ROTTERDAM COMMUNITY CENTER
To access this month's brochure on all that's happening at the Rotterdam Community Center, click here!
The Rotterdam Community Center, chaired by Kimlee Marquise, is an open table for the people of Rotterdam and the Greater Schenectady area of New York, where neighbors of all backgrounds can gather safely and without judgement to support, learn and grow together. The “three legs” of that open table, all crosscut by a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, are:
In response to the mass trauma of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the first followers of Jesus began gathering in small “meal communities” to learn, mourn, celebrate and find hope and meaning together across a myriad of societal divisions. While these meal communities later evolved into churches and eventually the organized religion of Christianity we know today, they began as gathering places for individuals of all spiritual beliefs and religious backgrounds.
In response to the mass trauma of COVID19 in our own time, we believe a similar model is needed, a gathering place that welcomes, affirms and celebrates the sacred in all our neighbors no matter their religion, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, relationship status, socioeconomic status, ability, mental and physical condition.
Formed by the historic 2021 consolidation of the former Trinity Reformed Church into Messiah Lutheran Church, the former Trinity church space is now a resource for everyone in our community, no matter their religious affiliation!
Located at 705 Curry Road in Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Community Center hosts a wide variety of regular weekly offerings including Recovery Programs, Community Crafters, Zumba, Yoga and monthly Game Nights and Movie Nights.
The Rotterdam Community Center also houses our Bread of Life Food Pantry and Produce Pantry programs.
We also regularly host community concerts and other one-time arts and culture events, all which can be found on our Parish Events page.
You can subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter using the form below.
The Rotterdam Community Center, chaired by Kimlee Marquise, is an open table for the people of Rotterdam and the Greater Schenectady area of New York, where neighbors of all backgrounds can gather safely and without judgement to support, learn and grow together. The “three legs” of that open table, all crosscut by a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, are:
- food security
- mental health & wellbeing
- arts, culture & self expression
In response to the mass trauma of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the first followers of Jesus began gathering in small “meal communities” to learn, mourn, celebrate and find hope and meaning together across a myriad of societal divisions. While these meal communities later evolved into churches and eventually the organized religion of Christianity we know today, they began as gathering places for individuals of all spiritual beliefs and religious backgrounds.
In response to the mass trauma of COVID19 in our own time, we believe a similar model is needed, a gathering place that welcomes, affirms and celebrates the sacred in all our neighbors no matter their religion, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, relationship status, socioeconomic status, ability, mental and physical condition.
Formed by the historic 2021 consolidation of the former Trinity Reformed Church into Messiah Lutheran Church, the former Trinity church space is now a resource for everyone in our community, no matter their religious affiliation!
Located at 705 Curry Road in Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Community Center hosts a wide variety of regular weekly offerings including Recovery Programs, Community Crafters, Zumba, Yoga and monthly Game Nights and Movie Nights.
The Rotterdam Community Center also houses our Bread of Life Food Pantry and Produce Pantry programs.
We also regularly host community concerts and other one-time arts and culture events, all which can be found on our Parish Events page.
You can subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter using the form below.
And you can view all our upcoming programming on the following Google Calendar!
Our first major investment in the Rotterdam Community Center was to transform an old choir practice room, nursery and library into a new state of the art, over 1000 square foot food pantry space. This nearly doubled the capacity of our old food pantry and was completed with the generous support of the Schenectady Foundation's Healthy Food Access for All program. We now offer food pantry services within HPNAP guidelines every week via delivery and in person three times a month. We hope to move to a weekly in person schedule soon, fulfilling a key recommendation of the 2017 Schenectady County Healthy & Equitable Food Action Plan.
A layout of the new food pantry space in the lower floor of the building is shown below.
A layout of the new food pantry space in the lower floor of the building is shown below.
Our next phase of capital improvements at the Rotterdam Community Center is a state of the art Performance Hall. This project will transform the beautiful Trinity sanctuary into a space for performances, conferences, art instruction, educational programs, workshops, concerts, movie nights, weddings, banquets, exercise classes and other community events. To achieve this, the project will include the following:
In addition to serving as a new, beautiful space in heart of our local community, we deeply believe the Performance Hall will function as an economic driver for the wider neighborhood, particularly along the its critical Broadway and Curry Road corridors.
A conceptual design for the Performance Hall is shown below.
- An expanded stage
- New stage lighting, electrical, audio and technology upgrades, including a new sound booth
- Safety improvements
- New modular door system with acoustic seals to connect the performance hall to an adjacent dining/ community room
- New energy efficient lighting
- Installation of new multi use floor appropriate for performances, exercise classes, dance, etc.
- Two hundred stackable cushioned chairs and various sized tables for multi-functionality
In addition to serving as a new, beautiful space in heart of our local community, we deeply believe the Performance Hall will function as an economic driver for the wider neighborhood, particularly along the its critical Broadway and Curry Road corridors.
A conceptual design for the Performance Hall is shown below.
