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. ( EXTRA COPY OF THE I FINAL 1
''ANrHVERSARY DOORS"
A Sermon By
Phili_p A. C. Clarke
Park Avenue United Methodist Church 106 East 86th Street New York, New York 10028 March 12, 2oa> PRAYER BEFORE THE SERHON
"Help us, Lord, to he master of our selves that we may become the ser vants of others.
Take our ltps and speak through them, our minds and think through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire.
In the spirit of Christ, we pray. Amen" !'ANNIVERSARY DO INTRODUCTION A professor of homiletics at Boston University's School of The- ologr once offered us a bit of advice on preaching. He said, 11 Always announce a Biblical text at the beginning of your sermon" and then with a twinkle in hi.s eye, he added, "It will give the people something to think about while you're preaching". So, here it is. The text is from the Book of' Revelation, Chapter 3. Verses 20 and 23. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me". "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear." DEVELOPMENT It's good to be wtth you once again! The last time I was here was last September for the Memorial Service for our beloved Lyn don Woodside, our Choir Director and Organist for 38 years. It's hard for me to realize that he is no longer over here behind me where he did his \otork so magnifi icently for so many years. Such a prodigous talent and such a gracious spirit. And this is where I did so much of my work f'or 113 years ••• right here in this space, in this beautiful pulpit which is a wooden replica of' a stone-cut pul pi.t in the Church of San Miniato on a hill across the River Arno just outside of Florence. Hopef'ully, Pastor BUl and his vri:f'e, Judy, trill get to climb that hill and visit the Church of San Miniato on Pastor Bill's forthcoming and well-deserved sabbatical. .Yes, it's a bit of a climb, but Hell worth it! Nearby i_s a copy of Hichaelangelo's David also by him. The hill. ••you can do it. Be sure to send me a postcard or photo of the pulpit. Promise? Another thing about this pulpit. It's supported by (and here I'm quoting) "several great timbers shaped by Philip Embury and used in the original John Street Methodist Church" (which if you know your Methodist history old John Street Church was founded in 176A). Now, I've never seen those "great timbers shaped by Philip Embury", but some things you have to accept on f'aith. Ri.ght? HONORING OUR PAST Happy Anniversary! Number 169 which accordinr, to m,y math Means that the church was founded in the year 1837. This i.s my 45th anniversary service (or birthday) to celebrate with you. Some of those services I remember quite well, especially the 125th in 1962 when Bishop Frederick Buckley Newell graced this pulpi.t with great eloquence. Oh, if only these walls could speak what they wouldn't tell us! Let me work into this sermon by first opening the anniversary door that HONORS OUR PAST and review with you some nf the interesting and helpful highlights of our history. A little book entitled King's Handbook of New York (published in the 1890's) describes the church in thts delightful fashion: ·· "An ancient society, dating its origin :from about the year 1837, when its little congregation of' five meMbers began to meet in a chamber over a rum-selling grocery store. Then :for a time it held its meetings at the house of Gilbert Bates, at 3rd Avenue and Bhth Street; and aften-1ards it bought the church of the Bowery Village and re-erected it. 11 2 We were connected by stagecoach to the "city" several miles to the f ~outh. (Numbers h, ~ and 6 ••• but no express). We celebrate this second Sunday of March each year because it's closest to the date of incorporation which was March the lOth, 1837. Also, close to Harch 17th which gave the church fathers a few extra celebrati.on And 1837 was a good year, for the most part, I think. Tf you're a DemocratJ you'll be pleased to know that was the year tnat 1Aarti.n Van B~ren, a Democrat from a small town u, the Hudson (Kinderhook) was elected the 8th president of our Untted States of which there were 26 states. Or, if you 1re a femini.st, you' 11 -vrant to know that Mount Holyoke Seminary, a college just for women was opened in South Hadley, Massachusetts. If you follow_the "UPS" and ttDCWNS" of Wall Street (and one or two of you do), you' 11 be interested to know that was the year of THE FINANCIAL CRISIS of 1837 (one of several the church survived). If your mind is open to Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, you'll remember that was the year he published his TREE OF LIFE. And then, too, that was the yeAr that an 18 year old Queen Victoria began her reign of 63 years! So, a lot was going on in 1837. And YES ••• here in the green pasture lands of what then was called York ville, a small group of "believers" gathered and with ha:mJI'Ier, nail and prayer, they RE-ERECTED a small church borrowed from the Bmrery. About fifteen years later those same church fathers tore down that wooden building and this time, with brick and mortar and prayer, they built a new structure. The year was 1852 and by now word was getting around town that "Yorkville was a WAY-STATION for migrating Metho dists" (another direct quote). rlith the derk clouds of a civil 1rrar gathering over head, the pastor signed up to serve as a chaplain. - In 1862, a ch:tld by the name of Herbert Welch was born and by the turn of the century he was on his way to becoming a Bishop of the Methodist Church, and get this •••Bishop Herbert lr-7elch preached here on a Wednesday night during Lent in 1962 at the young and wonderful age of 100! Thirty years later that modest brick building of the eighteen-fifties was taken down and a new church, one with a STEEPLE, was butlt here on the corner of Park Avenue and A6th Street, next to some noisy railroad tracks that ran uptown and downtown. To be sure, it wasn't called Park Avenue back then, neither the avenue nor the church-. Tha.t came later, but again, quoting from King's HANDBOOK: "In 1884, its present handsome brownstone was dedicated by Bishop 1rlarren. The society has now 600 members and is flourishi.ng NOBLY, under the ministration of the Rev. Ferdinand Iglehart". Pastor Iglehart (number 35) carried on a correspondence with the Police Commissioner of NYC whose name was THEODCRE ROOSEVELT who commended in writing the efforts of the pastor on his personal crusade to close down the saloons of Yorkville! "You're the }'TAN" said Teddy Roosevelt, "One of the fel-T men in "j:.his ci_ty nhose opinion I value!" Moving now from t?e "gay nineties" over to the "roaring twenties", we find that under the leaders~ip of Pastor Peter Weyant (number hO) that that hand some brovmstone church with the steeple vras torn down and a llt story apartment house went up on the corner of 86th and Park and the church was moved around the corner and that's where He are today! Th :i.s church was decHca ted for vrorsh ip in January of 1927. I once came across Pastor Peter Weyant's Easter letter to the parish, dated April hth, 1928. Pastor Peter had a penchant for poetic prose and since Easter isn't that far off, let me read parts of it to you. _:· ..-:_...-· __ .: .,~ --- . - - -~ --- -·--· ~ .-:~.. - - ·- -:'- --- ·-·· PARI< AVENUE METHODIST· EPISCOPAL ¢H~RCti PARK AVENUE AND EIGHTY.SIXTH STR~;·: NEW YORK RIW. P. C. WOAKT. PAtnoll - .-·-o.:-7 --.·- fOSS PAliK AVtrNUR' Ta.trttHONR' IIUTTDtlla.D IIIIlS ·-·:..·.:· . ··· .. Dear Parishioner:- ''Make it is secure as yotl.cb." the Roman Gov~or .ad. 'imd we have felt that· he with lips denied what he 1vith heart affirmed; for he had crucified a Goci ·And so the Roman seal which represented all that men then knew of power and atien3tlt·fid r;J4tced upon the -~6~e . '!hi~ dosed the way to Joseph's tob.h.:, · .. . """'-.,. . ·'·. ..•. . _. - - -.· ~ - --.. - - - . -· -·--ThatRo~~~t~a like tliti:"t;itli'\\?hll w~-up6ti:_~~ .. LiUnan h~·when men.,.·.· stand in the presence ol their dead. &nd an roads seem abruptly broken. ~if but .in the ·ID~~- ~-. dawn of-Easter Day. the -htest touch of~el hand was iaii~pon,ihat.~:~~d\;~'tbe_-~~:· ~::-a.Z.t:':::t=:~~:~-.:~:r~~~o ' ' -- -~-----· lean and_:~:..""::It '::Z,;:!;h;"E~~~~~=:~n$'c .. are no ends of roads, no sharp turnings which hide from us IoveJ foiniS; whlch wi '\Yould ever keep in view; no fears, no lurking shadow& The dering and bitteme.. is past. Christ is risen. May Easter Joys be yours. Your Pastor. ~· _-_. The enclosed envelope is for your Easter offering. Your gilt wiD be appreciated .by •· your church. . 1929 followed and the Misery of the Great Depression threatened our well being and now, many Hethodists were mi.grating out of Yorkville. Membership rapidly declined. In 1930, at the "pit" of the Depression, we were knmm through out '-1ethodism as "the church wtth the lRrgest debt!" It was something like $ 800,000. The Reverend John J. Henry (pRstor #hl) wrote a letter to the Bishop who had appointed him to this church, saying soMething like thts, "If I had known in 1931 ,,,rha t I now know a bout this church, I would never have accepted this appoint ment! 11 The year Has 1934 and I wish I had saved a copy of his letter. Hard times followed, but somehow the church survived that financial crisis, too and how it d~d is a story in itself and believe me, it 1.oras not without sacrifice, sadness and suffertng. There vras no full time minister here durine of World War II. Sunday pulpit supplies came over frOJ!l a nearby seminary. If you're a fan and follower of the Olympics, you'd be interested to know that Sonja Henie was married here in 1947 and the mini_ster, Dr. Paul N. Otto, found himself skating on thin ice with the Bishop who didn't take too kindly to a photograph of the minister on the front page of the Daily News with his arm around the bride as she and her third husband left through the front doors of the church. However, I've ahrays liked to say that 19h7 should be remembered for another reason. A man by the name of Paul Russell joined the little group of struggHng Members who were still here ••• about 35 members. And his efforts made a profound difference and helped the church get back on its feet and that's a bit part of our survival story. The Russell Room downstai_rs is named for that fine Christian gentleman whom some of you knew. Mr. Russell passed away in February of 1999 at the young age of 100. OPENING THE DOOR TO SOME PERSONAL REMEMBRANCES I first saw the church on the 8th day of October, 1956. I remember driving down from Schenectady at the invitation of Bishop Newell and trying to park tn front of his offi_ce before noon at 150 Fifth Avenue. After lunch with the PPR Commlttee of five people at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, I was then brought up here to the church by the District Superintendent to have a look around. (Incidently I've never been back to the National Arts Club since that October day). Two ladtes of the church and the Church Deaconess sho1rred me around, but didn't show me all the property because •••well, because it was in such poor shape, such terrible conditton and they hesitated to let me see tt all. The walls in here were dark, dirty and dtngy ••• no paint on them for 25 years. Ltght bulbs were out. Stuffing from the pew cushions was on the floor bet""U·reen the pews. The th trd floor kitchen was a 1927 kitchen. The elevator needed an operator. I soon learned hov to run it. The lights on the third floor weren't working; the Halls were a mustard color. Eisenh.ower was in his second term. The Giants and the Dodgers were still in town and down the street at Park and 60th, Dr. Ralph vi. Sockman, one of AMerica's great preachers, was preaching to a full church in that magnificent cathedral of Methodi_sm known as Christ Church. We r,.rere that little church up in Yorkville that few people knew about. But that October Rth was the day that Don Larsen pitched his no-hitter against the Dodgers in the World Series of 1956 and to J'l'l9, that was a good sign. One 0f those lovely ladies told me that Yankee Stadium was only four Express stops from Lexington Avenue and 86th Street. That sounded so good! There were those Sundays i.n rrry early years here when neople would come to worship thinking they were to hear Dr. Sackman and then when they dis covered they were in the wront? church, they got up and left usually around ten minutes after eleven ••• grabbed a cab and headed · down to Park Avenue and 60th Street. •,, - 4 FIRST IMPRESSIONS H,y first Sunday here was December 1st, 1956. In the congre- gation that Sunday were three people whose names appeared on the membership rolls of the 190!t Church Directory. One of them, a Mabel Hawkins Tabor, slept through that first sermon (I could see her nodding off) and she told me at the door as she left, "Young man ••• you're go~_ng to have to speak louder if you expect me to stav awake! 11 We had about 35 people here that Sunday morning. Back then the doors through which you entered thts morni_ng were closed and locked tight except for two hours on a Sunday mornj_ng, from 10:30 to 12:30. I found myself wondering ••••Nere we trying to keep people out or keep them in? The doors had the appearance of 11 A Mighty Fortress". But those closed doors reminded me of something that happened to me as a student in Edinburgh, Scotland in the win ter of 1954. ~1y roommate and I went to a church one Sunday morntng and got there about five minutes after the service had begun and much to our surprise we found the doors of that church closed, shut tight, locked. Had we made a mistake on the hour of worship? No. Those doors were shut to outsiders. It left a bad impression, one which I never forgot and we never went back. vHth a bit of patience and some perseverance and attention to things like lighting and security and an inner set of swingtng doors, v.re managed within a year to have the doors open for more than two hour a week. I came to the church with only five sermons "in the barrel" and all five were used in the first two months, but I also came with a dream ••• the dream of building an interracial, international and interdenominational church. This was a dream that came out of a number of teenage church youth institutes that I attended back in the nineteen forties. Most of them Here at Poultney, Vermont. One Sl1l7!lrler there was a young minister, an African American, on the faculty froM New York City by the name of WUl i.am James. The "connectedness" of things never ceases to amaze me. Dr. James (whom some of you knmr and who may be with us this morning) pastored Hetrooolitan Community Methodist Church at Madison Avenue and 126th for over 33 years. In his late eighti~s, he hasn't lost any of his spark and passion. But that dream of a diverse congregation in a city of great diversity of people had a lot to do wtth my coMi.ng here and my successor, Dr. Shillady, (and his associates) have nourished that drea'!"l with hard 1r10rk and built an even greater platform for it. Those who were here hack then patiently endured my youthful inexperience and pastoral inadequacies. I often think of all those vlho helped to open the doors and hearts and minds i.n this church. He have been richly blessed by dedicated and devoted lay men and women ••• by clergy persons and their colleagues. Far too many men and women to mention in a sermon like this. Some have scattered to other parts of our country and to other parts of the ~vorld. Some are present here this morning. Quite a few have passed on. Something Yogi Berra said to his former teammate, Whitey- Ford, about the ~rronderful Hst of DECEASED YA 11TKEE GREATS whose names were appeari.ng on the centerfield scoreboard at the Old Ttmers 1 Day several summers ago. "Boy" said Yogi_, "I hope I never see my name up there". Whoever you are and what ever position you nla_y-ed here and ,,~'henever it vras, I thank you for your part in bringi.ng to pass this mi.racle of rebirth. Elton Trueblood, the Quaker spirit, teacher and professor, once said: "People have made at least a start i.n discovering the meaning of human life when they plant shade trees un der which they know full well they wHl never sit." So many of you have and di.d and continue to do so. Thank you! .. - 5 HELP BUILD THE FUTURE 1r.Jho r,ras it who satd, "It's OK to look back, hut don't ~ stare?" \A)'e've looked back, but now let's push open the door to the second noint of this "tv.ro pointer" and stnce we're now into the morith of "March Madness", I hope tt 1 s a "sla.m dunk". Let's think about the future and hopefully rededicate ourselves to the aspirations and the achievements of those who have been here before us and to the present and future generations who wUl one day sit in these pews and continue with this proud heritage. Perhaps something MY deceased father-in-law, Dr. J. Edward Carothers, who was head of the Board of Global l~inistries in the late sixties and early ni.neteen seventies, was fond of saying wi.ll touch a responsive chord with you. "My wi.fe and I are not working for the church as i_t is today, but for the church tt can become!" Under the leadership of your pastors, you are doing just that. I had tears tn my eyes as I read Pastor Bill 1 s r,rri te up in A WORD IN EDGEWAYS of your recent MISSION TO MISSISSIPPI. T. was deeply touched by what I read, but one or two questtans remained, however, a.fter I wiped my moist eyes. What did }.~ichael Craig sing in the church service down there in Mississippi that produced the WOW in Pastor Bill 1 s write-up? And the other nuestion ••• did Brother George (Leopold, that is) come across any future prospects for "pin stripes" while down there? And then last week, I read Chelsea Powell's sermon of February 26th on the occasion of her confi.rmati.on and my wife responded with, "That's one of the hest sermons I've ever read or heard 111 And as a mi.ni.ster 1 s daughter, she 1 s heard nuite a few. Then, too, I was agai.n moved and pleased to read of your response to the sensitive and controversial issue involving the Vi_rginia Church whose pastor denied membership to a gay person. Yes, speaking of "open doors, open hearts and open minds 11 ••• there's much work to be done in opening doors and hearts and minds! I found myself thinking of some of the gay men who have supported the ministry of thts church. Some sang tn the choir. Some ushered. Some served as committee chair persons. Two of them were organists._ They all made a difference. How blessed we were during those y-ears by the faith commitment and contributions of over a oozen or more gay men. Remember that hymn v.re sang p;rowing up in Sunday School? How did it go? "Jesns loves the little chtldren. All the chHdren of the Horlrl. Red and yellow. Black and white. They are precious in His sight". I think it's time for a second verse whi.ch could go like th1_s. "Jesus loves the little chi.ldre. All the children of the world. GAY and STRAIGHT. lEFT and RIGHT. They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the vrorld". We know the song and we sing it, hut singi.ng isn't nearly enough. Isn't it time we acted like 1-re really believe it? Lisn 1 t it time when we took to heart vlhat it means when we say w are all children of God? ALL OF USl Isn't it time to forget left and right, red and blue, conservative and liberal, evangelical and social activist labels ••• to put away our anger and mistrust and act like the people of God in every aspect of life? Isn't it time to live the peace of God "that passes all of our human understanding?" and to remember· that "an eye for an eye" makes the whole world blind and as the poet and philosopher, George Santayana, satd: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat tt. 11 - 6 OPENING THE DOOR TO THE FUTURE That same professor of homiletics who encouraged us to offer a Biblical text at the beginning 1 of a sermon also once told us that "illustrations are the vTindows that let the light in on what's behind a text" ••• so I close with two of my favorite illustrations for you to carry out of here that hope fully 1 ight up today 1 s sermon text. Some of you nay be fani.liar "'rtth the painting of Christ knocking at the door. It's often found i_n those Bibles that include religious painting and it's also found in stain glass windows. Back in the 1R50's, the English painter, William Holman Hunt, painted his famous painting, THE LIGHT OF THE 1-JORLD. It's a favorite of many of us; I remember that my father hact a small copy of it in his study. The original is in a chapel of Cambridge University and a copy of it that Hunt himself painted is i.n St. Paul's Cathedral in London, in that great Christopher Wren master piece. 11'.1hene1.'er I've been in London, I always make a pilgrimage to St. Paul's to see Holman Hunt's great painting (seven feet by four feet apProximately). There's a story that goes uith the painting. During an exhibition at the Museum of the Royal Academy in London, a woman approached the noted artist whose painting, CHRIST, THE LIGHT OF THE ~IORLD was the featured attraction. They were standing together before the painting 1-rhich depi.cts Christ vJeari.ng a kingly robe and crown and holding a lighted lantern. He i.s standi.ng wi.th anticipation before a closed wooden door which i.s part of a massive stone 1-rall. The hinges of the door are rusty and vines have covered most of the door itself. After some reflection, the woman turned to the artist and said to Holman Hunt: "This i.s, indeed, a remarkable painting, si.r, and it rightly deserves the great 'P:t!Af.le :i.s it, receiving, but one thing ••• there is NO LATCH on the door! How i_s it to be opened? Did you forget the LATCH?" "AH" sai.d the artist. "I'm so glad _you noticed that. This is no ordinary door. It is the DOOR to the human heart and it can only be opened from within!" Yes ••• the human heart has first to be opened i.f we are to open the door to a more cari.ng, compass i nate, just and humane future for a 11 of God 1 s children. And that door can only be opened from within. ONCE OPEN, LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN And the other story which you may haveheard before and Hh'i.ch is one of my favorite more recent stories. I'm grateful to lilY friend and colleague, Dr. Arthur Cali.andro, pastor of Marhle Collegiate Church here in the city, for gi.ving me perJ!lission to use it. You're aware that in the Hispanic coMmunity it's quite col'lmon for parents when a boy is born to name him HEY SUSS. Dr. Caliandro has on his staff at Marble Collegiate Church a wonder~ul man by the nal'le of HEY SUSS. He paints very well and often in the summertime when things are ouieter, you'll see HEY SUSS around the church with a paint brush in hand ••• touching up some of the offices. Says Arthur, 11 He 's a good pai.nteru.an expert." One summer evening, Dr. Caliandro had been in a church meeting and went to his offtce late in the eveni.ng to pick up his jacket and briefcase to go home and he happened to notice as he approached hi.s study that the Hghts were on in both his study and in his secretary's office. His study door was open which was unusual. He vras concerned and approached the study door slowly and ouietly •••wondering. This Hispanic gentleman had been cioing sol'le painttng ar und there and on the wall next to the open door leadi.nr; into hts study v1as a sign which read: rrsm ••• PLEASE DON.'T CLOSE ·THE DOOR~ •• (s tgned) tTesus." "Open Doors. Open Hearts. Open Minds" - 7 - CLOSING PRAYER "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears Hy voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with h i.m and he with ~1e ." "Open doors. ()pen hearts. Onen minds". In the spirit of Christ, '~e pray. Amen. "ANNTI'ERSARY D A Sermon By Philip A. C. Clarke Park Avenue United Methodist Church 106 East 86th Street New York, New York 10028 March 12, 2oo6 PRAYER BEFffiE THE SERMON "Help u.s, Lord, to he l"'B.ster of onr selves that we may become the ser vants of others .. Take our lips and speak through them, our minds and think through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire. In the Spirit of Christ, we pray. Amen" !'ANNIVERSARY DOl.RS" INTRODUCTION j A professor of homiletics at Boston University's School of The- ology once offered us a bit of advice on preaching. He sai~, "Always anno~ce a Biblical text at the beginning of your serm~" and th?n w1.th a twinkle in i.his eye, he added, "It wtll give the people someth1ng to th1nk about while you're ~reaching". So, here it is. The text is from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3. V;erses 20 and 23. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; i.f any- one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me". "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.". DEVELOPMENT It's good to be with you once again! The last time I was here was last September .for the Memorial Service .for our beloved ~yn- don Woodside,~ our Choir Director and Organist for 38 years. It's hard for me to realize that ~e is no longer over here behind me where he did his work so magnifi icently for ~n ma~ years. Such a prodigous talent and such a gracious spirit. And this is where I did so much of my work for h3 years ••• right here in this space, ~n this beautiful pulpit which is a wooden replica of a atone-cut pul pit in the C}iurch of San Miniato on a hill across the River Arno just outside of Florence. H HONORING OUR rAST Happy Anniversary! Number 169 which according to my math J ~ans that the church was rounded in the year 1837. This ts my 45th a$1versarv "'~rvice (or birthday) to celebrate with you. Some of those services I re~mber ttuite well, especially the l25th in 1962 when Bishop Frederick Buckley Newe~ graced ~his pulpit with great eloquence. Oh, i:f only these walls could speak wpat they wouldn't tell us! Le~ me work into this sermon by first opening the anniversary door that HONORS OUR PApT and review with you some of the interesting and helpful highlights of our historr. A little book entitled King's Handbook of New York (published in the 1890's) d~scribes the church in thi.s delightful fashion: ' "An ancient society, dating its origin from about the year 1837, when its little congregation of five meMbers began to meet in a chamber over a rum-selling grocery store. Then for a time it held its meetings at the house of Gilbert Bates, at 3rd Avenue and 84th Street; and a:fterv1ards it. bought the church of' the Bowery: Village and re-erected it." 2 We ~re connected by stagecoach to the "city" several miles to the ; -south. (Num~rs 4, 5 and 6 ••• but no express). We cel.ebrate this. second Sunday of ~arch eac~ year because it's closest to the date of incorporat1on which was March the lO~h·, 1837. Also, close to March 17th which gave the church fathers . a few extra c~lebratton days. And 1R37 was a good year, for the most part, I th~nk. Tf ~ou're a Demqcrat, you'll be pleased to know that ~s the year tnat Martin Van Bufren, a Democrat from a small town u-, the Hudson (K~nderhook) was elected the 8th president of our United States of which there were 26 states. Or, if you're a ~eminist you'll vmnt to know that Mount Holyoke Seminary, a college just. for womenI was opened, in South Hadley, Massachusetts. If you fo11 ow_ the "UPS" and "D An~ YES ••• here in the green pasture lands of what then was called York ville, a sma~l group of "believers" gathered and with hammer, nail and prayer, they RE-ERECTED a !small church borrowed from the Bmrery. About fifteen years later those same c~urch fathers tore down that wooden building and this time, with brick and mortar arid praY'er, they built a nerr structure. The year was 1852 and by now word was getting around town that "Yorkville was a WAY-STATION for migrating Metho dists" (another direct quote). \'lith the derk clouds of a civil1rmr gathering over head, the pa~tor signed up to serve as a chaplain •. In 1862, a ch:i.ld by the name of Herbert WelcJi was born and by the turn of' the century he was on his way to becoming a Bishop o.r the Methodist Church, and get this· •••Bisltop Herbert: lioTelch preached here on a Wednesd~y night during Lent in 1962 at the young and wonder:f'ul age of 1.00! Th~rty years later that modest brick building of the eighteen-fifties was taken down and a new church, one with a STEEPLE, was buil.t here on the corner of Park Avenue ~nd 86th Street, next to some noisy railroad tracks that ran uptown and downtownJ To be sure, it wasn't called Park Avenue back then, neither the gvenue nor the church.. That came later, but again, quoting from King's HANDBOOK: I "In 188L., its present handsome brownstone was l dedicated by Bishop Warren. The society has I now 600 members and is flourishing NOBLY, under l the ministration of the Rev. Ferdinand Igl.ehart". Pastor Igl.eh$-t (number 35) carried on a correspondence wi.th the Po1ice Commissioner of' NYC whose lname was T.HEODCRE ROOSEVELT who commended in writing the e:f':f'orts of' the pastor o~ his personal. crusade to cl.ose down the sa1oons of' Yorkvil.l.e! "You're the }fAN" said Teddy Roosevelt, "One of the few men in this ci.ty whose opinion I value!" Mo~ing now from the "gay nineties" over to the "roaring tTrtenties", we find that unqer the leadership of Pastor Peter Weyant (number 40) that that hand some brmmst9ne church with the steeple v7as torn down and a ll1 story apartment house went UP, on the corner of 86th and Park and the church was moved around the corner and tllat's where 1-re are today! This church was dedicated for worship in January of' lf27. I once came across Pastor Peter Weyant's Easter letter to the parish, date~ April hth, 1928. Pastor Peter had a penchant :for poetic prose and since Easter!isn't that :far of'f', 1et ~read parts of' it to you. =:.:. ~.-.- .. ·.- .. ~-:·------:.~ ~.- ·.. PARK AVENUE METHODIST --EPISCOPAL C!H_URCH ·•. ; PARK AvENUE AND EIGHTYoSIXTH STR~;: NEW YORK RllV. P. C. WrtANT. PA.-woR 103S PARK AVaNUir Tlll.lrPHON. BUTTirlti'II:LD IMilllt -· ... - .•... , .. AprU 4. i 928 :'; Dear Parishioner:- • "Make it its secure as you-cAn," the Roman Gov~or ilaid, 'bd -.e have felt that· he with lips denied what he ~th heart allirined; fot he had crucifled a GOd. 'And so the Roman seal which represented all that men then knew of power and sti-enst.Jt~ f}eced ~n tl:te at6ne _ '!hicJ. ,.joaed the way to joseph·a to'mb.- - - --~- .., . . - - ~-·-That Ro~d~alike m~·t;aif..¥Ml ~~h-updrl:_th~~L~.fu ..-~when itlen.- . stand in the ~esence of their dead, 8nd all roadii seem abruptly hrokeli ~fl:- but _in the ~~~~ .~ da~ of F.as~er Day, the ~est to~cL o(~~el hand was iaid -~pon .tbat.~.~~)~:-the. -~~= ==!'L==:~t:::~~~~i~~~:"·. ,,. fears and 8ay~t :; :::=it~~=:~lr~~~z~[;;~~~=~o~~~:;~:- are no ends of roads. no sharp ~ which hide Erti:~i:ved fotniS; ~hid. we: ~ould ev~ keep in view; no fears, no lurking shadow& The sWferlng and hitteme.. is past. Christ is risen. ·May Easter Joya he yours. Your Pastor. iThe enclosed envelope is for your Easter offering. Your gift will be appreciated by ·~-·- .·... · your church. (That's called "pushing the envel~pe") - 3 1929 followed and the Misery of the Great Depression ~hreatened our .' ell being ana now many Methodists were migrating out of Yorkv~lle. Membershl.p ~apidly declitted. 'In 1930, at the "pit" of the Depression, we were. known through out "1'ethociism~ as "the church wtth the largest debt~" It was someth1.ng like. $ 600,000. 'rlJe Reverend John J. Henry (pastor #41) _wrote a le~ter .. to the B1.shop who had appointed him to this church, saying so~eth1.ng like th~s, I~ I had known in 1931 r,rbat t now know a bout this church, I wou 1.d never have accepted this appoint ment!" The y~ar t·m.s 1.934 and I wish I had saved a copy o£ his letter. Hard times ~ollowed, but somehow the church survived that ~inancia~ crisis, too apd how it did is a story in itself and believe.~, it was not ~1.thout sacrifice, saCjlness and suffering. There was no full time m1n1.ster here durmg , of World War II. Sunday pulpit supplies came over from a nearby seminary. If you re a fan and foliower of the Olympics, you'd be interested to know that Sonja Henie was married here in 19h7 and the minister, Dr. Paul N. Otto, found himself skating on thin ice with!the Bishop who didn't take too kind~ to a photograph of the minister on the front ~age of the Daily News with his arm around the bride as she and her third husbandileft through the front doors of the church. However, I've always liked to say that 1947 should be remembered for another reaso*. A man by the name o~ Paul Russell joined the little group o~ struggling me~bers who were still here •••about 35 members. And his e.f£orts made a profound diff~rence and he~ped the church get back on its feet and that's a bit part o~ our sqrvival story. The Russell Room downsta5..rs is named for that fine Christian gen~leman whom some of you knew. Mr. Russell passed away in February of 1999 at the yqung age of 100. OPENING THE D~OR TO SOME PERSONAL REMEMBRANCES I first saw the church on the 8th day of October, 1956. I remember driving down ~om Schenectady at the invitation of Bishop Newell and trying to park in front of hts office before noon at 150 Fifth Avenue. After lunch with the PPR Commi.ttee o.f :f!ive people at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, I was then brought up he*e to the church by the District Superintendent to have a look around. (Incidently I~ve never been back to the National Arts Club since that October day). Two iladies o~ the church and the Church Deaconess shmred me around, but didn't show~ all the property because •••well, because it was in such poor shape, such terrible '•condition and they hesitated to let me see it all. The walls in here were dark, dur,ty and dingy ••• no paint on them for 25 years. Light bulbs were out. Stuffing from (ithe pew cushions was on the floor between the pews. The third floor kitchen was a H927 kitchen. The elevator needed an operator. I soon learned ho¥ to run it. The lights on the third floor weren't working; the walls were a mustard color. Eisenhmrer was in his second term. The Giants and the Dodgers were still in town and dawn the street at Park and 6oth, Dr. Ralph W. Soclonan, one o.f A1'19rica' s great preacher's, was preaching to a .full church in that magnificent cathedral of' Methodism known as Christ Church. We were that l.ittle church up in Yorkville that few people knew about. But that October Rth was the day that Don Larsen pitched his no-hitter agatrst the Dodgers in the World Series o.f 1956 and to me, that was a good sign. One n.fithose lovely ladies told me that Yankee Stadium was only ~ot~ Express stops f'rom Lex:ington Avenue and 86th Street. That sounded so good! There were those Sundays i.n my ¢arly years here when people would come to worship thinking they were to hear Dr. Sqbkman and then when they dis covered they were in the wrong church, they got up and le~ usually around ten minutes after eleven; grabbed a cab a;nd~ ~eaded- --iown to Park Avenue and 60th Street.. - - 4 FIRST IMPRESSIONS My first Sunday here was December 1st, 1956. In the congre- gation that Sunday were three people whose names appeared on the membershi~ rolls of the 190h Church Directory. One of them, a Mabel Hawkins Tabor, slept ~hrough that .first sermon (I could se: her nodding off) and she t~ld me at the doo.U as she left, "Young man •••you're gotng to have to speak louder 1£ you expect me ito stay awake!" We had about JS people here that Sunday morning. Back then the doors through which you entered thts rnorn~_ng were closed and locked tight except for two hours on a Sunday morning, frOM 10:30 to 12:30. I f'ound myse1f' lf'ondering ••••were we trying to keep people out or keep them in? The doors had the !appearance of' "A Mighty Fortressn. But those c1osed doors reminde~ me of' somethi~g that happened to me as a student in Edinburgh, Scotland in the w~n- ter of' 1954. fMy roommate and I went to a church one Sunday morning and got there about five minutes af'ter the service had begun and much to our surprise we found the doors of that ~church closed, shut tight, locked. Had we made a mistake on the hour of worship? ~o. Those doors were shut to outsiders. It left a bad impression, one which I n~ver forgot and we never went back. Wi.th a bit of patience and some perseverance ~nd attention to things like lighting and security and an inner set of swinging door~, we managed wi_thin a year to have the doors open for more than two hours a week .. I ca,me to the church with only five sermons "in the barrel" and all five were used in "?he f'irst two months, but I also came with a dream ....the dream of' bui1ding an iJ1terracia1, internationa1 and interdenomtnational church. This was a dream that ca~ out of' a number of' teenage church youth institutes that I attended back 1n the nineteen :forties. Most of' them -..rere at P;Ol.ltney, Vermont. One swmner there was a yqung minister, an African American, on the f'aculty froM New York City by the name o:lr Wi_lliam James. The "connectedness11 of things never ceases to amaze me. Dr. Jame~ (i-mom some o£ you know and who may be with us this morning) pastored ~fetropolitan Qommunity Methodist Church at Madison Avenue and 126th for over 33 years. In his jlate eighties, he hasn't lost any of his spark and passion. But that dream of~ diverse congregation in a city of great diversity of people had a lot to do wit~ my co~ing here and my successor, Dr. Shillady, (and his associates have nourisheq that dream with hard work and built an even greater platform for it. ThoB,e who were here back then patiently endured ~ youthful inexperience and pastoral ~dequacies. I of'ten think of' all those who helped to open the doors and hearts an~ l"'inds tn this church. lrTe have been rich1y b1essed by dedicated and devoted lay~ and women •• •by clergy persons and their co1leagues. Far too many men and women jto mention in a serT!lon 1ike this. Some have scattered to other parts of' our coun~ and to other parts o~ the world. Some are present here this morntng. Quite a :few hajve passed on. Something Yogi Berra said tol hts former teammate, Whitey Ford, a\bout the vronderful Hst of DECEASED YA!IJKEE GREATS l'lhose names were appearing on ~he centerfield scoreboard at the Old Ttmers' Day several summers ago. "Boy" said Yo~i_, "I hope I never see my name up there". Whoever you are and what ever position jyou played here and whenever it was, I thank you· for your part in bringing to p~ss this miracle of rebirth. Eltd,n Trueblood, the Quaker spirit, teacher and pro£essor, once said: "People have made at least a start in discovering the mea;ning o£ human 1if'e when they plant shade trees un der; which they know f"u~1 well they will never sit." So Tl'iany of' you h.ave and did and continue to do so. Thank you! 5 HEIP BUIID THJ,!: FUTURE Who l'JaS it who said, "It's OK to look back, but don't · stare?" We 've looked back, but now let's push open yhe door to the s~cond ooint of thi.s "two pointer" and since we're now into the month of 11 March Madpeas",. I hope i.t'a a "slam dunk" • Letrs think about the future and hopefully rededicate ourselves to the aspirations aPd the achievements of those who have been here before us and_ to the present and ft~ure generations who.will one day sit in these pews and cont~nue with this proud hetitage. Pertilaps something f'IY deceased father-in-law, Dr. J. Edward Carothers, who was head b.f the Board of Global "P>finistries in the late siXties and early ni.neteen seve'ftties, was .fond o.f saying will touch a responsive chord with you. ~ "My wife and I are not working .for the church as i it is today, but for the church it can become!" Under the leadership of your pastors, you are doing just that. I had tears in my etas as I read Pastor Bill's write up in A WORD IN EDGE\.J'AYS of your recent MISSI~ TO MISSISSIPPI. I was deeply touched by what I rearl, but one or two auestionslremained, however, after I wiped my moist eyes. What did Michael Craig sing in;the church service down there in Mississippi that produced the WOW in Pastor Bill's write-up? And the other nuestion ••• did Brother George (Leopold, that is) come Jacross any- future prospects :for "pin stripes" while down there? Andithen last week, I read Chelsea Powell's sermon of February 26th on the occasion ~.f her conf'i.rmation and my wif'e responded with, "That's one of the best sermons t•ve ever read or heard!" And as a tr~inister 's daughter, she's heard ryuite a .few. i Then, too, I was again moved and pleased to read of your response to the sensithe and !controversial issue involving the Vi.rginia Church whose pastor denied membership to~a gay person. Yes, speaking of "open doors, open hearts and open minds".uther~'s much work to be done in opening doors and hearts and minds! I found myself ~hinking of some or· the gay men who have supported the ministry of this church. JSome sang in the· choir. Some ushered. Some served as committee chair persons~ Two of them were or.ganistsc They-·-all~made. a·-dif.ferenqe.. HeM blessed were during tqose years by the faith comrnitmEmt and contribuilions of' over a dozen or more gay ~·n. Remember that hymn vre sang growin~ up in Sunday School? How did it go? "Jesus loves the H:ttle chi.ldren. All the children of the Ttrorld. Red and yellow. Black and white. They are precious in Hi.s sight". I think it's t.iJ!'I8 for a second verse which cquld go like this. "Jesus loves the little childre All the children of the world.; GAY and STRAIGHT. !EFT and RIGHT. '!bey are precious in Hts si.ght. Jesus loves tlie little children of the lrorld". · We kJlow the song and we sing it, but singing isn't nearly enough. Isn't it time we ac~d like we really believe it? Lisn't it time when we took to heart what it means jWhen we say w are all chtldren o:f God? ALL OF USl Isn't it tilll8 to forget left a~d right, red and blue, conservative and liberal, evangelical and social activist labels ••• to put away our anger and mistrust and act like the people of' God in evecy aspect of' 1if'e? Isn't it tiJ119 to live the peace of' God "that passes all o:f our h~n understanding?" and to remember· t.hat "an eye :for an eye'' makes the whole world bl!J.nd and as the poet and philosopher, George Santayana, said: '"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - 6 OPENIID THE DOOR TO THE FUTURE That same professor of homiletics who encouraged us to offer a Biblical text at the beginning'of a sermon also once told us that "illustrations are the windows that let the light in on what's ~hind a text" ••• so I close with two of my favorite illustrations for you to carry o~t of here that hopefully light up today's sermon text. Some:of you May be faMi.liar with th~ painting of_Christ knocking a~ ~he door. It's ofpen found in those Bibles that 1nclude relig1ous painti~ and 1t s also found in ~tain glass windows. Back in the 1R50's, the English p~1nter, Wi~liam Holman Hunt, pb.inted his famous painting, THE LIDHT OF THE t·JORLD. It, s a favor1te of many of us;j I reme'l'!ber that my father had a smll copy of it in his study: The original is in!a chapel of Cambridge University and a copy of it that Hunt h1JI'Iself painted is in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, i_n that great Christopher Wren ""aster piece. Whene'·~r I've been in London, I always make a pilgrimage to St. Paul's to see Ho1amn Hu~t's great painting (seven feet by four feet anproximately). Therb's a story that goes with the painting. During an exhibition at the Museum of the ~oyal Academy in London, a woman approached the noted artist whose painting, CHR~T, THE LIGHT OF THE \riOR.LD was the featured attraction. They were standing together before the painting which depicts Christ wearing a kingly robe and crown and holding a lighted lantern. He is standing with anticipation before a closed woode~ door which is part of a massive stone wall. The hinges of the door are rusty and rines have covered most of the door itself. After some reflection, the woman turned ~ the artist and said to Hol'l'!an Hunt: "Th~s is, i.ndeed, a remarkable painting, sir, and it rightly des~rves the great ~at~e is it receiving, but one thing •• e there is NO LATCH on the door! How is it to be opened? Did yori forget the lATCH?" "AH" said the artist. "I'm so glad you noticed that. This is no ordinary door. It is the DOOR to !the human heart and it can only be opened f'rom within!" Yes.; •• the human heart has first to be opened if we are to open the door to a more car~, compassi nate, just and humane future for all of God's children. And that door tcan only be opened from within. ONCE OPEN, LEAVE THE DOOO. OPEN And the other story which you JllaY have heard be fore and '!Prhich is one of my favorite more recent stories. I'm grateful to my friend and colleague, Dr. Arthur Caliandro, pastor o:f Marble Collegiate Ch.p-ch here in the city, for gi.ving me permission to use it. You're aware that in the Hispanic co!'!JIIunity it's quite common :for parents when a boy is £;born to name him HEY SUSS. Dr. Caliandro has on his sta.f.f at Marble Colleg~ate Church ~ wonder~ul man by the name of HEY SUSS. He paints very well and often 1n the summertime when things are ouieter, you'll see HEY SUSS around the church with a paint ~ush i in hand ••• touching up some of the offices. Says Arthur, "He 1 s a good painter. ~.an expert .. " One ;:suntmer evening, Dr. Caliandro had been in a church meeting and went to his office la~ in the evening to pick up his jacket and briefcase to go home and he happened to n~tice as he approached his study that the light8 were on in both his study and in lilis secretary's office. His study door 1>.-ras open which was tmusual. He was concernedianci approacped the study door slowly and ouietly••• wondering. This Hispanic gentleman had beem doing some pa~nting ar und there and on the wall next to. the open door' leading into his study was a sign which read: 11Sffi •••PLEASE, ,. - "' DON'T CLOSE THE DOOO. JESUS" "Open Doors. ()pen Hearts. Open Hinds" CLOSING PRAYER "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him ~nd he with Me." "Open doors. Open hearts. Ooen minds". In the spirit of Christ, '.re pray. Ame!). PARK AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 106 EAST 86TH STREET NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1 0028 212·427·5421 REV. DR. WILLIAMS. SHILLADY EMAIL: [email protected] REV. SARA LAMAR-STERLING FAX: 2 12·534-041 0 PASTORS BOARD OF TRUSTEES CARL CONDRA, PRESIDENT MICHELE BARTON, VICE PRESIDENT NICA VAL-HACKETT, SECRETARY CINDY DREW, TREASURER BRAY RIDENOUR LESLIE BENNING PAUL ROSS WALTER SPENCER LYNN WEDDINGTON TUCKER February 22, 2006 Dear P AUMC Family, 1 Happy 169 h Anniversary! Since 1837, God has blessed Park Avenue United Methodist Church with friends, members, and clergy that, together, make a difference in God's ever changing world. Join in our celebration of gratitude for these great gifts! Please come to our service on Sunday, March 12, 2006, when Pastor Emeritus Philip A. C. Clarke will preach. Also, plan to attend our special coffee hour reception following this service. It has become a tradition that the Board of Trustees asks you to consider commemorating this occasion by making a special anniversary gift to our Church. Many choose to refle,ct the 1 anniversary numbers in their contribution. In honor of the 169 h Anniversary, you might donate $1,690, $169.00, $16.90 or $1.69. A special envelope is enclosed for use in making your gift. These commemorative gifts will become part of the Church's endowment fund. Income from the endowment fund is used to maintain, repair and improve our church facility. Thank you. for your part in supporting our great community of faith. May God continue to bless us all. Sincerely, Carl Condra Enclosure PARK AVENUE METHODIST· EPISCOPAL CHURCH PARK AVENUE AND EIGHTY..SIXTH STA.,:.t;:, - -... ..· .::. -· HEW YORK RIIV. P. C. WaYANT. PASTOR 1038 PAAIC AYaNUil TIILilPHONa I!IUTTUPJIILD tll!lllll . :=.-.-·,:.._. Dear Parishioner:- "Make it as secure as you can," the Roman Governor uid, 'an he with lips denied what he with heart affirmed; for he had crucified a God. d so the Roman seal which represented all that men then knew of power and stren~·tvlii.f~, ced up~n the stone whicJ. dosed. the way. to_ joseph•s to'mb., . ' That Ro~an seafwaslike tri~'E~an-whCh :W~igbupori th~.hutn heart when ineri . stand in the presence ol their dead, and aU roads seem abruptly hr~k~h ~JE: but. in the mYi&tic -~ dawn of Easter Day, the lisrhtest touch of .11qel hand was laii.upon. that ~' a.;d:.:~; -the ~caati~~ built upon the thoi'e by cru1dreit hlmd.f~;e.swept away: oy"'utlii.t'wlifdk ~r· ·:.;:- .. ~&oifrl:qtit .. _,th6~ th~ bo~ii-a~t!o deepj""7i0 litr-~ariiov:ernill~iil·Mia'Jlo~r-~enti6!J6tlliWilt, rcc;a; · ·· ·· · ·· · -- It ia not strange that in out -~~,,tdd~Yt..tv~. h~~::'ii?W~;a~~IU~ti ibiike jl)(;~e. otlt-:; · fears and iay8, "(knew th~t it would~b~~ fh~~diiianii~se'ii7 6tirl-_: 18 ~""leftntim.'·1 11iere"' are no ends of roads. no sharp tumin~s which hide from-~~·l:ved fohns. ~hi · we: would eve~ keep in view; no feMs. no lurking shadows. The auftering and bitterilesa is p . Christ is risen. May Easter Joys be yours. Your Pastor. The enclosed envelope is for your Easter offering. Your gift will e appreciated by your church. --~--- PARK AVENUE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH PARK AVENUE AND EIGHTY-siXTH STR-~; NEW YORk RIIV. P. C. WrtANT, PASTOR 1038 PARK AVIENUIE TIR.KPHONIE IIUTTIERIOIIELD 81188 April 4, i 928 Dear Parishioner:· "Make it as secure as you.cln," the Rome Governor i!aid, ·and we have felt that· he with lips denied whtlt he with heart affirmed: for he had crucified a God. And so the Roman seal wMch represented all that men then knew of power and stren~l- ~vali "'"'aced upon th6 atone whicJ. ~losed the way to joseph·a tomb. That Ro~aii-aeal was like tlie' f~~ whi,ch :Weigh upon th~.htdnan he~ when men. - stand in the presence ol their dead. and aJ) roadj seem abruptly broken ~ff: buUn the _mydtic dawn of Easter Day, the li2htest touch of angel hand was lai(f~pon .that s~::.Jt:i·~,tthe caatl~. built upon the shore by Cnitdren hands are- swept away,' Dy .. thM ·whlcll ~-~'~&om·;,~.. it .... th~~\ the btJundle88 de~J'i"· io hllh1ati- government ·rna JioW~t 8\Jrr~~der tfdit ~~f C~~; ~ - . . · . . --.. .·· .,.,_ _,_,_ . It is not strange that in our ,~~f~lt\~~~~~ ;h~ar a,jt?r~· ~hie~~ ij;~~~- lb?vei o~: fears and iayS. "I knew that it would h~~ Th~ Iimld~ linive'ise.il 6\irA this Eaat~t tnom.-~Tker~ are no ends of roads, lio sharp turnings which hide from us loved foimS. which we· would ever keep in view; no fears. no lurking shadowS. The &Wtering and bittcme88 is past. Christ is risen. May Easter Joys be yours. Your Pastor. The enclosed envelope is for your Easter offering. Your gift Will be appreciated by · your church. II ! ! I I I I I I ---::--- PARK AVENUE -METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH P'ARK AYEHUE AND EIGHTY.SIXTH STR~-. --- :·. NEW YORK RIIV. P. C. WIIYANT. PAIITOJI 1035 PAIIIC AYI:NUil TSLI:PMOMI: IIUTTI:JIPIIlLD 81188 April 4, i 928 Dear Parishioner:- .. Make it as secure as you c:an;• the Roman Govt;mor said, -and we have felt that · he with Jips denied what he with heart affirmed; for Le had crucliied a qoa And so the Roman seal wbicli represented all that men then knew of power and atren~'- ~vai .-1aced up!'n th~-sto~e whi~ dosed the way to joseph~a tomb. That Ro~-Seal ~a8 like tlii\tf~ wh~ch :W~h upon:.i.:h~.human h~ when -~~- - etalid in the presence of_ their dead.-and aU roadi. seem abruptly broken ~~ hut. In the _mtatic -- da:_ of E:aster Day, the liahteet touch of angel band was laid--upon .th&t .. ae.k.a.;c("~ithe caati~.~- built upon the shore by Cbildren. Landa ate- swept awr!ij: oy i•thit ·ivflidl· ~!·~-l;ut,.,.~~~~- .__ tii~ houndJ• de~'"'io Llifumf ioVernmenFiiiCI powei ~~der tJ"'ffii~-=ciG~d~ ~ - - - - . - ... ..,.-,·~-... _- .- ·. . ._:·-~-- : -~:~- - _ It is not strange that in our::~~-~il~~~\,~~ ~h~ ·~~?~·~Lid(~~ Ai#!ve: ~ut: fears imd iayS. ... knew tLat it would ),~~ '1\i llmid~ didveraeji dtd this F.aat~ iii~m.·~~rt~e. ,, ·. ' . are no ends of roads, lib sharp turnings which Lide from us loved foi'nis; which we: would ever keep in view; no fears, no lurking shadowi. The sWfering and bitterneaa is past. Christ is risen. May Easter Joys be yours. Your Pastor. The enclosed envelope ia for yom Easter ofering. Your gift wiD be appreciated by: your church. . ~ .. r. II I I ., ·-·"--- .. •' .... ., PARK AVENUE METHODIST· EPISCOPAL CHURCH I A i=>ARK AVENUE AND EIGHTY·SIXTH STR~tt;' .. ' ' NEW YORK ~ t RKV. p, C. WaYANT, PAIITOR 103B PARK Avaioiua Tln.KPHONa IIUTTIIRI'IIn.D IIIISS ·'' -~~.:~- I. -., \ ...... {I" x·· .\\. ' \ \ ~ -~ ·f ' ··April 4, l 9l8 I Dear Parishioner:- r: t'·J "Make it as secure as you, din," the Roman Governor ·said, 'llnd we have felt that · ..... \ ~ - he with lips denied what he with heart affirmed; for he had crucified a' GoC:t. And so the Roman seal which represented all that men then knew of power and strenat'l:f.iil rJaced upon the· stone ...... v • l,. -~ 1 • whid· dosed the way to joseph's to'inb.~ ::. ., ' That Ro~aii seai' ~iis like tHt't;~{wh~h ~~igh-ti-~6n tit~. hutnari heatt wheri men. stand in the presence ol their dead, ·and all roads seem abruptly brokeh ~ff: but. in the mystic , . - . ··-~ ·- ·. r ,... -, ..... dawn of Easter Day, the lisrhtest touch of angel hand was)aid. upon that}le~i!anfa~·:the castles,.. built upon the shoie by cnddren. hands are- swept iw.iy: t,y 1ith~t· whtek ~r~~.:fro~out.,;;the} tlie bouiiatesa deepj"·i() b1rniaifioverriineiit7an fears and says, "I knew that it would iiniverse.il· cThrA- tliis EasEef liiorn. ·.. ;:JI r he.~· The ~if~~s "'~Titere I are no ends of roads, rio sharp which hide forni!J; we: would ~ .. turnin~s fro~-:;i:ved ~hich eve~ keep in view; no fears, no lurking shadows. The suffering and bitterness is past. Christ is risen. :[ May Easter Joys be yours. l Your Pastor. I I f ! The enclosed envelope is for your Easter offering. Your gift will be appreciated by· .:...... !~- your church. -.•. i 1: It f. If r PRAYER BEF<.RE THE SERMON "Help us, Lord, to be Master of our selves that we may become the ser vants of others. Take our lips and speak through them, our minds and think through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire. In the spirit of Christ, we pray. Amen" "ANNIVERSARY DOORS" INTRODUCTION A professor of homiletics at Boston University's School of The- ology once offered us a bit of advice on preaching. He said, "Always announce a Biblical text at the beginning of your sermon" and then with a. twinkle in his eye, he added, "It will give the people soJI'I8thing to think about while you're preaching". So, <\;an r is~ here it is. The text is from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3. Verse$20 and 23. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me." "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear." DEVELOPMENT .4"t's good to be with you once again( The last time I t-ras here ,rr was • September for the memorial service for our beloved Lyndon Woodside, our Choir Director and Organist for 38 years. It's hard for me to realize that he is no longer over here behind me where he did his work so magnificently for so many years. .1'114-h p~t~*ll#.#'fl!l~l' .,..,.J _,. /..., ~ .,,__,.,.# -~, And this is vThere I did so much of my work for 43 years ••• right here in this space, in this beautiful pulpit which i.s P._wooden replica of a.stone-cut pul ptt in the Church of San Miniato on a fiill across the River Arno jus c.· ·outs1de u.r Florence, Italy. Hopefully, Pastor Bill and his wife, Judy, will get to climb that hill and visit the Church of San Miniato on Pastor Bill's forthcoming and well deserved sabbatical. Yes, it's a bit of a climb but well worth it and you can do it! Just be sure to send me a postcard or photo of the pttlptt. Promise? · Another thing about this-pulpit. It's supported by (and here I'm quoting) "several great timbers shaped by Philip Embury and used in the original John Street Methodist Church" (which if you knmr your Methodist history old John Street Church was :founded in 1768). Now I've never seen those "great timbers" but some things you have to accept on faith. Ri.ght? HONORING OUR PAST Happy Anniversary. number 169 which according to my math means that the church was founded in the year 1837. Oh, if only these walls could speak what they wouldn't tell us! This is ~ 45th anniver sary service to celebrate with you. Some of those services I remember quite well, especially the 125th in the year 196~:~Bi~hop Frederick Buckley Newell was our guest that morning. ~·~ let me work into thi.s sermon by first opening the anniversary door that HONORS OUR PAST and review with you some of the interesting and helpful highlights of our hi~ory. A little book entitled King's Handbook of New York (published in the 1890's )describes the church in th5.s fashion: "An anci.ent society, dating its origin :from about the year 1837, when its little congregation of five members began to meet in a chamber over a grocery store. The~ for a time it held its meetings at the house of Gilbert Bates, at Third Avenue and 84th Street; and afterwards it bought the church of the Bowery Village and re-erected it." 2 Jr.Te 1-rere connected by stagecoach to the "city" several miles to the south.1 We celebrate this second Sunday or March each year because it's closest to the date of incorporation which was March the lOth, 1837. Ann 1837 was a good yeqr, for the most part. : Tf you 1re a Democrat, you '11 be pleased to knmr that was the year that ~artin Van Buren, a Democract from a small town up the Hudson (Kinderhook) was elected the 8th nresident of onr United States (of whi_ch there were 26 states). Or, if you have British roots, you'll perhaps remember that was the year that an 18 vear old Queen Victoria began her reign of 63 years! If you follow the "ups" anrt "riO'Irms" of Wall Street, you'll be interested to know that was the year of The F!nancial Crisis or 1837 (one of whi_ch the church survived). Or, if you're a feminist, you' 11 want to know that Mount Holyoke Semtnary, a college for women opened in South Hartley, Massachusetts. If your mind is open to Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, you'll uart ts 'WW' that was the year he published his "Tree Of Life". ll.elllillfl~ And YES •••• here in the green pasture lands of what then was called Yorkville, a s~all group of believers gathered and with ha~r and nail, they RE-ERECTED a. small church borrmred from the Bowery. About fifteen years later those same church fathers tore down that wooden building and this time, with brick and mortar in hand, built a new structure. The year was 1852 and by now word was getting around town that "Yorkville 1oras a WAY-STATION' for migrating Methodists" (a direct ouote). vlith the dark clouds of a civi.l war gathering overhead, the pastor signed up to serve as a chaplain. In 1862, a child by the name of Herbert Welch was born who as an adult was ordained as a Bishop of the Methodist Church. Bishop Herbert Welch (and get this) preached here on a Wednesday night during Lent in the year 1962 at the young and wonderful age of 100! Thirty years later that modest brick building of the eighteen-fifties was taken.down and a new church, one with a steeple, was built here on the corner of Park Avenue and 86th Street ••• next to some noisy railroad tracks that run uptown and downtown. To be sure, it wasn't called Park Avenue back then, neither the avenue nor the church. That came later, but again, quoting froM King's Handbook: "In 1881·, its present handsome brownstone t-ras dedi.c~ted by Bishop rlarren. The society has now 600 members and is flouri.sh tng NOBLY, under the mtni.stration of the Rev. Ferdinand C. Iglehart". Pastor Iglehart (number 35) carried on a correspondence with the Police Commissioner of li.TYC whose name Has Theortore Roosevelt who commended tn writing the efforts of the pastor on his personal crusade to close down the saloons of Yorkville! "You're the MAN" said Teddy Rooseve 1t, "One of the few men tn this city whose opinion I value l 11 Moving now from the "gay nineties" over to the "roaring twenties", we find that under the leadership of Pastor Peter Weyant (number hO) that that hand Sol'!le brownstone church with the steeple Has torn down and a fourteen story apart ment house went up on the corner of Park Avenue and East R6th Street and the Church was moved around the corner and that's where ~·:re are today! This church was dedicated for worship in January of 1927. "ET 18&6 a f,l C&b jd&I £61 all bi ue 1 Nmt X ±Is ; ' ?g Jl bl • ; 1 6 I f_; OJ oJ r for smethhi that +o.Qk 1 1 1 1 Ph as 2 the "eatbedre sf bsssba))" h the Brems a d f 6 D D 1 1 a 11 histery5 you 'wz~ ·±d It= referrhi *a sametbini *a do uub a man nered RUTH. - 3· - In my early years here I came across Pastor Peter Weyant's Easter letter t"o the parish, dated April l1th, 192& Pastor Peter had a penchant for poetic ~ prose and since Easter isn't that ta'r off, let me re_ad parts of it to you. ~;I'~ 1929 followed and once again, th , .. ·_ e If'' as the Great Depression thrP-ated our well being and nmr, Many r~ethodists were / migrating out of Yorkville and in 1930, at the "pit" of the Depression, we t·rere known throughout ~ethodi.sm as "the church with the largest debt" •. It was something like $ 800,000. 1Q"tHk Q£ ,J..:t •• IwJeed-,- mo~rt-··de:w;.a~.:d-P~· l'fembership rapidly declined. The Reverend J. J. Henry, pastor number 41, wrote a letter to the Bishop who had appointed him to this church saying, "If I had knmm in 1931 what I now knm1 about this church, 1 would never have accepted this appointment". (I once saw a copy of hi.s letter and ;rish I had kept it). Hard times followed. t~~ But somehow the church survived that financial crisis, too and how it ~~" did is a story in i.tself and believe me, it was n')t t-ri.thout grsa• ,.. aaad W"Ad ~~~ sadness and sacrifice. There was no ful1,~}~inister here during most of World v~ii)J,~ War II days. W•l• ad 4!11' Sunday suppl'Psf~'d'ver from a nearby seminary. If ~~fJ you're a fan of the Olympics, you'd want to know that Sonja Henie was married here in thi.s sacntuary in 1947and the mtnister, Dr. Paul N. otto, found himself skating on thtn ice with the Bi.shop who dtdn't take toa kindly to a photo of the mini.ster on the front page of the Daily News with his arm around the bride as she and her third husband left through the ~doors of th~ _.F.hurc~. ~.... ,.._,.J&I ~,.,.,., /ttl.,, , ,_., ,,,-, However, I've ahrays liked to say that 19h7 should be remember for another reason. A man by the name of Paul Russell jo:lned the small group of struggling members who were still here •••about 35 members. And his efforts made a profound dtfference and helped the church get back on its feet and that's a big part of our survival story. The Russell Room downstairs is named &rh!:m, for tha.t fine Christian gentleman whoM some of you knewAfASwu;b.gAAwAfm: • 1 ang Samnel ..nta¥.be.ai'!!Gf$wN>S~ Mr. Russell passed away in February of 1999 at the age of 100. 111 P sn?J; IT h ; s z ·nss d Un· 'n Jif *n Pnlr; Bhrida. OPENII'G THE DOOR TO SOME PERSONAL REMEMBRANCES I .first saw the church on the 8th day of October, 19.56. I remember driving down from Schenectady upstate.at the invitation of Bishop Newell and parking in front of his office before noon at 150 Fifth Avenue where he had his office. After lunch with the PPR Committee of five people at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, I was ~hen.. brought up here to the ch reb by the District Superintendent · _,• .to.~hav-e a·--look around (I've never been back to the National Arts Club since that day). Trr.ro ladies of the church and the Church Deaconess shotTed me around, but didn't show me all the property because ••••well, because it was in such poor, such terrible cond1.tion and they didn't .,.rant me to see it all. The walls in here were dB.rk, dirty and di.ngy (no paint on them for about 30 years). Light bulbs were out. Pe11{ cushions had dis intgrated and the ~ ns i.de padding was on the floor. The third floor kitchen was a 1927 design. The elevator needed an operator. I learned how. . · 4 I came here at the end of November, 1956, wUh five sermons "in the barrel~.g so to speak and all fi.ve were used up in the first two months, but I also came wi.th a dream of building an interracial, international and interdenomina tional church. This was a dream that came out of a youth institute in Poultney, Vermont that I attended as a teenager for five summers each summer. There was a young minister by the name of Wi.llia"l James from tlew York C;_ty on the faculty in 19Lh and so, too, was a Jim Farmer who later became the head of CORE (the Congress of Racial Eouality). The "connectedness" of things never ceases to amaze me. Dr. James (whom some of you know and who now is in his late eighties) may be with us this morning and he hasn't lost that spark and passion. But that dream of a diverse congregation had a lot to do wi.th my coming here, and my successor, Dr. Shillady, has nourished that dream with hard work and great zeal and built an even greater platform for it to continue. FIRST IMPRESSIONS I remember my first Sunday here quite well. December lst, 1956. In the congregation that Sunday were three people whose names appeared on the membership rolls of the 190h Church Directory published that vear. One of them, a Mabel Hawkins Tabor, slept through that first sermon (I could s. e'e her noddtng off. ) and she told ME! at the door as she left, "Young man ..... you're,_, going to have to speak louder j_f you exoect me to stay awake!" rle had about ~0 I, 7 people here this Sunday. 'P 1 Sf rr 1 tl i L 'l 1 :£ •••• ii1111 lu:~l!l uith a 'bent 1? paaplg pzsssp* d7? 'PO d j at) 2 • u 9 >II I I Wt II fb st £e&vearB yez:e a bit of a nitWt·are fm mS and fcr )sen Those 'i'hA don't think mu:cb of my nreachipg nW ebmld hpye heard me thep I hpd nseyp run a fb"rfh before and tb• Bi ·bop '*a bad fnrAottsr to swsint someone hAP' as =j n1 't'r *b' eyeg=ding 0 7 7 J1JW p* ?Pfu59&?9 tb 9 r@tht SF 5 Jdg $b C Q f' Jdggz pq • @f f hAUary Of 195< the Mope tftPS apd 6 yg1se i§Jsed "k't'it t1mft ie mp; "tiic;?ll I ap;wered, "ldhe* +i=e can yen get. here?" Back then these doors through which you entered this morning were closed and locked except for two hours on a Sunday morryj_ng, from 10:30 to 12:30. Were we trying to keep people out or keep them in? I w~ndered. I remeMber going to a church in Edinburgh, Scotland as a student back in the lwinter of 195h. My roommate and I got there five minutes ,after the service had begun and we found the doors of the church closed, shut tight, locked. Had we me.ssed up on the hour of worship? No. Those doors were shut to outsiders. It left a Oa.d impression, one which I never forgot and I confess we never went back to that; church. ' ith a bit of patience and perseveran~e and attention to things like security and inner doors, we eventually got the jdoors open for TltOre than two hours a week. u ipsa elooi o '. open hod! bs, optii mhids" a •.: u u !Mt f:o lms bson hhs ad: n tis btg SlM,:MR If llll' tJnU11!i ffil1:htiel:_l!lh ihtt! 8ft RMF fiiiP ? :aunWP d·.)IC?PP leh Ri??d fo 'm•p ~ ~Qrkjpg on a'' three ~ants af tb?t s 1 asan. I so often th1nk of all those who have I'~J~elped to open doors and hearts and m~nds in this church. Dedicated and devoted lay persons ••• '1"18n and women. Clergy persons •••• h3 Senior Ministers across 169 years. And a wonderful number of associate ministers, too. We have been blessed! Far too many men and women to mention in a. sermon like this. I see some of you out here this morning. Some have scattered to other parts of the country ••• some to other parts of the world. Some of have passed on. It reminds me of something Yogi Berra said to his former teammate, White Ford, about the wonderful list o.f DECEASED YANKEE GREATS whose names were appeari.ng on the huge scoreboard in center field" at the Old Ti.mers' Day a few summers ago. "Boy" said Yogi, "I hope T never see my name up there". Whoever you are and whatever your position here and whenever it was ••• I thank you for your part in bringing to pass this miracle of rebirth. It remi-nds me of something Elton Trueblood, the Quaker spirit, teacher, professor at Earlham College once said: - 5 - "People have nade at least a start in discovering the meaning of human life when they plant shade trees under which they know full well they will never sit." ~ And ... so many of you have and did! "Be nbs I I 1 ; 1 I 1 i l rrr#'.T have rna~ wonderful stories about the years here and perhaps someday they will end up in a book. For now, however •••who was it who said, "It's OK to look back, but don't stare''· V.le've looked back, but now let's push open the door to the second point of this "two pointer". And since we're now into the month of March madness, \ hope it's a slam dunk! HELP BUILD THE FUTURE Let's think about the future and hopefully rededicate our- selves to the aspirations and the achievement of those who have been here before us and to present and future generations who w5.ll sit one day in these pews and continue with this proud heritage. Something~ deceased father-in-law, Dra J. Edward Carothers (one time head of the Board of Global Ministries) was fond of saying, was: "My wife and I are not working for the church as it is today, but for the church it can become!" Under the inspired leadership of your pastors, you are doing that. I had tears in my eyes as I read Pastor Bill's vli'i te up in A tiORD IN EDGEWAYS of your recent MISSION TO MISSISSIPPI• I was deeply touched, but one or two ouestions re mained, however, after I wiped my moist eyes. What did Michael Craig si.ng in that church service down there in Mississippi that produce a WON i.n Pastor Bill's write up? And the other ouest ion ••• did Brother George (Leopold~ i.. e.) come across any future prospec' for pin-stripes whi.le down there? I'm sure he was looking. &~sttzM- t::i>~&ls ..fFA.111FJB-P ~ ~- ~ _ Then, too, I was again moved and pleased to read of this ch~'s response to the sensitive and controversial issue involving the Virgini Church whose pastor;,:denied membership to a gay person. Speaking of "open doors, open hearts and open minds" ... there's work to be done in opening sorrte doors, hearts and minds! I found myself thinking of some of the gay men who supported JI\V ministry here. Some sang in the choir. Some ushered. Some served as committee chair perons. How blessed we were during those years by the faith commitment and ~ of over a dozen or more gay men. ~L'~ /k::,JS l&p Rememrer that hymn we sang growing up in Sunday School. Hqw did it go? . A\.j:ll: "Jesus loves the little children. All the children of thr world. Red and yellow. /I~ ~,V Black and white. The~ are precious in Hi.s sight." It's time for a second verse . ~ which c0uld go ltke thi.s. "Jesus loves the little children. All the children of ~ the vrorld. Gay and straight. Ieft and right. They are precious in His sight. ~ Jesus loves the little children of the world". r.p;~/·./' Lve knol>r the song and we sing it, but singing isn't nearly enough. Isn't ~ it ti~e we acted like we really believe it? Isn't it times when we took to heart 7 what it 'nBans when we say we are all children of God? All of us. Isn'.t it time to forget left and ri.ght, red and blue, conservative and liberal, evangelical and soc tal activist labels •.•• to put away our anger and ~istrust and act like the people •( 1111 of God in every aspect of life? Isn't it time to live the peace of God "that. passes I 1•~ all of our human understand·ing?" bh gpd to remember that "an eye for an eye" makes .f..1f111 the whole world blind and to remember what the poet and philosopher, George Santayana "(',.. said, "Those who cannot learn frOJ'Il history are doomed to repeat it". ~~~4..~ > /1C:)J'a. L./:1~ ~~tfill'i)Lzr;,l)~- - ~.4~ ~.t?J.Jr PpL }'111.1'2$~ o~~~-- - ... - 6 OPENING THE DOOR TO THE FUTURE Some of you may be familiar with the painting of Christ knocking at the door. It's often found tn those Bibles that include religious paintings. It's also apt to be found in stain glass windows. Back in the 1850's, the English painter, William Holman Hunt, painted his famous painting, The Light Of The World. It's a favorite of many of us; I remember that ~ father had a small copy of it tn his study. I under stand that the original is found in Cambridge University, but Hunt did a second copy of it which hangs today in a small chapel next to the main sanctuary of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, that great Christopher Wren masterpiece. It's about seven feet by four feet and whenever I'm in London, I always make a pilgrimage to St. Paul's to see Holman Hunts's remarkable painting. There's a story that goes with the painting. During an exhibition at the Museum of the Royal Academ,y in London a WOMan approached the noted artist whose painting, "Christ, The Light Of The World" l-Ta.S the featured attraction. They were standing together before the painting which depicts Christ wearing a kingly robe and crown and holding a lighted lantern. He is standing with anticipation before the closed wooden door which is part of a massive stone wall. The hinges of the door are rusty and vines have covered JIIUch of the door itself. After some re~lection, · tbe woman turned to the artist and satd to Holman Hunt, ·- - "Thi.s is, i.ndeed, a remarkable painting, sir, and it ri.ght,ly deserves the great praise it is receiving, but one thing ••• there is no LATCH on the door! How is i.t to be opened? Did you forget the LATCH?" "AH" said the artist, "I'm so glad you noticed that. Thi.s ts no ordinary door. It is the DOCR to the human heart and it can only be opened from within!" The human heart has first to be opened if we are to open the door to a more caring, compassionate, just and humane future for all of God's children. That door can only be opened from within. ONCE OPEN, LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN I close with one of my favorite stories and you may have heard i.t be:fore. I'm grateful to my friend and colleague, Dr. Arthur Caliandro, pastor of Jl1arble Collegiate Church, here in the city, for giving me permission to use it. ·--- -- · I'm sure you're a1rrare that in the Hispanic community it1s.·qui.te common· fori parents when a boy is born to name him HEY SUSS. Dr. Caliandro ·t:ta:son his staff at; Marble Collegiate, a wonderful man by the name of HEY SUSS· He paints very well and! often i.n the sutnl'l'l9rtime when .things are apt to be nu iet, you 1 11 see HEY SUSS around I the church with a paint brush in hand touching up some of the office, Says Arthur, , "He's a good painter ••• an expert". l One _summer::.;evening a couple of years ago, Dr. Cal:tandro had been in a ! meeting and went to his office to pick up hi.s jacket and brief case to go home and I he happened to notice as he approached his office that the lights were on in both his office and the secretary's office. His offi.ce door r,m.s open which was unusual. j He was concerned and approached the study-door slowly •• wondering. This Hispanic gentleman had been doing some painting around there and on the wall next to the open door leadtng into his study was a sign which read: "Sffi ••• PLEASE DON'T CLOSE THE DOOR. (signed) JESUS". "Ooen Doors. Open Hearts. Open ~finds". "He who has ears to hear, let I~ hi"' hear". "ANNIVERSARY DOORS" A Sermon By Philip A. C. Clarke Park Avenue United Methodist Church lo6 East 86th Street New York, New York 10028 Harch 12th, 20o6 PRAYER BEFORE THE SERMON "Help us, Lord, to be master of our sPlves that we may become the ser vants of others. Take our lips and speak through them, our mi.nds and think through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire. In the name and in the sptrtt of t:hrtst, v.re pray. Amen." ~'ANNIVERSARY DOORS" INTRODUCTION A professor of HomUettcs at Boston Uni_versi.t:'r's School of Theology once offered a class room of future mini_sters some helpfnl advice on preaching. "Ahrays announce a. text at the beginning of your sermon11 he said and then -v1tth a touch r1f humor added, "It will give the people in the pe1r1S somethi_ng to think about 1r1hile you're preaching". And so here H is. 0ur text is from the Book of Revelation, Chapter J. Verse:-20. "Behold, T stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he vlith He. 11 DEVELOPMENT It's so good to be back! Happy Anniversary. Number 169 which according to my math means that this Church was founded in the year 1837. This .. is my 45th anniversary service to celebrate uith you and some of theM I reMember quite well, especlally the 125th in the year 1962. Bishop Frederick Buckley Ne1,rell Has our guest that Harch Sunday. But this is 1rrhere I did a lot of MY ,,rork here in the 43 :y-ears I was your pastor. Ri_ght here in this space ••• in thts beautiful pulnit which is a wooden replica of a stone-cut pulpit in the Church of San ~1iniato which stands 'm a hill across the River Arno outside of Florence, Italy. This pulnit is supported by "~ever·al of the great timbers shaped by Philip Embury, and used in the original John Street }1ethodist Church" the very first Hethodist Church in this land located in lower Manhattan. I've never seen those wooden be·:ms, but I 1rms told that when I first came here and read about it someHhere and some things you have to accept on faith. Hopefully, Pafltor Bill and his 1rrife, Judy, 1r1Ul get to visit the Church of San ll~iniato on that hill outside of Florence on Pastor Bill's forthcoming and well-deserved sabbatical. Tt 's a bit of a climb, but Trrell worth it. Be sure,to ~ send 1'!1e a postcarcl! ~#"7' till£ ~""'~ -J HONORING OUR PAST Let Me wCrf~i~toA~s ~rrnn bt;.irst anniversary doors eft honor~ our D .. e high- lights of our~ hi_story. There .lightf to review and to reflect upon. '1;4 .-44r A book entitled, Ki.ng 1 s an oo o. New York publishe in the 1890's describes the church (and get thi_s now) ••• as "an ancient society, dating-- its or1g1n from about the year 1837, when its little congr~gati_on of five members began to 1 meet in a chaMber over a -..J¥1 ~.l'lg r,rocery. hen, for a time it held its meetings at the house of Gilbert Bates, at Third Avenue and 8hth Street; and after wards it bought the church of the Bcmery Village and re-erected i.t" ••• presuMably at this location of R6th Street and Park Avenue. \r!e celebrate the second Sunday of March because i.t's closest to the date of incorporation whi.ch was 'f'1arch the lOth, 1837. 1837 was a p:oocl year, for the Mnst part. If you're a Democrat, you'll be pleased to kno1r1 that was the year that Martin Van Buren, a Democrat from a town un the Hudsrm R i_ver (Kinderhook) was elected the Rth President of our United States (of which there 1rrere 26 states). Or, if you have British roots, you'll perhaps remember that was the year that an 18 year old Queen Victoria began her reign of 63 years. If you're a strong feminist, you'll want to know that Hount Holyoke Seminary, a college exclusively for v.roMen, opened in South Hadley, Massachusetts. - 2 - lfii/Jfft, ~~ )y ~ "f5- If you follow the stock Market, the ups and dmrms of Wall Street, you' 11 be interested to knmr that there was a financial crisis that year, spoken of as The Fi nanci_al Crisis of 1837. If you're into technology and such, the "HI TEACH" lads did thei.r thing and came out with the telegraph. And if your mind is open to evolution and to the insi_ghts 0f Charles Darwin, you '11 want to know that was the year he published his "Tree Of Life". Ami YES, here in the green pasture lands of what then ivas called York- v Ule, a sma 11 group of believers cane together and prayed and then with hammer and nail they re-erected a small wooden church taken from the Bowery. And a few years later, in 18.52, the church fathers tore dovm that i-TOoden building and this time with brick and mortar built a nev-r structure and v.rord soon got around town that "Yorkville was a WAY-STATION for migratinr, Hethodists". vli th the dark clouds of a civil war breaking overhead, the pastor signed up to serve as a chaplain. About thirty years later that modest brick building vras taken down and a new church with a tall steeple ,.,.ras built here on the corner of 86th Street and Park Avenue (next to some noisy ra Uroad tracks that ran uptovm and downtown). To be sure it Hasn't called Parkf'J"enue then •••• neither the church nor the avenue. Tha.t came later. J,J/ Ap;ai_n, qu~::/~from K'ng's Handboov of Tf~'iT !~r_K, "In 1884 its present handsome brownstone was dedicated by Bishop tvarren. The society has now 600 members and is flourishing nobly, under the ministration of the Reverend Ferdinand c. Iglehart". Pastor Iglehart carried on a correspondence with the Police Commi.ss' oner of Ne,.,.,r York City Hhose name was Teddy Rooseve 1 t who coMmended in writing the efforts of the pastor on his personal crusade to close down the saloons of Yorkville. "You're the man" he said •••• "One of the fe.r nen in this ctty whose opinion I value". Pastor Iglehart vras number 3.5 of the ministers who have served here. Moving from the "gay n' netj_es" over to the "roaring twenties"· Ne find that under the leadershtp of Pastor Peter 1:Jeyant {IJillTJ~) that "handsome brown f/1,/(,/ church with the tall steeple" was torn dovm and aft•a~rl'me'lt houne ~rras built on the corner of 86th Street and Park Avenue. ( 1~' fil.'!'ttz ~fit! ~loors). The Church was moved around the corner and that's >-there -v.re are today. This church was dedicated for worship in January of 1927 •••• a great year for all true Nevi Yorkers ••• not only for thi.s place of worship but also because of something that took place in the rnagnHicent "Cathedral of Baseball11 in the Bronx. And if you kno.r your baseball history, you know what I 1T11 referring to. ' • .,~...... 1}11t- /ltJ#l ~. Tn my early years here I came across Pastor Peter vJeyant 's Easter letter to the parish, dated AprU J1th, 1928. Since we're now into the season of Lent, the time when, as the poet Haren Tirabassi pnts H. ~',re should draw a HOLY COMMA in our rushed and busy lives in these days" ••• anct Easter is not that far away, I thought I'd read soMe of h i.s letter to ynu. He h<-d a gift for poetic prose. Here it ts. 1929 follry,red and '>nee again the Church was i.n seri.ous trouble as the C'rreat Depression of 1929 descended upon the city and enti.re count-ry. Now, many Methodists were l'fligrattng out of YorkvUle and in 1930 at the pit of the depression .re 11'1ere known th"'oughout Hethodism as "the church 11'1ith the larr,est debt". It was something like$ 800,000. Yes, most depressing. J. J. Henry, pastor number 41, once sent a letter to Bishon HcConnell in whi.ch he said somethi.ng like this. "If I had known in 1931 "hat I now kno1r1 about the Church, 1 would never have accpeted th j_s appoi ntment. 11 I carne across that letter in one of the r1ld files years ago. -~------ - 3 - But the church sorr~eho1r1 flurvived that financial crisis, too and how it aid is a story in Hself and it ;,ras not without pain and sacrifice. S•nce we've been enjoying the Olympics in recent days, you' 11 want to know that in l9L.7 the Olympic skater, Sonja Henie, rr~arried her third husband here in this sanctuary, and the mi~nister, Dr. Paul N. Otto, soon found hirr~sPlf sakti.ng on thin ice and when the ice cracked, he vras in hot rrater with the Bishop of the area who cl idn 't take too kindly to a photograph of the rr~inister 1rrith his arm around the skater at the door of the church as she was departing. But 1%7 sho ld be renernberect for another reason. A man by the name of Paul Russell joined the STllall groun of struggling rnerr~oors 1r1ho were still here. Anci his efforts rnacte a profound d ifferenr'3 and helped the church get back on its feet and that's a big part of our surviv£] story. The Russell Room downstairs is aaT!led for h i.rn, for that Man whnT!l some of you knew and vJhose son, Thad, and two grancisons T!lay ba among us today. Mr. Russell passed away in February of 1999 in hts lOOth year. Hi.s r.-ri.fe, Helen, survives and lives in Florida. IJPENTNG DOORS TO snME OF MY PERS0NAL REHEMBRANCES Let Tile open the door to some of MY own personal remem brances and recollections. I first saw the Church on the 8th of October 1956, driving do1rm from the Schenectacly area upstate at the invitation of Bishop Newell and parktng in front of 150 Fifth Avenue at eleven o'clock that morni.ng. After lunch with the PPR committee of. three people, at the Nat tonal Arts Gallery in Grarnrnercy Park, I was then brought up here to the church by the District Super intendent to have a look around it. 'J'wr) ladies shmred me around and refused to ket rr~e see all of the property. October 8th was the day that Don Larsen pitched hts no-hitter in the World Series against the Dodgers. To me, that was a good si.gn. I remember I found out. that the church was only 4 express stops from Yankee Stadium. Another good sign. '.\ ~ I carne here with five sermons in the barre 1, so to speak, but with a ~ream of building and creating an interracial, interdenomi_natio:-Jal anrl inter national church, a dream that came out of a youth conference in Poultney, Vermont as a 15 year old teenager, a youth C'mference uhere a young minister by the name of William James was present as Hell as Jim FarT!ler 1,rho later became head of CORE (Congress of Racial EC1uaHty). The "connectedness of thi.ngs"' never ceases to amaze me. That dream of a diverse congregation caMe to pass across the 1+3 years I was here and I know that my successor, Dr. Shillady, has kept that nream very much alive and built an even greater platform for it. Those first fe1"' years tough, a nightmare ••• for Me and for you. I had never run a church before. op didn't know that when he a.npointed me and T often thought he believed s older than 27 .rhaps in my_: id thirties. We 1r1ere a Sl"lall Tlliss; on churc 'shoe string". .a mission church that in the late sixties be mL __ on to others. here 1r1ere those Sundays r.rhen the nhone Trro d ri_ng anrl someo v.rould ask, " Anrl often T responded sa.yi np;, "What time you be here?" never sure in those early years '·•hether 1r1e Here on our tv-ay up or our 1v-ay out. Briefly, that's the way it was back there in the fifties. Eisenhauer was i.n h i.s second term. The Dodgers anrl Gi.ants were still in town. Our walls were dark, dirty, dingy. Light bulbs were out anrl pew cushi_ons were falltng apart ••• and dmm the street at Park Avenue and 60th Street, Dr. Rabh Sackman, one of America's great nreachers, was preaching to a fnll church in that Mar,ntficent cathedral of ·Methodism ~-novm as Christ Church. vle v1erP the little church up the ~ street. - 4 - FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND OTHER 1'11EMORIES 11 Open doors, open minds, and open hearts" has been out advertising :.rord now for some time, but hack then our d '"lors vrere hust, those heavy -v10oden doors through which you passed earlier this morni_ng were shut tight except for two hours on a Sunday, from 10:30 to 12:30. They remi.nded me a that hymn "A Highty Fortress is Our God", but I often Honrlered were r.re trying to keep people out or keen theM i atience and perseverance came j_n to play and after a wh i.le we started to have e doors open each day, but it took an extra pair of glass swinging doors a tighter security ami better lighting to do that. .J..here were risks in all of ,his. Once a young lady got mugged in here, but later joined the church. ndle sticks '!-Jere stolen and T once came in here and founrl a young man practici g his street corner speech for JJ~, _.,.,.,., vrho was in the city stirring t ngs up. /.M,. • f l~t, /1#11,., Cilosed doors reminded me of somethi_ng that happened to me in Edinburgh, Scotlanrl where I vias studying theology in 1954. Hy rooJ!Jmate and I '!-Tent to a r.hurch of Scotland service one Sunday morning and arrived there five Jllinutes late and found the doors locked. We couldn 1 t get i.n to join those good Christian neople at worship. 'T'Plk about your "onen doors'!. It left a had impression in my thinking. Other meTI'!ories. I missed one SundRy my fj_rst tv.renty five years because of a health concern. The Sunday i& missed I was in the Nethodi.st Hospital in Brooklyn 1-vith severe chest pains brought about by trying to lift a 100 pound drum of cleaning detergent in the old church basement. Then there was the time I broken an arm in the balcony trying to straighten hymnals. I had my arm in a ~ sling for 6 v.reeks. There was the Saturday ni.ght when I tusseled with a young ff•.. man who was on hts way out of the church carryi.ng the silver tea service in a i'4 • Bloomi.ngdale shopning bag. I got tn a feH good punches after going down the ~~ ~ steps between the third and second floor. I came out on top and later ~ound out "''"Ai.•rr'he was an ex-Harine, a green beret on drugs. I ;.ras about ho, he was 28. It did 4.•1 r a lot for m,y male image as t-mrd got around the parish. 1r!e had Sunda,ys v1hen the tJ~j _~ orgnn broke do~-vn; ~·rhen thA orr;anist forgot to shmr up; ~)undays 'rhen -~h(] lighJus ~ went out; Sunday uhen rr.re ere confronted · .y SO young Plil i_tants who Marched in here durinr, the morning offering shont'ng, "Povrer to the People". Hy da.nghter, Catherine, sitting with her mother, sai.d, "What are they go'i_ng to do wi.th Daddy?" Back came her mother's response. liT don't know, dear, but let's vrait and see". Lyndon 1rJoodside use to love to tell of the t:f_me,I.Lperformed a vredding service with a bad case of la.yrngi ties and had no control of a soueaky voice. I liked to tell of he time the bride fainted at the altar and after the groom and ..J I carried her over here to where the sopranos sit, J walked with great dignity Al!.f,.l and a deep voice down the aisle asking "Is there are doctor in the house?". ~ I•• 4here was the time the lay reader fainted here at the lectern after reading the scripture and as she tugged on JIJY robe, our bass soloi.st saw what -vras happening and came out from over here, picked up the young lady and carried her out the hack door. She was u 1 te embarrased anrl h01. ·n' t had hr>r breakfast v-rh j_ch is always 't-rise to do on a Sunrlav mor -i_ng and not count on having breakfast at the coffee hour after church as one young man use to do •• coming in here at 11:55 near the end of the service. -'-here was a Wednesday night en Bishop Herbert ~velch, a. 100 year old Bishop, born i.n 1R72 at the begtnning of the CivU vJar preached here during lent. Articulate anrl full of faith and energy, as I recall. Then, one of my other favorite memories i_s 11rhen a US Senator froJIJ Connecticut, bn the naMe of Prescott Bush, was reprimanded by one of our ushers for leav'ng the coJ~Jrr~union table here at the altPr before the min'_stertal di_sMi.ssal. Said the usher, "You pulled a BOO BOOl Next ti_Me 1rratt for the JIJ;nister to tell you when to leave!" That tall, - 5 - l}andsome gentleman with a deep bass voice and a touch of grey in his hair was the Senator from Connecticut, the father of ~ur bass soloist, Jonathan Bush, and also the father of George Herbert \lfalker Bush, our hlst President and the grandfather of our present president, George W. Bush. The Senator's name, as some wUl recall, was Prescott Bush. Whtch reminds l"le of a Saturday afternoon in the early sixties when two members of our church, Phyllis Darby and Jonathan Bush, were helping me put a fresh cota of soft green paint on the cinder block walls downstairs. I was in the back corridor cleaning out the dust from above the old ventilator system that ran through the basement and much to my surprtse my long handled broom htt some bottles above the ventUator pipes and I proceded to sween out about two dozen liquor bottles that Here empty and had been tossed up there by someone. Who and when and uhy ••• I never did find an answer. They were covered wtth layers of dust and I often wondered how far back they vrent. LPING TO BUILD THE FUTURE I often th i.nk of those who have helped to bring this church to where it is today ••• both clergy • and lay persons. I often think of the lay leaders who were a big part of my .J,~I team and my ministry across the years. Paul Russell, Harold Black, Giles ,. ~ Robinson, ~~ark Else, George Hull, WHliam Proctor, WilliaM Bell; Janice Harayda~..Jl,.,.. Anna Delson, !XJ.rry ~1orales and so many, many others ••• and yes, the clergy fl'fill persons •••• Ferdinand Iglehart, Peter vJeyant, J. J. Henry, Paul N. Otto, F. Roderick Dail. Those many names remi_nd me of something Yogi Berra waid to his former teammate, Whitey Ford, about the list of deceased Yankee greats that appea.red on the scoreboard at Old Timers Day a couple of years ago. 111 ~oy" said Yogi, "I hope I never see,my name up there". so on--~ this Olrt Timer 1 s Day Sunday when 1ve pause to celebrate think of those who have been a part of this team, let's also the Marine sergeant said to his young recruits. "It's OK, fella~'- ~ but don't stare!" Wf'flf, "-"~~ fl~ MIJf.l fi,/(INit'~ 1 lve're into the month of Mbc~~dfe~t nd 1'~p~ ylu&lfn'~....-~~ disappointed j_f I don't come un with a "3-pointer". This will be a "2-point" 'MJ,J~I serMon, but here's hoping it vrill be something of a "slam dunk". So, on to thr second point. Let's open thts anniversary door a second tiMe and lend a hand in~' helping to build an even greater future for this parish. There are tiMes and moments in all of our lives when we become disatisfied and unhappy with the church as it now is. Many there are who feel that way today, but we can work and commit ourselves to what it can become. My deceased father-in-law, Dr. J. Edward Carothers was fond of sayi_ng that "my wife and I are not working for the church as it is today, but for the Church it can become!" I like that thought and I congratulate you today becaaae I feel that under the great leadership of Pastor Bill and Pastor Sara you are doing that. I find myself rejoicing in all the good things going on here when I read the monthly news letter, "A Word In Edgeways". You're working hard to build a better future for all of God's children. I had tears in MY eyes as I reRd of your recent MISSION TO MISSISSIPPI of January. I vas deeply touched by Pastor Bill's write up. It left me with a number of nuesti~ns, hmmver. What did Michael Criag sing that produced the WOW tn that ·Tite up? And did Brother Leonold see any prospects for the Yankees? . \ - 4 - " I came here wi.th five sermons "in the barrel" so to speak and all were used up in the first two months, but I also came with a dream of building an :interracial, interdenominational and i.nternational church here ••• a dream that came out of a youth c0nference in Poultney, Vermont that I attended as a teen ager, a youth conference -r.rhere a young minister from New York City by the name of Dr. WHliam James was present and also Jim Farmer who later became head of CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality). The "connectedness" of things never ceases to amaze me. Dr. James may be here today. Some of you know him, too. But that dream of a diverse congregation had a lot to do with my corning here and I know that my successor, Dr. Shillady, has kept that dream alive and nourished it and built an even greater pla~form for it$ FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND OI'HER MEMORIES "Open doors, open hearts, open rni.nds" This has been the advertising slogan of our Methodist Church for several years now. But back then, these doors through vlhich you entered this morning were closed most of the time and only open from 10:30 to 12:30 n a Sunday morn i.ng. I often wondered whether vre were tryi.. ng to keep people in or keep theM out. They always remi.nded me of that great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" and yes, it looked like a fortress with those heavy doors. The hearts were open but the doors were closed. And some of the minds were closed, too. I remember going to a church in Edinburgh, Scotland back in 1954 with my roommate and we got there at five after eleven and the doors were shut. We tried to get in; vre were only five minutes late but those doors were locked. We couldn't get in to join those good Christian people of the Church of Scotland in their worship service. It left a bad inpression, believe me! Some other memories that come to mind. I missed only one Sunday my fi.rst twenty-fi.ve vears here because of a health concern. 'lbe Sunday I missed bnck in December of 1960 I was in the ~1ethoctist Hospital over in Brooklyn with severe chest pains brought about by tryi.ng to life a 100 pound drum of cleaning detergent in the old church basement. As I was getting checked out of the Hospital that Saturday morni.ng, t;.ro planes collided over Staten Island and one of them crashed four blocks from the Hospital with something like people being killed. Only one survivor ••• a little five year old by the name of Stevei ~emer. He later died at the Hospital several weeks later. Then there was the time I broke an arm in 1967 i.n the Fall trying to straighten hymnals ~n the balcony pews that had just been waxed. Try typing with a cas' from your fingers above the elbow on your right, hand or preach:i.ng with it. There was a Saturday night in 1969 or 70 when I tusseled vrith a young man who was on his way out of the church with a Bloomingdale shopping bag in which I spotted the silver tea servi.ce from the coffee table set for Sunday morning. We went down 13 steps between the third and second floor, head over heels. Fortunately I ended up on top of him and got in a few punches. ifTe later found out he was an ex ~1arine, a green beret, on drugs unfortunately. I was about 40 and he was late twenties. As word got around the parish.. it did a lot for my male image and ego! "Phil, you're going to W.l the guy" said Mr. vf.itt.~, my associate. "Get off o1' him". "I don't care, Ron ••• he Has stealing the church's 'j lv~ tea set"· He started using styrofoam cups shortly after that heroic incident! There are more memories. We had Sundays v1hen the organ broke down. Sund~ys when the organist failed to show up. Sundays when the lights went out and Sundays when there wasn't much heat. There was a Sunday in January of 1969 when we were confronted by 30 young militants (supporters of the Young Lords) vrho - 5 - marched down the center aisle during the morning offering chanting, "Power To The People". My ciaughter Catherine, nine years of age, said to her mother, 111.-lhat are they going to do vrtth daddy?" Back came her mother's response, "I don't know, dear, but let 1 s T,ra it and see!" Our dear Lyndon Woodside use to love to tell of the time I performed a "~<-redding with a terrible case of layrngitis and had no control of my high-pitched squeaky voice. I liked to tell of the time the bride fainted here at the altar and after the groom and I dragged her over to the pew where the sopranos sit, I with great digni.ty and a deep voice walked down the center aisle, quietly asking, "Is there a doctor in the house? Is there a doctorP(.tt the house?" There wasn't! And then there was the time the Lay Reader of the Scripture fainted here at the lectern after reading the Scriptures and she starting tugging on my robe ••• back side. I wondered what was going on, but our trusty bass soloi~t sa1r1 what was happening and ste.,ped over to the lectern vrhile I v.ras pr~ing and lifted her up and carried her out the back door. She was au i te embarrassed and told me she hadn't had her breakfast which is abrays wise to do on a Sunday morning and not count on having breakfast at the coffee hour after church as one young man use to do ••• arriving here at 12:05 at the end of the service and then filling up his plate at the coffee hour and departing for the choir room where he played the piano for the next thirty minutes. There was a Wednesday evening in 1962 when Bishop Herbert tvelch of our Methodist Church, born in 1862 during the Civil War, was our guest at a Lenten Service. Articulate, full of faith ••• a man one hundred years old. Then, one of my most favorite memories j_s rrrhen a United States Senator from Connecticut was reprimanded by one of our ushers for leaving the communion table before the customary ministerial dismissal. Said the usher to this tall, handsome, gentleman with a deep bass voice and a touch of grey in his hair, "Sir •••you pulled a BOO BOO. Next time wai.t for the minister to tell you when to leave the communion rniU" That tall, handsome gentleman 1rrith the deep voice and touch of grey in his hair was Senator Prescott Bush, father of our bass soloist, Jonathan Bush (paid ftve dollars a Sunday for singing bass) and also the father of George Herbert Walker Bush, the ),1st President of our country and grandfather of our present president. And perhaps you'll enjoy thts one, too. It vas a Saturday a-"ternoon and two members of our church, Phyllis Darby and Jonathan Bush, were helping me put a fresh coi. :., of green paint on the old c5.der block vralls dovmstairs. I; "'Was in the back stairwell corrtdor itleaning out the dust from the old air duct system the church then had and much to my surprise my long handled broom hit soMe bottles above the air duct system, out of si.ght from down below, and I preceded to sweept out about fifteen li~uor bottles that were empty, of course, that apparently had been tossed up there by someone. vfuo? 14hen? I never found an aswer, but some of those bottles had been for years. Covered 1r1ith dust and out of sight. Interesting! I often thtnk of those who have helped to build this church to vrhere she is today ••• both clergy persons and lay persons ••• so many names and so many people. I think right now of the lay leaders who represented all of you: Paul Russell, Harold Black, Charles Kim, Gi.les Robinson, Mark Else, George Hull, Bill Proctor, Bill Bell, Janice Harayda, Anna Delson, Larr~r Mor~>.les and the many preachers ••• some forty and more them. Iglehart, lrleyant, Henry, Otto, Dail, Those many names remtnd me of something that Yogi Berra said to his former teammate, Whitey Ford, acout the list of deceased Yankee greats Hhose names appeared on the scoreboard at the Stadium at Old Timers' Day a fev.r years back. "Boy" said Yogi, "I hope I never see my name up there ! 11 NY ANNUAL CONFERENCE 11~ MINUTE" F.AREWELL ADDRESS: Saturday Evening June 12, 1999 / 8:30 pm Hofstra University INTRODUCTION The one question that people have often asked me over the years is: H0\111' HAVE I EVER MANAGED TO SAY IN THE SAME CHURCH •••• in the same city and in a denomination or a tradition that "champions" moving its ministers around and about •••To STAY FOR 43 YEARS???? And my answer has usually been•••• that I learned early on how to keep a Wvl PROPlLE around Bishops •••• of whom there have been eight under whom I have been privileged to serv~! Ordained by Bishop Oxname in Troy Conference in the mid-fifties, I was appointed in November of 1956 by Bishop Frederick Buckley Newell to Park Avenue United Methodist Church in the "Big Apple" with the directive to: "Give it a couple of years and if it doesn't work out, I' 11 move you out to the suburbs". I was never certain whether I was to close it down or keep it going and I didn't hear much from Bishop Newell after that •••• but I do remember bumping into him on East 86th Street about ten years later where he had a dental appointment and he said to me, "You're Clarke, aren't you ••• and didn't I ap point you to that church over there •••• how are things going?" Newell •••Wicke •••Ward ••• Nichols •••White ••• Stith •••:t-1athews ••• and Lyght. Sounds like a prestigious I.a.w Firm. And so I worked hard to keep a "low profile" around those Bishops and did so until this past year when Bishop Lyght caught up with me and blew the whistle! But seriously, I would like to thank those eight Bishops for giving me so many wonderful years in a great church •••• (let me tell you it was tough in the beginning ••• those first ten years were a "nightmare", believe me). We were a mission church that kept open on a "shoe-string" •••a mission church that in the late sixties became a church "in mission" to many others. Read the story ••• the account some time. Quite an adventure. Once when Russe 11 Baker was asked WHY NEW :r1RK, he said: "I missed combat in World War II, and I didn't get to see action in Korea or Vietnam, and I wanted to have something to tell my grandchildren." DEVELOPMENT I think, too, of the fine District Sup,erintendents that I have worked under ••• l2 of them by my count. Some of you will re- member them ••• "Elmer Bostock. Bernard Grossman. Samuel Sweeney (1 year). Charlie 1ATarren. Walter Scranton (never let your good inten tions become a substitute for good judgement •••he once told me at a Church Conference). VJesley Osborne. Burny Kirkland. Paul Abel. (They all seemed older than I was ••• but one day - 2 - a DS m.v own age showed up ••• ) Richard Rice. And then after Richard~ they all got younger ••• Randy Day~ George Johnson. Carol Cox. I was 27 when I arrived in NY City in the Fall of 1956 and I brought along i>Tith me a dream from "upstate" (the Albany Schenectady area ••• where my dad had been a Hethodist minister) •••• a dream of building a church down here that was interracial, international and interdenominational ••• ~~ream that came out of a Troy Conference MYF youth institute week at Poultney, Vermont back in the summer of 1946 •••• a youth institute where a young minister from NYC by the name of Bill James vras on the faculty. The "connectedness" of things never ceases to amaze me. That dream of a diverse congregation has come to pass and I know that ~ successor, William Shillady, will keep that dream alive and build even greater things on that platform. I think it was in 1967 that Bishop Wicke invited me to consider a District Superintendency, but I turned him down saying that I felt my vrork was only really getting undervray •••• ten years after going there. No one ever told me that you didn't say 11NO" to Bishop lVicke. Anyway, it came back to me on good authority that Bishop Wicke said to the Cabinet ••• "Clarke turned down the District. Well •••we' 11 just let him stay at Park Avenue and rot •••• " (which I've been doing these many years and loving it ••• ) Back in the early nineties I was invited to give the Invocation up at Cooperstown on the Baseball Induction Day where I met Ernie "Let's play two" Banks ••• a Hall of Farner. Upon learning I was a minister, he said ••• 11 0h1 To be a minister in New York City •••• It must be wonderful •• • .:~: there's so much -sin down there~~~ It has been wonderful and yes, most clergy still want to go to heaven by way of New York City! (Right, Bill?) Wednesday, a week ago up at White Plains, I bumped into m.v old friend and colleague from the sixties, Bob Shrock, who handled things on West 86th Street and West End Avenue back before Kay Karpen and Ed Horne and Bob Richmolftl and Skip Georgeu Upon exchanging some lang "over-due" greetings, Bob said, 11Mey, Phil•••• did you •OUT-SOCK' Seckman?" I don't know if I did ••• check the records, but if not, at least I've come close. In my ear~ years ••• in the fifties ••• ! use to go down to Christ Church for the Vesper Service at five o'clock to hear him preach and to see how the great ones did it. My "bio" line in the journal is about the warne length as his ••• one appointment across 43 years. It was on the 8th day of October in 1956 that I met with the PPR Committee to hear about the challenge and opportunity at Park Avenue ••• it was the same day that Don Larsen pitched his perfect game in the vTorld Series at Yankee Stadium •••• a sign, to be sure. I knew where I wanted to be •••h subway stops from the Cathedral •••• (of baseball). Why I even sav1 a sign 11 in the heavens" - 3 - that evening as I returned upstate •••• the sign said 11 GO TO NEW YORK11 L Steve Goldstein once told me all I saw was the Good-year Blimpl And then on May 17th, 1988, I was at Yankee Stadium the afternoon David Wells pitched his perfect game at the stadium. And betvreen those two PERFECT BOOKENDS, I've had a wonderful and a PERFECT time of serving the ~rd in NYC. Thank you for all those tough, difficult, demanding., exciting and ~fii1filling years .in the city. Memories abound. CLOSING STORY I close with this story ••• it's about a little church in Maine where every year for TEN YEARS the Bishop appointed a different minister. Ten years. Ten different clergy persons. Then he appointed a a brother ••• a minister who came and stayed for ten years. Quite a change. The Bishop was puzzled as well as impressed with his appointment. Ten different ministers across ten years and then a minister who came and stayed for ten years. One day he stopped by the church. He wanted to know more and since it was a Sunday, he'd hear the minister preach. He asked the Lay leader how they accounted for this ••• this ten year tenure. "Well" ....drawled the Lay Leader. "You see., Mr. Bishop, we never really wanted a minister and this last 'brother' you sent us •••well, he's the nearest thing to NOTHING you ever sent us, and so we've let him stayl" Thank you. Keep up the good work and God bless you all. JJ' I ..------~-~ ~- ·• Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 DISCOVERING JESUS Matthew 26: 6-13 Not long ago I met a man on the street who worships here on occasion. We exchanged some social niceties, and then he said, "You know, Doc, I really like your church. But I could never join it. And I said, "Why?" And then in a softened voice he said, "Because of the J-word." And I said, 'What's the J-word?" And then in a stage whisper he said, "Jesus." The man has a problem with Jesus. And through that conversation I became more starkly aware that many, many people have a problem with Jesus. And I'm sure that with this many people gathered today there are various levels of your connection or lack of connection with Jesus, and there are some problems with you. What are some of the problems people have where they don't know how to relate to Him, they don't know what to think about Him? And surprisingly large numbers of people, I have discovered, think that if they paid too much attention to Jesus and allowed Jesus into their lives, He would send them off to some remote place in the world to do missionary work. But really what Jesus does is put one in touch with what they're all about, and what they should be about, and releases the person. People are afraid of Jesus because it's not cool. It's not sophisticated enough to be in connection with Jesus. Think about that one. And then an understandable one, that many people are reluctant to give Jesus much time and attention because they don't want to be identified with the religious fanatics, who make too much of it. And so, because of myriads of troubles that people have about Jesus, today I'm speaking about discovering Jesus, or really rediscovering Jesus. And I'm doing this as much for myself as for anything, because in my journey through life there have been many changes and adjustments and different ideas and attitudes Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 toward Jesus, who is the most important presence in my life. And my guess is that Jesus is the most important presence in your life, but you don't know how and why and what. Let me back up for a minute and put things in perspective. When I put things in perspective I'm going to use a word that teenagers use today. When I think about Jesus and, I hope, when you think about Jesus as well, you will use this word: awesome. Awesome! I'll tell you why. When you think that over twenty centuries of time the immense, the incredible, the extraordinary influence this man has had on nations and cultures of all times, on individuals, it's awesome. Consider what He has inspired in music. Objectively, people from other areas of life will say that musically the greatest music, the most beautiful, the highest level of all music, is inspired by Jesus. Who is equal to Bach? Who is equal to Mozart? Who is equal to George Frideric Handel? Consider what Jesus has inspired in music. Consider what Jesus has inspired with painting and sculpture. All you need to do is spend one day, one day, in Italy, in Rome or in Florence, and you'll come away humbled and enriched by the art that this man has inspired. Consider what Jesus has inspired with architecture. Where in the world are there buildings more magnificent, more inspiring, more extraordinary in their beauty than cathedrals, places of worship? The sanctity, the quiet, the dignity, the reverence that is commanded in these spaces, inspired by Jesus. Hospital care in the western world. Influenced, inspired by Jesus, by Him as a healer, by His story of the Good Samaritan. The best of compassionate, empathetic care comes out of the Jesus tradition. Consider the influence and inspiration with democracy. We are a blessed people. We live in a free country. We can come and go, we can do, we can choose. And much of the democratic principle comes out of the teaching and the activity of Jesus. The system of laws that we have is largely influenced, the justice system, largely influenced, by Jesus. And so when I use the word "awesome" it almost sounds like a weak word, doesn't it? But we continue. Over the centuries of time those who have related best and made the most of, and been the most useful to and from, Jesus, have been those who have found Him in the pure sense, without any additions, without any complications, without any of the baggage that we've placed around Jesus, and we have placed enormous baggage around Him. But those persons who have gone to the essence, to the core, to the center, of what He was about and 2 Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 what He is today, have become giants. Let me name a few. Abraham Lincoln. We don't think about him being a Jesus man, but he was. A man of the Scriptures. A man whose kindness, a man who, the largesse of his presence, of his mind, his forgiving presence, the bigness of his mind, his inclusivity, this was all influenced by the New Testament. You'll say, "He never joined a church." Yeah, he never joined the church, and he had a good reason why - because of the kind of influences of the churches around, all the stuff.- and you know I am not a person who likes much stuff with religion. Simple, simple steps. Focus. Lincoln said, "I will join any church where there is printed across the front of the chancel, 'The only requirement for joining is you love God, you love your neighbor, and you love yourself.' And that's it. I will join that church." I 'd like to think that if he were living in New York today he'd be a member of this church, because this is what this church is all about. Mahatma Gandhi. Jesus person. You may not know that. Yes, he was a Hindu, a man of extraordinarily deep faith. A man who trusted in the laws of God. A man who was wondrously inclusive. A man who fought maybe one of the greatest battles of the twentieth century in getting freedom for his people with non violence, which he learned from Jesus. If my memory is correct, I remember reading a statement that he had made in the midst of his career, of his ministry, where the only reason he didn't join a Christian church was because of the behavior of many Christians. Martin Luther King, Jr. A Jesus man. Got to the heart and core, to the essence, of what Jesus was about and did it with great courage. Another non-violent revolutionary. And every one of us today is better off because of that man, and Gandhi, and Abraham Lincoln. You know that. Where's the influence? The influence is the man that the man that I met on the street had trouble with - the Jword. He's awesome. And Martin Luther King, who had every reason to be angry and to fight back, would tell the people, "Love your enemies. Pray for those who despitefully use you. Forgive those who hate you and attack you." Wow! Awesome! That's Jesus. And what do we do with Mother Teresa? Is there anybody, in any culture in the world, who doesn't know anything about Mother Teresa or wrong in their affection and their admiration for her? What was she all about? She had a love affair with Jesus. I mean, she was in love with Him. She argued with Him, she fought with Him, she was troubled by Him sometimes, but she reflected His love, she reflected His compassion, she took Him seriously, she lived out, and 3 Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 everybody in the world has respect and admiration for Mother Teresa. Do you know what she did? She married Jesus. Awesome. Let me tell you something that she wrote. She took it from one of Jesus' parables. She took it seriously, and she and her Sisters of Charity, who I'm told are some of the happiest people in the world - it's extraordinary- working with some of the most difficult, the outcasts, the hardest people to work with, and yet they have joy. And, as I read what I read now, you can't do all that she did none of us can - but maybe we can, we can do something. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink, Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me. Now enter the house of my Father. When I was homeless, you opened your doors, When I was naked, you gave me your coat, When I was weary, you helped me find rest, When I was anxious, you calmed all my fears, When I was little, you taught me to read, When I was lonely, you gave me your love, When in a prison, you came to my cell, When on a sick bed, you cared for my needs, In a strange country you made me at home, Seeking employment, you found me a job, Hurt in a battle, you bound up my wounds, Searching for kindness, you held out your hand, When I was Negro, or Chinese, or White, Mocked and insulted you carried my cross, When I was aged, you bothered to smile, When I was restless, you listened and cared, You saw me covered in spittle and blood, You knew my features, though grimy with sweat 4 Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 When I was laughed at, you stood by my side, When I was happy, you shared in my joy. Awesome. Jesus. Changing lives, changing the world. What do we do about it? What can we do about Jesus? How can we connect more? Let me make one suggestion, a "don't." Don't try to figure Him out. Don't try to label Him. Don't try to categorize Him. Rather, take another posture. Try to learn from Him. Try to absorb. Jesus is filled with many surprises. You'll never get Him categorized; you'll never get Him figured out. The tragedy with the church over the centuries has been we have tried to institutionalize this great spirit. You can't do it. So get in there, listen, and learn, and absorb, as to what Jesus might have you do. One of the fascinating stories of the Scriptures is the time when Jesus, in the last week of His life, was in Bethany at a friend's house. He was sitting at a table. This was a tough week for Him. This was the last week of His life. He was in trouble and He knew it, and He was feeling the pressure mounting up. But he was at Simon's house, they were at the table, a woman enters the house. Not identified by name. We don't know anything about her, except that she had a very expensive vial of perfume. Came up behind Him and poured the entire contents on His head and on His body. Now, the disciples, who thought they had Him figured out, they knew what He wanted and what was important to Him, what His priorities were, got angry. Righteous indignation. They said, 'What are you doing, wasting all that perfume? We could have sold that and given money to the poor." They were right, because Jesus had talked to them about loving the poor. But He pulled a surprise on them. They didn't understand the depth and what they could have learned from it. He said, "Hold back, hold back, hold back. I want to tell you something. What this woman has done is a beautiful thing." And then He probably told tnem the story of what encounter this woman and Jesus had had at one point, where He had changed her life, turned her around, adjusted the direction and filled her up so that she was a lady of joy and fulfillment and she was deeply grateful. He said, 'What she has done is, she has shown her gratitude to me for something very important. Furthermore, I needed this. I'm having a tough time. If you knew what it feels like to be me right now, facing my death, and I have done nothing wrong, when all I have done is loved and given and healed and blessed, and now the world is turning in on me. This doesn't feel good, and I need and I want this affirmation. You know, when we have a Jesus of rules and regulations you don't get that kind of affirmation because you go by the rules. Jesus had a different rule, the rule of the heart, the rule of celebration, the rule of forgiveness, a rule of deep and embracing love. So absorb. Learn from Him. Jesus will never put you in a direction that you're not 5 Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 supposed to be going into. And I have never known anybody who has taken Him seriously and has learned and absorbed whose life has been anything but better. And because their lives were better they became a blessing and channel to other people. There's a letter that I like to read from time to time. It was written one thousand seven hundred years ago by one of the early church fathers, a man named St. Cyprian. He was a convert. And he writes this letter to his friend Donatus. And as I read through it, there are some things that are different in the world today, but not really that much different. See if one day you might be able to write a letter just like this to a friend. This is a cheerful world as I see it from my garden in the shadow of my vines. But if I were to ascend to some high mountain and look out over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see: brigands on the highway, pirates on the sea, armies fighting, cities burning; in the amphitheaters men murdering to please applauding crowds; selfishness and cruelty and misery and despair under all roofs. [And then he said,] It is a bad world, Denatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of [this bad world] a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people, Denatus, are Christians -- and I am one of them. The pure essence of what Jesus is all about. People learning to love one another. The essence of what Jesus was all about is people living in a peaceful community and living out peace. lliD.d I close wittro~ne"Sto!Y- Y.OU migfifhave h~e1rd this.before.-_ .but.ifs-really become ___7 \ 9.. ,.. m.~!ffipt)Qr~~~Ye~all_aware t~~l'1rl_~tn_~-"~~~~-n_l~-~o~m~nity·it's- ·7 (common_for: ~_ar_ents, when a little boy 1s born, to name !11m Jesus:~Hay-'suss.-And~we:-.=-.:_ __ _ (h(ly~- .QDJhe ... staf(otthis ._chu rch~a~wPIJ~~R~1~Titi_e;rl~ii~W.11~~1Uffi~~~:.~~~-~o~er ,;~f$18"~ _ J :~he~y:ear~-tha~-he~s~~een-here-we've--discovered~that-}!~P9ints;--~~ry well,_a~9-'sd;'~-T~t_t1~_'~~- ···) su~~-~:tu~~-partlcular:,_y_pu'll_see_ J_e_s_u_s aroun A~co·uple of y_ears_ago,.one.eve_ning I was in a meeting and I wentto my \CO~ac~ina-oriefca5e.to go. home.and .. l--noticed,.all·-'ofi$my~rsecretaries:.lights~were.;o • _. \d9J:>r:s,were.open, my q_!fiq_e"'doe~stwe1re':'o'PeH.SW~i~~wa~Gff~§,y][f.i .. _ _ . .. ______-~- -_ ) J~r?~~nd"'th.E[e'!"A~on~h~16 yvall'o•ext!t~~;b~9b-orAwasta~sign~·which~read<41ike~;this:~J. 7 \. S1r .__pleas_e_dQn.LcloseJhe.door..Jesus.--~-4 ~ - · c And-so;:-~tr~t~l·s~Y}o you ~~~Y.Q!J_might_b~:~~n _yo~~-spiri~~~~je~rn~:don:t.close _____ -~} the~dooron--:Jesus. Re can mal Lord God, we thank You for Your son Jesus, our savior, the difference, our inspiration, 6 Dr. Arthur Caliandro March 19, 2000 the power of our lives. Help us, Lord, to commit to Him. Amen. 7 PORTLMID HEAD LIGHT Since its col'!ll'llisston by George 1-lashington in 1790, Portland Head Light remains an enduring symbol of the rugged, solid characteristis of a ma8nificent coastline and proud peo;le vreathering the challenge of nature and time. In observande of Portland's 350th anniversary, we rededicate thts uninue landmark to the aspirations and achievements of those who came before us and to present and future gener,;tions who will continue its proud heritage. George Bush Vice President of the United States of America 1982, July. PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT Since its commission by George Hashington in 1790, Portland Head Light rematns an enduring symbol of the rugged, solici characteristics of a magnificent coastline and nroud people weathering the challenge of nature and time. In observance of Portland's 350th anniversary, vre rededicB.te this uninue landmark to the aspirations and achievements of those who came before us and to present and fu~ure generations l-Tho l-rill continue its proud heritage. George Bush Vice Present of the United States of America July, 1982 I I TITLE: "Anniversary Reflections'' I I OUTLINE: Build on the theme of PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE •••• Church in Ha ine •••• Portland ••• 10 years ••• i i INTRODtcTION: 'Os"C~JIJ., .,f/ IIJ ,.,J(, • - Happy Anniversary ••• Number 167th •••• years filled Hith history, headaches and lots of wonderful memories •••• providing us with delightful and warming reflections. Let me introduce myself •••• pastor here from December 1st, 1956 to June 30th, 1999 •••• LJ v.ronderful years. 36th pastor of this historic church that 1rre.s founded in the same year th~,t Queen Victoria became Queen of the British Em}bire ••• the same year that Martin Van Buren >·ras elected President of the Uni" ed States ••• how many states •••• - A Church that in 1852 was known as a church of "migrating Methodists". It still is thought of the same way •••• and that's why I stayed here as long as I did •••• - My introduction to the church occured in September of 1956 •••• with a call from the DS •••• that the Bishop (Newell) 1.vant,ed me to take a look at th1.s church ••• I had been serving as the Associate Pastor, Rtc ••• I drove down to NYC from upstate NY thesame week that Don Larsen did his thing •••• and being a bit of a baseball fan and a Yankee fan ••• that did it •••• Larson's "NO HIT" •••• as I crossed the 'J'appan Zee late that day, I saw a sign in the heavens that said, "GO NY" ••• "GO YANJ Came to NYC on November 28th ••• no parsonage, and camped out at an apartment on Riverside Drive ••• Mrs. vlood, DS •••• met ;.;ith Gerald Rock organist on Saturd - Dr. Kim, tenor soloist ••• sang "Comfort Ye, Comfort" •••• never was sure to whom it was intended •••• ~ THUS, began my ministry •• • "lr-Je HAVE AN ALTAR" ••• still have a copy of it in my file ••• took it out and looked iver over several l·reeks ago •••• tempted to use it for the 9 am ser,rice •••• Those who didn't think much of ~y preaching across the seventies, eighties and nineties, should have heard met~',., ff.,c_ .,.,.,..... & ._ SI•.Ws ...... _ Lc ,.., ,_,. ..--.••• - 2 - I' r· IF THESE ·wAtiS. COuLD~'SPEAK ••• :J -, ·..,, \' -· '. 1-Jhat '~kmbries, messages they l·7ould have for us •••• not just during my ~e~r~.~ .. ?~~ 1 ~.tr:etchiJ?e. baq~~ •• ·~~~d.1~u .t:~novr .rth~1J gon~~ .H~,inie go1t , rn.~rr1.eo here·? Tn l9h7 •••and tne-.pa.stor, PNO, was '~"'repri.Jrianed.hon .the con~er;_en?e f~~or_ ~?rf\?erfj~r;:ni!;~ t~~t ~~dding •• :her fourth ••• and hav tng' h ~sf:p1..eutr.e /on~ the· frcont $age, of. the Da 1ly Net-rs ••• as she left the church •• -:- , - · '' · - I served as pastor for L•3 vear.s ••• the. 36th Mtnister •••• and it \..'-c ... ''d. r'\.r'-' f C•.--'" v.•r·*"· ~- r-..f ...... •d' '" ~~ .... Wh-··-~t·-~F d \, ..... ~-\ .-rern1.n S ·me 0 ~sornetul:ne'-••.og,1.~j:13rr;p:..._sa1. • • • •. vO J,. e:'{, . or • • e\' - ' . ~ ...... -. . . ." "\ ' . ' as they attended the···Old Timers' Day celebration at YS thiS"~ summer ••• the li~;tf?f.J"2fryer'')'~.hk~k)gre?:i{s 1:rere displayed on the huge Score Board deceased' hope I never ,.. i..n CT<' ••• and Yqg5. -? TEN M;;~,O;tUES .. ~··~ ... AND comments ••• ..... 't,. ':;, \ ) I 't \ ·; •~~ ~ «· f' ':' . ~ ~ ~ ...... ', ~•'.L E,?.}:t!3r, t~5,'L., 0~g~1n br.oke dow~ •• : lift a 'hand 'if you 1r1ere h~re ••• '2'~· 19:59.•·~gfandfather·'o'f\"6Lir. president, George Bush, r;ras here to worship ·rrith ,.;., TRANSITION: xitata OK to look back, but don't stare •••• ,. . ~. / ~ PRESENT: Bill's report from last year •••• marks of a' g'reat,chqr~ •' 4- A~ .,-A.'- cl.l-~ ,q 4 7.. c~~ Allw . efo\1• (I-.. ~~~~··.,' ,,,...... J Ill t...... ,.,, ~ ..,.,.,•• ,.. ~- 4 I /1·. /981' ~ .. ·~· ~~ - fuw~t. -~-t~e•.u-., ~ ,., ... H-.,.,.,_._ - ~.,~/ w~ .fw,. •~ ... /t'". ~- .5i.J•il' : lW'ff~tl -.. s,M.J,.. , ·~'', '". - 4 - "Hhat are they going to d.-, with Daddy?" "I don't know, dear, but lets wait and find out"... they departed. • • (3) Edward Emy took the offering plates fron the four ushers at the rear of the church and vJent over and sat down on them next to Mrs. 14ilson who had taken off her mink coat and covered her English pug, Daffy, with it •••• not wanting to attract attention •••• Summer. Fine Art Decorating was redecorating the sanctuary and the entire space -vras filled with scaffolding ••• right up to the ceiling. I stood in the balcony looking over the work being done ancl next to me 1,ras Larry Morales •••• and a plank fe 11 off the scaffolding and caMe close to coming donw on our heads. I do remember getting up on the scaffolding and walking around up there •••• exaMing the stencU work being oone •••• NO. 1: Communion Sunday. 1959 .• e.a distingished looking gentleman about 6 'h" tall sat down here and caMe up to the altar rail at the proper time to receive the comnunion elements ••• after which instead of waiting for the ministerial words of dismissal, got up and went back do-vm to his seat ••••while 15 other people remained kneeling 'or an additional moment or two •••and the dismissal blessing. One of our ushers, Joe Bo-vrater, went up to this distinguished gentleman and said, "Sir, you pulled a BOOO BOO ••• next time wait until the mi.nister tellsyou to rise and depart". The gentleman, an Episcopalian, was the father of of one our members and 'TttaS also the father of our hlst president and grandfather of our LJrd prisident. Hi.s name: Senator Prescott Bush of Crmnecticut. ttv(''lU pulled a boo-boo, sir ••• next time •••• " Invite me back in another five years and I've give you another 10 memories ••• some of wh1.ch took place in other parts of the church.priceless and part of our history ••••• But let's move on: It's OK to look back, but do not stare as someone has put it. Mnanyother memories •• of vreddings and such ••• a groom -vrearing red sneakers •••• Jay Zimmerna ••••Eugene Carson Blake •••• "there's room at the foot of the cross for all of us" ••••Rabbi Soebel speaking in Heb EM the ~rords of Jesus, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God ••• with all. ••• and thy neighbor as theyself". First and great commandment ••• in Hebrew. Ambassador Sikivou in his Fig ian tongue speaking the words of Paul, "Now abideth :f'aith and hop and love, but the greatest of these is love. 11 • Oh, the memories ••• rich anrl. moving •••• PRESENT But on to the present. That i.nfant t-lho t-ras presented for Baptism on Reo-ember 1st, 1956 grew in wisdom and strength and stature" and is now minister of this church. In His report on this Sunday a year ago he touched on the Marks of a Great Church and in his judgment felt this church measured up and it does •••• remember his "nraks" •••• - 3 - NO. 8: Young lady, lay reader ••• l994 read the scripture II lesson and then fainted here at the lectern as I was standing there to lead the congregation in prayer ••• LET US PRAY ••• tugging on my robe as she l>rent down •• ,Michael Craig ca,.,e out, picked her up in his arms anrl took her out the door behind the organ. Embarrased, the young lady r:onfided to me as the coffee hour that she hadn't had her breakfast. Alt·rays good to eat before coming to church. NO. 7: Bi.shop Ttl elch. letn ••• l962 •••• 1 ~o years old and preached here ••• born in 1852 ••• as the Civil Har was under way· •• .-Hhat a sermon he gave ••• ,o·:~::rr Bishops and leaders who have stood here in this :PJulpi.t have i eluded: Newell, Oxnam, lrJhite, Stith, Lyght, Hoover, Blake, Gallup, Skeete, Rabbi Sobel, rfonsignor B3rrne, Father Vistor Yanitelli •• , .and NO. 6: l.Vedding -vrhere a bride fainted ••• ,groom and I each took an ar, and sort of dragged her over to the pew over here and I walked clown the center ai.sle asking, "Is there a doctor in the house? " Repeat ••• Back of church and looked up and there were his white shoes, white Bible and white pruse ••• I guess it was ••• and I just wanted to keep on going •••• hear later thant her mother had stold her if she married Billie Joe from Arkansad, she was out of her mother's wi_,ll. ••• a RC froM the Bronx •••• 40 new members standing here in the chancel on a (i) Sunday morning -1.n November of 1972 ••• perhaps some o ll''~ you were there ••• Ri.chmond Bates, Ken Barclay, Janet Ernst, Monges ••• Ni,..,ue Mldt Roosa's mother and dad, I slipped ifnd fell in the balcony ••• broke a ,.rritt. Straightening October l~ •••• six weeks to heel •••• cast came off on a hymnals ••• Friday .... try typing up sermons vT.i th a cast on your wrist •••• the day it came off was a wedding rehearsal I 1•1as conduct in New Cananna at the UCC church •• ,with Charlie Smith. The bride was Jodi Bradley. The grrom Jonathan Bush. Best ~~an, the US Representative from Texas •••• George H. Walker Bush who later beca~e the hlst president of the USA. Imagine being introduce to a future president by the grrorn ••• 11 Pappy" Cfa11ily name) This is my Minister .... Phil with the flabb)r wrist ... NO. 3: Young Lords •••• Sunday, January 1969 ••• 30 young pe ple. Came frn here on a cold January Sunday morning and 15' stayed at the back of the church and v.rouldn 't let an,yone out ••• l5 came up front and stood on the chancel steps. During the offering and Dr. 1rJoodside was playing a ouiet ori:an offertory and they· caMe in shooting, "Power to the people" ••• fist raised over their heads. They ,.rer · the Hispantc counterpart of the Chicago Black Panthers and were here in response to an issue involving the Spanish UM Church, Lexington and l09th Street. Three things I recall a bout that confrontation. 1. Ed Brown, ruickly caMe down front. (2) My ·-ife sitt:ng over by the v-rindmvs \.v-ith our 9 year old daughter, Cather • •• vrho asked her mother .... - 2 ·- - And then a few more new faces began to appear ••• among them Clu and 1-·~triam Gulager ••••• a young actor and his talented red-headed t-Tife ,,rho became our soprano soloist ••• and then during the summer •••• Giles Robinson, Mark Else t-rho later becaMe our choir director and David Howard who as a reporter for the TimAs came to hear thR Speech Chorale which young adult energy had created and vrh ich in February of 1958 was on national TV ••• LIGHT UNTO MY PATH ••• and also Jonathan Bush and Harold Black •••• and about 15 to 20 others ••••whose names I can't remember •••• - Ami so for the next Lt3 years ';e vrorked hard •••• can't remember all of the names of the wonderful people ••• probably close to 2000 people vrho t-torshipped here •••which reminds me of ihat someone once said about getting older ••• three things to remeMber •••• and as I appro years •••• Church in Maine that a friend and colleague, John Neff, told me about that had 10 different mi.nisters across a ten year span •••• ten ministers and ten yec-rs and THEN a minister came who stayed 10 years •••••while the previous ten years v-rere a great concern to the DS, it was a source of pusslement to the Bishop and cabine as to why this new brother stayed ten years •••• The church was celebrating its lOOth anniversary and the Bishop vras invited ••• he asked the LA LEADER why ••••and the LL replied, "Well, Mr. Bishop, we never really wanted a minister in the first place ••• and the latest minister you sent to us vras the nearest thing to nothing jrou ent and so we've let hiJ!l stay". IF THESE WALLS COULD SPEAK If these walls could speak they would have some 1.1arm And llOnderflll things to tell do they do it on TV ••• Letternan and Jay Leno •••• lO things ••• starting with NO. 10: 1997 .... June ••• a pigeon walked on off the street, around 1 open doors 1-rill do this ••• came into be blessed •••• and starting flying around ••• OK the only thing was ere had a v-redding at 2 ••• I was in the bale ony 1-ri th an umbrealla •••• trying to get hiM to land on a window ledge and depart. Cold Hountain scene reminds us that a dove is a sign 0f good luck ••• OK •• but this was not a dove. NO. 9: Ea--ter, 1958 ••• the organ in the middle of a majestic and lift.i..ng anthem ••• wheezed and squeaked and made all sorts of distracting sounds ••• and stopped •••• and that 1.vas it. eoGerald Rock looked at me and lifted his hand and shook his head and motioned to the choir of 12 singers to sit •••• first full church I had had •••• and oh, was r ever trying to make a good irnpression •••• l25 people here that Sunday and some relatives of rn~ne from other parts of the country ~·rcre here ••• ------ - 'I ' I . J~•~66i.-nC!!)J ,# - ND_\J'- iJDI:N_11fiL--.,_# / I' l 4r I ~~-d..w&-._~ ) • ~&~I!Y-f'-~~ff!_6_~ I , I ... ,~ ' #as..~IJ_r!lfl'"" ,_.. p~11tl!f"_lk)~l_,~ 68 - ! - ""-"'tn_.Snldl~,.~"-"' #AUK_ ~.#1?4.11'·· ~ I COliN., /N -~A. A..ti.I'-.¥LIMI'-- I I EL1~4 "''"J. ,_,,~!: ~.,.,. ~ I -- "'-- UIFAI'nl'- I ' ~*'&-'~&.. __, ... ~-~~~~·~6.-_1: c~.s 7UtWe4. iT do~ .. ~., ...1'\1_~--·•41 liMY ,.,_,~ ' ' -..'.:) L•.,•~»'- _a,~t~~diHI~"-.,_ , .,. .,. I ._d_,,_&lf.,_,_ .,. 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' · .. ~~.- '9-.o-~ t;A#EeN ~.r~c-r ...... ~ dA • I ~·6 :6PI ljroH" ,: " ... t:;,_,-~__, .,_ ,.7~ • ~0 AMaJ ,_,...... • • "'us #;~ :..• .ae.~ ..~-;. ~ · . . & · 7'~r=_ ..:ic-t~~E-HL· .. • .. •. '~£A)~.$~ ZWM..C. AI:. ~...,-~ •• ... #Sit~i:-C' ~ •• ~ eJ7- ....• ~JIIr- ~ae.s ~I!- L•~...... #i~ ~ -~~ o-,.,.. s .-~· 6•~ ~~ lllu.. • · · ·•• _. · ~: ·. · · · . "" -r,.,-..a :.·l-h111 · ~ M A-Nd S~FT 41«. f. DI.Vzu:>,II./FHTl lzriu T'N'IV~IAI, NA d.,E n,z ~ , W..l' a:. •-v ...... c:l',~~ ~- "~If" ~r .,_,16 ~,,. · .. qp, .... A'. YI'I-N~~: 6eA.. p.)tLL :J ~Ul) r6 ..._ ~~bl'r .uo~ ,.._ ~-S.· ..... AI1#16S #"-'f .... ,. 7D .:1~~~~ ""'" .-..44C&. ~1#91'11, ,...... , ··' .- . .: B~ LLl2.~ ..• -~ ~c:Jifi'l>...... .. t' ~. ~~~. ~te&J~ fi4 : Qlfi)af!. -~Cl1is t • . • .. • ~~{/}) Vl..S. ~~ ~ ~...... ~ ,• Q;~or~tr-. "~· -~~ 'PJ> ~ ~· ~f/.;ft!JM<:!J: ·-- . jf •. , . . -. ~~-; ~~ ~~ /Nl~~ Q:l, ...... : . ' ;,{!)d}) ~A~ -c. • ,...., ~ • . ~·, __ ~ ~ Vc.,__...v~ ~ ' ·' c:,.,y:..:::> • • _. . . . " ~ ( ·. Ji:l: . . . £l;fi.>111E ~ . -m ~ OiJbt?d • • • s .. • ~ ~ (;... " • . . • I . . • . .. . , . "'" -· . ----~------, ,. ' 1 • . . ·.._. ' <:?"· {S;~ 2 e..,..._...:-N4: .·.· .....7'"AfY• ,. ~~· ~ ~ 7Lr fo· 6t.W .._... N,!4 ~ ..••••- .... .. ~ . - 7#..-u:; .. ~u....,.... .,. lillwAII -'l!'&~'f ~_.,...,_cno~ ..-. " . love Spoken ·Here' - January 2006 - Page 20 United Methodist News Service Christians should exemplify their faith changers from the temple with Mohammad's rebellion against - polytheistic practices, drunken orgies, and gaming in Mecca. POLITICIANS, LIBERALS, AND conservatives have hijacked Smith quotes Mohammad as saying the greatest jihad (exer Christianity and polarized Americans, according to Huston tion) should be against "the evil that is within Smith, author of 14 best-selling books, includ- us." Smith asserts that iflslam speaks of a jihad, ing The World's Religions, which has sold 2.5 it is the jihad against human nature in which we million copies in 12languages. are all engaged. "How can you call authentic In the week of the baseball playoffs, Smith Islam a religion of violence?" he asks. lectured at Vanderbilt Divinity School. He After a five-part public TV series with Bill pitched a slider at conservative Christians for Moyers, Newsweek described Smith as a spiri being "trapped in a dogmatic literalism which . tual surfer. "That was a good headline, but it isn't true but is held to dogmatically." was wrong," said Smith, a member of Trinity He tossed a curveball at liberals for being United Methodist Church in Berkeley, Califor-~ "unqualifiedly secular and having little too of nia. "Christianity has always been my meal. I fer church members other than rallying cries to only receive vitamins from other faiths." The be good." scholar believes there is something to be learned Smith saved his brush-back fastball for poli from God seekers around the planet, but he op ticians who use religion to baptize war. poses those who approach religion cafeteria-style, "We live in a scary time," said Smith. "In Huston Smith taking a little from each. "They take what they war, both sides need strength and they want to like, not what they need. If we all would take win, so they call on God and assume they are doing God's will. what we need, we would be at the end of our At the same time, they demonize the enemy." religious journey." A leading authority on religions, Smith notes that both sides Asked how Christians can share their faith without disre in the war on terror distort the faith of their opponents. "Islam specting the faith of others, Smith said, "Christians should ex has been demonized as a fanatical religion spread by the sword, emplify their faith, and when asked about it, they should answer but just as Jesus is rightly known as the prince of peace, Islam's forthrightly, but we should not try to strong-arm others into our message of peace is equally emphatic." faith. That would be unchristian." Smith also blames the Taliban for distorting Islam into a "Christians should exemplify their faith, and when asked religion of violence. He compares Jesus' eviction of the money about it, they should answer forthrightly, but we should not try to strong-arm others into our faith. That would be unchristian." Torture is unacceptable Should culture be found in church? ANY USE OF TORTURE is "unacceptable and contrary to SHOULD NATIVE AMERICANS DENY their cultural US and international legal norms," according to religious practices to be Christian and to make their churches effective leaders. The condemnation of torture came when the General and vital? For a group of Native American leaders in The Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA and United Methodist Church, this question provided a starting Church World Service met November 9 to 11. Assembly point for discussing how native culture can be brought into delegates, including United Methodists, commended the the church. The resulting dialogue on contextualization or Senate's "anti-torture provisions" in the 2006 Defense contextual ministry took up part of the Native American Appropriations bill then before the House of Representatives International Caucus directors' November 10 to 12 meeting. for action. The resolution also criticized those in government Contextual ministry gives Indian communities the freedom who would fail to approve such legislation. At its fall meeting, to use cultural items and worship practices in the church, the United Methodist Board of Church and Society also said the Rev. Alvin Deer, caucus director. If the caucus is to applauded the Senate bill and called upon Congress to create continue its advocacy for the 19,000 Native American United an independent, bipartisan commission to report on the Methodists, then it should understand contextualization and detention and interrogation practices of the US military and the role the organization must play, he told directors. "We intelligence agencies in Guantanamo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, believe the intent of Jesus Christ in the first place is to meet and to hold all those involved accountable for the atrocities. people where they are," he said. 'Love Spoken Here' - January 2006 - Page 19 Want to be a hero? Read the Bible Book Review: The Christian Superhero Then Clifton identifies the powers Training Guide available to current s u p e r h e r o e s "YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF IF YOU WANT IT (Believers). "Having DONE RIGHT." powers available We've all heard that one! Author Ken Clifton argues that doesn't mean you have it's the right attitude for any dhristian worthy of the name. them," Clifton say~. In his recently published Tihe Christian Superhero Training "You have to reach out Guide, Clifton argues that God blesses us with the gifts we in faith." need to overcome evil in the world if we are willing. Clifton identifies Clifton says: "We five major "arch-foes" are God's body on earth. that every believer must God's body has power. overcome. They are We are God's light on Demons (The earth. God's light drives Condemned), The away darkness. We've World (The Living bought into the passive Dead), The Flesh Christian belief that (Biological Weapons), Doubt (Faith Infection), and Pride suffering must come (Glory Sunspots). For each Arch Foe, Clifton provides without a fight, but Jesus background, powers, power use, summary, and lessons learned. gave us authority over all The book concludes with a graduation section calling on the power of the devil, believers to rise up in the power available to them to change not the other way their world and find God's best for them, which Clifton says around. Our lives will is God's plan. "In secret, He planned their mission," he says. not improve till we Further: "In patience, He trained them. In love, He recognize that." surrounded them. In hope, He will send them out with the Sounds like we message ofliberation from the evil reign on earth, the message could be superheroes. oflove and forgiveness found in Christ." In that spirit, Clifton's Guiqe-his fifth book-profiles 14 If you want anything done around here, do it yourself. faithful male "superheroes" of the past, including Enoch But don't do it alone. You don't have to because God, the (Heaven Walker), Joseph (Dream Reader), The Seventy ultimate superhero, is with you. You have only to call on (Ghost Busters), Philip (Telep~rter), Jesus (The Master), and Him. others. Clifton says, "So many believers keep looking for God's Clifton lists a summary of each figure's experience, his answer to the world's evils, never thinking for a minute that power, Scripture references identifying the ways in which he they, themselves, could be God's intended light in their dark used his power to overcome e!Vil, a summary of the figure's surroundings, that they are the solution God has planned if faith achievement, and a list ~f lessons we might learn from they would show the courage of faith to stand against evil and his story. The book is set up lilke a set of lesson plans rather defeat the villains of our day." than a prose narrative. Japan ICU Foundation, Inc. 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 439, New York, NY 10115-0439 Tel: 212-870-3386 E-mail: info(mjicuf.org Website: www.jicuf.org Christmas, 2005 Dear Alumni and Friends, Today's world continues to have its share of problems. With the escalating animosity in the Middle East, with the increasing polarization in virtually all of the world's political arenas and with the acrimony surrounding Japan's relationships with its East Asian neighbors, those of us connected with International Christian University, both in Japan and abroad, undoubtedly find these times to be particularly disturbing. Yet, those of us involved with ICU also know that the university's spiritual and humane dimensions have always provided a beacon of hope. This is part of a heritage that two thousand years ago, during the unsettling time of Jesus' birth, brought some very welcome good news - A multitude ofthe heavenly host appeared praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward all people." In the midst of our deep concern for today's troubled world, may we be people who can, like the heavenly host of two thousand years ago, praise God. And may we be people who can both accept and respond to the true peace and good will which is offered to us all. This peace and good will are not only the absence of war and confrontation. They are also a peace and good will which can permeate the deepest recesses of our being. They will not only resolve issues, but also move us into newer and higher dimensions of human existence. We here at the Japan ICU Foundation are especially delighted during the Christmas season to be so directly affiliated with ICU. Its perpetual focus on peace and reconciliation embodies the fullness of the Christmas spirit. It is now up to us to be inspired by what ICU has to offer and also to do all that we can to be certain that this Christmas message, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward all people," continues to ring out loud and clear on the Plains ofMusashino in Japan. With best wishes for a wonderful holiday, and may true peace and good will be with us all, each and every one. Merry Christmas, David W. Vikner President Park Avenue United Methodist Church A WORD IN EDGEWAYS Website: www.parkavemethodist.org May2004 Volume 31, Number 5 · Spring seems to have finally arrived and to add to You may contact me at [email protected] or your pleasure as you enjoy the beauty of New York 212-288-6936. in bloom I wanted to share with you a poem written by Mrs. Phyllis Creore Westermann, a long-time SOME ANNIVERSARY member ofPAUMC. REFLECTIONS FROM THE PASTOR EMERITUS Spring Is A Bov For several weeks now I've been resting in the Spring is not a girl, 1 warm afterglow of the 167 h Anniversary of the Tender as April might appear, founding of the Church, which we celebrated Sweet with tulips in her hair, together on Sunday, March the 14th, 2004. I can't Young with frequent tears. begin to thank you for the joy I experienced in being with you all once again and to tell you how Spring is a boy-just grown, much the day meant to me as your Pastor Emeritus. Feeling for the first his years, The weekend surpassed all of my personal Covering now the countryside expectations. Thank you. Thank you. F~om start Alert and debonair. to finish it was indeed a grand occasion! One I will never forget. One for the memory book. But through the city streets Cautiously, last night he stole, The weekend went by so quickly ... from late Wearing one blue crocus Saturday afternoon to midday Monday. My only In his buttonhole. regret was that I didn't have more time to visit with you all. The Sunday service was beautiful and quite A SPECIAL EDITION stirring ... the music, the baptism, the prayers, the kind words, and the presentations. And the buffet We had planned to make the last newsletter a that followed was delightful. So many of you had a combined, April-May newsletter. However, there is part in the day and I wish to thank you ail. It was a" great deal taking place in May and at the request my first time in Clarke Hall and I sure like those red of the Rev. Philip Clarke, our Pastor Emeritus, chairs! Your heart and spirit are truly magnificent. we're publishing a May newsletter in addition to the What outstanding leadership is yours! April-May letter which you received in the middle of April. There were many friends from former days to reconnect with. In addition to the fifty or more out The following is the thank you that he wanted to of-towners (some of whom traveled a great distance express to all of you and we are happy to oblige to be present), there were many cards, notes and him. letters that brought thoughtful messages and regrets Janet Ernst, editor at not being able to be present for this 1 anniversary/emeritus celebration. The Saturday TJ!.e Seventies evening meal at the parsonage hosted by Pastor Bill and Judy Shillady with several former colleagues In attendance: Richmond Bates; Cathy Gardner; Joyce and Dr. and Mrs. Woodside and the Sunday evening Gartrell; Juanita and Ken Guise with their daughter, supper with several dear friends and present church Janeal; Cheryl Longacre Hauser; Eric Smith and his daughter Hillary with her husband, Peter and their leaders all added up to a most enjoyable time. The daughter, Hawthorne; Becky and Jeffrey Sprouse; Fran flight down (and back) took less than an hour Taylor; Lynn Blair Cohen. Sending greetings: AI and compared to about five and a half hours when Phyllis Balk; Ruth and Freddie Daniel; Carol and Earl driving the 325 mile distance. Milbery; Bill and Pam Proctor; Mrs. William Staubach; Helen Wilkinson Tait; Elody Hoelscher The handsome plaque now hangs on my study wall. I look forward to those occasions when I can wear The Eighties the stole that was given me. The Yankee pin stripe shirt will be worn with pride and with caution here In attendance: Lili Bates; Ann and Gordon Bryant. and in Red Sox country. And the gifts from the Finnish their twin sons, Alan and Douglas; Leroy Coffman; Bob Church will always remind me of dear friends in Gardner; Lee Gartrell; Andrea and Ken Halcott; Rick Kilbride; Bridget and Jim Perkins with their children that congregation of believers. It is a privilege for Lauren and Max; Chris and Ed Stack with their me to retain a connection with the church and daughter, Kim; Dee and Michael Schaffield; Lisa and though our being together is now infrequent, all of Jay Zimmerman; Joan (Eric de Freitas' daughter) and you are such special friends. Bless you and thank Bill White. Sending greetings: Melissa and Jeff Fong; you so very, very much and may the days ahead Donna and Bruce Evans; Billie and Sam Wilson; Dianne bring to all of us an abundance of God's most Keller Schindo; Liz and Jack Schmidt bountiful blessings. Best, The Nineties Phil In attendance: Kathryn and Robert Carroll and son, Liam; Miriam and Antonio Kho and their three Phil sent a list ofthe naines ofthe former members daughters; Tammy Langalis; Katie and Kevin Rogers and daughter, Chloe. and friends who came from out of town and those who sent greetings with the date of when they Several friends of Phil's from the 92nd Street "Y'' were became part of the church. Not to take away from also among those present. They were Barney Phil's legendary memory but because I'm an "old Koenigsberg; . Spike and Duffy Neuberger; Bonnie timer" here I'm going to list them by decade to give Weber; Alan Samuels. Rabbi Ronald E. Sobel, Rabbi us a sense of continuity and all the eras Phil Emeritus of Temple Emanu-El here in NYC brought Clarke's ministry encompassed. greetings form the Jewish community as a part of the service. The Fifties MAY CALENDAR In attendance were: Betty Altoonian; Debbie and Harold May 11 Tuesday Mission Trip Meeting Black; Greta and Mark Else; Bob Raeburn and his 7:00PM Clarke Hall daughter, Vicki; Thad Russell; Judy Crane Ross' May 13 Thursday Building the Blessed City· daughter Debby with her husband, David Oury and their five children. Sending greetings were: Judy Allen; 7:00 PM Trinity Church Msgr. Harry Byrne; Charles and Soo Kim May 15 Saturday Concert 7:30PM Sanctuary The Sixties May 16 Sunday Church Conference on the Columbarium immediately following the In attendance were: Dorleon Baldwin Reagan; Dick 11 :00 AM worship service Westenburg; Dewey Wood. Sending greetings: Lynn May 22 Saturday Rummage Sale Bruhn; Emmanuel Agorsor; Rudy and June Jansa; Carol 10:00 AM to 3:00PM Clarke Hall Kokoska; Ronald Witmer; Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Freeman. May 27 Thursday Great Fiction Series 6:30 PM Clarke Hall •.. 2 106 East 86th Street ·.New York, NY 10028 "Word in Edgeways" Philip Clarke U.S.P.O. Box 3765 Portland, ME 04101 NEW MEMBERS: A number of people have inquired of the process for becoming an official member of the congregation. On Sunday, June 13th, we will receive new members into the life of the congregation. An inquirer's class will be held the week before at the Parsonage East on Wednesday, June 9th at 6:30PM. The pastors are also happy to meet with you if you are unable to meet with us on that Wednesday. If you are interested in joining please fill out the following form and return it to the pastors through the offering plate or by mailing to the church office. Name: ______~------ Address: ______City: ______membership Zip Code: ______Class Phone: ------Email: ------ My membership is currently at: ______ I will join by re-affirmation of faith. ____ REGULAR SUNDAY SCHEDULE 8:30 am- Doors open for meditation 9:00 am- Chancel Communion Worship 1\(ay 2004 9:30 am- Bible Study, Clarke Rm. 3rd Floor 9:30 am- Women's Prayer Group, Library PARK AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 10:45 am- Child Care and Sunday School available 3rd and 106 East 86th Street New York, NY 10028 4th fl. 212-427-5421 Website: WWW.ParkAveMethodist.org 11:00 am- Celebration Worship (Sanctuary) 12:30 pm- Young Adult Brunch Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat *ALANON PARENTS * A ..A. 7 PM Russell *Mega Martinez *Doctor's .Men's Meeting Rm. *Mega Martinez *A.A. 7 PM Russell Rm. 1 Feeding Program 6:30PM Russell Rm. *Literary Group 6:30 7-8 PM Russell Rm. 6:30PM Russell Rm. 7-8 PM Russell Rm. *ALANON 7 PM Clarke 10AM-1PM Oratorio PM Clarke Hall *Prayer Service, 8 Am Clarke Hall * indicates weekly event & 6:30 PM (Adult Edu- Charlotte Domoa cation Series -following) 2 Holy Communion 3 4 6:30-9:30 PM 5 6:30-9:30 PM 1050 6 6-9 PM 1035 Park 7 8 Rummage Sale Alma Carlen Katherine Buck 87th St. Meeting, Park Mtg. Clarke Hall Mtg. Clarke Hall Lynn Haymes Set-Up Michael Schajjield Brian Powell Clarke HI. Julie Hymen AntonioKho James Nespole Cynthia McCollum 9 Regular Worship 10 11 Mission Trip 12 6-9 PM 151 East 13 7-JOPM 1036Park 14 15 Rummage Sale May I 3th Birthdays ' • Mother's Day Martha Nichols Meeting7PM 83rd Mtg. Clarke HI. Mtg. Clarke Hall Set-Up Christopher Klein Phillip Clarke Rafael Benjarano Deborah Blane-Velez John Simms Lauren DeSouza Martha Nichols ' Evelyn Thayer Cathy Gardner . Paul Ross Ashley Jatzke-Werner 16 Regular Worship 17 18 7-10 PM, 1035 5th 19 20 6-9 PM, 1040 Park 21 Rummage Sale 22 RUMMAGE SALE Mtg. Clarke Hall Earl Roosa Mtg. Clarke Hall set-up Anita Malon Brennan Tomlinson Dominick Monge 23 Regular Worship 24 25 26 27 PAUMC Trust 28 29 Colucci Wedding YA Rooftop Brunch Christopher Alicia Fund Meeting 12PM Last Day ofSchool Concert??? Great Fiction 6:30pm 30 Regular Worship 31 May anniversaries: May 30th Birthdays Mike Kipniss 5/15193 Jonathan DeSouza Briana Alicea Leland and Nancy Paton Megan Wiebe Alexander Thomas 5113178 Anthony Thompson . '"' Ill • •. .. • nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn~nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn n I PARKAVENUE UNITED I I METHODIST CHURCH i n n ~ 106 East 86th Street, New York, NY 10028 ~ SPRING INTO THE n n ~ Cf)~C~IlT S~lli~S i ..... -" PANTRY WITH : n n I"' \ n Presents ~ I I n· n .... - I n n / ~ Eugene Feigin, Gary Klein i I "· P'NUT BUTTER ~ pianists n JAM OR JELLY n~ Featuring rarely performed four hand arrangements of ~ ~ R · George Gershwin's Cuban Overture and Rhapsody in R t R Blue. The program will also feature solo works by R BAGS OF RICE R Chopin, liszt, & Debussy R BAGS OF BEANS n~ Saturday, May 15, 2004 n~ ~ lS 7:30 p.m. n b Sanctuary, (Main Floor) ~ , . n .n \ YORKVILLE COMMON PANTRY n n 8 EAST 109TH STREET, NYC n Suggested donation: Adults - $10 n ' I n Seniors and Students - $5 n - I I WE APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROSITY! ilS Information: 212/427-5421, Website: parkavemethodistorg n ..:: _.. I ,-- ,-, '·. &0· ~. ! ··*-·j~ -e•• * * * * * * R e tireshments * * * * * * * ~•• ~~~~lCJ,n.·~1 ...... /.}-. ..·· . ' - ·. : I • ....,..., . : 1: {crA(l'-<. .):. i i '--~ ~-. '-,~~,'; ~~P.~ ~.,_A I\ ·: ...... ,...... ,...... ·: \! ,. l -.::-~ y ...-. ·. / { . ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••-.••--••••••••••••••••--•••~•~u•~ ,'-J.___ / ...... /,_/ .1_, \:•-) . ...-~ '7 ·~ •... . .f .. ··.. ~ r-""\~ < :1-: .. - -· .... -· - -·· - . _f . ~ ..._:... . -·... ·.. ' ------···-··------·-· ·--- The Board of Trustees has appointed a • RUMMAGE SALE- MAY 22 Columbarium Committee comprised of Larry Morales, chair; Michelle Barton, Cathy Bose, Carl Our annual Spring Rummage Sale will soon be here Condra, Julie Klein and Michael Vann. Members of and we're looking for volunteers to help with the this committee would like to hear from you sorting and the selling. See Margaret Fisher, the concerning your thoughts and opinions of installing coordinator, at coffee hours to sign up or call her in a columbarium. the evenings at 212-772-7 55 5. If you can't find Margaret, speak to one of the other members of the Larry Morales, specifically, has been answering Outreach Committee, or to Janet Ernst. questions the last few Sundays. Larry has details and computer designs of what this may look like. We ask you to donate your cast-off clothing that's And there is a draft contract available. clean and still in good condition and whatever other small items you think are salable. The money goes The Committee is working on a draft document that toward providing scholarships to Camp Olmsted, a will outline the rules and regulations regarding the United Methodist Camp in Cornwall-on-the purchase of a niche. The niches will be available to Hudson, NY. The camp accepts children of limited members and non-members under a two-tiered means from the ages of 6 to 11. The cost for this pricing policy that has yet to be fully determined. year is $310 per child plus a $20 fee for the We plan to reserve some of the niches for PAUMC application. It covers a 10-day stay at the camp members who can't afford to buy a space but have with everything included. expressed a desire to be inurned here. Please place your donations in the bin that is located If the congregation decides to allow the project to in the west vestibule. move forward, a final contract will be determined WEDNESDAY and review by legal counsel. A minimum EVENING'S contribution will be estaMished for the purchase of ··- DURING MAY the right to inurn. All proceeds will go to the Board of Trustees to pay for the installation of the Adult On May 5th, we started columbarium and to increase the endowment for continued building and capital projects. our 4-week Seminar on Education the controversies raised by the mystery novel, If there is an agreement to continue the process, it is The DaVinci Code by anticipated that the columbarium would be in place Class Dan Brown. Many of our by the end of the summer. community of faith have been asking questions concerning the validity of many of the details and If you are unable to be in church on one of the Sundays, observations made about Christ and his relationship with but would like additional information, please contact Mary Magdalene. Also, many Christian theories are Larry Morales, Chairperson, or any of the Columbarium presented in the book. Pastor Sara and Pastor Bill will Committee,, members. be leading this discussion which will look at the life of Mary Magdala, will explore the role of women in the early church, and will talk about the theories of Christ's life that are portrayed in the book. We will be honored to have Father Tim Martin, an editor at America magazine, join us on May 26th. He will speak with us about Opus Dei and Roman Catholic responses to Brown's novel. You will not need to have read the book. We promise we won't reveal too much of the fascinating ending. Sessions begin about 6:45 PM following the prayer service at 6:30 PM. 7 COLUMBARIUM UPDATE sign.ificant number of churches already havt columbaria. On Sunday, May 16th, immediately following the worship service, we will have a special called "church Even though we as a society avoid talking abou conference" conducted by our District Superintendent, death, we hope that this can be a time o: Rev. Noel Chin. Rev. Chin will preach at the morning contemplation and planning for our members anc worship services and lead this special meeting. Please friends. Our church is where members and friend~ note this is an official call for the purpose of all church celebrate and share with family, friends and othe1 members voting on the following resolution. loved ones the major events in our lives: birth baptism, confirmation, marriage and ongoin~ Whereas, all that we do as a community worship of our faith. The addition of ~ expresses clearly the two fold nature of the columbarium will enable P AUMC to complete ~thi~ Christiaq. perspective of death: the facts of death cycle by adding and honoring our final event. Ow and bereavement are honestly faced, and the gospel pastors have received inquiries, letters and of resurrection is celebrated in the context of God's instructions from Church members regarding thei.t baptismal Covenant with us in Christ. details and wishes for a funeral or memorial service Whereas, we now wish to expand the focus of and the hope for an establishment of a our ministry as the Church deals with death. We colurnbarium. now wish to add to our sanctuary a columbarium to provide for the inurning of ashes for the deceased. For some of our community, family members are located throughout our country, and the church hru; Therefore be it resolved, that the Board of been asked to make contact in an emergency. • Trustees is authorized to proceed with the installation of a columbarium in the northeast If accepted in the church vote on May 16th, our comer of the sanctuary. columbariurn will be located at the north end of the furth~r ~.. resolved,,..r.that...... ,,the Columbarium east aisle of the rear ofthe sanctuary. This site was Committee, appointed by the Board of Trustees, is selected after reviewing other possibilities within authorized to provide appropriate information and our Church facility. The location was selected, in contracts for those who wish to purchase the right to part, because it is both discreet and accessible to the a niche and provide ongoing oversight for this worship area for a committal rite integral with a project. funeral service, as well as being easily accessible for visitation. Why are we having this special meeting? We also know that there are some who feel for a For the last five years, the Board of Trustees has variety of reasons that having a columbarium in the presented an idea for a columbarium to the sanctuary is not appropriate. congregation through newsletter articles and informational sessions following worship services. Therefore, we are giving the congregation the opportunity to vote on this project, so that all may To remind you, a columbarium is generally a stone express their opinion through discussion and a vote. or brick structure that composed of a number of This project will move forward or be cancelled by separated enclosed spaces called niches that hold the outcome of a vote of all members present on urns containing a deceased's cremated remains. May 16th. The proposed custom-designed marble-faced When the idea surfaced in 1999, there were some columbarium at PAUMC will contain 78- strong opinions expressed, both for and against. companion niches (allowing for 2 urns per niche for The Board of Trustees and Church Council have a maximum total of 156 urns). The concept of a given careful and prayerful consideration to this columbarium is not new to New York City's project. We want all opinions to be heard and then religious community. For example, in Manhattan a a vote will be taken. 6 March for Women's Lives." It was empowering as a . Business Section on 4/27 in an article on hotel costs Christian to realize that other people of faith are pro as ... Our seminary intern, Liz Jones, received two choice when so much of the conservative rhetoric awards at Drew University. The Patricia Wickham against choice heavily uses religious language. Award for academic scholarship in the field of feminist/womanist scholarship. This award was Thanks for all of your support as we journeyed to established by the parents of Patricia Wickham, who Washington, D.C., and witnessed to our faith on behalf was struck down while running by a vehicle. The of this church community. second award was the Edward D. Zinbarg Prize, awarded annually to a student in any of Drew Submitted by Margaret McGrath University's schools who has creatively linked Jewish studies and the study of other religious traditions. Liz IN APPRECIATION was the first Theological School recipient of this award, given in honor of her study ofthe Jewish ethic Saturday Community of peah for the poor, and how it relates to the Fourth " Feeding Program World Movement, the Wesleyan social principles, and May 1st the Bruderhoff communities. Congratulations Liz! ... Kristina Kittelsen ran the Flora London Marathon On a warm spring day, we with the Breakthrough team on 4/18 and completed served baked ziti with meat the course in 3:51:12 hours. Breakthrough is a U.K sauce, salad and bread, with based charity committed to fighting breast cancer cookies & apples for dessert. Our newest chefs, Jennifer through research and awareness. There is still time to Smiles and Michael Walker, assisted head chef Chris make a donation to "Breakthrough Breast Cancer" and Lamar-Sterling, along with Susan Langley, Lita Reyno, sponsor Kristina ... Our former pastoral intern, and Pastor Sara. Jennifer and Michael are all set to fly Matthew L. Pierce, was in N.Y. the first week-end in solo on June 5th. Thanks for volunteering, Jennifer and May and attended the 9:00AM worship service before Michael! heading up to the Bronx to preach at the Fordham UMC, the church he served before he came here. Our servers weicomed our iuncli gue:,is at· 2pm, Those of us who attended erijoyed hearing him.preach providing service with a smile and generous portions. once again. He reports that he's working hard at Duke, Richard Grayson led the serving crew, assisted by Carol doing well and enjoying his studies. He sends Robinson, Lisa Cecchini, Lauren Smith, Jeremy Barry, greeting to all. .. Anna Delson is leaving to go on a Mary Ellen Kris, Joy Kaufman, Dana Blanton, Graham Mediterranean cruise that begins in Rome and stops in Relf, Kerry Baker-Relf, and Bibi Banoo. such romantic ports of call as Malta, St. Tropez, Corfu, etc. Bon voyage, Anna... Since Anna is We are grateful to our wonderful volunteers for giving their time on a beautiful Saturday. We're still lookiilg unavailable, Janet Ernst is looking for a new cashier for head chefs to join the team, and we will need partner for the upcoming rummage sale. Anyone volunteers for our summer dates, July 3'd and August 7th. interested?... we said a special goodbye to Pat Henry Please let Lisa Smith, our volunteer coordinator, know if who has moved to Ohio to be closer to friends and you are available to help cook or serve a meal. family there. Pat retired from her position with Citibank and we will miss her cheery smile and her Our sympathies to volunteer dedication to the rummage sales and Susie Babcock, on the membership committee ... The New York Oratorio death of her Society, which includes some members of our church grandfather Charles choir, will be performing at Carnegie Hall on May 13, Babcock, Sr. under the direction of Dr. Lyndon Woodside. The program is Dvorak Stabat Mater and the concert begins at 8:00 PM... Melissa Unkel, our secretary for the last three years has departed for Europe and a summer of operatic singing. We will miss her, but HEARD HERE 'N THERE wish her much success ... Please welcome Ginger Green who is our new secretary. Bjorn Hansen, a "Lodging Analyst" with Price Waterhouse was quoted in the New York Times ._ 5 ,, Conference. These institutions are: Anchor House, City Hall Park Overnight Vigil: We need folks. Bethany Methodist Home of Brooklyn, Bethel Methodist to join Pastor Sara, Liz Clark, Elaine Brooks', Church Home, Brooklyn Methodist Church Home, The Lorie Montgomery, and Lisa Smith who are Children's Home, Methodist Church Home for the staying outside all night in solidarity with the Aged, United Methodist Homes, and Women's homeless ofNYC. We also need folks to pledge Advocate Ministry. These eight facilities continue to support to our Overnight Witness volunteers. offer essential services to people with special needs, care The funds collected will be donated to the for children, the elderly, women in crises and those Interfaith Assembly on Housing and addicted'to drugs. We are asking for help in supporting Hometessness. this important work of the United Methodist Church. You may designate one of the agencies on the envelopes SAM May 14th Breakfast with Elected that will be provided next Sunday. Undesignated Officials and Homeless People , offerings are distributed equally to the eight ministries. Please sign up with Outreach Committee members during Fellowship Hour or contact Pastor Sara to participate in one or all of iliese UPCOMING ADVOCACY advocacy opportunities. OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE OUTREACH COMMITTEE RECAP OF THE MARCH FOR WOMEN'S LIVES It's important for people of faith to be empowered On Sunday, April 25th, at the March for Women's Lives by their faith to make a difference in our world. in Washington, D.C., six members of Park Avenue Social advocacy has always been a strong tradition marched in support of a woman's right to choose an in United Methodism and is evidenced in our Social abortion. Pastor Sara Lamar-Sterling, Liz Clark, Cindy Principles. Our Outreach Committee invites you to Drew, Melissa Hobley, Margaret McGrath, Jennifer participate in the opportunities listed below. See Warren, and some of their family members marched Pastor Sara if you are interested. You can look up with approximately one million other pro-choice the Social.Principles online at www.umc.org. Here s1.1pporters in one of the largest marches in recent are some '~ways to put yom faith in action this memory. While the news outlets tended to portray the sprmg: march as a women's event, men, and children of varying ages also attended. Women's ages ranged from junior high school and college students to grandmothers - Thursday, May 13t\ "Building the Blessed City: maybe even great-grandmothers! Ending Chronic Homelessness and Establishing a Sound Housing Policy in NYC. This event is The marchers carried placards from a variety of abortion sponsored by the Interfaith Assembly on Housing and rights organizations. We saw many humorous, bawdy, Homelessnesss, an organization that works with the East or thought-provoking t-shirts, including one popular Side Congregations for Housing Justice. There are with men that proclaimed, "This is what a feminist looks several ways to be a part of this event that seeks to raise like" and others advertising the Religious Coalition for awareness about housing and homelessness issues here Reproductive Choice (www.rcrc.org). According to in our city. Please participate in one or all of them! Planned Parenthood, the march was peacefully attended by representatives from all fifty states and sixty 2PM Religious leaders meet with the Mayor countries, as many developing nations are affected by and City Council to discuss ending chronic our government's limiting decisions regarding funding homelessness, at City Hall. for women's health care, birth control, and abortions: 7PM The 20th Annual Convocation Service Jennifer Warren commented that the march gave her with the Rev. James Forbes preaching at Trinity hope "at a time when I'm beginning to feel very Church followed by a procession to City Hall discouraged about the direction our country is Park and the Overnight Vigil. Trinity Church is taking ... .I'm so thankful to be able to stand up for my located downtown on Broadway at Wall Street opinions and faith at the same time." Pastor Sara said, and is accessible by the following trains and "[The march] was a great way for our PAUMC buses: 2,3,4,5 to Wall Street; 1,9,N,R Rector contingent to witness to our faith. Throughout the day, I Street; J,M,Z to Broad; or the Ml and M6 saw representatives from Jewish, Presbyterian, Roman buses. Catholic, and United Methodist congregations on the 4 .{.)>.. ., SPECIAL WORSHIP OPPORTUNITY them, Rebecca feels, understands how complicated and We will need to postpone our praise and worship dangerous love actually is. service with guest musicians "Revelations of As her unlikely friendship with the ex-monk grows Tyme". They are having some scheduling toward something deeper, and Michael wrestles with his difficulties but promise to find another date to come despair while adjusting to a second career flipping worship with us! hamburgers at McDonald's, Rebecca struggles with her own temptation to hope. But it is not until she is brought SUNDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY up short by the realities of life and death that she begins to glimpse the real mystery of love, and the All are welcome to be a part of the unfathomable depths of faith. Adult Bible Study on Sundays at 9:30 AM. We meet on the 3rd floor Beautifully written and playfully engaging, this novel is for prayer, discussion, and a good about one man wrestling with his yearning for a life of cup of coffee. Please join us contemplation and the need for a life of action in the anytime. Starting April 18th, our world. But it's Rebecca's spirit, as well as her theme will be God's Good Creation: Being Good relationships with Mary Martha, Phoebe, her Stewards of Our Earth. In June, we will be reading the irresponsible surfer ex-husband Rory and, of course, the Psalms and responding with some sacred poetry of our monk downstairs, that makes this story shine. own. COSTA RICA GREAT FICTION MISSION TRIP INFORMATIONAL MEETING The next meeting will be on Thursday, May 27, at 6:30PM Want to take a vacation with a purpose? On Tuesday, in Clarke Hall. The book is May 11th at 7 PM, Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie, our Annual "The Monk Downstairs" by Conference Mission and Outreach Coordinator will visit Tim Fenington and it is with us to provide information about P AliMC' s available for purchase at the participation on an international mission trip to Costa church for $12. Our discussion leader will be Rica. He'll have a powerpoint presentation to introduce Pastor Bill Shillady. Anyone who has read the book mission work, provide guidance on fundraising for the is welcome to come to the meeting and join us for trip, and help us develop a workable time frame. Our dinner afterwards at a nearby restaurant. trip would be in January or February 2005 for a week. We would choose a project on which to work as a team - Book Description: Rebecca Martin is a single either building a church or facility or working with mother with an apartment to rent and a sense that she has children or youth. Plan to consider joining a volunteer in used up her illusions. I had the romantic thing with my mission team with a number ofPAUMC folks joining in first husband, thank you very much, she tells a hapless our special United Methodist connection. suitor. I'm thirty-eight years old, and I've got a daughter learning to read and a job I don't quite like. I don't need We will meet in Clarke Hall, on the 3rd floor. tke violin music. But when the new tenant in her in-law Refreshments will be provided. For more information, apartment turns out to be Michael Christopher, on the please talk to Pastor Sara. Everyone is welcome to lam after twenty years in a monastery and smack dab in attend. the middle of a dark night of the soul, Rebecca begins to suspect that she is not as thomughly disillusioned as she GOLDEN CROSS SUNDAY had thought. Support the Health and Welfare Ministries Her daughter, Mary Martha, is delighted with the new arrival, as is Rebecca's mother, Phoebe, a rollicking within the NY Annual Conference widow making a new life for herself among the spiritual eccentrics of the coastal town of Bolinas. Even Sunday, May 9th, is the day our annual conference Rebecca's best friend, Bonnie, once a confirmed cynic in observes Golden Cross Sunday, a special offering to lift matters of the heart, urges Rebecca on. But none of up the ministry of the eight United Methodist Health and Welfare facilities affiliated with the New York 3 $ 00.39° ... : 00043511 52 FEB 01 2006 aaa::~::a&.:llll:.liU:::: MAILED FROM ZIP CODE 1 0028 106 East 86th Street New York, NY 10028 "Word in Edgeways" DELIVER TO: CLARKE FAMILY 45 EASTERN PROMENADE APT 9J PORTLAND ME 04101-482J 'I ! ! I I NEW MEMBERS The next new member's class will be held on March 19th. All who have asked the pastors for information on joining the congregation are asked to fill out this form. Please fill this out and return it to the pastors through the offering plate, or mail it to the church office. We will be scheduling an inquirer's class in late January or early February. We hope many of you will consider uniting officially with our congregation as we ask all in our family of E S faith to renew their faith in Christ as part of our ritual of official membership. Please use the tear-off below and return it to the pastors. Name(s): ______'.j Address: ______.Apt.:. ___City: ______.Zip Code: ______Home Phone:------Work Phone:------Email:------My membership is currently at: ------ Name of church, city and state I will join by reaffirmation of faith. ___ ., REGULAR SUNDAY SCHEDULE 7:00am- Doors open for meditation 9:00 am- Chancel Communion Worship 9:30 am- Bible Study, Clarke Rm. 3rd Floor, Prayer Group, Library February 2006 II :00 am- Celebration Worship (Sanctuary) Child Care and Sunday School available 3rd and 4th floor PARK A VENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Fellowship Time follows the service in the Russell Room 12:30 pm-Brunch Club 106 East 86th Street New York, NY 10028 212-427-5421 Email: [email protected] Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat ---· -· - *Literary Group 6:30 *MEGA KARATE 1 *Prayer Service 8 AM 2 *MEGA KARATE 3 *AA 7 PM Russell 4 Community Feed- * denotes weekly PM Clarke Hall 7 PM Russell Rm. *Doctors Men's Meeting 7 PM Russell Rm. Rm. * ALANON 7 PM ing Program event *Ganea Music School 6:30PM Russell Rm. Clarke Hall SPRC Meeting 6:30PM 4:15-7:45PM Choir Lina Crisostomo Cheryl Kelly Jennifer Karim Room Billy Taylor Tracey Simmons 5 HOLY COMMUNION 6 7 Membership 8 · 9 Disciple Bible 10 11 Organist Task Force Bud Brown Committee 6:30PM Thomas Giardina Study 7:30PM Dana Bober Kevin Robinson Susan Branch Kathleen Giardina Jill Grummert Jennifer Levin Kemi Williams -'; ,': __ / ~v- ·12 Regular Worship 13 Board of Trustees 14 15 Thomas Hansen- 16 17 Costa Rica Mis- 18 Second Sunday Concert 2 6:30PM Library Val Hackett Quao Vania Costa sion departure PM Kelsey Neal IPTAR 6:00PM Clarke Dorcas Simpson Hall Maria McDaniel 19 Regular Worship 20 21 22 2 3 Disciple Bible 24 Costa Rica Mis- 25 Organist Task Force Carol Foster Sheryl LaBac Study 7:30PM sion return Robert Raeburn Space for Grace Abraham First-Quao YCP Meeting BAM Holly Taylor 6:30PM EmmaHouton Dee Schaffield Abigail Houton Craig Zello 26 Regular Worship 2 7 Outreach Commit- 28 ASH WEDNESDAY IPTAR 4:30PM Clarke Hall tee 6:30PM March 1 Holy Communion Anette Lewis Services 8 AM and Will be offered Mia Siciliano 6:30PM From 7 AM till 8 AM Rev. Richard Rice From 5 to 6:30PM l ~nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ~nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn_~nnnnnnnnnn_nn_nnlJ~ ~ n ". . - .. . . ·-· .. . ~ ~ n !-, SECOND SUNDAY SERIES CONCERT /; ~ Sunday, February 12, 2006 /; g PARK AVENUE UNITED g " 2:00 p.m. n " n g METHODIST CHURCH Z g MICHl WIANCKO, violin -2 Q ~ J; Winner, 2002 Concert Artists Guild International Competition n Q n 1 Q 106 East 86 h Street, New York, NY 10028 n 0 Vwlinist Michi Wiancko is gaining renown as a musician of exceptional artistic integrity, graceful p~rfonnance and J'1 ... inspired programming. \Vinner of the 2002 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Ms. Wiancko made her ,... Q n lfl Nc\v York solo recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, as part of the Concert Artists Guild Winners fl~ D Sclie.s. Ms. \Viancko is the recipient of numerous honors, including first place awards from the American String n ,_. Teachers Association Competition, Cleveland Institute of Music and Music Academy of the \Vest Concerto n g SU~[)A~ C()~C~VT ~~1:21~~ Z i5 Competitions, and the Music Teachers National Association Competition. n Q n Q ~ Q Highlights for the 2004-05 season include performances of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Bakt:rsfield ~ ,... Symphony and Santa Maria Ph.ilharmonic in Califomia, and the Roswell Symphony in New Mexico, as well as ... Q Presents ~ •fl recitals in New York, including the CAG Violin recital series presented by the Brooklyn Public Library. •fll Q n Q ,... In December 2003, Ms. \Viancko was invited to make her debut as soloist with the New York Philharmonic at n... Q . n •• Avery fisher Hall, pcrfom1ing "Winter" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, as part of a special Holiday program, and •fl Q MICHl WIANCKO, violin n Q !l.. additional highlights of her 2003-04 season included recitals presented by the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock /; Winner, 2002 Concert Artists Guild International Competition 1': · and the Palm Springs Concert Association. Following her Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in 1997, Ms. Wi:mcko lJ g ~ ~- has appeared at such major vcmleS as Carnegie Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Redlands Bowl, nann fit Q Centre, Library of Congress. National Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and •- ~ (~~ Q the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, among numerous others. In July 2004 she releases her first CD entitled IJ Q ~~ flllt ~ f'latimtm Spirals, featuring works by Ravel, Beethoven, Joan Tower, Fritz Kreisler and others, accompanied on r-. •• piano by Dina Yainshtein. flfl n Featuring works by 1: n ~ Q Ms. \Vmncko has dist\ng,uis.hed herself as a chamber musician of tremendous sensitivity, leading to her re...:enl n Z Beethoven, Sarasate & Lutoslawski Z appointment as the newest member of the renO\vned Los Angeles Piano Quartet, with which she has toured ... n throughout North America. She has also participated in numerous tours with Musiciam• Jiwn Marlhoro, as a result •fl n n J': of her three consecutive sununers in residence at the Marlboro Music Festival. She has also performed regularly " ,... with the Boston-based Metamorphosen Ensemble, both as a member and as soloist. Ms. Wiancko \Vas a participant ,.... n n •• in Isaac Stern's Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall, as well the Aspen Festival Center for Advanced ~- n n n Quartet Studies and Music Academy of the \Vest. n Sunday, February 12, 2006 n ~1s. Wiancko is a\so co-founder of ECCO, a conduc\or-\ess chamber mchestra comprised of smne of the must n Z Z /'; tJkntcd young chamber musicians, soloists and principal string players in major Amencan orchestras. Translating n 2:00p.m. " ~ this tlivcTsity of experience and virtuosity into a unified ensemble approach, ECCO combines the strL·ngth and power J'; n n or an orchestral ensemble with the personal, intimate nature of chamber musiC. " Z Third Floor Z n :\ native of Southern California, Michi Wiancko began playing the violin at the age of 3, her early teachers mdude /1 ... Sharon Holland and Harounme 13edelian. She went on to graduate from the Clevehind Institute of Music, where she ,.., n n ·~ studied with Donald Weilcrstein, and recently earned her Master of Music degree at The Juillianl School, working ·~ n ~ •fl closely \vith Rohert Mann. •fl n ~ .g !laving traveled extensively, Ms. Wiancko cites numerous world music inOueticcs inspiring her tu push the -2 n n •• boundancs of classical n.. ·pertoire and explore new genres. She performs regularly with Batt/('star America, a !\!.!w •• /; Suggested donation: Adults- $10 n J': Ymk~bnsed ensemble performing innovative hip-hop, country, soul and elech·onica. Ms. Wiancko has also workt:d ~ ,.. \\'itlt :vl:uk 0'(\,nnor. and her musical interests include both country fiddle and gypsy violin. ... Seniors and Students - $5 We must not forget our brothers and sisters in the Gulf Coast region. Everyone said that if it hadn't been for the faith-based response to the disaster they would not have We thank the following people who worked at the hope. Saturday Feeding Program on January 7th: Bill Shillady (head chef) Chelsea Powell, Kieran Sekyiamah, Allyson Hirsh, Susan Bonham, Gaston Ceron, Rena Strappazzon Ceron, Kevin Nelson, Kristin Barry, Jeremy Barry, Dana Blanton, Florence Long, Erin Cesta, Shannon Whitt, Ingrid Hodge, and Bibi Banoo. •5 , I We made our way to the East Lawn United Methodist government is slow, and though some properties were ' Church and many houses looked fine on the outside, but completely cleared of debris with only a cement slab when we began our work, we saw the destructive force of remaining, others had not been touched. water on the inside, as this entire community had about 3 to 4 feet of water in their homes during the storm surge and We blew out a tire from the debris. An angel by the name the waves that traveled miles off of the gulf coast beach. of John Sykes appeared. His home had been destroyed, but he was lucky, because the insurance claim would be both We were greeted by Marlin Brown, a United Methodist flood and wind damage. So many were not as lucky. John, NOMAD. These are RV owners who travel around the obviously a mover and a shaker in Pascagoula, changed our country working on United Methodist campgrounds, flat and thanked us profusely for coming to help those in disaster sites, and churches that need repair work. Marlin is their community that they could not help themselves planning on spending about 6 months in Pascagoula because of their own destruction. Marlin, and Duane Windham from the East Lawn Church were responsible for supervising and coordinating the work Our major effort that first week was in the house of Dot of so many Volunteers in Mission who were at the East Lett on Doby Road. Dot is about 70 years old, a reti)ed Lawn Church. There was a team of women from Kansas practical nurse. Obviously she had recently suffered a who were cooking for all 145 volunteers who were sleeping stroke. She is also the guardian of her 14-year-old autistic there that week. We were assigned a classroom for our and challenged nephew. They had an aide with them for 24 sleeping bags and air mattresses. We were shown the two hours a day. All three were livmg in the 10 by 15 foot showers that were available, and the fellowship hall where FEMA trailer next to Dot's destroyed house. On the meals were served. outside the house looked fine, but on the inside, all that was left were the studs. All of her earthly possessions were They explained to us the work team assignments and that under a carport in the back yard. One of our team members now, some five months after the hurricane, we would be took her Bible to her and she cried. We packed up all these hanging sheet rock, mudding and taping or roofing. All of possessions, hoping they may make it back into the house. the buildings and houses within a few miles of the church had water in them up to about 3 or 4 feet. Many had been Her story was emotional and as we hung sheet rock and she cleaned out, wet insulation and dry wall removed, cleaned came into the house for the first time in months, we saw her of mold, and air-dried. At this point, church members and energized and more talkative for the frrst time since we met community people were calling the church to ask for help her. We wound up buying the sheet rock for her whole and work teams. Many did not have flood insurance and house. Though we were not able to finish it all, we knew would only receive a $15,000 grant from FEMA for that Marlin and Duane would make sure that her house was reconstruction. Thousands can't afford to have it done completed so that Dot and Joseph could move back into professionally and many are unable to do it themselves. their own home. The last morning, we worked with a team from Auburn, Alabama who would take over our project. We had some time before dinner to tour the beach area. The destruction was overwhelming. It is hard to put in We had communal meals with all the teams from Kansas, words what the force of nature destroyed in the hours of Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina, North Dakota, Illinois, Hurricane Katrina. Mile after mile, block after block of Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama. I found a friend destruction. The first floors washed away and second from my Duke Seminary days who is the -chaplain at floors and roofs precariously balanced on timber and frame. ~offord College. He had 20 students who were doing We discovered that insurance settlements are slow the relief work as a January term project. Our next stop was the house of Barr and Cecile McCleiJan of our church. They have a house in Gulfport that became our home for three nights. We met Aunt Vera and Uncle Gene who lost their home in the Hurricane. We met their daughter Cheryl, whose home also was lost. Barr and Cecile opened their home to Gene and Vera and to us. And we had three showers for six people. And Aunt Vera, and the people of Nugent UM Church hosted us with meals and feUowship that were beyond compare. Members and friends of the Nugent church gathered for a dinner to meet us and honor us on Friday night. We met the John Syke 's house on the beach road. Reverends Larry and Terry Hilliard and their family. Larry is pastor of the Nugent UMC and Terry is Pastor of the Won't you join me in being a love fundamentalist this GREAT FICTION Valentine's day? DISCUSSION GROUP Love is "patient; love is kind; love is not envious or Join us for February 23, 2006, at 6:30 PM for our boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own discussion of the book, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. way: it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in Pastor Bill will lead the discussion on this book which wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, Robinson writes with incisive thought and careful prose believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." to illuminate the life of a minister in Gilead, Iowa. Paul, 13th chapter of the first letter to Corinth, maybe a Following the discussion we'll enjoy dinner together at a Valentine's day message. nearby restaurant. In God's love, joy, and humor, Pastor Bill rr Books can be purchased on Sundays from Dave, our Security Guard, for $12. Please make your checks ) CHURCHCALENDAR payable to PA ~ 8 February 1 \ Wednesday, 6:30PM MISSISSIPPI MISSION TRIP Staff-Parish Relations Committee, January 16 to 23rd Pastor Bill's apartment February 2nd, Thursday, 6:30PM Space for Grace Planning Team, Pastor Sara's apartment February Sib, Sunday, Following the service Interview of guest organist February 7th, Tuesday, 6:30PM Membership Committee Meeting, Clarke Hall February 13th, Monday, 6:30PM Board of Trustees, Library February 17th, Friday, SAM Costa Rica Mission Team departs from PAUMC February 19th, Sunday, following the service In Biloxi, Mississippi, George Leopold, Pastor Bill Interview of guest organist Bryan Hooper, and Rose Tavano look at the NYAC February 23ro, Thursday, 6:30PM Disaster Response Tool Trailer purchase with a grant Great Fiction, Clarke Hall From the Park Ave. UM Trust Fund. February 27th, Monday, 6:30PM Outreach Committee; Our team included Betsy Calhoun, Michael Craig, Bryan Business meeting begins at 6:45PM. Hooper, George Leopold, Bill Shillady, Rose Tavano, MUSIC DIRECTOR AND ORGANIST We arrived in Mobile, Alabama and the weather was a bit SEARCH warmer than New York City -- about 65 degrees. We somehow managed to fit all of the luggage and six people 1 ' During Sundays in February and March we will have into our mini-van to make our drive to Pascagoula, where 1 ·, guest organists/choir directors as the finalists in our we had been assigned by the Mississippi Annual search for a permanent music director. We are grateful Conference Disaster Response Center. to Richard Bouchette who has led us so well since last October. A special task force has been established by As we drove along Interstate 10, we began to see signs of the Staff Parish Committee and they will be meeting the hurricane. Trees were down, signs were missing or with the persons prior to or after their musical leadership broken, some roofs had tarps on them. Traffic signs were on Sunday. We had over 30 applicants for the position leaning over. However, almost everything seemed open for and we have chosen these finalists. You will read about business. When we got off the interstate, we traveled on them in the announcements. Your feedback to either of county roads and began to see much more devastation and the pastors will be appreciated. Serving on the task destruction. More trees down, more roofs with tarps and force are Sharon Johnson, Walter Spencer, Florence many seriously damaged buildings were visible from the Long, Yvette Vasquez, Nancy Caudill, and Janice road. One place had a row of about six trees down on their Mayer. house and other trees broken off about 20 feet above the ground. '\ f"\,-- ... Hunt, William Holman [Print Article]- World Book Online Reference Center (American I. .. Page 1 of 1 PRINT Print this page Hunt, William Holman (1827-1910), an English painter, was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a leading English art movement of the mid-1800's. See Pre-Raphaelit~ Brotherhood. Hunt painted in a precise, detailed style. Many of his pictures emphasize moral or social symbolism. Hunt strived for authenticity in his work. He made three trips to Egypt and Palestine to paint Biblical scenes with accurate detail. His best-known pictures include The Light of the World (1853-1856), The Awakening Conscience (1853-1854), and The Scapegoat (1854). Hunt was born in London on April 2, 1827, and entered the Royal Academy at the age of 18. Hunt began his career portraying scenes from the novels of Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott. He died in London on Sept. 7, 1910. How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: "Hunt, William Holman:" World Book Online Reference Center. 2005. World Book, Inc. 28 Nov. 2005 © 2005 World Book, Inc. All rights reserved. WORLD BOOK and the • GLOBE DEVICE are registered trademarks or trademarks of World Book, http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wb/PrintArticle?id=ar267435 11/28/05 Page I of2 :::? L ott• o o¥au loOO L73WE Subj: Holman Hunt story Date: 12/22/05 7:57:55 AM Eastern Standard Time From: [email protected] (John and Helen Neff) To: [email protected] I don't think I have the original story any longer but I have used it often so I think I remember. Here goes: During an exhibition at the Museum of the Royal Academy in London a woman approached the noted artist Holman Hunt whose widely acclaimed painting "Christ the Light of the World" was the featured attraction. They were standing together before the painting which depicts Christ wearing a kingly crown and holding a lighted lantern. He is standing with anticipation before the closed wooden door of a massive stone wall. After some time of reflection, the woman turned to the artist and said, ''This is a remarkable painting, Mr. Hunt, and it rightly deserves the great praise that it has received. There is, however, a flaw, a mistake that you may have overlooked. There is no latch on the door. How is it to be opened?" "Ah," said the artist, "I am so glad you noticed that. This is no ordinary door. It is the door to the human heart and it can only be opened from within." Good luck in your preparations. Hope you made it to the city, but we suspect that you might have cancelled. Sounds like NYC might be in gridlock. John Headers Return-Path: ' .. :.~ ' A Day of Sacred Places-·· , ·• .. c . L:. :y. ; Sirens sounded last Sept. 11. Bells will side Church, whieli is ·big eni)ugh to ·ac~ • sound on this one. commodate such a large gathiering. · Responding to a request by New Mayor Bloomberg and GKtV. George ·York's rpayor, Michael Bloomberg, Pataki have asked ~hurchest,~toptmthetr churches J~Cross New York will ring their doors to provid~ sacred spaCE! to the pub~ bells at 10:29 a.m., the exact minute lie throughout the !lay next WedneSday. when the world Trade Center's north M:any churclles haye taken ·tltlis concept tower feU .. Along the Upper West Side, of openness one step further dy planntrig the riliging will begin before that, lead- interfaith seniices,,a proaiiiMmt ft~ature ing up to a citywide moment of silence at of the commemorative events. · 8:46 a.m., when _the first plane hit the The Rev. Arthur Calian4r~~~ of Marble Trade. Center. ·• Collegiate Church, is a co-chaRr of A Part· But bells are not the only way that nership of ~"'aithJone group planni:tig New York's C~I:U'ches .are r..ommemorat· such a service this week. He .explains ···· ing the dats anniversary. At the Park that worshiping with those of' • o.r •• ·'''·""'• •·.•·. • '·"" .,,, ,. .,.~,;..,..w.~ ''' ~A L, L S o·u L 5' _ , I New Book Available~ "Forrest Church has given us a great gift-a way to understand the meaning of America in spiritual te:rms .... This book shows us why so many Americans for over two centuries have kept their faith in our fundamental principles." -PRESIQENT WILLIAM J. CLIJ-TTON *"This marvelous primer accessibly and fairly explores the intersection of freedom and faith in American lif~." -PUBLISHER's WEJ~KLY (STARRED) REVIEW "I wish that every American would read and ponder this important book. Forrest Church has become our preeini nent preacher of faith and freedom." -GEoRGE McGoveRN "The American Creed is a ·thoughtful and appealing interpretation of the ideals that hold us together as Americans. This is patriotism of the highest quality." -··ARTHUR M. SCHLESINGER,, JR. ! America was, as the founders knew. an experiment. ,~------,, Like all experiments, is started with a precept, a I \ I would like to order __ ~c:opies of The American Creed "given "-in this case a set of truths so rock-ribbed and at the cost of $20 plus $2 shipping per book. My check is essential that they were deemed "self-evident." Truth cast enclosed. in language that, in turn, spells out the truth for succeed ing generations deserves to be called a creed. So it is Please send to: with Thomas Jefferson s preamble to the Declaration of Independence. The faith ofa nation is captured in its Name------·------words, words that flash with moral inspiration and shine on as a lasting inheritance. Address --from The American Creed The American Creed is available for $20 in the Church City/State/Zip office and at the Book Table on Sundays at coffee hour. You may also order it by sending in the order form to the right with a check for $20 plus $2 for shipping to the church at: I may be contacted the following way with any questions: : I Home phone 1157 Lexington Avenue Office phone •I New York, NY 10021 I attn: American Creed E-mail I I I Make checks payable to "All Souls" with American Creed in \ I ' .~ the memo. ------r II • • - I Bulletin ' I WELCOME Third Sunday in Lent 167TH Welcome to all those visiting the Park A venue United Methodist Church. ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY We greet all guests in the name of Jesus Christ. We invite you to join us for March 14th, 2004 a time of fellowship in the Russell Room in the basement area, accessible by 11 o'clock the east stairs or by the elevator. If you are visiting today, please fill out a visitor's card from the pew or make sure to sign the guest book at the door. PRELUDE "Variations" Mendelssohn Thank you! GREETERS AND USHERS Our greeters today are Stacey Staaterman and Anne Manos. The ushers are WELCOME Susan Langley, Sharon Johnson, Susan Moyer, Mavis Vann, Renee Fisher, and Dorothy Staine. LAY READER *CALL TO WORSHIP We welcome Cindy McCollum to the lectern today. Cindy has been a member since the late 1980's. She is originally from North Carolina. Since One: Welcome home. Come with your load oftroubles, 1999, she has owned a decorative painting company, specializing in All: Carry in your bundle of doubts. residential interiors. Her husband, Tom Uzzo, from Huntington, Long Island, also owns a small business. They were married in 2003, 25 years after they One: Bring them home first met. They live in the Yorkville neighborhood with their toy poodle, All: To a place of healing, John Henry, and enjoy the fellowship that PAUMC offers everyone. One: To a community of forgiveness, All: To this family of faith. FELLOWSHIP TIME One: Bring them home to God: We are honoring Rev. Clarke with a buffet luncheon in Clarke Hall. We All: A God who cares, have had many requests to attend, and we will try our best to accommodate One: Who lightens our load, everyone. Please be mindful of the large number of people and limited table All: Who gives us rest, space. Thanks go to Cathy Bose and the United Methodist Women's team One: Who helps us celebrate the past and all that has been, who have organized today's celebration. Our coffeehour team is assisting. All: Who gives us hope for the future and what will be, They are Martha Stallard, Emily Crawford, Lita Reyno, Judy Shillady, and And courage for each day, and a song for this moment. Melissa Robley. *HYMN#545 "The Church's One Foundation" Hymnal Pg. 545 NURSERY CARE Professional childcare is available for young children before the service starts on the fourth floor in the Classroom. Our Sunday school program for older children begins after the children leave the sanctuary following the Story on the Steps. Today, the Sunday School will meet in the library on the fourth floor. *Indicates standing if you are able Page I CALL TO CONFESSION seated UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION We welcome all of you who have come from near and far to our 0 Thou who hast made us for joy and not for sorrow, Anniversary celebration. We especially are grateful to those ofyou forgive that the cities we build are so heavily marked by who have contributed to help with the expenses of today. fear and violence. Behind bolted doors we sit, neither seeking our neighbor's good nor finding our own. We look Rev. Clarke will receive some special gifts on your behalf. We but do not see. We hear but do not listen. We crown but present him with a plaque in honor of his new status as "Pastor do not touch. We reach but do not feel. Forgive us our Emeritus". We have given him special business cards and you will sins, 0 God. Lengthen our reach. Broaden our sympathies. notice that his name appears on the back of the bulletin cover. We Help us, as Jesus loved the city of Jerusalem, to love this also are grateful to our member artist, Lisa Ingram, who has created city that we now call home. In His strong name we offer the beautiful stole that Rev. Clarke receives as the liturgical symbol this prayer. AMEN. of this distinction. And finally, a Yankee's shirt with the number 43 is a reminder of Phil's great love of that team. SILENT PRAYER AND TIME WITH GOD WORDS OF ASSURANCE Did you know that the day Rev. Clarke interviewed for the position of pastor here at Park A venue was the same day that Don Larsen pitched THE LORD'S PRAYER a no-hitter during the Yankees World Series. Phil took that as a sign Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. of God to come to be the pastor of this struggling church. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our We welcome Dr. Ronald B. Sobel, Senior Rabbi Emeritus of Temple trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And Emanu-El, New York City and Alpo Niskanen of the New York lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine Finnish Lutheran Congregation who met in our church during Phil's is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. tenure. STORY ON THE STEPS Our Congregation was founded on March 12, 1837, when a group of The children join the pastors on the step for a time of worship and Methodists who had been meeting in local homes, gathered in a room prayer. Today the children will sing "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" above a rum-selling store, and incorporated as the Methodist for us. Thank you to Julie and Gary Klein for leading the singing. congregation in Yorkville. The pastor of the John Street "Wesley ji.?;;.WYI,I'Q,A'~V/AI'/,#/.I./N/I/I/G/I/.#'1Y_,/_.../I/I/H/A''/,iij';W/H/,I;~.tf/'71/.4JI',{IF/I/I/.#/..i.WA"/I/.1/I/I':-:.'f'/A':-M.4o~~.,~·.:.r..r/.l~...r;~/~ Chapel" had been riding his horse up to this area to preach and ~ GREETINGS AND COMMUNITY CONCERNS I organize a Methodist Society. ~ We welcome all guests to our services this morning. ~ ~ ~ ~ Please fill out a welcome brochure in the pews ~ Happy Birthday Park A venue United Methodist! Congratulations ~ or sign the guest book at the door. ~ Rev. Clarke! ~JU/I/I/D:·J:~t/I/.,~/Q."41'/.V/AWM71_.:JY/.IYJif'/A'/AMtr/.i/I/,JH'/I:'JIV:.''IXI/!II'/I/I/¥/Itf'/1.411:·:1/.IXI/.I71/17.111':!e:'.I~:..,./I-~~/.#{I:#XIl'/MW/J Pagel Page 7 ,, '• ·.···•·, Ours is not a war marked by weapons of mass destruction. It is not a war wher body counts and collateral damage are the measures of progress. But ours is a W'i. nonetheless, a war in which there are uncounted casualties, unknown numbers ( people deeply hurt, and children of God sentenced to untold suffering. What war am I talking about? The war that lets loose volumes of extreme ar often hateful rhetoric whenever a political issue or nominee is brought forth for coJ sideration. The war that loses sight of living in harmony and love and respect as fn people of varying heritages and faith expressions. The war that pits neighbor again neighbor, friend against friend, and, yes, church member against church memb' and tears apart the fabric of human life! It happens nationally and internationally when nations and people lose track how to talk with ea<:;h other, live wj,th each other, and work with each other for co1 mon goals and for national and global health. It happens when people of faith - ev in the same major religious family - even in a single denomination or local cong1 gation - insist that one interpretati~n of God's word and God's gifts must prev against all others. It happens amongipeople who boldly proclaim the faith that people are children of God and yet refuse to accept and welcome some of those sm God-beloved children because the words they use or the life they live in expressi of that faith are not the same as theirs! fl" No O_I!~ side has a lock on these acts of civil war. Not any one group has a hold faith that" ov.ershadows another~ It is a malady that mimics civil war, whether we on the left or the right, espouse the red or the blue political philosophy, or are C< firmed crearionists; evolutionists or intelligent designers. It is painful to watch c1 feren:ce;s. of tl:ie church, ha:lls .of government, and town meetings of political I become the centers where civil'waris being fought. ,. Is it not time we put an end to the war? Is it not time we learned what it me. when we say we are all children of God? -ALL of us. Isn't it time we learn to together, gathered by the love of an omnipotent God, empowered thereby by common heritage, and learn to talk and deliberate and act for the good of each ott Isn't it time to forget left and right, red and blue, conservative and liberal, evang cal and social activist labels? How hurtful it is when we stand in warlike posl ready to divide neighbor from neighbor, nation from nation, party from party, ·believer from believer! Can we rrot sit down and reason together to discover the embracing compassion of the God who gave us life and who calls us to be one I pie of one world? We have done it in the wake of hurricanes, floods, earthqm and a tsunami. Isn't it time to put away our words of anger and mistrust and act the people of God in every aspect of life? We all know the words ofthe simple song: Jesus loves the little children, All the children the world. Red and yellow, black and white, They are precious in his sight. ""ear- J'O I' P-O J1N CJNt::ti.,f..<;JO.:i ,... ·· ;-G J,.d/::1 3Qt::tN3NO~d N;:::J3.LS&.3 s;-p 3.:':f::~t:n.:J ~ · ·d ru·Hd fi~~ / e;s;s ~.GBO 0008Z£; N #f::'f::'GOf::<6~# Df::'O 80~::1 ~IJ.d llt:;;.'(:::t<·:t::t:::t:::c:::~:::c:::t~:t<:f<:f:::t:: 1'1''1'''/1''1'1'11''1'1'''1''/1''1'1/''''''/ II 1'''1''1''''11/ Vrite the vision clearly on.the tablets, hat one may read it on the run." HABAKKUK ~:=-g~1~~i~ii#!i.IB?i~~r;:.····:~;:;~::·; .. ':~~:.····L· SJ )fi and varied response from United Methodist THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NEW YORK AREA 20 SOUNDV!tW AVENU£ WHJT£ PLAINS, NEW YORK 10606 n:l: 914-61!)...2.221 • 888-696-6922 F~:9t4-615-2246 DENNIS R. WINKLEBLACJ< www.nyac.com ASSISTANt TO THE BISHOP E-mail: [email protected] EVELYN R. BRUNSON New York Oty Office ADMINISTAAllVE. ASsiSTANT Tfl: 212·870.3092 TO THE BISHOP dists in the New York Area: / : name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Healer of our brokenness and Hope of the ions made by the Judicial Council concerning a pastor's refusal to allow a gay ··~h greatly distressed the Council of Bishops who met last week in North Car prayerful reflection and discussion, the Council issued a pastoral letter gays and lesbians to become members of United Methodist congregations. rong statements from the church's Constitution and Social Principles affirm- 1. "While pastors hav!3 the resppnsibility to discern readiness for member:- :,~,, '.',~QJ;ng:~,e-*H:;iiJJYd.~.J)Pt .9 .. t;>~rr..i~i.:'.... T'ch§; !~.tt~r~9.Q!}Q).IdRJ.~§.:.;~~}N,~,"g"~J,.YR9r:t.~!Lw,,.: ...... tstors and la1ty to make every congregation a commun1ty of hosp1tahty." The · Jnanimously by the Council of Bishops. illeader, I affirm .with my colleagues that our church is open to all, that all' per o God and of sacred worth. I believe that membership in our church must be veness, not exclusion. etters from many people expressing their deep concern, hurt, pain, sadness, 'r the Judicial Council decis.ions. Their letters show how much they care for llso urged the Council of Bishops to make an appeal to the Judicial Council for the cases involving a pastor's right to judge readiness for membership and of >y the Virginia Annual Conference to put a pastor on involuntary location. Con nderstanding, however, only the principle parties involved in a Judicial Council 'or reconsideration. Bishop Charlene Kammerer of the Virginia Annual Confer ·inciples, is considering all options. If she so chooses, I will support her deration . . of those in our church who feel themselves excluded because of their sexual important to me. Please coptinue to pray for our brothers and sisters who feel {the judicial decisions, and for God's guidance as our church continues its tand and practice what it means that we are a church with open hearts, open ::>ors. the Christ is God's living witness of hope, I, too, am hopeful that God is leading aithful for such a time as this. ,ce, - . ./) Response to Judicial Council decisions (Continued from page 1) to Exercise Judgment in Determining rotates in churches every 5 years or so, Who May Be Received into Member have the power to decide who cannot ship in the Local Church. join the local church. Why this exclu DIGEST: The decisions of law of sionism? It does not fit with my idea of Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer are Christianity · reversed. The 2004 Discipline invests + discretion in the pastor-in-charge to Just a few lines to say that I heartily make the determination of a person's support your position on the matter of a readiness to affirm the vows of member gay UMC minister. I take it that the ship (91 217). Paragraphs 214 and 225 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ wel are permissive and do not mandate comes us all to His fold. receipt into membership of all persons + regardless of their willingness to affirm We cannot claim to be a welcoming membership vows. church if we exclude anyone on the basis NEWSCOPE - November 11, 2005 of sexual orientation or any other factor that is beyond their control Responses to Bishop Park's Letter + I will be silent no longer. To refuse Thank you Bishop Park! membership to a person solely on the Some are not "weary in well doing." basis of their sexual orientation is + wrong. The Discipline states that homo Thank you, and for now I will with sexuals are "individuals of sacred hold my letter resigning my lifelong wotth." If so, why would any pastor deny membership in the Methodist Church. them me ership and why would any + port such abuse of power? Please help me to understand this. I am concerned as to what sin we are The recent decision #1032 by the going to feel is okay next. It seems that Judicial Council (the Supreme Court of in an attempt to be socially conscious, the United Methodist Church) saddens we are slipping in our application of the me as a United Methodist pastor. How laws of the Bible. can we, the church, refuse membership + to a man who regularly attends worshir As a Christian, a member of the Unit and sings in the choir just because he i~ ed Methodist Church and the mother gay? I assure you th~t it's notgoin& tc a lesbian, I welcome and share your happen at (our) United M~thocljs vision and belief that we must and need Church. Instead, We e.~co~r'ilge iesbian to be an inclusive congregation. When- gay, bisexuarand ti"aii:sg~nder p.ers . We affirm inclusiveness in the United Methodist Church. We believe that .·. church membership in the United Methodist Church is open to everyone ·:regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, disability, national ..· origin or economic status. Wf!/etret~fl\e,Churchtoffle&U"tl; I J J I J · ''Mr. · .Congr~ss, poopl~ re- ·· of faith, pe -~-- - ~ 0 If 7NAN ..:J)esrltlkT76J'' Those who were here patiently d->-4.. tC~PAJ&~ - endtlred my youthful inexperience ;::-o~ &14 -- and my pastoral inadequacies. But through all the years the church I has preserved its identity and spirit. And tn 1862, A Hethodist Bishop by the name of Herbert lrJ"elch, was born. He preached here on a Wednesday evening during Lent of 1%2 ••• at the young age of 100! Bi .. shov Herbert Welch. unbridled .J The same professor of homiletcis who advtsed UB to offer a Bi_blical text for a serrr·on, also once tolda us that i.llustratlons are the wi_ndovTS that ·u~.:t let the l'i.ght tn on what's behind the e text •• ,.flo I close wi.th tvlO of my favorite Ulustratio for you to carry out of here that li.ght up the "Behol I stand at the door and knock ••• 11 l There were a few Sundays along the way when the te.leohone would ring on a Sunday morning and the voice would say, 11 v1hat time is your service" and I'd say, "What time can you be here?" u c a: a. a: (0 ~ N 0 ;;) ~.... YEARS: 1956 to 1999 Alvrays had a thing about even numbers, and wanted it to one day re.::.td: 1956 - 2000o ••• but the Bishop stepped in .... and Shakespear, tooeo .who said, "THERE'S A DIVINITY IN ODJJ NU1'·1BEHS" •••• so I settled for 1956 to 1999! Poet Maren Tirabassi: Speaks of Lent ••• sas the time when we draw a HOLY COMMA in our rushed and busy lives ••• We encourage you to draw a HOLY COMMA in your busy life in these COOling days. I//) /-1 Itt £yi" Fi:JA 4A£- E'f£ 1 St. Paul :; Cathedral / London J1l ){. )(e s~ c17/C W/ftJ£-z:: 1r/HHam Holman Hunt tJCJ/-1-t:,- ~ "Light of the ltlorld" Christ, stands at the door and 1--.'nocks. The door represents the human heart.o. rusty h tnges, vines overgnm·Ting on door ..... has to be openecl f'rom the tnside. · [THE PARISH PRESS "' Page 1TI A "Doors" All of us are familiar with the picture of Christ knocking at the door. It can be found in stain glass windows in churches everywhere, and in most any bible that includes religious pictures. I've never thought it of as particularly great art, but I've always been captivated by its reminder of Christ at my door. On the brink of retirement from 44 years of active ministry, I find myself reflecting on some of the doors I have been privileged to see Christ open for me and for others. I was permitted the most sacred of experiences in being allowed to walk with Christ through some of those doors into the lives of others. And in those holy moments I was able to offer my own faltering words and watch Christ comfort those in grief. I was permitted to offer worship, praise, and challenge and watch Christ change lives. I was blessed to offer the liturgy with joy and see Christ join lives in marriage, accept babies, children, and adults into the Christian family though baptism, and I was allowed to offer bread and grape juice to individuals and congregations and watch Christ share his very body and blood with them. Wow, the doors I have seen in 44 too-short years! lfs why I continue to say there is no higher privilege permitted to anyone than to be a pastor to the people of God. I know it can be frustrating, disappointing, and more, but I don't know where else anyone can go through so many doors with the Christ. Now I am confronted by another door. A door that's closing? Or, a door that's opening? At times it feels like a door that's closing. But 44 years of experience tells me that anytime I confront a door with the Christ, it is about to open so that I can see again what Christ is about to do. I thank all of you for these past six years that have allowed me a glimpse through the doors of your ministries to see what Christ has been doing there. It has been a blessing beyond compare. I pray God's blessing on each of you and give thanks for all the doors that await you. n- --.- .Ly;;,Lur t:.lltenfus A /)jd;;; {'>/]· ·-~·- ;)e_lf} r- Zi -- 1·-F r l;~ .·c. ;J.--- r;~ Box-3765. ·~" \jOtJ/ Jft/V~ ..L Portland, Maine 04101-3765 /';;}A>· f.' .LJ /"' t e C ...... , •.?o7.761.7o2o ·l_m'YI'-" n · ./llb.tf if-~ . l( 0 q- you/.- jfll!!}ttJ¥f/.:9Jrgf:3 "JL6rf.J.::te always opt'l~'l/1 ttl d_ Let me introduce myself to you. Some of you may remember me,,hut the ~hances are - the way this congregation changes from year to ye~r - I'm a nevr face to many of you, if not 1'1ost •••• I came here in the Fa.ll of 1956 ••• from the Albany - Sch~nectad~r area of upstate NY. The phone rang in the parsonage of Scotia, NY •• out- side of Schenecta yin Sept of 56 ••• it wa.s the DS informatng me that the Bishop (Newell) J,ranted mt to come down to NYC to this church. I -vras 27 •••• 11 You' got to be kidding, " said r. .. NYC ••• co"'le one, what's Remember to add ••• PULP I. .• this is Hhere I did a lot of my vTOr k for 43 yee_rs •••• and somev-rhere underneath \•Jhere I am standing are beams from the .first ~1ethod$.st chur 'h built in this country ••• beams from ol' John Street. 1837: how many states ••• Victoria ••• opening up. • .:M'ayfield, Northville. Broarlalbin •• The Tragedy (and Hope) of Humanity Rico. _The next WCC assembly will be February same-sexrelationship. Before the case came to the UM-related Schools 2006 m Porto Alegre, Brazil. In other signs of hope Judicial Council, a jurisdictional committee on While the world was hit hard by natural dis In 2005,_ Iliff School of Theology came to an for Christian unity, the UMC progressed in its appeals overturned a lower ruling and reinstated asters in the past year, it also continues to be in agreement with former president David talks with the Episcopal Church and the her clergy credentials. However, at its fall meet turmoil from war and violence. Fighting contin Maldon_ado. Questions of racism and governance Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A dele ing, the Judicial Council overturned that ruling, ues in Iraq even as church leaders enter the were raised after Maldonado abruptly resigned gation from the World Methodist Council also thus returning Stroud to laity status. She remains debate about whether the United States should in 2004. met with the new pope of the. Roman Catholic on staff of First UMC as a layperson. pull out its forces and how it should do so. Church. However, a new ecumenical body in the Meanwhile, UM chaplains continue to be in serv Shortly after making the ruling in the Stroud Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn., lost United States called Christian Churches Together its accreditation in 2004 but continues to seek ice to soldiers at home and abroad as they live case, the Judicial Council weighed in on a lower delayed its official launch when numerous through trying times. Hotel bombings in Jordan profile case from the Virginia Conference. Ed court assistance to maintain its status, which had groups, including UM leaders, expressed concern temporarily been reinstated as the legal process struck near to where several US-based church Johnson, senior pastor of South Hill UMC, had about the lack of participation by predominantly proceeds. DePauw University in Indiana lost a journalists were staying, and the bombings of the refused to admit by transfer a gay man into African American denominations. The National London transit system likewise reminded people church membership, even after being directed to decision on an appeal by employee Janis Price Council of Churches USA also saw the departure in Europe and the United States that the violence do so by his bishop and district superintendent. who maint~ined th~ school did not follow pro~er of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese procedure m reducmg her duties. Funds from a is not so far from home. The Judicial Council overturned decisions by the of North America from its membership. bishop and actions by the conference to place form~r historically Black UM-related college were People_in·the Philippines are also witnessing r~da~ed by the General. J?oard.of,I;Iigher ·· · ·1n 'anaHeiript ·to·r:each·acrCisEdne· aivide·exist..: Johnson on-involuntary leave:-ln response to·this violence. Indeed, several pastors of a denomina Education and Ministry after the institution that ing even within the UMC, several bishops decision, the Council of Bishops issued a letter tion historically linked with the UMC have been the UM school merged with failed to maintain its attended meetings of both the Reconciling acknowledging the decision but saying that killed. Church leaders in the Philippines and the accreditation. The new Morristown College Loan Ministries Network and the Confessing homosexuality is not a barrier to membership and United States have spoken out against the vio Fund ~ill b~ used to support students attending Movement. The decision by the Southeast affirming the authority of bishops. This case and lence. Government decisions in Zimbabwe have the bishops' response have subsequently gener other histoncally Black colleges and universities Jurisdiction to welcome the Reconciling Ministries related to the UMC. forced many people from their land and their ated more conversation than the Stroud case. Network to its Lake Junaluska Conference and homes. UMCOR is working to aid those who Retreat Center in North Carolina caused many to have been disrupted. In and around Sudan, the At its spring meeting, the Judicial Council sup contact the center with thoughts of support and Bishops and the Connection church continues to reach out to displaced per .ported the bulk of the pension plan adopted by disagreement. The Southeast Jurisdiction has The Connectional Table held its first meeting sons and refugees from the Darfur region. the 2004 General Conference. Only months before since revised and expanded its facility-use policy. its decision, the trade publication Plan Sponsor Jan. 20-23, 2005, since being established by the Nevertheless, there are signs of hope. Liberia Conversation also took place when the Women's Magazine named the UMC "Plan Sponsor of the 2004 Gene_ral Conference. The Council of Bishops held democratic elections, and the people chose Division of the General Board of Global Ministries Year" on the basis of the newly adopted combined selected Bishop John Hopkins (Ohio East Area) as Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a UM, as president. While accepted the invitation of the RENEW network to defined-benefit/ defined-contribution program for chair of the table. In its first decision, the table the challenger in the runoff-George Weah, also a discuss their differing views of how ministry with clergy. The plan will go into effect Jan. 1, 2007. asked for the creation of an annual state of the UM-questioned the results, leaders of the UMC and by women in the UMC should occur. ch_urch report. The first report should be given in Liberia were hopeful for their country~ s future. The Judicial Council was not the only legal this year. Also established by the 2004 General body addressing cases regarding the UMC. A case Co~ference, the Task Force to Study the Also in Africa, church communicators gathered The Judicial Quest together and formed an association by which they of alleged rape at a church in Missouri led to a ~piscopacy ga_thered in January 2005 to organize will be able to network and work together on As is typical, controversies in the church gen $6 million fine against the conference, which has Itself, to examme the task before it, and to make common issues. erated much publicity, and in recent years many since been cut in half. The conference continues to plans for listening posts to occur this year. of these debates have ended up with the Judicial appeal the case, maintaining that it followed While jurisdictional conferences in the United Council. The case of Irene Elizabeth Stroud had appropriate procedure in handling the allega States elected bishops in 2004, several central Building Unity in Diversity been progressing through the judicial processes tions. David Finestead, 61, the alleged rapist and confennces met and selected bishops in 2005. · Early in the year, the World Council of of the UMC for several years. Stroud, who was former UM pastor, died of colon cancer July 6. The Northern European Central Conference Churches expanded its total membership by five. an associate pastor at First UMC of Germantown The Tennessee Conference settled a charge of meeting for the first time in Russia, elected' New members included the Methodist Church in in Philadelphia, had announced publicly that child abuse outside of the courts. It had been the Hans Vaxby, a pastor in Finland and native of Indonesia and the Methodist Church of Puerto she was living with her partner in a committed second such case in recent years. In response to questions of child abuse decades ago at a mission Sweden. He is the former bishop of the Nordic and ~altic A_rea and will now succeed Bishop Editor: Andrew j. Schleicher NEWSCOPE © 2006 (USPS 961-360) is supported by subscription income sit~, the General Board of Global Ministries set up Production Editor: Mickey N. Frith and published by The United Methodist Publishing House. It is issued an mdependent body to review allegations. Ruediger Mmor of the Eurasia Area, who is Editorial Director: Harriett jane Olson weekly except for the last two weeks in December. retiring. The Central Conference of Southern Publisher: Neil M. Alexander Subscription: $22.00 (periodical class), $28.00 (first class), $38.00 (foreign), or NEWSCOPE, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, 1N 37202; ISSN 1073-4910. In the Northern Illinois Conference, a Korean and Central Europe elected Patrick Streiff of $16.00 (electronic mail) a year. Single copy: 50 cents. For subscription concerns, calll-800-672-1789. Permission to quote granted to newsletters and media of The United UM congregation continues its fight to build on Switzerland to follow Bishop Heinrich Bolleter, To place a Positions Available announcement, send the information via e-mail to: [email protected] or fax: 615-749-6512. Methodist Church, with credit. Periodical postage paid at Nashville, Tenn. property it owns in the suburban Chicago com who is retiring in May 2006. The Congo Central For editorial matters, call: 615-749-6320; fax: 615-749-6512; e-mail: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: United Methodist munity of Long Grove. Conference elected David Kikomba Yemba, [email protected]; Web site: http:/ /www.umph.com. NEWSCOPE, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202. 2 I NEWSCOPE January 6, 2006 January 6, 2006 NEWSCOPE I 3 a dean at Africa University in Zimbabwe~ Yemba now looking to McDonald's Corp. to enter into a will succeed Bishop Onema Fama in the Central similar agreement; though no new boycott has Congo Area. The West Africa Central Conference been announced. Volume 34, No. 1/January 6, 2006 unanimously elected Benjamin Boni, president of the former autonomous Protestant Methodist In 2005, GBGM restarted its Mission Intern Church of Cote d'Ivoire, as bishop. He will serve and US-2 programs for young adults after a finan the new annual conference in Cote d'lvoire. cial shortfall had placed them on hold. The UM Publishing House (publisher of this newsletter) The Germany Central Conference elected recovered from a poor fiscal year 2004 to a better Rosemarie Wenner, superintendent of the FY2005. UMPH announced major new projects in 2005 - Year in Review Frankfurt District, as the first female bishop of the 2005, including a revamping of the DISCIPLE UMC outside the United States. She succeeds Bible study program to feature new videos, new A new quadrennium has begun. With the arrival of the year 2005, all parts of The United Bishop Walter Klaiber, who retired. As the UMC short-term studies, and no required training. Also, Methodist Church must implement the decisions of the 2004 General Conference as well as take enters into a year of celebration of full clergy UMPH is creating a new children's video curricu care of usual ministry needs. This past year, we saw many ministry needs, ministry failures, and rights for ~omen, the Council of Bishops also lum for a fall 2006 release and is funding a project the positive response to these failures. Throughout the year, we began to explore our hopes for elected a woman as its president and a woman to to connect with the emerging church movement. the future. As we at NEWSCOPE take our annual look at the year that was, we take forward into present their episcopal address to the 2008 2006 the lessons and dreams about how we can make this church a better place for the ministry General Conference. The 2008 General Conference of the gospel. will be shorter and have a smaller budget. Also, Deaths all petitions must be submitted electronically. Pauline Gore, Shirley Chisholm, Robert T. Matsui, John R. McLaughlin, Mary Virginia Head Natural Disasters Meanwhile, many clergy along the Gulf Bishop Hae-Jong Kim (retired) resigned from Morris, Bishop Decatur Ward Nichols, J. Wesley Coast, as well as their congregations, have dis The South Asian tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, the episcopacy on Sept. 1 as part of the resolution Hole, Jim Beal, Joe Carter, Bishop Paul William persed across the United States. Clergy continue caused an outpouring of generosity in 2005 that of a complaint filed against him. The complaint Milhouse, Bishop Earl Gladstone Hunt Jr., Howell continued as other disasters hit other communi to be in ministry in their new or temporary resi itself has been kept confidential, according to dis Heflin, Marian Derby, Arthur West, Howard ties throughout the world. While donations to dences while also attending to their own suffering ciplinary requirements. Kim will remain an elder, Clinebell, Bishop Oree Broomfield Sr., Thomas K. relief efforts flew in from around the world to aid from the tragedy. Giving to the UMCOR response and his membership will return to the Greater Potter, PierceS. Ellis Jr., Dianne Knippers, Nellie the people of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and to Hurricanes 2005 (Advance #982523) has sur New Jersey Conference. .Moser, Helen Werne_r, Kenneth J. Deere, other countries, the ·UMC participated in relief passed $24 million. As many churches around the Katherine "Bertha" Ward, David Finestead, efforts through the UM Committee on Relief and world got into the fundraising efforts, one church Bishop Alejandro Ruiz, Judith A. Olin, Bishop J. Finance and Missions its partner agencies. Contributions to UMCOR for decided to sell its old building on eBay and give Alfred Ndoricimpa, Alvin Burton, Brother Roger tsunami relief have now risen to $41.5 million, the the proceeds to UMCOR, covering the closing The General Council on Finance and Schutz, Winston H. Taylor, Richard Warren largest amount ever raised in response to a single costs themselves. Administration used 2005 to move its primary Hunter, Bishop Edward L. Tullis, Bishop Milton disaster. The work in South Asia has led to many offices from Evanston, Ill., to Nashville, Tenn. A. Williams Sr. As a part of the U.S. government's response connections between the UMC and Methodists in The agency closed on the property Jan. 6, 2005, to the hurricanes, the Federal Emergency affected countries. Indeed, some Asian UMs in and will have an open house Jan. 6, 2006. The Management Agency enlisted UMCOR to man General Commission on UM Men moved into Positions Available the United States have returned to their former age a $66 million Katrina Aid Today program. another GCFA building in Nashville, which the homes to see the devastation and to find ways to Two positions: 1) Creative services manager, Ignit UMCOR has since selected ten other agencies to finance agency also vacated. United Theological ing Ministry, and 2) manager, radio ministry initiatives. help their friends and families. join with it in providing assistance to individuals Seminary also moved its campus from its home Contact: Human Resources Office; UM Communica Before the end of the year, the United States as they get their lives back together. The Council in Dayton, Ohio, to facilities in the neighboring tions; P.O. Box 320; Nashville, TN 37203; phone: 615- Trotwood community. A chun:h in New York 742-5137; fax: 615-742-5428; e-mail: [email protected]; suffered from the most active hurricane season in of Bishops has also set up a fund (Katrina Church history (Tropical Storm Zeta, the 27th Atlantic City did not move, but it set a record for selling Web site: www.umcom.org .... Executive director of Recovery Appeal #818-001) separate from camping and youth ministries. Contact: Ginny Sekol, the rights to the air space above its downtown storm, formed Dec. 30 but poses no immediate UMCOR's efforts in order to address the needs of Dakotas Conference; phone: 605-996-6552; e-mail: threat). Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused the churches and conference agencies, including location. This will enable a developer to build a [email protected] .... Treasurer I director of most damage in Mississippi, Louisiana, and parts rebuilding and providing salary support. taller building nearby. administrative services, Greater New Jersey Conference. of Texas. The historic Gulfside Assembly in Contact: Paula Blackman, Chair; Personnel Committee, While the hurricanes were the biggest tragedy Following upon last year's conclusion of the Commission on Finance and Administration; c/o First Mississippi was completely destroyed. UM of the year, the church also responded to a highly Mt. Olive Pickle Co. boycott, the General UMC; 24 North Fullerton Av~.; Montclair, NJ 07042; related Dillard University in New Orleans Confennce-supported boycott of Taco Bell came e-mail: [email protected] ..... Coordinator of received significant damage from the storm, and destructive earthquake in Pakistan. Efforts there to a close in March. The company had reached admissions and student services. Contact: United several buildings burned down afterwards. While are now focused on helping homeless people get an agreement with several of its tomato growers Theological Seminary; Attn: Human Resources; 4501 classes were cancelled in the fall, they will resume through a debilitating winter. In the United States, to pass through a wage increase. Others who Denlinger Rd.; Trotwood, OH 45426; e-mail: this month with two terms to be completed before UMCOR responded to a Jan. 31 flooding in have been supporting the tomato pickers are [email protected]. a July 1 commencement. Indiana and tornadoes hitting many other places. A concise, late-deadline report compiled and edited by the staff 4 I NEWSCOPE January 6, 2006 of The United Methodist Publishing House Park Avenue United Methodist Church 106 Eas t 86th Street New York, New Yo r-:--k-:-10::-:0:-::2::-8 --:2::-:1..,-2--,4""'2' 7=--5-4-2-1; Fax: 212-534-0410 Rev. Philip A.C.Ciarke Pastor Emeritus Monday, January 30th, 20o6 My dear Bill, Just a brief word to let you know that Pastor Bill Shillady has invited me to bring the message on Sunday, March the 12th at Park Avenue Methodist as the church pAuses to celebrate its 169th anniversary. If you're free that Sunday and without any plans for Sunday worship perhaps you might honor us with your presence •••• I'm beginning to work on the sermon and am thinking about "Anniversary Doors" as the title •• • and giving a bit of history of the church and perhaps a bit of my ovrn personal history and the influence that you and Jim Farmer had on my teenage years when we were at Green Mountain College, at Poultney (summer of 19hh) •••• at a youth institute. Bettie Lee Carothers (my wife and the daughter of J. Edward and Leta Carothers will be with me. Remember meeting 45 &""u'" P'!4m~ . Aftl. t;p p. u:ta ..d. 11t.tw. 04(0(-4/J/?3 her at Christ Church, {207) 76(- 7020 Decem her of 2003? Best, Phil Clarke entered the human speciis," he says. haps a certain threshold of brain ment had to be reached before this possible-but in my view the moral self defies a purely biological '"'"'t"':u .•aL HEREISGOD? ITIST . 9L::., I L.Jc;-4A.. _!{ ._1 ~• ~ mournful chorus that h accompanied every new scientific paradigm over the last 500 years, ever ~f~. Wsince Copernicus declared him unneces sary to the task of getting the sun up · the sky each day. The church ""''"L•ucu•• ~I- reconciled itself to the reality of the system, which Darwin, perhaps ..· uv,uu•u"·• ally, invoked in the stirring conclusion the "Origin": "There is grandeur in view of life ... that whilst this planet gone cycling on according to tl1e frxed of gravity, from so simple a beginning less forms most beautiful and most according to Holmes Rol BRANCHES: put forth vegetation .. ?'"You derful have been, and are being, cv esis 1:11, where God, after creating the Eve can thus be interpreted as the descrip With ANN E UN DE RW OOD and heavens and the Earth, says, "Let the Earth tion of the moment at which this moral law WILLIA M LEE AD AMS 'Even people who aren't comfortable with Darwin's ideas ,' says Eldredge, 'are fascinated by the man.' with honor m 1882. separate realms for science and religion. theology." The late Stephen Jay Gould, a So it's not surprising that, down to the "Science's proper role is to explore natural prolific writer on evolution and a religious day, fundamentalist Christians explanations fo r the material world;' says agnostic, took the same approach. But, been suspicious of Darwin and his the biologist Francis Collins, director of as Dawkins tirelessly observes, religion - or that in the United States, where the Human Genome Project and an evan makes specific metaphysical claims that percent of the population believe God gelical Christian. "Science provides no an appear to conflict with those of evolution. the universe, less than half believe swers to the question 'Why are we here, Dealing with those requires some skill evolution. Some believers have man anyway?' That is the role of philosophy and in Biblical interpretation. In mainstream to square the circle by mapping out Christian seminaries the dominant view, THE CL A SSR OOM propriately inserts religion into the curriculum. "Science does Other Schools of Thought not investigate evidence of the supernatural. Once you have supernatural explanations, you The teaching of evolution continues to polarize communities. no longer have science." But board member Ken Willard says that providing alternative ideas gives students a broader base from which they can come to their own conclusions. "To iso late the theory of evolution from any challenge raises it to the level of dogma-and that's un constitutional and objectionable to many people ." Kansas's anti evolution move didn't exactly come as a surprise. The state startled the scientific comm unity in 1999 by eliminating nearly all mentions of evolution from its schools. That policy was reversed two years later when voters ousted the conservatives on the school board . Yet another election, this time in favor of anti evolutionists, set up this year's BY WILLIAM LEE ADAMS living organisms are so complex reversal of the reve rsal. ince the publication of that some supernatural entity BACK AND FORTH: A vast majority of scientists "Origin" in 1859, Dar must have been at work. Dover high-school remain unmoved by the ebb and win's theory of evolution One current hot spot is the senior Megan Kitzmiller flow of local policy. "Evolution Shas brought trouble to tiny town of Dover, Pa., where supporting a pro is not controversial in the fiel d American classrooms. In 1925, parents sued the school board evolution vote. This of science. It's controversial in 15 states considered legislation last year after it mandated that time, her side won. the public sphere because to forbid public schools to teach teachers read a one-minute dis public education is highly the theory. In Tennessee that claimer pointing to gaps in evo politicized," says Eugenie year, high- school teacher lutionary theory and steering evolutionists- voters kicked the Scott, executive director of the John Scopes was fou nd guilty students to the pro -ID book "Of school board out of office. National Center for Science in the so-called Monkey Trial Pandas and People" (by Percival A similar kind of back- and Education. But in a country of teaching evolution. More Davis and Dean H. Kenyon) . forth on the teaching of evolu where 80 percent of the popu than 60 years later, in 1987, "We didn't feel comfortable tion has been playing out over lation believe God created the the Supreme Court ruled that putting intelligent design on the past several years in Kansas. earth, skirmishes will, no Louisiana's Creationism Act, a par with evolution," says Three weeks ago the state's doubt, continue wh ich promoted the teaching of Jennifer Miller, a ninth-grade school board voted 6-4 to adopt between pro creationism in pu blic schools, biology teacher at Dover's high new science standards that ponents of was unconstitutional. Today, the school. A ruling on the constitu point to gaps in evolutionary evolution and those God vs. science debate still tionality of the board's action is theory - gaps that most scien who reject the idea rages-now often under the expected early next year. The tists dismiss. Board member Sue that man reached the guise of "intelligent design," judge's decision may be moot. Gamble, who opposed the new top of the tree of life an argument that proposes that On Nov. 8-in a victory for pro - standards, says the shift inap- pretty much by accident. Father - Math Whiz. Mother - Master Communicator. Seems like Kelli was genetically wired to reengineer our telecom centers. --- FOR 21 YEARS, BE KEPT HIS THEORY