2022 Cohort

Immanuel Presbyterian Church

Alburquerque, New Mexico

Immanuel Presbyterian Church is a cornerstone in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque – built to serve the social, cultural, and spiritual needs of its community.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church by Drew Henry

Immanuel Presbyterian Church by Drew Henry

2022 Cohort

Immanuel Presbyterian Church

Alburquerque, New Mexico

Immanuel Presbyterian Church is a cornerstone in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque – built to serve the social, cultural, and spiritual needs of its community.

Nob Hill is located along Route 66, and the congregation developed following World War II as the automobile-driven expansion of the suburbs and the G.I. Bill rapidly increased the geographic boundaries and population of Albuquerque. Completed in 1956, the church building was designed by noted architect John Gaw Meem in the Territorial Revival style. Meem is credited with developing this prevalent Southwestern style which reinterprets centuries of Native American and Hispanic architectural traditions.

Since 2019, Immanuel has been working with Partners for Sacred Places staff to develop a vision for shared building use and new partnerships for the congregation. Through this process, Immanuel connected with the New Mexico Philharmonic, the largest organization of professional musicians in the state. Local organizations have hosted concerts and performances at Immanuel for decades due to the main sanctuary’s strong acoustics, and the Philharmonic now plans to make this space its first permanent home for performances, rehearsals, and the storage of orchestral equipment. When this new space sharing agreement is fully implemented, the small but vibrant congregation will conduct worship in the building’s original sanctuary space, which is more suited for its needs.

With this new approach, Immanuel and the Philharmonic will share the responsibility of stewarding the historic building. A National Fund grant of $200,000 with $400,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation will contribute to repairing damage in the original sanctuary that resulted from water infiltration following a 2018 hailstorm. Immanuel hopes this project and partnership with the Philharmonic can serve as a “model for other congregations facing change.”

Immanuel Presbyterian Church by Shea Perry

Immanuel Presbyterian Church by Drew Henry

Celebrating Historic Sacred Places as Musical Spaces

For many, the act of listening to or performing music is often described as something sacred. In many religions around the world, foundational sacred texts and stories feature music as a recurring theme, and music has become an engaging way of expressing prayers in worship services. The natural connection between worship and music has grown over time as sacred sites have doubled as rehearsal and performance spaces which welcome broader audiences and foster cultural enrichment. Read more about National Fund participants and their connections to music.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church by Drew Henry

Stories and Media Coverage

Read more about how the National Fund for Sacred Places is helping congregations around the country rehabilitate their sacred places.

Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church by Luis P. Gutierrez