Tomorrow is the second day of the annual Sacred Sites Open House throughout New York State. From the 1842 Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church on eastern Long Island to the 1905 First Baptist Church of Niagara Falls at the northwest tip of New York, dozens of Sacred Sites are open to the public this weekend. More than 140 churches, synagogues, and meeting houses comprise the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s 8th annual two-day open house, a splendid rite of spring. The month of May possesses its seasonal glories, both nature- and human-created. Often, the best combine both in ways that call us to walk, pause, and honor.

In swaths of the northern United States, the spring has felt particularly long in coming as wintry snows and cold temperatures have meant that buds burst later. Yet, with early May’s warm weather and blooming, the season has reminded us to seize the day and not miss the spectacle, even if spring turns over into summer heat rapidly.

During the Sacred Sites Open House, culminating on Sunday, both the natural and manmade honor beauty, connectedness, resilience, and perseverance that are best savored in walking and observing. These spiritual homes, in the backdrop of nature’s spring unfolding, are often awe-inspiring.
The congregations invite the public in to appreciate their worship space, learn its history, walk gardens, and explore craftsmanship that has survived for generations. It is also an opportunity to share the spiritual outreach and cultural programs they do today. With this year’s theme of “Sacred Sounds and Settings,” they are also offering concerts and organ presentations.

Some Sunday highlights include:

Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, will share its history and current programs in tours plus present a concert on Sunday that celebrates freedom and justice, two themes central to its longstanding presence. Families of the original Plymouth Rock settlers were among its founders in 1847, and its first pastor was Henry Ward Beecher, a fierce abolitionist and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. have been among the visitors to the church. Church members helped slaves escaping from the South, who found a safe refuge in a basement space on their way North. The church will give tours at 12:30 and 2 p.m., while the concert is set for 1:15 p.m.

Congregation Tifereth Israel, Greenport (Suffolk County) will have its community gallery open from 1-4 p.m. for an “Who Art Thou,” an exhibit that explores Judaism through art. The multimedia exhibit features the work of eight Jewish artists seeking deeper understanding and insight into Judaism in their works.

St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, Woodstock (Ulster County) will be open to the public from 12-3 p.m. for viewing the architecture of the A-frame church, constructed from 1955-1957, and its art. Visitors are also invited to walk the church gardens (which include a memorial garden, horticultural therapy garden, children’s garden, and wildflower meadow) and a labyrinth. Greeters will be on hand to answer questions.

St. George’s Episcopal Church, Newburgh (Orange County) is a picturesque church which members, led by a 26-year-old pastor, erected nearly 200 years ago. Those who tour during its open house hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. can see magnificent Tiffany and other stained glass windows, as well as artifacts from its storied history, while learning of its community presence today.

The Conservancy’s site for the Open House Weekend contains a listing and resources for visiting the participating Sacred Sites.

St. George’s Episcopal Church in Newburgh is one of the places the public can tour in the 2018 Sacred Sites Open House.

This window from Tiffany Studios is in St. George’s Episcopal Church in Newburgh. The church was open during the Sacred Sites weekend in 2016, and is again participating in the 2018 Open House.

The Open House encompasses a broad array of spiritual homes, religious congregations, time periods, and architectural styles. New York City possesses many sites, but they are also spread throughout the Empire State. The event also highlights the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s continuing outreach to build community support for ongoing preservation, inspire residents “to be tourists in their own town,” and bring broader awareness to the many programs and services that religious institutions provide to communities today.

The structures are landmarks, places of peace and beauty, and the keepers of history and intergenerational life stories. At a time when many worship houses have been lost, they are testaments of resilience, much like the glories of spring itself.

Links and Further Exploration

The New York Landmarks Conservancy: Sacred Sites Open House Weekend

Mindful Walker: A Newburgh Church Embodies Resilience

Installed in 1905, this stained glass window in Holy Trinity Lutheran Church depicts the Resurrection of Christ. The church, in New York’s Upper West Side, was part of the Sacred Sites Open House weekend in 2017.