SMT Center
Hope, healing and wholeness in the heart of Hoboken
The SMT Center on Washington Street will be a space available for diverse community events. The congregation of St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church envisions the SMT Center to become a safe space for all ages, recovery groups and advocacy partners to promote education, healing and friendship.
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Diverse community event space
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Youth education
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Safe space for recovery groups
How You Can Help
About 76% of the funds needed to finalize the renovation have been raised through the generosity of the St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church congregation. As of November 2019, $75,000 was still needed to complete the project.
Donate: Buy A Brick
Buy a Brick or multiple Bricks for $250 each. All of our donor bricks will be displayed with the message of your choice (character limit applies). The bricks will be laid outside on the sidewalk next to the SMT Center building.
4 X 8 Brick: $250 (3 lines, each line 18 characters max).
8 X Brick: $500 (6 lines, each line 18 characters max).
You are also welcome to buy multiple bricks "in honor" or "in memory" of loved ones.
Donors can also write a check to: "SMT Center," and mail to the office.: 57 8th Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Fill out the Buy-A-Brick donation form.
If you would like to order five or more bricks, please contact the office at: office@StMatthewTrinity.org or call 201-659-4499.
Renovation
The renovation will include gutting the existing inside, redoing plumbing, electricity, HVAC, making the bathrooms ADA accessible, shoring up the foundational supports in the basement, removing the existing siding and installing full-size glass windows, upgrading furniture and window treatments and installing 21st Century technology.
As the rendering above envisions, the goal for the SMT Center is to return it to being a historic storefront on Washington Street that meets the needs of the Hoboken community and SMT congregation. Estimated opening in early 2020!
History
The "Parish Center" was intended to be used as a place for both congregational and wider community activities. In the 1960s and 1970s, it served as a youth hangout space that held concerts, drama performances and served as a place to meet and have fun away from drugs and alcohol. The congregation of St. Matthew Trinity started giving sandwiches to anyone who came to volunteer at Parish Center events and were hungry. This grew into Lunchtime Ministry which continues to this day in the Parish Hall under the main church on the corner of Hudson and 8th Streets. Today, the Parish Center's main use is serving as home to 17 AA and 12-Step meetings that occur weekly.
Spirit Day
After decades of wear and tear, the space was in dire need of a major renovation. With this in mind, SMT held Spirit Day on May 20, 2018 kicking off the restoration process. With the works of members, friends, and our sexton, SMT cleaned out the basement, gardened, scraped, and repainted the SMT Center and made it easier for contractors to access the basement during renovation.
Bright Future
The SMT Center will serve the congregation in a number of ways. First, it can serve as a place of alternative worship during the summer and on weekday evenings. The SMT Center can also serve as a place where Bible study, fellowship, and confirmation classes can take place in a comfortable setting. Finally, the congregation hopes to bring back "Open Ear," the youth music cafe, on some weekends.
SMT plans to continue to host 12-Step groups in this space, supporting the healing provided in a new setting. The congregation also plans to use the SMT Center as a place to host advocacy partners for events like discussions, forums and lectures.
The congregation is looking into how the SMT Center can provide after-school programs for children and teens. The SMT Center will also support fitness and wellness programs in the Hoboken community that promotes healthy living. The Hoboken community will benefit greatly by having an accessible, modern space available to rent for diverse events on Washington Street.
