History and Timeline
Record of Interesting and Important Events
Written by the founding pastor of the Church
of the Atonement,
Dr. Frederick H. Knubel
The proposition that an English Lutheran
church be organized somewhere in the neighborhood of 135th Street and 8th Avenue, New York City, was first made, so far as
the pastor's knowledge extends, by Mr. Ernest Frederick Eilert, a member of St. John's Lutheran Church of Christopher Street,
New York City, and president of the National Luther League of America. He spoke of the matter to said pastor, who was also
a member of St. John's and had just completed his theological studies.The matter was laid before the church council of St.
John's Church, which adopted and granted the following three requests: (1) permission to visit and to ask for cooperation
of such members of the congregation as could properly be asked to unite in the formation of a church somewhere (wherever most
practicable) in the neighborhood of 135th Street on the west side of the city; (2) if the formation of such a congregation
should be deemed advisable after proper investigation, that the church council would use its influence with the boards of
Home Mission and Church Extension, either to secure help from them for the project or else to obtain the permission of the
boards for the transference of this congregation's regular collections for Home Missions and Church Extension to the newly
formed organization; (3) the encouragement and moral support of the congregation, if the work should be started. These resolutions
were adopted at the regular meeting of that church council in November of 1896.
The first pastor then began visiting
and met with really unlooked-for success. In spite of discouragements and the protest from another Lutheran congregation some
distance from the proposed site, the work was started through the active interest and support of many of the charter members
on 6 December 1896. Services were held that day from 10:45 in the morning until 7:45 in the evening in a store at 2603 8th
Avenue between 138th and 139th streets. A Sunday School was also started at 2:30 p.m. Regular services were held and an organization
effected on 21 January 1897, at which time a constitution was adopted, church officers elected, etc. The name adopted was
the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement. The number of charter members was 8. A Ladies'Aid Society, a Sunday School
Teachers' Society, and a Young Peoples' Society were soon organized.
In the month of May 1897, a piece of ground was
bought at the southeast corner of Edgecombe Avenue and 140th Street and building operations began in September of 1897. Also
in September of 1897, the congregation was accepted as a member of the New York and New Jersey Synod, a district synod of
the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
On 31 October 1897 (Reformation Day), the cornerstone
of the building was laid. On 3 April 1898, the first story (Sunday School) being finished, the first services were held in
the new building. Dedication festivities took place on 13, 17, and 18 April, especially on the 17th. On the evening of 17
April 1898, the pastor was installed. Dr. J. J. Young delivered the charge to the pastor; Dr. M. W. Hamma, that to the congregation.
The latter then formally conducted the installation service.
Click here to read more about the history of Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church.
