MADISON AVENUE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
921 Madison Avenue
(at East 73rd Street)
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212- 288-8920
Fax: 212-249-1466
(at East 73rd Street)
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212- 288-8920
Fax: 212-249-1466
“Come, follow me.” The Lord’s call is vital; it must be heeded. As God leads a person into discipleship, there are unexpected joys and always grace to meet the challenges. Our pastoral staff will share the stories of their unique callings, journeys that are as diverse as the courses of their lives.
9 and 11:15 am Service of Word and Sacrament
2 Kings 2:1-12; Ps. 50:1-6; 2 Cor. 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9
“A Thin Place in Life” The Rev. Dr. Fred R. Anderson
12 Noon and 7 pm Service of Word and Sacrament
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; 2 Cor. 5:20b-6:10; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21
“Where the Heart Is” The Rev. J.C. Austin
9 and 11:15 am Service of Word and Sacrament
Gen. 9:8-17; Ps. 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
“Of Beasts and Angels” The Rev. Dr. Fred R. Anderson
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon
Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm
March 5, 2003, is Ash Wednesday. From that day until Easter we will be into the 40 days of Lent. Lent hints of spring, a time when the earth begins to awaken from a winter’s nap and new growth bursts forth all about us. More personally, it is an opportunity to enter into a springtime for our spirit.
For centuries Christians have used the 40 days of Lent to seek spiritual growth. Sincere repentance, a changing of heart, casting off old sinful practices and seeking to commune with God help us go in the right direction. Spending serious time in silence and prayer focuses our attention. Reading spiritual literature, especially scripture, becoming more knowledgeable about the Bible, and meeting in small groups with other Christians to share personal stories of faith can all be immensely stimulating. Joining with others to serve the helpless and hopeless can strengthen our spiritual life.
Lent is a time to let God do “spring cleaning” within us. It’s our opportunity to allow God to help us toss out the “stuff” that hinders us, and then freshen up the “new creature” we are called to be as followers of Christ.
The Congregational Nurture and Media and Publications Committees are preparing a Lenten devotional booklet for 2004. So why are we telling you about it a year early? Because we are seeking submissions for this booklet during this current Lenten season. As a part of your Lenten practice this year, please share with us a Lenten reflection in the form of poetry, prose, drawings, or photography on Lenten themes. Please keep in mind that all visual artwork will be reproduced in black and white.
In the early church the 40 days before Easter was a time of preparation for candidates for baptism who were baptized during the Easter vigil on the Saturday night before Easter. Today, Lent is a time of preparation and repentance for all of us. Here are some questions to reflect upon during this Lenten season–use them for your own devotions or to inspire your creativity:
One lectionary resource says, “Lent may provide a time for community and individual preparation for following Jesus on the most difficult of paths, the path of self-sacrificing love.” (Imaging the Word, An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 2, p. 143). As you prepare yourself anew for this difficult path during Lent, please share with us your individual preparation so that we may create a resource for our community to draw upon.
If you need sources of inspiration, look at the daily lectionary readings during Lent. They are printed in the calendar page of the UPDATE.
We will probably not be able to use all submissions. But whether they are published or not, they will provide another way for us to spend time in prayer and reflection during this season of Lent.
And remember–the word Lent means “spring.” The ultimate meaning of Lent is to move towards a celebration of new life. The goal of Lenten repentance is to live more fully the life that we have in Christ Jesus. Lent is about that word we use so often at MAPC–transformation!
Please send your writing or artwork to Beverly Bartlett at the church address–or to bab@mapc.com
Does business travel frequently take you out of the New York City area? Have you ever wished that you could bring MAPC’s worship service with you to your vacation home? Does your college student miss John Weaver’s music or Fred Anderson’s sermons?
By now, I hope that everyone knows that you can listen to a portion of the prior week’s worship service by tuning in to 96.3 FM, WQXR, at 8:00 on Sunday mornings. The program lasts for one-half hour and includes scripture readings, Dr. Anderson’s sermons and John Weaver’s beautiful music. But how can you be a part of worship at MAPC if you are beyond the reach of WQXR’s broadcast signal? I recently learned a little secret that I wanted to share with you.
The recent birth of my daughter, and a move to the Connecticut suburbs, has made it difficult for me to be present in worship every Sunday morning. No problem, I thought, I’ll just tune in to WQXR and listen to the edited version of last week’s worship service. Unfortunately, I soon learned that my new home met all of my expectations except one: it was too far outside the broadcast range of WQXR to hear the weekly radio program. Short of a move back to the city, I searched for a way to continue worshiping at MAPC, and the answer was as close as my laptop computer!
I “streamed” the radio program on the internet as it was playing for those in the New York City area. It’s easy to “stream” audio feeds on the internet; simply log on to www.WQXR.com at 8 am on Sunday mornings. At the top of the WQXR homepage, click on “Listen Now.” The website will cue you to select either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player (if you don’t have an audio player, a link on the right of this screen will enable you to download a free version of RealPlayer or Windows Media Player). Then all you have to do is adjust the sound, and sit back, sip your coffee, and enjoy the service! On those Sundays when I can’t make it into the city, my daughter, Grace, and I are worshiping with you at 8am, via the internet.
Please remember that this radio ministry was launched because of the generous gift of one individual donor. Your pledge enables MAPC to continue this enriching program.
– Lisa Borgeson
*MAPC Member
Too old for the 20s–30s group? Not yet ready for Seniors’ Ministries? There are a lot of years between those two groups–in fact, MAPC has more members in the mid-time range than any other age group. The Congregational Nurture Committee is hosting a reception at the end of March to inaugurate the Mid-Timers ministry. It will be a time for fellowship and an opportunity for you to tell us what you are looking for: Fellowship opportunities? Study or discussion groups? A supportive network? If you’re a Mid-Timer, please watch for an invitation to this event to arrive in the mail in early March.
Come where? See what? When? On March 9, in the Parish House Lobby all morning, especially during coffee time, you will see books resting silently on long tables. The silent books will come alive, if you pick up a book, look it over and check it out for two weeks. Once a year the Hood Library holds an Awareness Sunday to remind MAPC members of the treasure trove of books it has to loan.
The Library was started in 1930 by a committee of the Missionary Society; its first books were about countries where Presbyterian Church missionaries were stationed. The collection later expanded to include biography, fiction, history, travel, psychology, poetry and religion. Though the books look silent, they offer adventure, mystery, portraits of American and foreign leaders as well as those who were, and are, high achievers. To meet members’ interests and needs, the Religion section has a wide variety of titles. In fact, answers often can be found to just about any troubling questions one might have about the Christian faith.
March 9 is Library Awareness Sunday. Won’t you take time to look over the books and select one or more to borrow? You can make the silent books come alive when you choose one to read. Librarians will be there to check out the books.
The Media Committee is in the process of testing the value of advertising on the religion page of the New York Times Saturday edition. The ads are quite expensive—yes, even the very little ones—and the question is: Are people depending upon this ad as they make their decision to worship at MAPC? The ad will be missing through the month of March, and return in April, as the committee continues its evaluation. We will let you know what they discover and decide, sometime later this Spring. By the way, the committee has already decided not to run an ad during the summer months.
Also, see: