Blocks away from the Empire State Building, a stunning, mid-19th-century Gothic-style brick church is nestled between steel skyscrapers in New York City’s NoMad neighborhood. The Church of the Transfiguration — affectionately known as “The Little Church” by its congregants — is home to an active Episcopal community and is a national landmark. The basement of the rectory was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the church gave sanctuary to several dozen Black folks under attack during the Civil War draft riots.
But like many century-old churches, Church of the Transfiguration is struggling due to the cost of upkeep — plus the trials of COVID-19.
“The problem is that, particularly in New York, congregations are housed in large, historic properties, with large amounts of deferred maintenance,” nonprofit leader Kate Toth told media. “At the same time, membership in most religious communities is declining. Those are two difficult trends to square.”
But Toth has…
