Founded on the eve of the Civil War by abolitionist families in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church (LAPC) has been a force for social change for more than 160 years. Its Romanesque Revival-style building, which features a pair of towers, a spacious open sanctuary with curved pews and exquisite Tiffany stained-glass windows, opened its doors in 1862, and has since served not only as a place of worship, but also as a hub for community activism.
Under the leadership of its first pastor, prominent abolitionist Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, in the 19th century LAPC championed the causes of abolition—it was referred to as a “temple of abolition” and hosted figures such as Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington—and women’s rights. More recently, LAPC’s vibrant multicultural, multiracial and multifaith congregation of approximately 300 members has advocated for prison reform and economic justice while also welcoming the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants, including supporting asylum seekers.