SP&SA Update Page 1

A Church of Immigrants! By K Karpen

At last Sunday‘s service, many of you stood up to express your dismay and

anger at how immigrants are being treated in this nation of immigrants.

Your concern is not so strange. After all, the

Methodist movement in this country was started by immigrants. And immigrant

rights have always been close to the heart of the

church.

In 1766, Barbara Heck

and Phillip Embury, Irish immigrants, gathered the

first group of Methodists into what became Wesleyan Chapel, and eventually, John Street

United Methodist Church. One of the only American-born members was

Peter Williams, born a slave, who later became a wealthy tobacconist, and

founded the AME Zion Church.

Our own congregation was organized

in 1834 as Second Wesleyan Chapel, and in 1835 Rev. Nathan Bangs

conducted the first service in the new church, down on Mulberry Street. This

congregation, too, was made up of many immigrants (including Bang‘s wife, Mary, from Canada) and soon

became engaged in the plight of Irish Catholics fleeing the Great Famine.

Bang‘s vision was global in scope. While serving this congregation he

founded the Methodist Missionary Society, the predecessor of the General Board of Global Ministries.

The Biblical witness is pretty clear on immigrant issues. Exodus 22:21 reads,

―You shall not wrong or oppress an alien, for you were aliens in the land of

Egypt.‖ Leviticus 19:33 is even stronger, ―When a

stranger lives with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong. The alien

shall be to you as the native-born among you,

for you also were aliens.‖ Deuteronomy puts it very

simply, ―Show your love for the immigrant, for you once were aliens.‖ And

Matthew says that Jesus‘ family lived as refugees in Egypt.

This is a powerful message, a clear message that tells us that recent actions

by the State of Arizona to criminalize immigration need to be opposed by

people of faith. And that we need to do everything in our power to welcome the stranger and alien to our nation,

our city and our church community!

This month‘s meeting of the United

Methodist Women will be dedicated to

exploring this issue. Join them May 16!

Our congregation is still a church of immigrants, thank God. Our members

have come here from all six inhabited continents. And there is not one of us who cannot trace her or his ancestry to

some immigrant who came to these shores fleeing oppression, poverty, or

hunger, and dreaming of a better life.

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YOUNG ADULTS:

Centering Ourselves By Rev. Manny Santiago

One of my favorite hymns is In the Garden (314 in our

hymnals). It reminds me of my mom and her passion she always expresses when singing this hymn – of course, I did not inherit her voice, and I can only enjoy the singing of the hymn when nobody is around listening. But still, the words of the hymn are special. The first stanza reads: ―I come to the garden alone / while the dew is still on the roses, / and the voice I hear falling on my ear, / the Son of God

discloses.‖

There are many instances in the lives of young people of faith when we need to take that sacred time and sacred space to be alone with God. There are moments when our souls, minds, and bodies – our whole selves – need to center and break away from the activities around us. SPSA provides for us to do just this.

The weekend of May 7th through 9th the whole church will retreat again to Quinipet on Shelter Island. This is a time for us as a community to reflect on God, on our relationship with the Creator, and on our relationship with one another. It is a time to center ourselves, that needed time to rest from all the daily activities we are always engaged in. This is my

invitation to the Young Adults to take the chance to retreat – to rest, to listen to the still voice of the God who reveals God‘s own love for us in Christ.

These past couple months have

been bustling with activities for all the church and for the Young Adults in particular. We had pot-lucks, service projects, worship experiences, and so many other things we did as a community for the church and our neighborhood. Now, God calls you to rest and to center yourself in God and in Creation. After seeing how many young adults from our community joined together to prepare lunches for our sister congregation on Madison Square Park, and then

sharing with our sisters and brothers there on Easter Sunday, I think that God would not mind for us to take a break and go to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the grass, to hear God‘s voice and feel God‘s presence.

Young Adults activities this May

Sunday, May 2 at 1 p.m.:

Brown bag lunch in the park.

Friday May 7 -- Sunday May 9:

Church Spring retreat in Quinipet. Contact charlenefloyd@aol.com

Thursday, May 20: Prophet of the Month: 2nd Isaiah.

Tuesday, May 25 at noon: YAs Committee lunch. All

YAs are welcome to participate!

CONGREGATIONAL CARE:

LAY MINISTRY: REVISITING

VISITATION AND BEYOND By Rev. Julia Kristeller

Congregational Care is a great oppor-tunity for lay ministry at SPSA. To explore ways to spread the love and

caring even more there will be a Con-gregational Care Team Strawberry Breakfast on Sunday May 23 at 9:45 a.m. in the Parlor. Come get acknowl-edged and learn more about how you can keep on offering care.

Note Card Ministry: In the days of email, etc., it is a great joy to receive a card in the mail from someone, espe-cially at a time when you need some

extra love and support. In May June Quarfordt will be launching a Note Card Ministry at Coffee Hour on a ta-ble next to the coffee. There will be note cards, a directory, and names of home-bound members and friends, and others. We invite donations of appro-priate blank, sympathy, thinking of you, thank you, or get well cards, and even a roll of lovely stamps!

Greeting Ministry: Getting to church can be a struggle for some on Sunday and visiting a new church a bit scary. Greeting is a great way of sharing the love and spirit of SPSA with visitors gracing our doors for the first time. We want everyone to know that all are wel-come here. This is also a wonderful

ministry to do as a family. Contact Manny Santiago if you can be a greeter. manny@stpaulandstandrew.org

Visitation Ministry: There are many at SPSA who routinely visit home-bound or ill members of our church. But we need to expand this effort. Come to the

breakfast meeting on the 23rd or see Lucille Pagano: L.nyc@hotmail.com if you need a visit or can offer your time.

Emergency Food Ministry: Often at

times of great change, illness, or un-usual stress it is difficult to cook or pro-vide for your families‘ meals for a pe-riod of time. Cheryl Melchiorre has been spearheading this effort but could use your help. CAM111253@aol.com

SP&SA Update Page 3

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN: Heading to St. Louis By Christie House, President

The May 16 meeting of United Methodist Women will consider immigration in a program

led by Julia Tulloch, ―Immigration: Love as God Has Loved.‖

How much do you know about immigration in the US?

*There are many more immigrants today than at any other time in U.S. History—True or False? *For most of US history, there were no laws barring entry into the U.S.—True or False? *People who want to come to the

U.S. can get a visa or green card with no problem. There is no need for them to come as undocumented—True or False? *Immigrants are major contributors to the U.S. econ-omy—True or False?

For the answers to these questions and more, and for a lively discussion on immigration today, join us for the next meeting of United Methodist Women in the parlor, 1 p.m., after church on May 16.

Photo by John Coleman: Immigration Rally - Washington, D.C. Mall, March 21, 2010, Young United Methodists from North Carolina hold sign.

Jim Melchiorre visited Haiti at the end of April as part of his work for Trinity Wall Street.

REFLECTIONS ON HAITI

By Jim Melchiorre In the evening of my second day in Haiti, on the campus of the Episcopal University

in Port-au-Prince, we noticed a huge pile of rubble, largely un-touched. ―We don‘t know how many people are under there,‖ our host told us. Turning one-hundred eighty degrees, he pointed to a small rec-tangular area of fresh earth that could have been a flower garden. ―Thirty students are buried there in a common grave.‖

At least a quarter-million people died in the January earthquake in Haiti. We mourn their passing, even as we concen-trate on the living, most of whom are liv-ing in tents---in city parks, in open spaces along the highway, in the courtyards of damaged buildings. The nightly spring rains have begun and will soon spread to daylight hours. The hurricane season starts in a month. Tents are better than nothing. But each day,

people must get their water and food else-where. I‘d estimate no more than 15% of the tent communities have porta-johns, another enormous daily challenge. I hope NGOs, churches, governments, and private philanthropists stay focused on

Haiti because recovery can happen only over the long haul. I bought a small

painting from a street vendor to remind me not to forget.

Eventually, Haiti will be able to ac-cept volunteer work teams and SPSA may join that effort. As for now, we of-ten talk about being ―undergirded‖ by prayer. Thinking of the daily routine of living in tents, it occurred to me that nobody needs prayer more right now than Haitians. And they told us they feel its power.

From the final day of our trip, I remem-ber three images. First: a construction site,

with Haitian workers sawing lumber and hammering nails into plywood. Second: two girls, maybe eight-years-old, smiling, holding hands, running and playing in a churchyard. Third: the bloom of a bou-gainvillea, draped over a cracked concrete wall. Haiti faces an enormous catastro-phe. But there is hope, because God is always at work. And we must be too.

NOTE: More on Haiti to come.

Dear Mr. Melchiorre: Thank you so much for the generous donation of socks sent on behalf of Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew UMC of NYC. Socks are always one of the greatest clothing needs of folks who

come to the center and probably THE greatest cloth-ing need in summer. ….If you or folks from your church find yourselves in this area again, please let us know; there are always op-portunities for ministry.

Peace, Mark Adams PCUSA Mission Co-worker,

serving with Frontera de Cristo www.fronteradecristo.org

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Holy Week 2010!

SP&SA Update Page 5

May

Birthdays

Children & Families:

IT’S MAY! SPREAD

THE LOVE By Rev. Julia Kristeller

It‘s May—for me, visions of May Day, May Baskets, Maypoles, and the flowers that the April showers bring! (Although April was pretty rich with flowers, too!)

In church and Sunday School we have been learning about the gifts that Easter and the Resurrection bring us. We focused on our understanding of what happened at Easter and the possibility of new life even in

death. The world burst forth in bloom as a wonderful reminder of the blossoms of faith possible from clouds of doubt. We explored the appearances of Jesus to his disciples, and how this solidified their faith and also made clear the job they were asked to do in the world—to love one another.

The Easter story can be confusing to kids (and adults). But as we explored Holy

Week and scripture and the story of what happened after Easter, the children‘s understanding deepened and one thing became crystal clear—the power of love shines through. And that love is always the foundation of any healthy family, despite the economy, failing health, school challenges, big transitions, even illness and loss—it is loving one another that matters.

Making Easter bags for kids at WSCAH

So in May we will celebrate and practice loving one another. Starting with our families and a most important person—our Mothers on Mother‘s Day. We will celebrate the love of our families and our

church family at our retreat to Quinipet. We will celebrate Mother Earth with a trip to the park and some planting in the courtyard. We will celebrate the Ascension of Christ, and then the gift of the Holy Spirit at our Sunday School Pentecost celebration on May 23 when we ask congregation members to share their ―many tongues‖ and talents in Sunday school. See Julia or Siobhan to take part.

We will also celebrate expanding our church community by launching an outreach effort for Sunday School and VBS. Check out our new bulletin board, brochure, and banner and VBS materials in May. Sign up for your kids to attend VBS and to help on May 2 at our VBS recruitment after church, and help us enroll others.

May Dates to

Remember:

May 2: VBS Registration and Recruiting

May 7-9: Quinipet Getaway Retreat

May 16: Children‘s Education Committee after church

May 23: Sunday School Pentecost

Celebration

Register Now! 2010 VBS: August 23-27

Theme: God’s Green Earth: Taking Care

of Trees Will include Bible Study, Arts, Service Projects, Field Trips, and more! Registration forms on Children & Families Bulletin Board.

Recruiting VBS Youth Counselors and

Adult Team: WE NEED YOU!

Youth: 6-12 Youth Counselors, 6 For Full Week, 6 part-time

Adults: 3 Full-time adult assistants, 8-10

1/2-2 day assistants. Adult guests who will share their knowledge, talents and skills. Adults and Youth for Set-up on Sunday August 22, and clean-up Friday evening Aug 27.

May 1

Anna Bosco

May 3

Nancy McAlhany

Ron Jackman

May 4

Carol Marie Herb

May 5

Maridee Bell

May 6

Becca Kesler

May 7

John Plevel

May 10

Elise Arndtsen

Bill Phillips

May 11

Melinda Floyd

May 12

Tom Crossman

Harry Karpen

May 13

Elizabeth Marmon

May 14

Maria Alvira

Judy Spratling

May 16

Amy Jo Scott Frischling

May 18

Mary Ruth Reitz

May 20

Valerie Parker

May 22

Bobb Fessler

Maxwell Parker-Blue

May 24

Lucia Bennett

Cary Miller

May 27

Cynthia Roney

May 28

Euna Dawson

Patrick Mann

May 30

Martha Patton

May 31

Hannah Reasoner

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Youth Ministry

BACK TO THE WILDERNESS By Rev. Manny Santiago

As you all know, I‘m no fan of the wilderness… and here I was, thinking that with the end of Lent the wilderness would be behind us and the prospect of the ―city life‖ would be before us.

―Not so fast,‖ God said, and then God played a joke on me. You know, the one that says that we are having two… yes, TWO retreats back to back this May.

The first retreat is a church-wide retreat on May 7th through 9th in Quinipet. Youth are more than welcome to join this retreat, but we ask that if your parents/guardians are not coming with you, to let Charlene Floyd know who the adults responsible for you are going to be. During this retreat we are also going to have the Confirmation retreat. While the whole church is experiencing God in the wilderness – and yes, Shelter Island is wilderness for me – the Confirmation class will be experiencing God in a different way. We are going to study, to share our experiences as we grow in faith, and to plan how to help the Methodist Church become what God wants it to be: a place for all of God‘s children.

The second one is our annual Spring Retreat at Fairview Lake YMCA on May 21st to 23rd. During this time we hope to plan for our Youth Sunday on June 13th, plus have fun, fellowship, and a great experience making fun of me as

I try, once again, to climb the rock-wall and pretend to enjoy hiking… You know, the usual stuff… We start the month with the last of the fundraising workshops on Saturday, May 1st from 4 to 6 p.m., and the

last chance for our youth to be involved in raising money for our work mission trip. Besides all these great retreats, the Youth Ministry is hosting our annual Youth Open House on Sunday, May 16th at 1 p.m., which is the same day that SPSA will celebrate Confirmation during our 11 a.m. worship service.

Finally, I want to recognize all the youth who took part of our Holy Week celebrations. You really made a difference in how SPSA experienced Holy Week by singing, reading, performing, writing poetry, ushering,

greeting, smiling, carrying the cross… in general, being the awesome youth that you are!

Youth Ministry Activities Saturday, May 1, 4 to 6 p.m.:

Work Mission Fundraising workshops.

Sunday, May 2 at 1 p.m.: Youth Group meeting.

Friday May 7th to Sunday May 9th: All church spring

retreat in Quinipet. charlenefloyd@aol.com

Sunday, May 16th at 11 a.m.: Confirmation Sunday!

And at 1 p.m. Youth Open House; come and meet the next awesome generation of youth!

Friday May 21st to Sunday May 23rd: Youth Ministry

Spring Retreat in Fairview Lake. (Sunday, May 30th: No youth group; even we need to rest!)

manny@stpaulandstandrew.org

SIOBHAN’S INTERN CORNER Paul Tillich‘s existential thoughts and insights have been ruminating in my head. In this post-Easter season Til-lich‘s ―The Courage To Be‖ has pro-foundly impacted how I‘ve been en-countering my immediate world. In the face of upcoming MIND (Methodists

in New Directions) events at this year‘s NY Annual Conference, June 9-12th, and an action by Picture the Homeless on May 19th at noon (a takeover in the Bronx, join me if you want!), I‘ve turned to trying to better understand my own call as a Christian (and be-cause it‘s an issue in the Book of Disci-pline, a lesbian Christian). Tillich‘s question is: what sort of courage does it take to exist in a world filled with injus-tice and plagued by oppression?

We all see the homeless on the street, and most of us know the reality that the GLBTQ community faces within the United Methodist Church. Reflect-ing on my recent opportunity to preach and the power of voice, it is clear to me that although I have intentions to move to-wards ordination, like many

who have gone before me, I cannot ―courageously‖ go back into the closet in order to do so. Furthermore, the grim reality that New York City has the largest percentage of GLBTQ homeless youth gives new meaning to understanding the purpose behind grassroots community groups like Pic-ture the Homeless. There is courage in the moment that an individual who finds herself out on the streets---

homeless--- and, in spite of the shame that entails, steps out, steps up and says ‗no‘ to mechanisms within our society that discriminate and oppress.

As I have discovered here in this reconciling and affirming church community, there are many opportunities at SPSA

for the courage to be and live out the faithful call of a risen

Christ. If you are interested in helping plan and prepare with MIND for NY Annual Conference in June or if you are interested in learning more about the event happening on May 19th with Picture the Homeless please contact me: Siobhan@stpaulandstandrew.org. Your friendly neighborhood intern.

SP&SA Update Page 7

May 2010 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

April 25

11 Worship K Preaching 1 Behold! 2 Crop Wallk

26 27 28 6:00 Homework Help 7:30 Yoga

29 UMW ASSEMBLY

30 1

Youth Work-shops

2 175th Anniversary 1835-2010

10 Choir 11 Worship K preaching 1 Young Adults picnic 1 Youth Group

3

4

3 Staff meeting 6:30 Pilates 7:30 Knitting 7:30 Space of Sharing

5

3 Open Youth Room 6:00 Homework Help 7:30 Church Council

6

7

SPRING

7:30 Macbeth

8 RETREAT 7:30 Macbeth

9 RETREAT

11 Worship Julia preaching 3 Macbeth

10

11

3 Staff meeting 6:00 Pilates 7:15 Trustees 7:30 Knitting 7:30 Space of Sharing

12

3 Open Youth Room 6:00 Homework Help 7:30 Yoga

13

6:30 Book Party

14

15

16 CONFIRMATION

11 Worship K preaching 1 Youth Open House 1 UMW 1 Children’s Education Comm

17

18

3 Staff meeting 6:30 Pilates 7:30 Knitting 7:30 Space of Sharing

19

12 Picture Homeless 3 Open Youth Room 6:00 Homework Help 7:30 Yoga

20

Update due 7 Prophet of the Month

21

YOUTH

8 Mornings at 7

22

RETREAT

6 Malawi Dinner 8 Mornings at 7

23 PENTECOST! 9:45 Care/Visitation Breakfast 10 Choir 11 Worship K preaching! 3 Mornings at Seven

24

25

12 YA Committee 3 Staff meeting 6:30 Pilates 7:30 Knitting 7:30 Space of Sharing

26

3 Open Youth Room 6:00 Tutoring Party! 7:30 Yoga

27

7 Christian Prophecies

28 8 Mornings at 7

29 8 Mornings at 7

30 11 Worship Manny preaching 3 Mornings at Seven

31 MEMORIAL DAY

1 2

3 Open Youth Room 7:30 Yoga

3 4 5

Shelter: Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00; AA Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00; Food Pantry, Monday 8:00 to 6:30, Wednesday to Friday 8:00 to 3:00.

Save the Dates!

VBS 2010 August 23-27

Theme:

God’s Green Earth: Trees

For Children K-5th Grade Will include Bible Study, Arts, Field Trips, Service Projects, and more! Looking for Youth and Adult Counselors. See Julia, julia@stpaulandstandrew.org

Spring Getaway Retreat! May 7-9

Quinipet! Shelter Island, NY charlenefloyd@aol.com

Youth Fundraising Workshops have been rescheduled. The new date and times are:

Saturday, May 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.

During this time our youth will be leading workshops on:

Soccer (4 to 5 p.m.)

Tie Dyeing (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.)

Arts and Drawing (5 to 6 p.m.)

Each workshop is $20; the youth would love to see as many people on each workshop as possible! Bring your friends and your family!

Our Youth Ministry has worked really hard in raising money for their work mission trip this sum-mer, and we just need your help! You can register for the workshops manny@stpaulandstandrew.org

BOOK PARTY TO CELEBRATE

Chris Grabenstein's

SIXTH John Ceepak Mystery

ROLLING THUNDER

Thursday, May 13th 6:30 - 8 P.M. The Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street (Tribeca) www.mysteriousbookshop.com Beer, wine, books, salt water taffy

This is the first Ceepak book to be

published by Pegasus Books, so the bigger the crowd the better for Mr. Ceepak's future!

PROPHET OF THE MONTH

Second Isaiah! May 20, 7 pm

Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) is the richest source in the Hebrew Bible for

the words & work of Jesus.

Macbeth! West End Theatre at SPSA

Through May 9

Mornings at Seven May 21-30 at West End Theatre See MC Waldrep for information

Page 8 SP&SA Update

The Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist

263 West 86th Street New York, NY 10024 (212) 362-3179 www.stpaulandstandrew.org

More than 360 people filled the sanctuary for our Celebration of the Resurrection on Easter.