The decade of the 1950's was a time when large numbers of Seventh-day Adventists from the Caribbean - many of whom were former students and graduates of Caribbean Union College (now University of the Southern Caribbean) in Trinidad and West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University) in Jamaica - were settling in New York City to further their education, develop their careers and take advantage of available employment opportunities. In 1957, a small group of individuals - Alfred Boyce, Sylvanus DeJonge, Roy Hoyte, Errol Millington, Anderson and Joyce Nurse, Bertram Straker, and Albert Pierre - began to investigate the possibility of establishing a church that would meet their spiritual needs, uphold their cultural heritage, and provide a worship service that was reminiscent of their homeland.
On October 14, 1958, the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists accepted the charter members of this new church under the name The Inter-American Seventh-day Adventist Church . The charter members at this meeting were:
- S. Archer
- Alfred Boyce
- Sylvanus and Prisca Dejonge
- L. Duncan
- Roy Hoyte
- Hugh King
- Errol Millington
- G. Mitchell
- Albert Pierre
- D. Rodriquez
- Myrtle Shorey
- Bertram Straker
- F. Van Putten
- V. Wilson
The first months of services were held at the Coptic Church called the Church on the Mount at 1393 Pacific Street, Brooklyn. Due to the rapidly increasing membership, the congregation was forced to move to the larger Primitive Methodist Church at 810 Park Place, Brooklyn, which had a seating capacity of 250. On April 17, 1960, the congregation purchased it for $7,500.00, and it became their first church home.
Within two years this facility could not accommodate the membership. The congregation rented space from the Trinity Baptist Church at 179 New York Avenue, Brooklyn, and held services there for two weeks. In October 1962, the congregation moved to the Miller Memorial Nazarene Church, 595 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, where Sabbath services were held until July 17, 1963.
An unrelenting search was conducted by the members of the church for a more spacious church building. In 1963, the historic Hanson Place Baptist Church, located at 88 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, became available and was purchased by the congregation. This church was built in 1860, just before the Civil War and has been designated as a New York City and National Historic landmark. Its ecclesiastical architecture combines elements and decorative detail in both the Greek Revival and Italianate styles. The first Sabbath service was held at the new Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church on July 20, 1963, with an attendance of more than 500 individuals.
The membership has risen steadily over the years, reaching a peak in excess of 2000. While the membership has declined recently, it remains the largest Seventh-day Adventist church in Brooklyn, and the second largest church in the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Today, the Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church is an international community of believers with diverse ethnic, social, cultural, economic, educational and philosophical backgrounds, who are committed to the mission of serving God and humanity.
The following individuals have served as Senior Pastors of the Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church:
- Pastor A. Randolph Haig* (1958-1964)
- Pastor Clinton F. Warren* (1964-1965)
- Pastor David Reid* (1965-1967)
- Pastor Warren Alleyne* (1967-1970)
- Dr. Oswald E. Gordon* (1970-1974)
- Pastor J. Glenn Roberts (1974-1980)
- Dr. Rupert Young* (1981-1986)
- Dr. John Nixon (1986-1987)
- Dr. R. Clifford Jones (1987-1991)
- Dr. S. Reginald Michael (1992-1994)
- Pastor Roy Hoyte* (1994-2000)
- Dr. Earl P. Cameron (2000-2005)
- Pastor Melwyn A. Bob Mounter (2006-2013)
- Pastor Bernard Penn (2013-2018)
- Dr. Warner A. Richards (2019-2021)
- Dr. Ainsworth E. Joseph (2022-2023)
- Dr. Nigel E. Lewis (2024 - present)
*=deceased