Scaffolding rises around St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City as full restoration of its Spanish tile roof begins. (New York Annual Conference Photo)
New York Annual Conference | Oct. 17, 2025
The Spanish tile roof that sits atop the historic Upper West Side building, which has served home to St. Paul & St. Andrew (SPSA) United Methodist Church since 1897, was built to last a century. It’s been 128 years.
For decades, SPSA patched and repaired, responding to emergencies as they arose. Four years ago, one badly damaged section was repaired. However, water continued to find its way through. Ceilings stained. Walls damaged. The landmarked structure itself was at risk. “For the past 40 years, we have applied band-aid repairs on the church building, responding to emergencies just to keep the place going,” says senior pastor Rev. Dr. K. Karpen.
The time for temporary fixes long ago passed. With this understanding, a capital campaign called “Now Is the Time!” began a little over one year ago. The goal was straightforward: replace the roof that had served faithfully but was finally failing, and repair the water damage left behind.
What happened surprised everyone. Congregation members gave. Community supporters gave. Preservation organizations stepped forward. Literally, within months, $4 million was raised, and SPSA made a decision that would have seemed impossible a year earlier: they would replace the entire roof at once, rather than patch it together over time. Scaffolding now surrounds the landmarked building, and for the first time since 1897, comprehensive restoration has begun—the first actual restoration work SPSA has been able to do on its landmarked exterior.
But the church still needs $1.5 million to complete the interior repairs.
What Happens Under This Roof
“The roof above us is not simply a structure of wood and Spanish tile,” says Rev. Lea Matthews, SPSA Associate Pastor. “It’s the sheltering presence that makes possible the work and witness of this congregation and all of our interfaith and nonprofit partners. Under its covering, lives are being knit together in justice, compassion, and hope.”
Consider: This fall, eighty-five people gathered in the sanctuary for Sacred Court Support training to learn how to accompany their immigrant neighbors through deportation hearings—not as lawyers, but as quiet witnesses willing to sit beside someone facing an uncertain future.
Last spring, more than 600 students filled this same space. Columbia and New York University had denied them their degrees for peacefully protesting the war in Gaza. At SPSA, these students found what their own universities had withheld: recognition of outstanding academic work and affirmation of their moral convictions.
"So much compassion and justice happens under this roof," says Rev. Dr. K Karpen, senior pastor of St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City. (New York Annual Conference Photo)
Every day, the West Side Campaign Against Hunger operates within SPSA. Twenty years ago, they distributed 800,000 meals annually. This year, the number of meals served is projected to reach 4 million. The church that houses this work must remain standing. “None of this could have taken place without a space that is safe, secure, and protected from the elements,” Pastor Matthews explains. “Repairing the roof is about more than preserving a historic building. It’s about safeguarding a sanctuary where the Spirit continues to stir, where community is strengthened, and where the urgent work of justice and mercy can take root and flourish.”
Research by Partners for Sacred Places and the University of Pennsylvania found that St. Paul & St. Andrew generates more than $32 million in economic benefit annually for the Upper West Side and greater New York City—nearly nineteen times the average for urban historic houses of worship.
However, the building’s value cannot be measured that way. It’s measured by the number of volunteers who will walk into immigration courtrooms next week, as well as the graduates who found sanctuary when their universities closed their doors. In the families fed tonight, because a food pantry had room to work. In the theater companies, recovery groups, and interfaith gatherings that call SPSA home.
Much More Work to be Done
The response to “Now Is the Time!” capital campaign has been remarkable. SPSA was one of only sixteen recipients chosen from 371 applicants to receive a $250,000 matching grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places. The United Methodist City Society and New York Landmarks Conservancy provided additional support. But most of the $4.0 million—$3.5 million came from the congregation and their friends.
Yet the water damage runs deeper than anyone could have imagined, and the costs of these interior repairs will cost another $1.5 million to complete. Once these urgent needs are addressed, SPSA will turn to other long-deferred projects for the building, including upgrading accessibility, modernizing electrical and safety systems, and improving spaces where much of the community’s work takes place.
“There is so much work of compassion and justice that happens in this building every day,” Rev. K says. “I feel a huge responsibility to make sure we can continue the work of the Gospel here into the future.”
“With this campaign, we are making sure that generations yet to come will also find shelter here,” Rev. Matthews says. “A place to gather, to organize, to worship, and to build a more just and loving world. The building has sheltered this community for 128 years. With this work, it will shelter many more to come.”
Those who want to help by making a pledge to the “Now Is the Time!” capital campaign to support the real-world impact ministry that takes place within the walls of SPSA, can give online. If you'd prefer to make your contribution by cash, check, or offer a gift of securities, please email now@stpaulandstandrew.org.
Lisa Isom is Director of Communications and Joy Duckett-Cain is Communications Contributing Editor for the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.