Siloam Presbyterian Church

Our story

Faith and justice. Always intertwined.

Since 1849, Siloam has been a place of refuge, courage, and community. Our story is woven into the story of Brooklyn—and the ongoing work of justice.

Members of Siloam Presbyterian Church waving together on the front steps

  1. 1849

    A congregation begins.

    Rev. James A. Gloucester, a former slave and the son of John Gloucester, founder of the First African Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, obtained permission from Presbytery to organize his religious society into a church: the Siloam Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. For at least two years before that, the group had held services as a mission.

  2. 1850s

    A refuge on the road to freedom.

    In resistance to slavery, Siloam participated vigorously in the Underground Railroad; escaped slaves were provided food, clothing and refuge. Rev. Amos N. Freeman met the abolitionist John Brown, who stayed at the Freeman home in Brooklyn on his way to Harpers Ferry; an offering of approximately twenty-five dollars was raised for him to continue his work.

  3. Late 1800s

    The Literary Union.

    Organized at Siloam, the church's Literary Union successfully waged a campaign against segregation in the public school system, fought for the appointment of qualified Black school teachers, and labored to create sentiment for the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

  4. 1919–1947

    Rev. George Shippen Stark.

    Under Rev. Stark, Siloam acquired a manse on Clifton Place and, in 1944, purchased the former Central Presbyterian Church at 260 Jefferson Avenue, moving closer to Brooklyn's growing African American community. The mortgage was paid off in 1945.

  5. 1948–1988

    Rev. Dr. Milton A. Galamison.

    Rev. Galamison served for forty years and became nationally known as one of the earliest Black leaders of the 1950s–60s civil rights era in New York City, fighting for equal opportunity in education and employment. A pioneer in religious television, he led Siloam to become the first Black church to appear on NBC.

  6. 1990–2001

    Rev. Sylvester L. Shannon.

    Rev. Shannon's leadership emphasized intergenerational worship, evangelism and outreach. The African American Moment and Our Time with the Children became part of Sunday services, and the "Footprints of Our History" exhibit, with artifacts dating back to slavery and the post-slavery era, was begun.

  7. 2004–2013

    Rev. Dr. Darryll Young.

    His tenure included the free "Meet Your Neighbors" community breakfast, sponsored by the Membership Committee, and since 2007 the Your Body Is a Temple health ministry has served the community with health information and free screenings.

  8. 2017

    Rev. Eric A. Thomas.

    Rev. Eric A. Thomas, the first pastor ordained at Siloam and its first openly same-gender loving pastor, leads the congregation today.

    Meet our pastor

The Pastors of Siloam

Meet the pastors of Siloam

A place for you. A purpose we share.

Let’s take the next step together.

Plan Your Visit