rises from the ashes, that family still gathers across generations, that freedom still fuels the work of justice, and that our future, rooted in God’s grace, is still unfolding.