St. Mark's A.M.E. Church

“The idea became planted in the minds of a group of men and women in Kingston, New York, who felt the need for a prayer house or place of divine worship. Thereafter, a band of believers begin prayer meetings in one of their homes. The exact date of these meetings is not known; however, in 1852 individuals met in the home of one of the group and organized the church. On July 1853, the church was incorporated as the African Union Church of the Town of Kingston.

“On August 8, 1871, a parcel of land at 12 Foxhall Avenue, Kingston (at that time know as Wiltwyck) was sold to the African Union Church. A “little white church” was erected on the parcel. In 1902, the name was changed to St. Mark’s Chapel and further defined its discipline as “AME.” The congregation remained on Foxhall Avenue until 1967.

“In 1967, the property at 12 Foxhall Avenue was sold to The Kingston Hospital Corporation to make way for the building of a hospital. In that same year, the present church building at 72 Wurts Street, formerly the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, was purchased.

St. Mark’s continues to serve the Kingston community. It is a family-friendly church whose mission is to be the presence of God in this world.”