SP&SA Update Page 1 John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, gave his followers three simple rules to live by: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. That makes a good start, if you’re figuring out how to live a Christian life. But, of course, it’s a bit sparse. Fortunately, Wesley left behind books, pamphlets, notes and sermons in which he spelled out what he meant in handy detail. This month, I want to preach on the words of Wesley, using the theme: Revolutionary Love. Wesley preached hundreds of sermons, as he logged thousands of miles on horseback across the British Isles. Choosing a few of these for inspiration, I’ll mine the thoughts of Wesley for relevance to the challenges we face today. Revolutionary Love The Words of John Wesley October 4: The World is My Parish October 11: Almost a Christian October 18: Circumcision of the Heart October 25: The Use of Money Please join us as we use Wesley’s wisdom to deepen our own faith. And may God’s revolutionary love change your life. THANK YOU! What can I say to all of you who worked so hard to make the celebration of my ministry at SPSA so amazing? The food, the music, the words, the food, the hugs, the good wishes, and the food were things I’ll never forget. And Charlene and I were blown away that you thought to care for our kids by setting up a fund for their education. I’d never heard of that, thought of that or dreamed of that; and if you’d asked, I’d have said no. Luckily, you didn’t ask. Over the last 25 years, we’ve had so much evidence of the generosity of God, as expressed through the people of this congregation. How did I get to be so fortunate as to serve at a place like this? When I took a nine-month field education placement here twenty-five years ago, I know I had no idea that this would become the heart of my ministry. I had entered seminary thinking I wasn’t called to the parish, and had planned to continue my social justice work through one of the agencies of the United Methodist Church or an ecumenical organization. But you taught me what parish ministry is. And you taught me that all ministry is social justice work. I hope that we get to work together for many years to come. But whatever comes to pass, I’ve been blessed by each of you in ways too deep to speak of. REVOLUTIONARY LOVE: THE WORDS OF WESLEY By K Karpen
Transcript
SP&SA Update Page 1
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, gave his followers three simple rules to live by: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.
That makes a good start, if you’re figuring out how to live a Christian life. But, of course, it’s a bit sparse. Fortunately, Wesley left behind books, pamphlets, notes and sermons in which he spelled out what he meant in handy detail.
This month, I want to preach on the words of Wesley, using the theme: Revolutionary Love.
Wesley preached hundreds of sermons, as he logged thousands of miles on horseback across the British Isles. Choosing a few of these for inspiration, I’ll mine the thoughts of Wesley for relevance to the challenges we face today.
Revolutionary Love
The Words of John Wesley
October 4: The World is My Parish
October 11: Almost a Christian
October 18: Circumcision of the Heart
October 25: The Use of Money
Please join us as we use Wesley’s wisdom to deepen our own faith. And may God’s revolutionary love change
your life.
THANK YOU! What can I say to all of you who
worked so hard to make the celebration of my ministry at SPSA so amazing? The
food, the music, the words, the food, the hugs, the good wishes, and the food were things I’ll never forget. And Charlene and I were blown away that you thought to care for our kids by setting up a fund for their education. I’d never heard of that, thought of that or dreamed of that; and if you’d asked, I’d have said no. Luckily, you didn’t ask.
Over the last 25 years, we’ve had so much evidence of the generosity of God, as expressed through the people of this congregation. How did I get to be so fortunate as to serve at a place like this?
When I took a nine-month field education placement here twenty-five years ago, I know I had no idea that this would become the heart of my ministry. I had entered seminary thinking I wasn’t called to the parish, and had planned to continue my social justice work through one of the agencies of the United Methodist Church or an ecumenical organization.
But you taught me what parish ministry is. And you taught me that all ministry is social justice work.
I hope that we get to work together for many years to come. But whatever comes to pass, I’ve been blessed by each of you in ways too deep to speak of.
REVOLUTIONARY LOVE: THE WORDS OF WESLEY By K Karpen
Page 2 SP&SA Update
YOUNG ADULTS:
GROWING IN COMMUNITY By Rev. Manny Santiago
SP&SA Update Page 3
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN: Mission in October By Ressie Mae Bass, President
Page 4 SP&SA Update
EVERY MEMBER COMMITMENT: Marybeth Murphy on What SPSA Means to Her
Marybeth shared these thoughts with us at wor-ship on Oct. 11:
A few years ago my son and I moved to the Upper West Side. He settled into high school and I began work-ing at Baruch College. In the midst of all the busy-ness of the city and our lives, I begin to think about finding a place of community. A place to find peace, a place to re-flect, a place to meet some people who care about the world we inhabit together.
So like a good Upper West Sider, I signed up for yoga. Sort of one-stop shopping: I could find a place to meditate, get some exercise and get a well-toned body (every woman’s dream.) Well, I learned that I am not very good at yoga – I don’t have very good balance and my
focus at all times needed to be on not falling over. The part I was best at was at the end where you lay on the mat and rest. Despite my inability to move out of beginner’s yoga --I took the beginners’ series twice - yoga taught me a lot; a lot about stillness and learning to slow down. But something was still missing.
So I tried a writing class. The class gave me the tools and the courage to put my thoughts on paper. I wrote and wrote – about my life and my ideas. About sad-ness and joy. My family and my son. I wrote with a deep and brave honesty about the past so that the future would be better. Through my writing, I found a voice.
I was born into a strict Catholic family. It was a religion of rules – no meat on Friday, fasting from mid-
night Saturday before Sunday mass. Sin was a major topic – mortal and venial sins; sins that God could forgive and those that could not be forgiven. It was a frightening religion for me: The possibility of going to hell was never far away.
Eventually, I left the Catholic Church – and felt a tremendous sense of relief. I decided that I could pray and do good work in the world without being part of any or-ganized religion, and despite an occasional longing for something spiritual, it worked for me.
When my son was born, we lived outside the world of religion. We chose what to believe in – what would help us get through the challenges of life. We be-lieved in guardian angels, we loved St. Nicholas, and we believed in the power of people to change the world.
I explained to my son why I was no longer a Catholic and we have had long discussions about the role that religion has played in the world, both good and bad. One of our favorite books was “Religions of the World,” where we both learned more about religion than I learned in 10 years of Catholic school.
Then one day, Kenneth, my son, came home and said that he thought we should become Jewish. The holi-day season was coming up and I thought maybe he had weighed Chanukah vs. Christmas and decided that Cha-
nukah was better. But he had a different reason; he said: “We can’t participate in the massacre of all of the Christ-mas trees!”
I should have seen this coming. An environmen-talist was born. Our neighbor next door was planning to cut down a perfectly lovely tree and Kenneth was threat-ening to chain himself to it. Luckily that neighbor was transferred to Texas before he had a chance to cut down the tree! So for the next few years, we brought a living tree into our home each Christmas (roots and all – very heavy, muddy and messy) and planted it in our garden after the holiday. So we did not become Jewish but continued our search for a spiritual home – but clearly one that included social action.
And then one day, about nine months ago, I was speaking with a colleague and new friend at Baruch Col-lege and mentioned that I had been looking for a
church. He happened to be an active member of SPSA and said, “I have a Church.” And it was right in my neighborhood. I came the following Sunday.
I expected music, prayers, and a place to volun-teer. But I found so much more. This Church is a magnet in my life; I am drawn here with a force that I can’t ex-plain.
It has become a place to share joys (like my new job which I love) and sorrows (the unexpected death of my brother in law in July.) It is a place to share my wor-ries: Will my unconventional son go to college or take an-other path? And how do I help him find himself and his way? I know when I come here and sit under the four an-gels that watch over all of us in this sanctuary, that my son
and I will be all right. That we will be guided to make good choices.
I leave here each Sunday ready to face the chal-lenges of the week – having shared lovely music that stays in my head all week, having listened to thought-provoking words and having had coffee with friends new and old. Some weeks, I even get to eat green Jell-o.
And since it is commitment month, there is one last thing that SPSA has given me: A place to focus my giving. In the past, I would give whatever money I had to whatever charity tugged at my heart – they were all de-serving: Autism, Habitat for Humanity, whichever group mailed a letter to me at a time that I felt that I had a little extra to give. Since coming to SPSA, I have found a place to focus my giving, a place where we feed hungry people, give shelter to homeless women, help kids with their homework, just to name a few of the many things that happen here. And it is right downstairs.
SPSA provides a spiritual home but is also a place of doing. No matter how much money or how much time you have to give, every bit helps. And you can see the results right here.
Thanks for listening. I look forward to many more Sundays together.
SP&SA Update Page 5
October-
Birthdays
Children & Families:
...That They are Loved By Rev. Julia Kristeller
October 1 Naomi Sinclair October 2 Priscilla Bodi October 3 Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt October 4 Susan Marchand October 7 Mary Grace Bookhardt October 8 Nana Aba Nunoo Brown Tom McKeever October 9 Kristine Nevins Anna Soltero October 10 Vicki Clark Rob Paustian Anna Soltero October 13 Bekah Forni October 14 David Lull Wendy Willow Wark October 15 Becca Pratt October 16 Gilbert Bouhairie Rev. Ben Gums October 18 Eva Alvira October 19 Chris Madden October 21 Suzanne Kerr October 22 Maria Cornelio October 24 Lara Allred October 25 Lynn Bunch October 26 Gary Trahan October 27 Ken Guest Elizabeth Jensen October 28 Julia Marchand Madden Emily Peck-McClain October 31 Nick Ttappalou
Page 6 SP&SA Update
Youth
GETTING READY FOR MISSION By Rev. Manny Santiago
Next year, the Youth Ministry will be taking a work
mission trip during the summer. Although it seems like a long way from now, we have to start preparing right away! This mission trip is taking us to work with the Methodist Church in Puerto Rico as part of a “Volunteers in Mission” group.
This mission trip, however, is not for everybody. Only those youth who are actively involved in our Youth Ministry at SPSA will be attending. This means that only those youth who have come to no less than five Youth Groups on Sundays and who have taken part in at least two youth-sponsored events will be participating in the trip. Of course, they will also have to work on raising money for the trip.
We have to start getting ready as of now. Start planning to attend Youth Group on Sundays and look at the calendar of events below so you know when the youth are expected to participate. The more activities you are involved in, the better the chances for you to make friends before going away with them to work. When are we going to the mission trip to Puerto Rico next year? The tentative dates are July 29 to August 7, 2010.
Also remember that the youth room is open every Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. for you to come and use. This is a time for you to finish your homework, to practice an instrument, to hang out with friends or perhaps even watch a movie. There is no program, no agenda, no
discussion; just the chance for you to use your room during the week. Take advantage of this opportunity and bring your friends!
Youth Activities for October:
Every Wednesday: 3 - 6 p.m., Open Youth Room
Sunday, Oct. 4th: Youth Group at 1 pm.
Saturday, Oct. 10th: NYC Open House from 1 - 5 p.m. Youth will be greeters and will hand out snacks to visitors.
Sunday, Oct. 11th: Youth Group at 1 pm.
Wednesday, Oct. 14th: Book party at 7 p.m. to celebrate Chris Grabenstein’s new novel and to benefit the Homework Help tutoring program
Sunday, Oct. 18th: Youth Group at 1 p.m. Pumpkin carving in the courtyard at 5 p.m.
We are in the process of exploring growth at SPSA, through the wonderful survey many of you recently participated in spearheaded by Barbara Wheeler and Steve Rogers, as part of the Annual Conference’s “Natural Church Development” process.
In the meantime growth is happening all around us through new members, new tenants, new babies, new ideas, new initiatives and the ever-growing grace of God’s Spirit. We are re-minded and must remind ourselves during such an intentional growth process-- a process that requires evaluation, creates possibilities, engen-ders change and can generate anxiety and even resistance-- that the qualitative aspects of growth are at least, or even more important, than the quantitative ones.
In the midst of it all, we must make SPACE, for deeper sharing and reflection that can inform discussion and generate possibilities, and for self-nurturance and self-care.
Here are some ways to find and create SPACE for yourself and others.
Come to Sun. worship a bit early and use
SPACE for personal prayer or greeting others.
Stop by the Sanctuary midweek for a bit of
empty SPACE and quiet reflection.
Create some sacred SPACE for prayer and
spirit to enter your daily routines.
Call on the ministry staff during the week to
create SPACE with you.
Come on retreat to the wonderful physical
and spiritual SPACE at Quinipet.
Create a mini-retreat for yourself at an oasis
of SPACE in or out of the city.
Invite a friend or newcomer to brunch or a
walk by the river after coffee hour.
Sit down with someone at coffee hour and
really make SPACE for each other.
Come to yoga, Pilates, Bible studies, medita-
tions, vespers or pot lucks, and take advantage of these SPACES for nurturance, self-care, and fellowship. Breathe deeply and let SPACE be
created within your heart in each moment.
Coming This Fall:
Visitation Team Breakfast: Oct. 25, 10 a.m., Parlor Space of Sharing: A space set aside for women, sharing spirit, scripture, sustenance and support: Tuesdays at 7:30 in the Parlor. All welcome: a great time to invite women friends. Planning Women’s Winter Retreat: Time away to read, pray, play and create together. See Julia to be on Planning Team.
Jamming at Open Youth Room
Cooking for the Shelter
SP&SA Update Page 7
October 2009 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
September 27
11 Worship K Preaching 12:30 Celebration of K’s Ministry
September 28
Yom Kippur 7 The Gathering
September 29
6:30 Pilates
September 30
6 Tutor Orientation
October 1
7 Westy Awards
2 3
4 World Communion
10 Choir; 11 Worship K preaching 1 Young Adult Brunch 2 Ecclesia Outdoor Worship
5
6
6:30 Pilates 7:30 Space of Sharing
7
6 Homework Help Tutoring Begins!
7:30 Yoga
8
7 Church Growth
9
10
1 Open House NY
11
10 New Parents’ breakfast 11 Worship: K Preaching 1 United Methodist Women 1 Youth
12
7 The Gathering
13
3 Staff Meeting 6:30 Pilates 7:15 Trustees 7:30 Space of Sharing
SPSA-BJ Shelter for Homeless Women, Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7. Volunteers needed!
Welcome New Member
Dot Savage
How many SPSA members can say they used to be a Roman Catholic nun? Not many. But Dot served God for years as a Sister of St. Joseph, an order dedicated to service and reconciliation. Dot also worked for more than 25 years for the National Council of Churches. She is a long-time friend and adopted family member of the Heckman family.
Frog & Peach Theater presents
Much Ado About Nothing At SPSA’s Theatre, October 1-15
