Sands Street Methodist Episcopal Church class register and programs

Sands Street Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1794 in what is today the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. Originally incorporated as the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, the name Sands was later added as a token of gratitude by the Board of Trustees to Joshua Sands, from whom the Board purchased the building site. The church was the first Methodist Church established in Brooklyn.

As of 1795, the church had 35 members, 23 of whom where white and 12 black. Its first pastor was Joseph Totten. As church membership grew during the early-to-mid 19th century, church members formed new Methodist churches, often segregated according to race, including the First African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church (incorporated in 1818, now the Bridge Street African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church), the Yellow Hook Church (later the Bay Ridge Church), and the York Street Church (also in DUMBO).

Class meetings were an early teaching practice of Methodism in America. Based on the practices of English preacher and theologian John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the practice of class meetings were brought to New York as early as 1766 by itinerant preachers such as Francis Asbury. Class meetings served as a way to learn Methodist doctrine under the guidance of class leaders. Attendees were required to attend weekly class meetings for as long as six months. During class, attendees would be instructed in Church doctrine by class leaders, hear testimonials from fellow classmates, as well as participate themselves by sharing their own professions of faith. Through the attendance and completion of class meetings, new members would be admitted to the Church. Class meetings were often segregated based on race and gender, though this began to change in the mid-19th century. The practice of class meetings slowly declined by the end of the 19th century, though recently, there has been resurgence in the practice.