Four months after a fire took its sanctuary, South Bushwick Reformed Church is throwing a dance party to help pay for what comes next. The church has booked pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill to headline a Latin Jazz Benefit and Dance Party on Friday, October 23, and all of the proceeds go to its rebuilding fund.

The show runs from 7 to 9 p.m., with doors at 6:30 p.m., at ShapeShifter Lab, 837 Union Street. The event is open to all ages, and the church's listing promises live Latin jazz and room to dance, salsa included, whether you know the steps or not.

Who is playing

O'Farrill was born in Mexico and raised in New York. He founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, the nonprofit behind his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and leads it as artistic director, alongside his own sextet. He has played with Ballet Hispánico and Malpaso Dance Company and written pieces for the Evidence Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey company.

What the money is for

The church's fundraiser page says a fire set on June 19, 2026, destroyed its sanctuary on Bushwick Avenue. No one was hurt. The loss reached beyond Sunday services: the building also held the congregation's ministry center, which ran youth programs, food assistance and pastoral care for the neighborhood.

Since then the congregation has been raising money for planning and professional services, site preparation, and the restoration or reconstruction of the church, with the goal of a permanent sanctuary and ministry space. As of this week, its GoFundMe had raised $21,531 of a $26,000 goal from 242 donors.

The pastor, the Rev. Dr. James E. Steward II, writes on the page that the church is weighing two paths: restoring the historic building, or a redevelopment partnership in which a new sanctuary would be built as part of a larger project. Either way, he writes, the congregation intends to keep its ministry on Bushwick Avenue.

How to go, or give

Tickets for the October 23 benefit are sold through the church's Eventbrite listing, and the listing notes that tickets are not refundable. ShapeShifter Lab is at 837 Union Street in Park Slope; the closest trains are the 2 and 3 at Grand Army Plaza and the B and Q at Seventh Avenue.

For anyone who cannot make Friday, donations go through the church's GoFundMe, which is listed as tax deductible.

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