Lincoln's D.C. Church Offers a New Tour
- John O’Brien
- Sep 27
- 3 min read
By John A. O'Brien
Denver, Colorado
Saturday, September 27, 2025
The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church is the most important Lincoln site in Washington for appreciating how the president’s faith framed his understanding of God’s will for the United States after the Civil War. The church has created a new in-depth tour opportunity that includes a review of the church’s many Lincoln artifacts, including his handwritten copy of the compensated emancipation bill, the immediate precursor to the draft Emancipation Proclamation. This review is followed with a narrative on the importance of the president’s relationship with Pastor Phineas D. Gurley and his impact on Lincoln’s discernment of the Will of God for the war.
The entire Lincoln family attended services at New York Avenue on the first Sunday after his inauguration. The president thereafter attended more often than at any other church in his adult life. Over that first year, Lincoln formed a fast friendship with Rev. Gurley and grew to rely on him for faith counseling.
The full story of Lincoln’s association with the church has been brought together in a compact yet comprehensive tour. The chair of the church history committee, Len Shabman, is offering to guide scheduled groups. He tells of how Gurley led Lincoln to appreciate that God is active in history and expected great moral deeds from leaders in power. In the summer of 1862, Lincoln drew on what Gurley preached to craft his private reflection questioning the purpose of the Civil War—the “Meditation on the Divine Will.” Lincoln concludes that God’s purposes must be different from the selfish and limited human expectations of both the North and the South. The theological principles of the piece suggest his conclusion that for the North, and for him as president as an instrument of God’s will, the war cannot be simply about reunion but has to be about ending slavery.
Throughout Lincoln's presidency, his faith was continually tested by the trials of war and personal loss. The church not only provided him with spiritual solace but also became a place where he could reflect deeply on his responsibilities as a leader. Many historians believe that Lincoln's attendance and close relationship with Rev. Gurley played a significant role in shaping his moral convictions during the most challenging times of his administration.
The first tours took place in mid-September as part of the annual EventsDC Walking Town event, and Lincolnian editor Wendy Swanson was there. She complimented Shabman on the quality of his narrative and said the tour attendees, a diverse group representing a variety of ages and backgrounds, remained attentive through his presentation of Lincoln artifacts and connections to the church. Those who wanted to stay longer than the allotted hour (and most did!) were offered an opportunity to visit the sanctuary with its Lincoln pew and the tower that houses the clock and massive bells that toll every quarter hour. Attendees took full advantage of the many Lincoln-related photo ops on the tour.
The bells in the steeple of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church are the only memorial to the fallen president that was created by the Lincoln family. The memorial project was envisioned to replace the church tower that was destroyed by a hurricane in 1896. Mary Harlen Lincoln, Robert’s widow, funded the new tower and casting of the bells. She proposed the inscription, “In Memory of Abraham Lincoln who worshiped in this church as President of the United States.” Their daughter, Mary Lincoln Isham, attended the dedication on February 12, 1929.
The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church—Lincoln Tour is a worthwhile addition to the many excellent Lincoln interpretive exhibits in the national capital. Reservations for groups of 8 to 15 adults can be made at adminoffice@nyapc.org.
(Photo credit: The top photo was taken by John O'Brien; the bottom photo comes from the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church archives)