In Memoriam
Rev. Grace Elizabeth Bowen
August 2, 1950 – April 20, 2020

It is with deep sadness that the Presbytery of New York City shares with you the news that minister-member, the Rev. Grace Bowen, entered her eternal home Monday, April 20, 2020. She was 69 and serving as the Interim Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church, Newtown since September 2019.

As more information becomes available, we will share it, but this much we do know about Rev. Bowen:

Grace Bowen received her Bachelor of Science for Northeastern University in Boston, a Masters of Education from Antioch College in Cambridge, MA, and a Masters of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA.

She was licensed to preach the gospel by the Mt Moriah Baptist Church in Milwaukee, WI and ordained by the National Baptist Convention March 28, 1987.

Rev Bowen served in Detroit Presbytery as an Associate Pastor at Calvin Presbyterian Church, Interim Associate Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pastor of the Gratiot Avenue Presbyterian Church and as a member of the Presbytery’s program staff before coming to the Presbytery of New York City.

She was received as a minister member of this presbytery January 1, 1990 with a call as the Associate Executive Presbyter for Educational Ministries. Following this service, she became Co-Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Staten Island, served as Part-time Pastor at Mt Morris-Ascension Presbyterian Church, and most recently was thrilled to begin her interim service at the First Presbyterian Church, Newtown, one of the oldest continuously worshiping congregations in the Presbytery of New York City.

Rev Bowen also moderated sessions or served as COM liaison with at least 15 congregations in this presbytery and preached at many more.

This Sunday’s lectionary Psalm 116 begins as if describing Grace: “I love the Lord…I will call on the Lord as long as live…I kept my faith, even when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted.’ What we did not know is that “the snares of death” were about to encompass her. We mourn with the words of the Psalmist: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the Lord’s faithful ones.”

The Lord also grieves for us. We have lost many from among our congregations in 2020, among them a our Ruling Elders. Honorably Retired Minister the Rev. Richard Pease entered his eternal home March 28. In such an unprecedented time as this, we still pray for grieving families, friends, and congregants, doing our best to honor their lives and their witness to Jesus Christ.

So we remember in this season of Easter what Jesus said:

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. John 11.25-26

Robert Foltz-Morrison
Executive Presbyter
Presbytery of New York City