211 West 129th Street at Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. (7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10027

Main pastors:

• 1902-1942:
• 1996-2000: John Nelson
• 2000-2007:
• 2007- : Allen N. Pinckney

On the Web:

• Main site ("under construction" in March 2008)

In fieldnotes by

• Linda Lin
• Hervé Varenne
  • May 8, 2007 - Walking about Harlem
  • November 8, 2007 - Meeting with John Nelson
  • January 31, 2008 - Meeting with Rev. Allen Pinckney
  • March 2, 2008 - Sunday Worship at the Salem United Methodist Church
  • March 8, 2008 - Salem Leadership Retreat in White Plains
  • March 12, 2008 - Chat with John Nelson about Salem
  • March 15, 2008 - Administrative Committee Meeting
  • March 26, 2008 - Bible Study

In interviews

Documents

• Order of worship and bulletin for March 2, 2008
• 2008 Leadership Manual
• March 8, 2008 agenda for leadership retreat

Salem United Methodist Church was founded in 1881 as a mission of St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church. The mission first met in a storefront at 250 St. Nicholas Avenue, and later moved to 232 West 124th Street, a private home. In 1908, the New York City Missionary and Church Extension Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church purchased six brownstones on 133rd Street and Lenox Avenue, renovating them to create a chapel and meeting rooms for the Salem mission. That same year, Salem was reorganized as a separate church. Salem United Methodist Church - New York City By the early 1920s, Salem's membership had grown to over 600 and larger facilities were needed. In 1923, Salem purchased the imposing Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church (also known as the West Harlem M.E. Church) for $258,000, after Calvary decided to relocate to the Bronx. Salem Church has been home to many of Harlem's cultural and intellectual elite, including singer Marian Anderson and poet Countee Cullen. (from organ site)