Pillar of Fire Pentecostal Church - Brooklyn, NY
 
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Pillar of Fire Church
(Pentecostal)

123 Sterling Place at Seventh Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217



The Pillar of Fire sect began in Colorado, where it was first organized on December 29, 1901, under the name "Pentecostal Union." A periodical called the Pentecostal Union Herald was published but its name was later changed to Pillar of Fire. This title was based on the scripture in Exodus 13:21 which says: "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night."

In the early 20th century, the "Tongues" movement adopted the term "Pentecostal," so to avoid confusion the Colorado sect decided to change their name to "Pillar of Fire" after their publication.

Over time, the denomination expanded its work to the eastern part of the country, and its headquarters were moved to Zarephath, N.J. A church in Brooklyn was established in the former Seventh Avenue Methodist Chapel on Sterling Place at Seventh Avenue.

Pillar of Fire Pentecostal Church (following air crash disaster in Dec. 1960) - Brooklyn, NY  
Church Destroyed by Plane Crash (1960)  
The Brooklyn church was destroyed on December 16, 1960, when a United Airlines DC-8 collided with a Lockheed Constellation over Staten Island and then crashed into the church and ten four-story tenement buildings on Seventh Avenue. This crash was the worst air disaster at the time, leaving 134 dead, including 6 on the ground. The Pillar of Fire church was not rebuilt.
             
William A. Johnson
Westfield, Mass. – Opus 307 (1869)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 14 stops, 14 ranks


The organ in the Seventh Avenue Methodist Chapel was built in 1869 by William A. Johnson of Westfield, Mass. Following are the specifications recorded (May 1, 1937) by Louis F. Mohr & Co., an organ service firm in the area.

Sometime around 1954 the organ was moved to storage at the Pillar of Fire headquarters in Zeraphath, N.J.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Octave
58
8
   Melodia [TC]
46
2 2/3
   Twelfth
58
8
   Stop'd Diapason Bass
12
2
   Fifteenth
58
8
   Dulciana
58
8
   Clarinet
58
4
   Flute d'Amour
58
        
               
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Flute Harmonic
58
8
   Salicional
58
8
   Oboe [TC]
46
8
   Stopped Diapason [TC]
46
8
   Bassoon Bass
12
8
   Stop'd Diapason Bass
12
        
 
      
 
      
Pedal Organ – 25 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
25
        
               
Couplers
    [Swell to Great]          
    Great to Pedal          
    Swell to Pedal          
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Pedal    
    2 Combination Pedals    
             
Sources:
     Elsworth, John Van Varick. The Johnson Organs. Harrisville, NH: The Boston Organ Club Chapter of the Organ Historical Society, 1984.
     Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Specifications (May 1, 1937) of William A. Johnson organ, Op. 307 (1869). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     "10 Brooklyn Houses Burn After Plane Hits a Church," The New York Times (Dec. 17, 1960).
     Wolfram, Gertrude Metlen. The Widow of Zarephath: A Church in the Making. Zarephath, N.J.: Pillar of Fire Church, 1954.

Illustrations:
     Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Church following air disaster.
     Wolfram, Gertrude Metlen. The Widow of Zarephath: A Church in the Making. Exterior (c.1950s) of Pillar of Fire Church, Brooklyn.