| Times Square Church | |
|---|---|
 Front entrance of Times Square Church in the Mark Hellinger Theatre | |
  | |
| 40°45′45″N 73°59′03″W / 40.76250°N 73.98417°W | |
| Location | 237 West 51st Street New York City, New York 10019 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Interdenominational |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Founded | October 1987 |
| Founder | David Wilkerson |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor | Tim Dilena |
| Pastor(s) | Tim Dilena Carter Conlon Patrick Pierre Teresa Conlon |
Times Square Church is an interdenominational congregation located at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on 237 West 51st Street in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. Times Square Church was founded by Pastor David Wilkerson in 1987 and bought the Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1991.
Church history
The Times Square Church was founded by David Wilkerson in 1987. At the time, Times Square frequently hosted X-rated films and strip clubs, and prostitution and drug addiction were commonplace in the area. Wilkerson opened the church in response to what he described as "the physically destitute and spiritually dead people" he saw among the pimps, runaways and crack dealers who populated the area.[1] The Times Square Church briefly held its services at Town Hall on 43rd Street in Manhattan and then in the Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street.[2]
In February 1989, the Nederlander Organization leased the Mark Hellinger Theatre to the Times Square Church.[3][4] Times Square Church purchased the building from the Nederlander Organization for an undisclosed amount in 1991. At the time, the value of the building was estimated to be between $15 million–$18 million.[5] Upon its purchase, Pastor Donald W. Wilkerson, brother of David Wilkerson and one of the church leaders, declared that the theater would not be altered, saying "The theater is landmarked and it will remain the same."[5] The church was described as an evangelical pentecostal church headed by three pastors: David Wilkerson, his brother, Donald Wilkerson, and Robert Phillips.[5] The theater is still the church's current location on 51st Street.
In 2001, David Wilkerson entrusted the senior pastorate to Carter Conlon, formerly an evangelical pastor from eastern Canada and associate pastor at Times Square Church from 1994 to 2001. It also features visiting missionaries and ministers.[citation needed]
From 2007 to 2009 the church organized an event called Prayer in the Square, a prayer rally which took place in Times Square.
On May 5, 2020, Tim Dilena became Senior Pastor, the third since the church’s founding. He had a lifelong association with founding pastor David Wilkerson and has regularly preached at the church for many years.
Building
The Mark Hellinger Theatre was originally built by Warner Bros. in 1930 as a movie palace, the Warner Hollywood Theatre, which was later converted to a Broadway venue.[6] It has 1,603 seats.[7] Notable Broadway musicals that have played at the theater include My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the Katharine Hepburn musical Coco.[8]
References
Notes
- ^ "The History of Times Square Church: A testimony of obedience". tsc.nyc. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Singleton, Don (March 5, 1989). "SRO for Jesus on Broadway". New York Daily News. p. 23. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Church to Occupy the Mark Hellinger Theater". Newsday. February 9, 1989. p. 155. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hellinger Theater Going to Church". Back Stage. Vol. 30, no. 7. February 17, 1989. p. 4A. ProQuest 962771570.
- ^ a b c Collins, Glenn (December 7, 1991). "Hellinger Theater Sold To Church". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
- ^ Morrison, William (1999). Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. pp. 162–163. ISBN 0-486-40244-4.
- ^ Corry, John (June 8, 1981). "The World Is Audience at Theater Tribal Ritual". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Times Square Church" at Internet Broadway Database
External links
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| National | |
