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
Lately, walking down the streets of New York City, it is easy to see that
the problem of homelessness in the city is escalating. But for every homeless
person we see on the streets or in the subway, there are many more we do
not see. The city’s shelters are filled to capacity each night and
are often forced to turn away people. MAPC opens its own doors to provide
a wonderful shelter ministry to some of these struggling people. Still,
as members of a community of faith, we must ask ourselves: what else can
we do to help these people in need?
On Thursday, May 13, people from congregations all across New York City
will gather downtown to raise their voices in support of affordable housing
in this city. This special event, called Building the Blessed City Together,
is the 20th Annual Interfaith Convocation for Housing Justice and is coordinated
by Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing. A diverse range of congregations,
religious organizations, advocacy groups, service providers, and grassroots
organizers will participate.
Building the Blessed City Together is a series of events beginning Thursday,
May 13 at 2 pm and concluding Friday morning for a 20-hour total witness.
Individuals are free to participate in any or all of the events they are
able to attend. The Interfaith Convocation will be held May 13 at 7 pm at
Trinity Church (Wall Street and Broadway). The service will culminate in
a procession to the steps of City Hall and a candlelight vigil in City Hall
Park. The vigil will continue throughout the night, for those who choose
to stay, and on Friday morning, May 14, city officials will be invited to
meet with religious leaders, service providers and homeless individuals
to discuss housing policy.
As a special part of the vigil, Interfaith Assembly has planned a visual
demonstration of a plan to end homelessness. We will build a “house”
in City Hall Park, each piece of which will represent areas of need in public
policy and services. For instance, each of the four walls will represent
a different part of the effort to end homelessness: Homelessness Prevention,
Housing Production, Emergency Support Services and Employment Support. The
roof will display tiles that represent the many diverse congregations and
organizations who are united in support of this effort. Participants in
the vigil will be invited to help “Build the Blessed City” by
committing to working toward a specific area of housing policy, homelessness
prevention, direct service or advocacy in the coming year.
Building the Blessed City Together will be a demonstration of the New York
City faith community’s commitment to ending chronic homelessness.
MAPC has joined this effort as a congregation partner, and the Outreach
Ministries Committee would like to invite the entire congregation to join
us downtown on May 13. I hope many members and friends of MAPC will come
out to support this wonderful event. The more people who participate, the
more impact our message will carry.
Flyers and more information about this event can be found in the church
house lobby. A group of MAPC members will be attending and will plan to
meet downtown at the 7 pm Convocation. I encourage all of you to attend
the convocation and/or the vigil and support our homeless friends. Please
contact me, Kekla Magoon, at whatsakekla@hotmail.com
if you have questions, or if you would like to make advance plans to meet
the MAPC group downtown. I am also listed in the church directory. Otherwise,
just come on down—I hope to see many MAPCers there!
Margaret Mills, pianist and member of MAPC, will talk about and play the
music of noted women composers for the Seniors Unlimited on Monday, May
10 at 3 pm. This program, which will be held in the Parish Hall and is open
to everyone, will highlight the music of Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, Ruth
Schonthal and Elizabeth Lauer – from a Prelude and Fugue by Schumann
to two contemporary Rags written for Ms. Mills by Lauer. There will also
be time for discussion and refreshments.
Margaret Mills has performed throughout the United States and Europe and
also in China. Her several CDs on Newport Classic, Capstone, and Cambria
Master Recordings present both contemporary piano music, much of it commissioned
by her, and also French piano music. She has performed with various orchestras,
including the Boston Pops and the Fairfield Orchestra, and has been a featured
pianist with several renowned chamber groups - among them the Cassatt and
the Manhattan String Quartets.
Ms. Mills has been associated with the Third Street Music School Settlement
in New York City for over a decade. Formerly the Chairperson of the school’s
Piano Department, she is currently the Manager of the Faculty Artist Concert
Series at the school.
Everyone is cordially invited to attend this event. RSVP to Margaret Williamson
at 212-288-8920 x271, or email her at mew@mapc.com.
Interested in learning more about the Christian faith in general, the Presbyterian
Church, or MAPC in particular? Have you been thinking about making MAPC
your church home?
These are all good reasons for attending our next Inquirers Seminar on Saturday,
April 24, when we will address all those questions and more. We will begin
gathering at 8:30 am for coffee and continental breakfast in the Phillips
Lounge next to Dana Chapel in the Church House. The Seminar itself begins
promptly at 9 am and concludes around 4 pm. Dress is casual, and lunch will
be provided. Professional child care is available but needs to be arranged
in advance by calling Bill Philip at the church office (212-288-8920 x241).
If you have questions or concerns in general, please call the Rev. J.C.
Austin at the church office (212-288-8920 x242). He will be pleased to speak
with you about the seminars or other questions you might have about membership
or the church. E-mail: jca@mapc.com.
What’s coming? Why, Wonderful Wednesday Night, of
course!
Wednesday night, May 26, dinner first and then a program.
The program will be about books and music when the Hood Library Committee
sponsors its eleventh annual evening of readings and music.
Pages from at least eight books will come alive when five-minute excerpts
are presented by readers. All readings will reflect the evening’s
theme, Seeking Understanding. They will capture different
scenes and situations, such as “within the family,” “in
different cultures” and even “within the world” itself.
And there will be interactions of Biblical characters whose exchanges are
caught.
We always look forward to the musical highlight that’s chosen by MAPC’s
Music Director and Organist, John Weaver. Also everyone will be invited
to join in singing a couple of hymns.
The bonus of Wonderful Wednesday is Fellowship.
Yes, you will see church friends and meet and become acquainted with new
ones. Some have attended all ten “book and music” evenings.
The Hood Library Committee hopes you will be a “First Timer.”
Dinner reservations are to be made by calling Margaret Williamson at 212-288-8920
x271. Dinner charge is $20 and must be paid in advance by May 11, 2004,
also the deadline for reservations.
New Amsterdam Boys ChoirSunday, April 25 at 1 pm the New Amsterdam Boys Choir will once again sing with our Youth Choir. The New Amsterdam Boys Choir is one of MAPC’s Outreach grant recipients, so we are delighted to hold this joint concert. A free-will offering will be taken. Do come and support this event. |
St. Andrew Music SocietySunday, May 16 at 4 pm |
Ten homeless men get an additional night in safety and comfort because Fifth
Avenue Presbyterian Church and Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church are combining
forces in recruiting volunteers for Monday and Friday nights at MAPC.
With the fresh eyes of young teenagers, two members of the Fifth Avenue
Confirmation Class joined Margaret Shafer on Friday night, March 5, hosting
the men from Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter who arrived at Madison Avenue
Presbyterian Church in a yellow school bus. The teens wrote up their experience.
Here is how the youngsters saw the 7 pm to 7 am volunteer commitment unfold.
Grace Fowler writes: “I did many things. First I helped lay out blankets,
sheets, towels, and pillowcases on the cots. We made sandwiches. When the
men arrived we were surprised that a couple of them were in jackets and
ties; they looked like they had just come from work. When the men got situated
they came over to a big table to eat and talk. We interviewed them. Then
everyone went to bed, and lights out was a little after 9 because we had
to get up very early. Some of the guys snored, but otherwise it was very
quiet and comfortable and not at all scary. In the morning I helped serve
breakfast (cold cereal, juice, coffee) and the men folded up their cots,
put the sheets, etc. in laundry bags.”
Rashon Roberts writes: “I met two men. They didn’t look homeless
or poor. The first person I interviewed was Hideo. Another guy told me he
was from China. Hideo said he has two kids, a girl, 10, and a boy who is
16. He loves his wife very much and misses his kids, especially his son.
He went to the University of Pennsylvania. He had a job like a doctor for
18 years, but now he has been homeless for 18 months. I also interviewed
Robin. Robin was a butcher for 4 years. He doesn't have any kids. He used
to live in the Caribbean, and he has lived in New York for 4 years. He works
part time helping moving companies. But it’s hard to get jobs when
you don’t have a phone number they can call.”
Grace got to know Gus. “He was very friendly and eager to answer my
questions. He used to come to MAPC in the 80s for plays and such held in
the auditorium. He used to work painting churches, banks, and other buildings.
Now he plans festivals and street fairs. He loves taking walks through the
park, but he doesn’t like museums. Gus was blind for 2 years after
his cornea collapsed. The doctors said he would be blind forever, but he
now has 60% of his vision back thanks to one good doctor who kept working
with him.”
Rashon says: “God thinks that people shouldn’t have to be homeless
or poor in their lifetime. He thinks that homelessness is wrong.”
Grace says: “I think it helped the Church to have more volunteers,
though the men don’t ask for much. And I think it helped me, because
now I have a better understanding of what these men are like. I think God
uses homelessness to teach people something. Maybe what he’s trying
to teach me is that you should get to know someone before you judge what
they are like, because they’re just like us.”
If you would like to volunteer to stay in the Madison Avenue Presbyterian
Church Shelter on either Monday or Friday nights, please contact Beth McKay,
efmckay@optonline.net.
Just a few short blocks from Madison Avenue, the Jan Hus Presbyterian Church
Homeless Outreach Program actively works to support, counsel and empower
homeless individuals in our community. The church, located on 74th Street
between First and Second Avenues, provides daily counseling and other support
services to the homeless. Acting as part of the East Side Homeless Network,
Jan Hus gives homeless individuals access to voicemail and email, provides
them with a mailing address, offers them lockers to store their belongings,
and distributes clothing, toiletries, and Metrocards. Through their work,
they help struggling people find jobs, obtain mental health treatment, receive
food, find housing and stay in their homes. The program serves about 700
people each year.
Over the past several years, MAPC has been fortunate to collaborate with
Jan Hus in serving the poor and homeless in our community. Jan Hus staff
and members are active in the East Side Congregations for Housing Justice
coalition, a group that advocates for affordable housing on behalf of homeless
and low-income New Yorkers. Luciano Kovacs, the Jan Hus Homeless Outreach
Program Director, sits on the coalition’s steering committee along
with Dawn Ravella (MAPC Director of Outreach Ministries), Kekla Magoon (MAPC
Outreach Committee Member) and Josie McFadden (MAPC Records Secretary).
The Jan Hus Homeless Outreach Program wonderfully complements the homeless
services provided here at MAPC. Their Shelter Dinner on Tuesday nights hosts
the same individuals we serve in our Parish Hall each Thursday. In addition,
MAPC refers homeless individuals seeking assistance, shelter, counseling
and supportive services that our church is not staffed to provide to Jan
Hus because their program exists to fill these needs. We are fortunate to
be able to offer these searching people viable alternatives to hopelessness,
rather than turning them back out onto the streets.
Jan Hus offers many excellent services, but the program is small, with limited
staff, and there exists a much greater need for homeless support services
than the program is equipped to handle. Because we believe in the importance
of the services they are providing, the MAPC Outreach Ministries Committee
has begun working more closely with Jan Hus to support their efforts.
I believe that—even as this congregation does outreach work of its
own—it is important for us to support the outreach work of our fellow
Presbyterians in this community. Every day, Jan Hus staff members reach
out to people who need tremendous support and encouragement just to survive
day-to-day. We also can be agents of change in their lives.
We can support Jan Hus Homeless Outreach by offering donations of toiletries,
canned goods, and clothing for distribution to their clients. Jan Hus Homeless
Outreach is in need of the following toiletry items: soap, shampoo, toothpaste,
toothbrushes, deodorant, hair combs, disposable razors (for men and women),
shaving cream or gel, washcloths and hand towels, nail clippers and any
other basic personal hygiene items.
I urge you, the next time you are in the drug store purchasing one of these
everyday items, to consider how you might feel if you did not have ready
access to a toothbrush, shampoo or deodorant when you need it. Please pick
up an extra item or two for one of our homeless friends. These items may
be brought to MAPC and left for me or Dawn Ravella labeled “Jan Hus
Homeless Outreach.”
If you have any questions, or to learn of additional ways you can help the
homeless in our community, feel free to contact me at whatsakekla@hotmail.com,
or via the Church Directory. Thank you!
– Kekla Magoon
Parish RegisterDeath*Elizabeth M. Hood (Mrs. George) Weddings Ian Clark and Sarah E. Hurwitt (*MAPC Member) |
This text is from a Word in Action delivered by
Elizabeth McKay during worship services on
Sunday, January 11, 2004.
“The human hell within civilization”: That was Victor Hugo’s
assessment of the terrible poverty of his day. In Les Miserables, Hugo introduces
Jean Valjean, representative of millions of people handicapped by insufficient
education, income, food and shelter–all too easily recognizable in
our own day.
Jean Valjean becomes desperate and he breaks a bakery window and steals
a loaf of bread. He’s captured and imprisoned. Years later, he’s
released, but no home awaits him. One night, a thoughtful villager happens
upon him exhausted and ill clothed against the cold, and suggests he call
at a nearby house, which he does.
The local bishop answers the door, and Valjean blurts out: “I’ve
walked…a dozen leagues today [about thirty miles]. When I reached
this place I went to an inn and they turned me out because of my yellow
[convict’s] ticket-of-leave, which I’d shown at the Mairie as
I’m obliged to do. I tried another inn and they told me to clear out
[even though I was ready to pay]…I tried the prison and the doorkeeper
wouldn’t open…I thought I’d sleep in a field…but…it
looked as though it was going to rain…so I came back here hoping to
find a doorway to sleep in, I lay down on a bench in the square outside
and a kind woman pointed to your door and told me to knock on it…Will
you let me stay?”
The bishop turned to his housekeeper, and said: “Will you please lay
another place.” He gestured to Valjean: “Sit down and warm yourself,
Monsieur. Supper will very soon be ready, and the bed can be made up while
you’re having a meal.”In unity with the bishop, we at MAPC invite
twelve of the Jean Valjean’s of the city in for a respite from the
hardships of life on the street every Monday night. Their stories are different
from Valjean’s, but comparably poignant–bearing some personal
responsibility, perhaps, but nothing of which could deny them a bed for
the night.
Now, our bishop’s housekeeper has been unnerved by rumors of “…a
vagabond of forbidding aspect…The man is a gipsy, [she complains]
a ne’er-do-well, a dangerous beggar…Something dreadful will
happen tonight, everyone says so.”
Is there, maybe with a little less anxiety, a trace of the housekeeper in
us? The orientation helped me to dispel any concerns and answer my questions.
However, I can attest to the fact that our Monday night visitors are cooperative
and courteous. The men ask for little, which gives the nighttime monitors
a leisurely job.
The difficulty is that there are too few volunteers. May I ask each of you
to give some thought to staying overnight occasionally or assisting at the
early shift from 6 till 8 pm?
Jean Valjean was transformed by his experience with the bishop. He slowly
rebuilt his life and became a prosperous citizen and as giving a man as
the bishop was to him. Will our twelve guests be transformed by their experience
with us? If they simply get a good night’s sleep in our warm and safe
place, our time and effort is well spent, and then some.
Also, see: