“How did a lottery help build a church?” I ask. Saint Paul’s Church stands before us a testament to faith and ingenuity. Today, it houses Episcopal Community Services. But its story began in controversy and continued through revolution.
Saint Paul’s Church was founded in 1760. Parishioners from Christ Church disagreed about William McClenachan. He was a former Presbyterian minister with evangelical beliefs. Some church leaders blocked him from a position at Christ Church. They worried about his past affiliations and support among Presbyterians. His followers left and formed Saint Paul’s Church.
They first met at Independence Hall on June 22 1760. Soon after, they started building their own church here on Third Street.
To fund the construction, Saint Paul’s Church organized a lottery. This was common then for public and private projects. The church hoped to raise 3000 pieces of eight. Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette advertised the lottery on January 29 1761. The ad called the church Paul’s Church. It said the church was necessary for the worship of Almighty God. Many well-disposed Christians had cheerfully subscribed to the pious work. A large building had been started and built to the full height of the brick work. Completing the church would exceed the sums subscribed. So a lottery was set up to raise 3000 pieces of eight. It was hoped this would completely finish the church.
5000 tickets were issued at four dollars each. The advertisement promised a favorable scheme. Blanks and prizes were less than two to one. Prizes ranged from 8 pieces of eight to a grand prize of 1000 pieces of eight.
Saint Paul’s Church was completed later in 1761. The first services were held on December 20 1761. Reverend McClenachan was the rector. He retired in 1765 and moved to Maryland. He died a year later.
His departure may have resolved the conflict between Saint Paul’s and Christ Church. In 1773, his successor William Stringer was ordained by the bishop of London.
Reverend Stringer became a source of controversy himself. During the American Revolution, Stringer stayed loyal to the British crown. Many parishioners had patriot sympathies. The division peaked in 1777 after the British captured Philadelphia.
The next Sunday, Stringer preached from Ezekiel 20. It spoke of Israel’s rebelliousness. One verse was especially incendiary. It read: “And I will purge out from among you the rebels and them that transgress against me.” Church members saw this as a veiled threat. This sermon ended Stringer’s time as rector. He soon left and returned to England.
In the 19th century, Saint Paul’s had several nationally prominent rectors. Stephen H Tyng served from 1829 to 1833. He led the Episcopal Church’s evangelical wing. His ministry focused on social services for the poor. He altered the church building. This included making space for Sunday school programs. He also removed old-fashioned elements. William Strickland oversaw the project. The building was re-dedicated on New Year’s Day in 1831.
R Heber Newton was another notable 19th-century rector. His father Richard Newton served from 1840 to 1862. The younger Newton became rector in 1866 at age 26. He left after three years to lead All Souls’ Protestant Episcopal Church in New York City. There, he became a leader in the Social Gospel movement. He faced heresy charges in 1883. He supposedly denied the Bible’s inerrancy and Jesus’ divinity. He retained his position until 1902.
Saint Paul’s remained active but declined later in the century. The neighborhood was no longer desirable. Affluent parishioners moved elsewhere. Attendance and revenue dropped. In 1901, leaders asked that the church be dissolved. Its property was transferred to St Peter’s Church.
But Saint Paul’s building remained in use by the Episcopal Church. Since 1906, it has housed Episcopal Community Services. This organization offers assistance programs. These include food housing healthcare and education. This fulfills the Social Gospel ideals of ministers like Tyng and Newton.
Today Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church stands not as a religious center but as a testament to community service adapting to the needs of a changing world. Its stones whisper tales of lotteries revolution and dedication to social justice. And let us also remember Edwin Forrest the great tragedian known for his Spartacus and other dramatic roles. His feud with William Macready caused the 1849 Astor Place Riot in New York in which 22 people were killed.