Green Street Church strives to deepen the spiritual journey, to be engaged with the poor and suffering, and to work for justice in the world. We invite you to find out what the buzz is all about. Come visit us at Green Street, where we celebrate the diversity of the human family, and where the Kingdom of God is breaking through!

Reconciling Ministry

Green Street is a Reconciling Congregation, open and affirming of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered and Straight people. While the United Methodist denomination continues to wrestle with issues around sexual identity, Green Street seeks to be a witness to the wider church community by living out the motto of “open minds, open hearts and open doors.” For more information about the Reconciling Ministry Network:

Hispanic Ministry

Many of our members are recent immigrants to the United States. In addition to our Spanish-speaking worship service, members also gather special study groups, birthday celebrations, and community projects. For more information, click here, or contact Raul Andriano, Director of Hispanic Ministry….

Multi-Cultural and Anti-Racist

Martin Luther King, Jr. once noted that 11 am on Sunday morning is the most segregated time in the United States. While Green Street is unique in its diverse community, we are on a journey to become an Anti-Racist church, actively seeking ways to dismantle the institutional structures and interpersonal barriers that continue to divide us. An Anti-Racism team helps Green Street partner with the Institute for Dismantling Racism for training and activities that help us embrace one another across lines of difference.

History

Green Street United Methodist Church began with a tent revival outside Old Salem in August 1902. A month later, a group of converts organized themselves as Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and built a wood frame church in the West Salem neighborhood. Some 20 years later, a brick sanctuary was built at the present location, and the congregation was renamed Green Street Methodist. In the 1960s, the congregation began a long steady loss of members. The West Salem neighborhood became racially diverse and many charter residents moved away from the city. At one point in the late 1990s, Sunday morning attendance dipped to 15 people. A group of people, who called themselves “the remnant,” remained and re-visioned the church, opening the doors wide to embrace the community around them.

Today, Green Street Church is alive and thriving, with 300+ members and approximately 160 people in worship each Sunday! The congregation reflects the make-up of the West Salem community– white, African-American, and Hispanic; the affluent, the middle class, and the poor–and also includes many from other neighborhoods who seek a diverse congregation.