When the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harlem restored the tip of its steeple eight years ago, leaders of the predominantly African-American congregation saw it as a “beacon of hope and love for the community.”

It is still that. But as Ephesus prepares to celebrate its 90th anniversary this month, the slender spire piercing the sky above Lenox Avenue and 123rd Street has taken on additional symbolism.

Determination, to put it politely. Defiance, to be more blunt, as Harlem becomes whiter, more affluent and ever less moored to its black heritage.

Image Bill Koren, a foreman with Durable Slate Company, places the finial atop the steeple during its restoration at the Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 2006. Credit... Willie Davis for The New York Times

“The beauty of Harlem is being lost,” Dedrick L. Blue, the senior pastor of the church, said in an interview last week. “Pieces of its history are being destroyed by modern development and greed.