American Church in Paris
48°51′44″N 2°18′24″E / 48.86222°N 2.306571°E
Template:Distinguish2 The American Church in Paris is the first American church established outside the United States. It started in 1814, and the present site - located on 65 Quai d'Orsay 75007, Paris, France - dates to 1930.
History
It started in 1814, when it was officially chartered and the first sanctuary was built in 1857. At this stage, the American Church was an interdenominational fellowship, for all those adhering to the historic Christian tradition as expressed in the Apostles' Creed. It served both the expatriate American community, and a wide variety of English-speaking people from different countries and denominational backgrounds.
Today
The American Church continues to minister to all Anglophone people in Paris, and calls itself "God’s own United Nations Organisation", due to its Sunday congregants coming from over nearly 50 nations and 35 Christian denominations.
The church is led in worship by the senior pastor, the associate pastor, the youth pastor and a retired pastor who handles all weddings. Its staff are also diverse in terms of background and denomination. It is run by a church council represented by a committee of ministries namely: Congregational Nurture, Christian Education, Development, Finance, Membership and Evangelism, Property, Social Concerns, Stewardship and Worship and Music. The building hosts two bilingual nursery schools, a variety of Twelve-step program recovery groups, aerobics classes, kung fu, basketball leagues, a free concert series, an "Ad Board" for housing and job opportunities, and many more community-based services are housed in the Church building.