These days, the Reverend John Merz is feeling relieved of a curse.

Merz has been a Knicks fan since around 1973, and his team’s big win freed him from a sense of injustice that a city known as the mecca of basketball had gone half a century without winning an NBA championship. 

As leader of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension (127 Kent St.), he likes to compare the sense of people coming together in that space with the sense of community that emerged at Knicks watch parties. “No matter where they come from to explore the mystery that the church calls God,” he says.

Merz has worked for years to build an inclusive community that has earned them respect in Brooklyn. As a result of his vision, his growing congregation is predominantly young adults aged 28 to 35, where the LGBTQ+ community is welcomed.

“We have people that come to church that are not religious, people that are deeply embedded in the Christian tradition, others that are more oriented toward Buddhism,” he says. “We try to emphasize the ecumenical nature of the church. One of the primary things is, we get involved with this sense of community and togetherness.”

Beyond worship, one of the church’s primary emphases is contemplation and meditation. The floor has a labyrinth for walking meditation. On Wednesday nights from 7 to 8 p.m., the space is set up for meditation stations. Such gatherings are among the reasons most people tell Merz that they find it “an incredibly calming and welcoming space.”
“It’s really the work of a ton of people in the community, both newer residents and older residents,” Merz says. “Folks that have been here their whole life, they come and still the space takes their breath away.”

The Church of the Ascension is the oldest church in Greenpoint. Founded in 1846, it occupies a building that dates to 1865. Its recently renovated space “preserves the historic Neo-Gothic interior while also feeling clean and airy,” he said.

Led by Kushner Architects and informed by Merz’s creative input, the renovations have made the space especially appealing for wedding receptions. Guests can gather in the garden for cocktail hour before moving indoors for the reception, though the venue is flexible enough to host the entire celebration in a single space.

The church’s event manager, Morgan Sullivan, says pricing is the same year-round. “We’re two blocks from Transmitter Park on the water, which is great for city skyline wedding photos,” he added.

Merz and his team have flexibility in terms of how far in advance to book out. Typically it’s around 8 to 12 months, but they also have done last-minute events one to three months in advance.

Thanks to the renovations, and its flexible layout (the church has chairs instead of pews and not too many things to move around), the space has also become very popular for film and TV production – so far, Daredevil (Netflix), The Knick (HBO Max), Law and Order, and a few independent films.

Merz is also the co-founder of North Brooklyn Angels, which has become the largest volunteer organization in Brooklyn. People in the neighborhood know its blue trucks that provide food relief. In its new affordable housing initiative, residents teach other residents how to navigate the system, honoring the organization’s mission of connecting neighbors with neighbors.

North Brooklyn Angels has many other initiatives throughout the year with flexible volunteer opportunities. Anyone interested can register here.