Resources

Using Our Building

Welcome to Westminster Presbyterian Church!

Our congregation is proud to serve as the steward of a beautiful, historic church building in the heart of Albany. Our care of our building is one way we care for our neighborhood and our city. We share our facilities with groups and individuals in the community as a way to “seek the welfare of the city…and pray to the Lord on its behalf” because we know that “in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)

Building Use for One-time Events

If you would like to host a one-time event at Westminster such as a concert, talk, meeting, lobby day, etc. please read carefully the terms outlined here:

Building Use Agreement for One-time Events

Then, submit a request here:

Building Use Request Form
Building Use for Ongoing Events

Westminster also provides space to a few groups that meet in our building on a weekly or monthly basis. We donate our space to these groups because we believe that their mission and purpose aligns with ours. Our ability to host additional ongoing events is limited, but if you are interested in exploring an ongoing relationship with us, please read carefully the terms outlined here:

Building Use Agreement for On-going Events

Then, contact our Church Administrator at office@wpcalbany.org. Please provide information about your group’s mission as well as the days, times and rooms you are requesting.

Weddings at WPC
Weddings at Westminster are a celebration between two special people in a special place. Church members should contact our pastor, Reverend Heather Kirk-Davidoff, to discuss their wedding plans. We also welcome non-members, interfaith, and same gender couples to celebrate the start of their union in a sacred space just steps from the New York State Capitol building in the heart of downtown Albany, NY. Westminster offers both a beautiful main sanctuary and a more intimate chapel.

Westminster is a welcoming community open and affirming of LGBTQ people and performs wedding ceremonies for same gender loving couples. If you are seeking a non-secular wedding venue that is open to the spiritual, but not religious, we may meet your needs. If you wish to bring in an outside minister to perform the service that may be possible. We also have a group of ordained clergy who may be able to perform your service. We welcome those of other faith traditions or no faith tradition.

We at Westminster see weddings as a way for two people to demonstrate their faithfulness and commitment to one another just as God is faithful to us. Helping couples begin their lives together before God and their friends and neighbors is one way we can use the blessing of this magnificent building in the service of our community.

If you would like a tour and an opportunity to discuss holding your special day in a beautiful sacred space just email us at Weddings@WPCAlbany.org.

Click here for our wedding fee structure

Funerals and Memorial Services at WPC
The worship service in the Presbyterian Church upon the occasion of death is called A Witness to the Resurrection. It is a service that seeks to touch on all the thoughts and emotions that family and friends may experience at the time of death: sorrow, loss, and grief; but also gratitude and hope. We strongly urge that church members plan for their memorial service to take place in Westminster’s sanctuary.

While we seek to accommodate the grieving family’s wishes as much as possible, there are certain parameters in place. Our own tradition allows for either a memorial service (where the casket is not present) or a funeral (where the casket is present). In the case of a funeral, we require that the casket be closed.
The pastors will plan the service in consultation with the family, but will have the final say as to the order, content of, and the participants in the service. Family members may speak at the service, but should feel no obligation to do so.
Other pastors or religious leaders may participate with the approval of Westminster clergy. The Minister of Music and the Arts will play at the service or provide an alternate organist.

Please contact the church office for information about any related fees for memorial and funeral services at Westminster: office@wpcalbany.org / 518-436-8544

WPC Facilities Guidelines for Events

Welcome to Westminster Presbyterian Church! We are glad to be able to share with you two of our most valuable resources: our historic building and parking lot. Please read carefully the terms outlined below.

Donation: We do not charge for use of our facilities but welcome your donation to help cover the significant cost of heat, light, snow removal, maintenance, cleaning and insurance that our congregation incurs each year. You may make your donation online (wpcalbany.org/give) or mail it to the church (85 Chestnut Street, Albany, NY 12210). You may also leave an envelope with your donation in our church office–please put your name on the envelope so we know who to thank!

Sexton Fee: Our Sexton, Joy Tallmadge, will be your guide to our building during the time you are with us. Joy knows every inch of our building–and if you need something, it is likely she will be able to find it! We require all groups holding events in our building to pay our Sexton $20.00 per hour. Please note that Joy has a 2 hour minimum. Joy will arrive one hour before your event and stay a minimum of 30 minutes to close up. Please pay Joy Tallmadge directly by cash or check at the time of the event. 

Times: When we confirm your reservation to use our building, we will also confirm your start and end time. When setting these times, please take into account your need for set up and break down time. If your event runs more than 30 minutes past the time we have agreed on, we will begin charging you a rental fee of $100 per hour. The church building closes at midnight. Everyone must be out of the building and all clean up completed by that time.

Uses: We offer our building for your use specifically for the purposes you have described to us. You are not permitted to use our building for purposes or events that have not been previously approved by us. No alcohol is permitted in our building by outside groups. No illegal activities are allowed.

Rooms: We ask you not to use other rooms in the church that are not a part of our agreement with you (except, of course, the bathrooms!). Please do not make use of our kitchen unless we have explicitly given you permission to do so. If you find yourself in need of additional or different space, just ask Joy before relocating yourself.

Food and Drink: If you would like to offer food and drink at your event, please ask us for permission in advance. As an Earth Care Congregation, we are committed to reducing our use of plastic and minimizing waste. We would prefer you to use our plates and silverware and cup and saucers instead of bringing in disposable items. Joy will show you where everything is stored and she will even run the dishwasher for you!

COVID Safety Requirements: Everyone in our building is required to follow our COVID safety requirements (outlined separately and available on our website) at all times.

Responsible Person: Each group must designate a responsible person who will (1) assure that the group is informed of our COVID safety requirements and (2) abides by them. This person must collect the names and contact information for all participants and retain this information in case it is needed for contact tracing.

Safe Church Policy: We ask all groups to follow the procedures our church has adopted designed to assure the safety of children, youth and vulnerable adults in our building. These procedures will be attached separately and may be found on our website. We expect that children will be supervised by at least two responsible adults at all times while in our building.

Building Maintenance: We do our best to keep our building clean and maintained. If you see anything that is broken or needs attention, please let Joy know and we will do our best to remedy the situation.

Please respect our neighbors: Our church is located in a residential neighborhood. We do our best to be good neighbors and ask that you do the same. Please don’t make a lot of noise in our parking lot, especially in the evening. And please be aware of the sound level of any indoor events, especially if the windows are open. 

Emergency Contact: If something comes up on the day of your event please contact our church office at 518-436-8544.

Westminster’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The health and safety of the Westminster Presbyterian Church community is of utmost importance to us.

Westminster fully resumed worship in our main sanctuary in September 2021. We livestream the service on Zoom and do our best to make sure that both our in-person and our online congregation can fully engage with worship and interact with each other.

Westminster has adopted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new guidelines for face masks in accordance with COVID-19 Hospital Admission Levels. This provides the recommended prevention steps by county.

Practices are guided by the current COVID-19 hospital admission level and other data for Albany County as provided by the CDC. Please check the following website for current information: County information on the CDC’s website (Note: county check data is provided by CDC with updates every Thursday by 8:00 pm ET)

Our masking policy is as follows:

  • COVID-19 county check = High: masks are required
  • COVID-19 county check = Medium: Masks are optional. People may decide to mask at their individual discretion or comfort level.
  • COVID-19 county check = Low: Masks are optional. People may decide to mask at their individual discretion or comfort level.

For more details, please read: Westminster’s COVID-19 Precautions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make decisions about your response to the pandemic?
Throughout the pandemic, Westminster’s Reopening Team, comprised of volunteer members of the congregation, has recommended policies to the Session which then reviews and conducts a vote. Our Reopening Team has sought to apply guidelines and recommendations from the CDC and the New York State Department of Health to our specific setting and activities.
What precautions do you take inside the church?
  • Masking: As the hospital admission level in Albany County changes, the CDC’s guidance about masking changes. We will follow their recommendations as described on CDC’s website: CDC COVID-19 by County. When the level of hospital admission is HIGH, everyone is required to wear a mask while inside the building, including during the worship service. If you arrive at the church without a mask when the level is HIGH, we will supply you with one for your use.
  • Social Distancing: We have a spacious sanctuary and assembly room that allow individuals to maintain physical distancing, at their individual discretion and comfort level.
  • Communion: We serve communion on the first Sunday of every month as well as during some special services. Individual disposable communion kits are available for those who prefer this option.
What precautions do you take with children?
  • All children, birth through school age, remain in the sanctuary during worship. We have a quiet activity bag (crayons, paper, etc.) available for each child, whether a first-time visitor or a regular attendee. Just ask an usher for one if we don’t offer it to you first!
  • Our Church School for school-aged children begins at 11:15 am. Children can attend either in-person or on Zoom.
Do you allow singing?
Yes! Our choir and congregation are singing during worship.

Please note that when the COVID hospital admission level in our county is HIGH (as indicated on the CDC COVID-19 by County website), masks must be worn by all while singing.

I'm not comfortable coming into your sanctuary. What should I do?
Please join us on Zoom! Details are available on our home page: https://wpcalbany.org

We worship together, sing together, pray together, and share our concerns and celebrations together!

Partners and Friends

Westminster Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA). We connect with other churches in our denomination through the Synod of the Northeast and the Albany Presbytery.

We partner with other faith communities in our city through the Capital Area Council of Churches and in our state through the New York State Council of Churches.

Westminster has affiliated with a number of groups within our denomination who help us extend our mission and impact including:

We are proud to support the work of a number of local groups who meet in our building including:

Partners in mission include:

Westminster Presbyterian Church Policies

Annual Report – 2023