Church Center for the United Nations

Last updated
Ground floor of the church center, with sculpture on the outside of the chapel and stained glass behind that Street Sculpture (4674592807).jpg
Ground floor of the church center, with sculpture on the outside of the chapel and stained glass behind that

The Church Center for the United Nations is a private building founded, owned, and operated by the United Methodist Church as an interfaith space housing the offices of various religions as well as several non-governmental organizations. It is at 777 United Nations Plaza in New York City, across the street from, but not part of, the United Nations Headquarters complex.

Contents

The 12-story center is most known for its first-floor Chapel at the United Nations, which has a modernist design. [1] The chapel has long been a popular site for wedding ceremonies, especially ones between couples of different religious or national backgrounds. Other events and conferences have been held at the chapel and in the church center as well.

History

The plan for the Church Center was first unveiled in November 1962 by the Methodist Church. [2] Construction began in the summer of 1962. [3] The building is located on the southwest corner of United Nations Plaza – a local bypass of First Avenue – and 44th Street. [3] The 12-story building was constructed at a cost of $3 million with the architect being the modernist William Lescaze. [4]

Stained glass as seen from inside the chapel Chapel at the United Nations interior stained glass.jpg
Stained glass as seen from inside the chapel

The interior design of the chapel and church center was done by the noted American ecclesiastical architect Harold Eugene Wagoner. [5] The paired stained glass interior and exterior sculpture on the street-facing wall were created by Henry Lee Willet and Benoît Gilsoul, respectively, [1] with both working for Willet Hauser Architectural Glass. [6] The name of this large work is "Man's Search for Peace" and it shows human-like shapes around a large eye-like form. [1] The chapel was sponsored with monies from the Women's Division of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church; it is formally named the Tillman Chapel in honor of a prominent member of that division, Sadie Wilson Tillman. [1] Later a small statue by Moissaye Marans entitled "Prince of Peace" was added to the inside of the chapel. [7]

The building was dedicated in September 1963, with UN Secretary General U Thant, US Ambassador to the UN Adlai E. Stevenson, and US Secretary of State Dean Rusk all speaking at the ceremony. [8] In addition to the Methodists, representatives from the Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths were also part of the dedication. [8] Some two thousand attendees heard U Thant praise both the UN and the church for the "act of faith" that led to its construction, [9] while Rusk talked about how the dangers from the ongoing Cold War were ever-present. [8]

Goals

From the beginning, the church center was considered interdenominational in spirit and purpose, [7] and nonprofit groups representing various religions have been housed there. [10] The church center was originally administered by the National Council of Churches. [4] Subsequently it was run by the Methodist Church itself, [7] and then by the church's General Board of Church and Society. [9] The different parts of the church involved in it became complicated, so to simplify it came to be that it was owned and operated solely by the United Methodist Women organization. [9] [11] In any case, as one United Methodist Women official said in 2013, "From its inception, the Church Center for the U.N. was envisioned as more than a site for the Methodist Church's international work. It was to provide access to the U.N. to other faith communities and nongovernmental organizations working for human rights, development and peace." [9]

One of the goals of the center was to give both people of both lay and clergy vocations an immediate understanding of what went on at the United Nations. [8] To the end, conference rooms in the center have had a loudspeaker set-up wherein debates from the United Nations could be piped into them. [4] The church center has hosted people pleading causes at the United Nations, such as East Timorese independence activist José Ramos-Horta. [9] It is also the location where most of the nongovernmental meetings in conjunction with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are held. [9] Nonetheless, as the New York Times has written, "the affiliation between [the center] and the United Nations is more spiritual than official." [12]

Events and uses

Altar of the chapel, as set up for a marriage ceremony involving elements of Judaism Chapel at the United Nations interior altar for wedding.jpg
Altar of the chapel, as set up for a marriage ceremony involving elements of Judaism

The Chapel is well known for being the site of marriage ceremonies, and especially for couples of different religious backgrounds and faiths. [11] By the mid-1970s, some 400 marriages a year were being held there. [12] For a ceremony, there are banners representing various faiths that can be displayed on the chapel wall. [11] The chapel also attracts couples getting married from different nationalities, especially when they have met while one of them was stationed at the United Nations; in addition, people getting married for the second time, or who feel a kindred spirit with the purpose of the United Nations, also have chosen to be married there. [12] Its use for interfaith ceremonies was mentioned in a 1985 Dear Abby column. [13] It has been listed for this purpose on the website of the Office of the Mayor of New York City. [10]

The church center charges a rental fee for use of the chapel for weddings. [10] People married at the chapel include then-US Senator Joe Biden (who would eventually become US President) and educator Jill Biden, in 1977. [14] Receptions following the ceremony are sometimes held at the United Nations Plaza Hotel, located on the other side of 44th Street. [15]

Other ceremonies also take place in the chapel. The memorial service for prominent black academic Z. K. Matthews from South Africa was held at the Church Center in 1968. [16] A memorial service by the Japanese delegation to the United Nations was held at the chapel for American inventor William S. Halstead in 1987.

In addition, a variety of politically-oriented events and conferences have taken place at the center. In 1965, the origins of an organization known as Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam (CALCAV), which involved Jesuit priest and anti-war activist Daniel Berrigan along with the Reverend Richard John Neuhaus and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, came from an anti-war rally at the church center. [17] The Global Peace Service Conference was held at the Church Center in 1993. Some events held there have been controversial, such as a hosting a panel discussion on religion with President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2007, in which representatives of some religious groups refused to participate while others thought it important to engage. [18]

A livestream of the play Sliver of a Full Moon , a staged reading by survivors of domestic abuse on Native American tribal lands, was performed at the Chapel in 2014. [19]

The church center has often been the site where announcements are made about the winner of the annual Templeton Prize for progress in thought about religion. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious affiliations of presidents of the United States</span>

The religious affiliations of presidents of the United States can affect their electability, shape their stances on policy matters and their visions of society and also how they want to lead it. Speculation of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and William Howard Taft being atheists was reported during election campaigns, while others, such as Jimmy Carter, used faith as a defining aspect of their campaigns and tenure to hold the office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Myung Moon</span> Korean religious leader (1920–2012)

Sun Myung Moon was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unification movement, and of its widely noted "Blessing" or mass wedding ceremonies, and the author of its unique theology the Divine Principle. He was an anti-communist and an advocate for Korean reunification, for which he was recognized by the governments of both North and South Korea. Businesses he promoted included News World Communications, an international news media corporation known for its American subsidiary The Washington Times, and Tongil Group, a South Korean business group (chaebol), as well as other related organizations.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It embraces liturgical worship, holiness, and evangelical elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headquarters of the United Nations</span> Group of buildings in New York City

The United Nations is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1951. It is in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on 17 to 18 acres of grounds overlooking the East River. It borders First Avenue to the west, East 42nd Street to the south, East 48th Street to the north, and the East River to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Chaplains</span> American military chaplains who gave up their lives to save others in WWII

The Four Chaplains, also referred to as the Immortal Chaplains or the Dorchester Chaplains, were four World War II chaplains who died rescuing civilian and military personnel as the American troop ship SS Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943, in what has been referred to as the second-worst sea disaster of World War II. The Dorchester was a civilian liner converted for military service in World War II as a War Shipping Administration troop transport. She was able to carry slightly more than 900 military passengers and crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unification Church</span> International new religious movement

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) in Seoul, South Korea, by Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012). Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han were the leaders of the church and are honored by its members as their "True Parents(참부모)."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interfaith dialogue</span> Positive interaction of different religious people

Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is distinct from syncretism or alternative religion, in that dialogue often involves promoting understanding between different religions or beliefs to increase acceptance of others, rather than to synthesize new beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hak Ja Han</span> Korean religious leader (born 1943)

Hak Ja Han is a Korean religious leader. Her late husband Sun Myung Moon was the founder of the Unification movement, also known as the Unification Church (UC). Han and Moon were married in April 1960 and have 10 living children and over 30 grandchildren. In 1992, she established the Women's Federation for World Peace, and traveled the world speaking on its behalf. She is the leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in which she is called "True Mother" and "Mother of Peace".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Flag</span> Ecumenical and religious flag used to represent Christianity.

The Christian Flag is an ecumenical flag designed in the early 20th century to represent much of Christianity and Christendom. Since its adoption by the United States Federal Council of Churches in 1942, it has been used by congregations of many Christian traditions, including Anglican, Baptist, Congregationalist, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, and Reformed, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament of the World's Religions</span> Series of meetings intended to create a global interfaith dialogue

There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another conference on its centenary in 1993. This led to a new series of conferences under the official title Parliament of the World's Religions with the same goal of trying to create a global dialogue of faiths.

Interfaith marriage, sometimes called a "mixed marriage", is marriage between spouses professing different religions. Although interfaith marriages are often established as civil marriages, in some instances they may be established as a religious marriage. This depends on religious doctrine of each of the two parties' religions; some prohibit interfaith marriage, and among others there are varying degrees of permissibility.

Anwarul Karim Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi diplomat most noted for his work on development in the poorest nations, global peace and championing the rights of women and children. In a speech he gave in 2005, Chowdhury stated: "We should not forget that when women are marginalized, there is little chance for an open and participatory society." In his role as the leading United Nations Culture of Peace emissary, he said in May 2010 that peace efforts would continually fail until people embraced humanity's oneness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Methodist Council</span> Consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition, founded in 1881

The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this includes approximately 60 million committed members and a further 20 million adherents. It is the fifth-largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Kenneth R. Cracknell was a British specialist in interfaith dialogue and the Christian theology of religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns</span>

The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC) addresses the interreligious and ecumenical concerns of The United Methodist Church. The GCCUIC's office is located at The Interchurch Center in New York City. The Commission's President is Bishop Mary Ann Swenson and the General Secretary is Stephen J. Sidorak Jr. The Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops is Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader and serves as the corporate ecumenical officer of The United Methodist Church, working in collaboration with GCCUIC.

The Temple of Understanding is an interfaith organization founded in 1960 by Juliet Hollister and located in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Interchurch Center</span> Office building in Manhattan, New York

The Interchurch Center is a 19-story limestone-clad office building located at 475 Riverside Drive and West 120th Street in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It is the headquarters for the international humanitarian ministry Church World Service, and also houses a wide variety of church agencies and ecumenical and interfaith organizations as well as some nonprofit foundations and faith-related organizations, including the Religion Communicators Council. The National Council of Churches also occupied the building from its inception, but in February 2013, the NCC consolidated its offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and vacated its New York headquarters facilities. NCC's sister agency, Church World Service, remains a tenant in the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interfaith marriage in Christianity</span>

An interfaith marriage, also known as an interreligious marriage, is defined by Christian denominations as a marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian, whereas an interdenominational marriage is between members of two different Christian denominations, such as a Lutheran Christian wedding a Catholic Christian, for example.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Resnicoff</span> American military chaplain

Arnold E. Resnicoff is an American Conservative rabbi who served as a military officer and military chaplain. He served in Vietnam and Europe before attending rabbinical school. He then served as a U.S. Navy Chaplain for almost 25 years. He promoted the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and delivered the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. In 1984 the President of the United States spoke on his eyewitness account of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. After retiring from the military he was National Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and served as Special Assistant to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, serving at the equivalent military rank of Brigadier General.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 273. ISBN   9780231125437.
  2. ↑ Bartnett, Edmond J. (November 4, 1961). "Methodists Plan $2,000,000 Center". The New York Times. p. 21.
  3. 1 2 "Church Peace Center Is Started on the East Side". The New York Times. August 2, 1962. p. 41.
  4. 1 2 3 "U.N. Church Center to Be Dedicated". The New York Times. September 17, 1963. p. 4.
  5. ↑ Gane, John F., ed. (1970). American Architects Directory (PDF) (3rd ed.). New York: R. R. Bowker for American Institute of Architects. p. 956.
  6. ↑ "Willet Studios Windows in Western New York". Buffalo Architecture and History. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Dugan, George (April 8, 1967). "Chapel to Unveil Statue of Christ". The New York Times. p. 37.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Rusk Says Cold War Not Cured". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. September 23, 1963. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bloom, Linda (October 4, 2013). "Across from U.N., a place for the people". New York Annual Conference. United Methodist Church.
  10. 1 2 3 "Non-Governmental and Official Liaison Organizations". Office of the Mayor, City of New York. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Roy, Ralph Lord (June 6, 2015). "Religions are facing changes in wedding traditions". Record-Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. p. A5 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. 1 2 3 Kennedy, Shawn G. (May 9, 1976). "U.N. Chapel Weddings: Ecumenical Spirit". The New York Times. p. 48.
  13. ↑ Van Buren, Abigail (February 22, 1985). "Church wedding for interfaith couple". Globe-Gazette. Mason City–Clear Lake, Iowa. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  14. ↑ Seelye, Katharine Q. (August 24, 2008). "Jill Biden Heads Toward Life in the Spotlight". The New York Times. p. A13.
  15. ↑ "Directory: U.N. Plaza Park Hyatt". New York. February 10, 1992. p. 21A.
  16. ↑ "Zachariah K. Matthews : October 20, 1901 – May 11, 1968 : memorial service". University of South Africa. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  17. ↑ Drier, Peter (April 5, 2017). "Fifty Years After King's Famous Anti-War Speech, America Again Debates Guns Versus Butter". Moyers on Democracy.
  18. ↑ Goodstein, Laurie (September 27, 2007). "Ahmadinejad Meets Clerics, and Decibels Drop a Notch". The New York Times.
  19. ↑ "Sliver of a Full Moon by Cherokee playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle". Howlround Theatre Commons. September 21, 2014.
  20. ↑ For instance, see O'Reilly, David (March 15, 2007). "Templeton religion prize to philosopher Charles Taylor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A4 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg For other instances, see this web search done November 6, 2020.

Coordinates: 40°45′0.4″N73°58′9.5″W / 40.750111°N 73.969306°W / 40.750111; -73.969306

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.