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 ORGANIZED AS A MISSION OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, its first meetings were held in Flushing in 1702. Services were conducted in the old Guard House until 1746 when the first church was builtCoriginally with no steeple or bell. A certain "John Aspinwall, Gentleman" donated ￡600 for those items in 1760.
Mr. Aspinwall later helped establish a Latin School, which became the Academy in 1803, a precursor to the Flushing school system.
A charter was granted to St. George's by King George III in 1761, the first year of his reign.
Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence was a warden of the church from 1765 to 1790. The Right Reverend Samuel Seabury who was rector of St. George's from 1757 to 1765, became the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America.
The second church was built in 1821 (with the original bell), and the third (the present one) in 1854. It was designed by the architects Henry Dudley and Frank Wills, associated with The New York Ecclesiological Society, with interest in the development of Gothic Architecture as a new style (Neo-Gothic) for American churches. Local craftsmen were engaged and regional materials were used. The great tower bell was recast at Troy, NY, using the metal from the original bell, and still bore the inscription "The gift of John Aspinwall, Gentleman, 1760."
The Rev. Doctor William August Muhlenberg, famous as an educator, was rector from 1826 to 1829. The longest rectorship was that of the Rev. Doctor John Carpenter Smith, who served from 1847 to 1897, and was greatly loved in the parish and community. The Rev. Canon Dougald L. Maclean served the second longest. He was in the rectorship for forty-one years.
FOR ALMOST THREE CENTURIES, THIS CHURCH SERVED immigrants from England, Germany, and Holland and their descendants. The Flushing community, however, has changed greatly in recent years. The number of African-Americans, West Indians, Asians, Africans and Hispanics has steadily increased, and the white, English-speaking population decreased proportionately. St. George's has changed to accommodate the new conditions. We had started a Chinese service in 1988 and a Hispanic service in 1993, a truly multicultural church. Our beautiful church building and Old Parish House have been officially designated as the Landmarks by the Landmarks Preservation Committee of the City of New York.
The dignity and beauty of the church's interior, which attains the loftiness and grandeur of the great cathedrals; the beautiful stained glass windows; and the many other memorials in the church are constant reminders of the life and work of the men and women whose faith and zeal have laid the spiritual as well as the material foundation of this House of God.
ST. GEORGE'S PARISH IS ONE OF THE 157 PARISHES IN THE DIOCESE OF LONG ISLAND, we are among the 2.1 million members in the Episcopal Church of U.S.A. which is one of the 38 Provinces with 75 million members of the Anglican Communion. In the nearly 300 year history of the Parish, we have planted six daughter churches in Queens, New York and currently we are actively evangelizing among new Asian (particularly Chinese) and Central and South American immigrants offering ministries to them through Worship and service programs. We have the Service League, the St. George's Brotherhood, the St. George's Ladies, St. George's Youth, the Chinese Fellowship, the Altar Guild and plan to have educational outreach programs.
We sponsor English Conversation classes, co-sponsor Kunqu - Chinese opera classes and counseling sessions. We also have an interdenominational Christian Fellowship that meets here on Thursday. Our Ladies run a Boutique Thrift Shop to help the needy ones and in turn bring in extra support to the church.
Our faith is outlined in the Nicene Creed and Apostle's Creed; we use the Prayer Book for our servicing worship. We truly believe in
God, the Father, Creator of all things, seen and unseen.
Jesus the Christ, Son of the Living God who became man and lived on the plane of human history to fully manifest who God is. He died on the cross to be the Lamb, the sacrifice. He takes away our sins. He is risen, He is resurrected and He brings life eternal to us.
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, who teaches us to understand Jesus and helps us to reach out to serve and to proclaim the Good News.
We are called to love our God with all our heart, our soul, our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
What does God want us to do?
To act justly and to have mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
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