Westminster Presbyterian Church: Former Syracuse Church Creates Fund to Continue Neighborhood Mission

Giving Voice Fall 2022: Cover Story

As a child, Douglas G. Russell often walked with his large family to Westminster PresbyterianChurch on Syracuse’s Northside for Sunday services. He remembers seeing packed pews and partaking in youth fellowship programs, dances, church outings and afterschool programs over the 65 years he was a member.

“Our social circle was connected to the church,” said Russell, a former church trustee, financial secretary and treasurer who was baptized at the church when he was 5. “It was always a safe place for anyone in the neighborhood to go.”

In August 2010, the church — thought to be among the oldest in Syracuse — marked its 200th anniversary with a community celebration for the neighborhood, which includes the historic Washington Square Park. By then, church membership was declining dramatically, following demographic shifts that have closed urban churches in Central New York and across the country.

Within 10 years of the bicentennial commemoration, church membership had dwindled to 63. Sunday services drew an average of nine people, compared to a congregation that once filled the church’s estimated 400 seats. About two and a half years ago, church leaders acknowledged the small, aging congregation could not pay the bills and continue its ministry for long. Reluctantly, they voted to dissolve the congregation and close the church.

But warm memories of Westminster Presbyterian Church and its decadeslong role as a neighborhood anchor spurred longtime members to use its remaining resources to create a field-of-interest fund at the Community Foundation to support the greatest needs on Syracuse’s Northside. The Westminster Presbyterian Northside Concerns Fund will begin grantmaking in spring 2023.

In a nod to Westminster’s former neighborhood activities, the fund will focus on immediate community needs like food pantries, reading programs and support for neighborhood youth, allowing the former church to leave a permanent lasting legacy of impact on the community.

“We’ve been blessed with angels who left us money,” Russell said. “That money was left to the church from wonderful families and we can keep that working in the community.”

Church members hope their assets will be used wisely to continue supporting the needs of a changing neighborhood where they spent decades worshipping, socializing and serving others. “The fund will do everything we were doing as Christians before,” Russell said. “Everyone who came to us for help, we would help them. We want to be able to keep providing help on the Northside.”

Through the church’s fund, “we can know our money is working in the neighborhood where we put in so much time,” Russell said.

Related Stories

hand holding growing money
Publications September 18, 2023

Helping your Clients Get Organized: Structure Is a Critical Step in Multi-Generational Philanthropy

Learn how Jeff Knauss and his wife use their donor-advised to engage their children in ...

Blogs September 15, 2023

Reflections: Continued Learning for Equity/Reflexiones: Aprendizaje Continuo para la Equidad

Yeisha Núñez-Denson, tells us about her experience joining our efforts toward an equitable internal work ...

Woman sitting with girl holding books
Blogs August 21, 2023

Unlocking Potential through Reading as A Book Buddy Volunteer

Juliet Nabinger, employee benefits senior specialist at OneGroup and Book Buddies Volunteer, shares how her ...

Blogs August 7, 2023

Reflections: Amplifying Voices for Equity

Juliet Maloff, senior communications officer, explains how we are shifting some of our storytelling to ...

Children looking through binoculars on Syracuse street
Publications August 1, 2023

Payment Pending: CNY Nonprofit Funding Delays From the State Level

Colby Cyrus, CAPM and Frank Ridzi, Ph.D. outline our analysis of how often New York ...

News Releases July 27, 2023

LeadSafeCNY: A Look at our Neighborhood Investments

A new heat map demonstrates the impact of our neighborhood investments so far through the ...

Woman reading to child
News Releases July 25, 2023

More than $1 Million Distributed to Local Nonprofits

The Central New York Community Foundation recently distributed $1,127,321 in grants to local nonprofits.

Two men standing, one sitting in a wheelchair
Blogs July 24, 2023

Community Voices: Promoting Adaptive Recreation in CNY through the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Challenge

Ashley Quimby-Simoni, program manager at the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, shares how adding adaptive ...

News Releases July 11, 2023

Community Foundation Awards Grants to Lead Testing & Awareness Projects

Runners-up of the Community Foundation's participatory budgeting project received LeadSafeCNY grants.

hand holding growing money
Publications September 18, 2023

Helping your Clients Get Organized: Structure Is a Critical Step in Multi-Generational Philanthropy

Learn how Jeff Knauss and his wife use their donor-advised to engage their children in ...

Blogs September 15, 2023

Reflections: Continued Learning for Equity/Reflexiones: Aprendizaje Continuo para la Equidad

Yeisha Núñez-Denson, tells us about her experience joining our efforts toward an equitable internal work ...

Woman sitting with girl holding books
Blogs August 21, 2023

Unlocking Potential through Reading as A Book Buddy Volunteer

Juliet Nabinger, employee benefits senior specialist at OneGroup and Book Buddies Volunteer, shares how her ...

Blogs August 7, 2023

Reflections: Amplifying Voices for Equity

Juliet Maloff, senior communications officer, explains how we are shifting some of our storytelling to ...

Children looking through binoculars on Syracuse street
Publications August 1, 2023

Payment Pending: CNY Nonprofit Funding Delays From the State Level

Colby Cyrus, CAPM and Frank Ridzi, Ph.D. outline our analysis of how often New York ...

News Releases July 27, 2023

LeadSafeCNY: A Look at our Neighborhood Investments

A new heat map demonstrates the impact of our neighborhood investments so far through the ...

Woman reading to child
News Releases July 25, 2023

More than $1 Million Distributed to Local Nonprofits

The Central New York Community Foundation recently distributed $1,127,321 in grants to local nonprofits.

Two men standing, one sitting in a wheelchair
Blogs July 24, 2023

Community Voices: Promoting Adaptive Recreation in CNY through the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Challenge

Ashley Quimby-Simoni, program manager at the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, shares how adding adaptive ...

News Releases July 11, 2023

Community Foundation Awards Grants to Lead Testing & Awareness Projects

Runners-up of the Community Foundation's participatory budgeting project received LeadSafeCNY grants.

View More