Iglesia Primitiva
From East Broadway, Chinatown
Contents |
Overview
Iglesia Cristiana Primitive is located at 207-209 East Broadway. The church has been in the community for over 55 years and its roots are Hispanic, and to this day continue to be Hispanic. However, there are two different groups of Hispanics that attend: solely Spanish-speaking Hispanics and non-Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Pastor Marc Rivera is the head pastor of the church, he first attended the church when he was 12 years old and was the head pastor by the age of 23. The church is full of wonderful and open people, who will accept anyone into their community.
The Community
The residents that live in the area have changed overtime. One of the main causes of this is the fact that the church is located near Ellis Island. In the early 1900s, most of the residents were from Eastern Europe, and the majority of these immigrants were Jewish. However, new immigrants coming into the city would then replace the Eastern European residents. Currently, the community consists of Hispanic residents, illustrated by the fact that out of all of the Hispanics that attend the church, 60% of the them live walking distance away, while the remaining 40% live further, including in the outer boroughs. Iglesia Cristiana Primitiva welcomes around 800 Hispanic worshipers on Sundays. Of these Hispanics, 150-200 of them solely speak Spanish, while 550-600 are non-Spanish-speaking Hispanics.
The Church’s Building
In 1960, the church purchased both 207 East Broadway and 209 East Broadway. Both buildings where five story tenement buildings, with 209 being a residential building and 207 being a Jewish reception hall called the Broadway Manor; the Broadway Manor was used by the Jewish community to celebrate weddings and parties. After the church acquired both of the buildings, they started construction to join them together. Unfortunately, on May 3, 1973 both of the buildings collapsed, due to a weak foundation and the vibrations of the F train. However, the church re-started construction and completed the current structure shortly there after. To accomplish this task the church contracted Robt Bassolino to be the architect, the project cost around $300,000. Pastor Marc Rivera was not the head pastor at the time, Pedro Rosario was and he overlooked the construction of the church.
The Church as an Anchor to the Community
The church started to truly develop under the guidance of Pastor Marc Rivera who pursued his vision to make the church an anchor in the community, rather than just a place of worship. To realize his vision, he took out a mortgage on November 21, 1996 for $250,000 and another mortgage on March 15, 2005 for $920,000. Pastor Marc Rivera used the money to carry out the daily operations of the church, to purchase assets for the development of the church, and to help the church advance in the community. Today, Pastor Marc Rivera represents the church through many different means, such as the board of education and religious organizations in Albany. He is still working towards his ultimate goal of having the church truly anchor the community in all of the ways possible.
Map
Video
Church's Web Site Website
To visit the churches web site, just click here: [1]