A Look at This Week’s Events

Thursday, November 20 – Psalm 116; Luke 17:20- 37
Daily Prayer, 12 pm, Dana Chapel
Overnight Shelter, 6 pm, Shelter Space
Recovery Group, 6:30 pm, Library
Shelter Dinner, 6:30 pm, Parish Hall
Saint Andrew Chorale Rehearsal, 7 pm, Sanctuary
20s/30s Bowling Night, 7:30 pm, Harlem Lanes
No Church Choir Rehearsal

Friday, November 21 – Psalm 20; Luke 18:1-8
Daily Prayer, 12 pm, Dana Chapel
Overnight Shelter, 6 pm, Shelter Space
Mid-Timers Tour, 6:45 pm, Merchant’s House Museum

Saturday, November 22 – Psalm 61; Luke 18:9-14
Saint Andrew Chorale & Orchestra Rehearsal, 10 am, Sanctuary
LEAP, 10 am, 220 East 105th Street
AA, 7 pm, Parish Hall & Library
 

Future Events and Other Concerns

Music on Madison!

The Saint Andrew Chorale–MAPC’s very own choral society–along with our talented octet soloists and professional orchestra will be performing this Sunday’s “Music on Madison” concert on November 23 at 3 pm. Entitled “Music of Solace,” the four works being performed have an underlying theme as they set comforting and affirming texts, and were intended to be performed at times of loss. The centerpiece is Fauré’s beloved Requiem, which will be heard in an original version for chamber orchestra, preceded by two poignant choral works by Heinrich Schütz, and an early funeral cantata composed by J. S. Bach, the “Actus Tragicus” (Cantata 106). Admission to the concert is by donation at the door ($20; $15 for students/seniors); children 12 & under: free!
 

Christmas Angel Ministry – Sign-Up this Sunday to Donate a Gift

Christmas Angel Ministry 2008 is well underway! Please stop at the Christmas Angel Ministry table this Sunday after worship, or any remaining Sunday in November, in the Narthex after worship, or in the Church House Lobby during the coffee hour to pick up your “angel” and instructions. Your gift on behalf of an incarcerated parent will help heal challenging family relationships.

The Congregation's generous response to this program has been phenomenal this year, and angels have already stepped forward for 85% of the children assigned to MAPC. As of today, there are 14 children of all ages who still need angels to donate gifts of toys and clothing. Please help us identify donor angels for these remaining few before Thanksgiving, by choosing a child after worship on Sunday. Volunteers will be in the Narthex and Church House Lobby with information. Please remember to return your wrapped gifts to MAPC by Sunday, December 7.
 

Christmas Cards from Malawi Available this Sunday

As Christmas draws nigh, it is time to think about Christmas cards. Once again, this year, we are participating in a partnership with young people from the Presbyterian Church in Malawi, who have created hand-crafted Christmas Cards, painted by young artists in Malawi. The cards are available, four for $5. Sales begin after each morning service on Sunday, November 23 through Sunday, December 21. Here is an opportunity for us to support our sisters and brothers in Malawi. Thanks to Julian Schroeder, and the Outreach Committee, for their work in keeping us connected with this important ministry.
 

20s/30s Group Bowling Night, November 20

The 20s/30s Group will meet at Harlem Lanes on Thursday evening, November 20, at 7:30 pm for a bowling night. Contact Megan Wiltfong at mapc.20s30s@gmail.com if you're interested in joining. The address for Harlem Lanes is 2116 7th Avenue (at 126th St.), 3rd Floor. If you’re interested in grabbing a bite to eat either before or after bowling, let Megan know.
 

Mid-Timers Tour at the Merchant’s House Museum,
Friday Evening, November 21

The Mid-Timers will travel down to the Village for a guided tour of the Merchant's House Museum on Friday, November 21. Built in 1832, this elegant red-brick and white-marble row house on East 4th Street was home to a prosperous merchant family for almost 100 years. As stated on the museum’s website, “The Merchant's House Museum is New York City's only family home preserved intact–inside and out–from the 19th century.” The tour will offer a view of New York City life in the late 1880s/early 1900s. The tour will begin at 7 pm, with the group meeting at 6:45 pm in the lobby of the museum, which is located at 29 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. Those taking the subway can take the Number 6 train to Astor Place or the F/B line to Broadway/Lafayette. After the tour, we have a reservation at B-Bar and Grill for those who would like to go to dinner.

Please sign up early for this event as space is limited. RSVP to Soraida Maldonado in the church offices, 212-288-8920 x271 or via email to sam@mapc.com. The cost of the tour is $18.
 

The Hood Library Annual Book Sale, November 23

The library received many boxes of book donations over the summer, which means the selection at the annual book sale on November 23 will be rich indeed! Come find a good winter read for yourself and perhaps even a gift for someone on your Christmas list. You can browse the book sale tables in the Church House Lobby on Sunday morning, November 23, and enjoy your coffee and fellowship at the same time!

Other Library news: the Library Committee is adding many new books to the collection over the next two weeks, so stop in and see what’s new. And remember, the library is open whenever the Church House is! You can check out books on the honor system any day of the week. Please take advantage of this unique resource we have here at MAPC–a library like no other church’s in the city!
 

Men's Bible Study Breakfast

The Men's Bible Study Breakfast meets on the second and fourth Wednesday mornings of each month from 7:30 until 8:45 am in the Parish Hall. Together with Dr. Anderson, we look at the scripture lessons for the following Sunday, exploring their background, meaning and application in our daily lives. We welcome all men–members, friends or visitors–to join us in this spirited and invigorating fellowship. Breakfast is complementary for newcomers, and $5 thereafter. Our next meeting is this Wednesday, November 26. Join us!
 

Adult Education Schedule Change

Please note that the dates for the Advent Reflections class taught by the Rev. Beverly A. Bartlett have changed. It will now be on November 30 and December 7. The annual Christmas Pageant will then be held on the following Sunday, December 14.
 

Church Family Night, December 5, 6 pm

We’ll have another Church Family Night on Friday, December 5, beginning at 6 pm in the Parish Hall. We’ll have a meal that appeals to both children and adults, and we’ll show some classic children’s Christmas shows. Come enjoy an evening of fellowship and an opportunity to get to know other members of the MAPC family. The cost of the evening is $15 for adults, and children come for free. RSVP to Soraida Maldonado in the church offices, 212-288-8920 x271, or via email to sam@mapc.com.
 

Giving Sunday and Congregational Brunch, December 7

December 7 is a full day at MAPC! During the morning worship we will dedicate our Christmas Angel gifts, and there will be a Congregational Brunch after the 11:15 am service. During the brunch you will have an opportunity to get information on and/or purchase an “Alternative Christmas Gift.” The concept of an alternative gift fair is to provide the opportunity to buy a socially responsible Christmas gift for someone as an alternative to the typical consumerism of Christmas. At the brunch, you will have an opportunity to purchase a blanket for a child in need through Church World Service, or a flock of chickens, or even a cow for a developing community in need through The Heifer Project! You will receive a gift card and an explanation sheet of the gift that you gave in honor of someone for him/her to open on Christmas.

In addition, this is also your opportunity to welcome home Carmen Goetschius, our pioneer Global Ministry Fellow! Carmen has completed her year in Zambia and her travels and time with family afterwards. She will be with us here at MAPC for the next few months. Carmen is in a unique position to tell us just how important and vital our alternative gifts can be!
 

Seniors Unlimited Annual Christmas Luncheon,
December 8, 1 pm in the Parish Hall

Please join us for the annual Seniors Unlimited Christmas Luncheon on Monday, December 8. We’ll enjoy fellowship, hear a Christmas story, and join in a carol sing with Andrew Henderson, MAPC Music Director and Organist. The cost for lunch is $10.

Each year at our Christmas luncheon we gather items to give to a local outreach agency, and this year we are asking that you bring a gift for the Yorkville Common Pantry, one of the local agencies that MAPC supports. With the rising costs of food and the economic crisis, the pantry is in great need of canned food. Please bring some canned goods with you to the luncheon to help those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families.

RSVP by Monday, December 1, to Arabel Bello at 212-288-8920 x245, or email her at aeb@mapc.com.
 

Andrew Henderson featured on Pipedreams!

The most recent broadcast of Pipedreams, National Public Radio’s program devoted to the organ and its music, includes Andrew Henderson in a performance from MAPC! On the opening program of last year’s Saint Andrew Music Society season, Andrew gave the U.S. premiere of “...And the dance goes on” (2006) by Canadian composer Barrie Cabena. It was selected by Pipedreams’ host, Michael Barone, for inclusion on a program featuring new organs and new organ music from New York City. Although you can’t hear this program on our local station, WNYC, you can hear it anytime on the web; just follow this link: http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2008/0846/.
 

Would You Like Some Good Economic News From Washington?

Believe it or not, there is good news! As part of the federal government’s response to the economic downturn in recent months, key elements of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 have been extended for two more years. That raises two important questions for you: 1) Are you at least 70 and ½ years old? And 2) Do you have an IRA account (traditional or Roth)?

If the answer to both of these questions is “yes,” then you are eligible for a significant giving opportunity. If you direct your IRA manager to distribute funds directly from your IRA to MAPC (up to $100,000 a year in 2008 and 2009), you can not only make a major gift to MAPC, but also reap substantial tax benefits for yourself: whatever you distribute directly will not be counted as taxable income, but it will count towards your mandatory distribution. Note that the gift must not go through you; to qualify for the tax benefits, it must be transferred by your IRA manager from the account directly to MAPC; if it comes to you first, you will receive no tax benefits.

If you are already required to take distributions from your IRA, have a small IRA you no longer need, or wish to reduce your minimum required distributions and thus reduce your taxable income, a charitable rollover from your IRA may be a convenient way to make a substantial gift to The 921 Fund and/or to MAPC’s annual ministry. For more information, contact the Rev. J.C. Austin at 212-288-8920 x242 or by email at jca@mapc.com.
 

MAPC Members needed for LEAP:
Learning Enrichment Activities Program

Every Saturday morning during the academic year, MAPC members read for an hour with children followed by another hour with an imaginative creative arts project. On a monthly basis, we have special times for computers and puzzles, storytelling and singing. LEAP is an outreach ministry of MAPC and is affiliated with the Booker T. Washington Learning Center and the Church of the Resurrection, an East Harlem church with whom MAPC has had a long friendship. We currently meet in a brownstone on 105th Street and will be moving to the Church’s new home nearby in early 2009.

We have a core of eight children who come faithfully, and we have several more on a waiting list. Our goal is to have one adult volunteer work with one or two children each week.

LEAP is coordinated by MAPC Outreach Committee member Ruth Schroeder. If you are interested in joining this ministry, please contact Ruth Schroeder through the church.
 

Session Has Designated Special Outreach Gifts

At its September meeting, the MAPC Session designated additional outreach funds to four unique and vital programs. First, two additional outreach grants of $2,000 each were designated for the Yorkville Common Pantry and Jan Hus Presbyterian Church’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program (HOAP). Both programs are vital to serving our neighborhood’s homeless and hunger crisis since our Neighborhood Center for Homeless People was forced to close by the NYC Department for Homeless Services.

In addition, Session designated a $2,000 outreach grant to Auburn Theological Seminary’s Face to Face: Faith to Faith. This program works to build peaceful relations between young adults living in conflicted areas. This outreach grant will accompany MAPC’s annual Presbyterian Peacemaking Offering’s local designation, which will bring the grand total gift to $2,750.

The final outreach grant that Session designated is a $1,000 grant to Women’s Mosaic. The mission of this organization is to build unity among a diverse group of young women that further educates, inspires and motivates the next generation of women to express their full power and potential in all areas of life.
 

Yorkville Common Pantry

The Yorkville Common Pantry would like Thanksgiving Dinner theme items such as boxes/bags of stuffing, canned cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, cake or brownie mix, boxes of instant potatoes, canned sweet potatoes, and canned gravy for the month of November. Please drop these items off in the Narthex or at the Front Desk. YCP can always use assistance to help pack food for distribution on Saturday mornings and at certain other times each week. For details, please call YCP at 917-720-9710 and speak with Gladys at x110. Thanks everyone!
 

Program Calendar for Next Week

Monday, November 24 – Psalm 62; Luke 18:15-30
Mothers of Young Children, 9 am, Youth Lounge
Daily Prayer, 12 pm, Dana Chapel
Overnight Shelter, 6 pm, Shelter Space
Monday Night MAPC Women’s Bible Study, 6 pm, Phillips Lounge
Strategic Planning Committee, 7 pm, Library

Tuesday, November 25 – Psalm 12; Luke 18:31-43
Bible Study Fellowship, 9:30 am, Sanctuary, Dana Chapel, Parish Hall, 5th Floor
Day School Thanksgiving Assembly & Lunch, 11:30 am, Parish Hall
Overnight Shelter, 6 pm, Shelter Space
Session Meeting, 7 pm, 5th Floor

Wednesday, November 26 – Psalm 96; Luke 19:1-10
Men’s Group Bible Study & Breakfast, 7:30 am, Parish Hall
Daily Prayer, 12 pm, Dana Chapel
No Kids’ Club
No Children’s Choir Rehearsals
Overnight Shelter, 6 pm, Shelter Space
Cocaine Anonymous, 6 pm, 5th Floor

Thursday, November 27 – Psalm 116; Luke 19:11-27
CHURCH HOUSE CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING THROUGH FRIDAY
Overnight Shelter, 6 pm, Shelter Space
 

See You in Church!
FRA, BAB, JCA

Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church
921 Madison Avenue (at East 73rd Street)
New York, NY 10021
212-288-8920
www.mapc.com