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 enjoy fellowship with those you may not have seen over the summer and celebrate MAPC’s ministries during Ministry Celebration Sunday on September 10 after the 11:15 am worship service. Food, fellowship, and displays of MAPC’s world of ministries will all be available in the Parish Hall and the new homeless shelter space in the basement of the Church House. You’ll find information on various MAPC groups like the 20s/30s and Seniors Unlimited, our ever-growing Christian Education offerings, nearly two dozen Outreach Ministries, and much more! Learn about upcoming Congregational Nurture Events like the October Roof Garden Party and the Women’s Book Brunch, find opportunities for fellowship, and discover new ways in which you can volunteer here at MAPC or be in ministry with young people or those who are homeless. And of course–enjoy conversation with members of the MAPC family. New to this year’s ministry celebration will be special activities for young children, and we encourage families with young children to make their way downstairs.
Plan to be there on September 10 to kick off the new program year
and celebrate “Our World, Our Ministries!”
If you’ve been attending MAPC and would like to know more about the church, our traditions, and the basics of the Christian faith, then mark your calendar for the first Inquirers Seminar of the year! This seminar will be a three-part class on Sunday mornings at 10 am on September 10, 17, and 24; the Rev. Dr. Fred Anderson will be teaching the class. Professional childcare will be available in the Nursery. The Inquirers Seminar is a pre-requisite for membership at MAPC, but membership is NOT an expectation of the course; that’s why we’ve designed it for “inquirers”! So, whether you’re ready to join or are just curious to learn more, please plan to join us. If you have questions about the seminar or other aspects of MAPC, please contact the Rev. J.C. Austin at 212-288-8920 x242 (jca@mapc.com); he will be happy to talk more with you. If you’d simply like to reserve your spot in the seminar, contact Bill Philip at 212-288-8920 x241 (wbp@mapc.com). Reservations are helpful to us in planning, but they are not required, so please come even at the last minute!
Last spring’s Wills Emphasis Sunday revealed significant interest in exploring the preparations each of us needs to make to ensure that our estates reflect our wishes and our values. This four-week course, taught by the Rev. J.C. Austin, provides an opportunity to look at the practical and ethical considerations involved in thoughtful estate planning. On September 10 and 17, we will explore the general issues and options to consider in making a financial will, including those surrounding the choice of an executor, guardians for children, and charitable bequests. On September 24 we will focus on making a living will: the decisions that one needs to make in terms of health care instructions and choosing a proxy to carry out those decisions for you. On October 1 we will consider the question of how you want to be remembered and specifically discuss how both your funeral and estate plans can be understood as a “testament” to the fundamental values and meaning of your life. Attending this course will be four weeks well-spent if you are considering your estate plans or if you have a plan that you haven’t looked at in a while or that you know needs updating. Please join us!
The Session has called a special Congregational Meeting for Sunday, September 10, 2006, in the Sanctuary immediately following morning worship, in order to fill the three-year vacancy created by Elder Katherine Gebhardt’s resignation. Katherine has completed her Physicians Assistant training at New York Presbyterian, and has taken a position at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. The Congregational Nominating Committee has nominated Stephanie Nichols for the vacancy.
Sunday Worship Services are at 10:30 am and 7:30 pm through the Labor Day weekend. A Lectionary Bible Study with the day’s preacher precedes the 10:30 am service at 9:15 am.
On September 10 we will return to the regular schedule of
three Worship Services: 9 and 11:15 am and 7:30 pm
Christian Education at 10 am
Daily Prayer Services will resume at noon on Monday, September 11.
There will be no Healing and Wholeness Service in September; the first service will be held Wednesday evening, October 4.
Preaching Schedule
August 20, 27 & Sept. 3 - The Rev. J.C. Austin preaching
September 10 - The Rev. Dr. Fred R. Anderson preaching
Parish Register
Grayson Elizabeth Normandy Culliford daughter of Death Weddings William James Georgiades and Gabriella Marie Pearce (*MAPC member) |
Music for Two to Play! is the title of our first Saint Andrew Music Society concert of the season on Sunday, October 1 at 3 pm. Director of Music & Organist Andrew Henderson, along with Mary Huff, our Associate Director of Music, will play a concert of organ solo and duet repertoire on MAPC’s 4,000-pipe Casavant organ. They will play music for two organists by contemporary composers Philip Moore and John Rutter, as well as other colorful and expressive works by Herbert Howells, Charles Tournemire, Olivier Messiaen and Dan Locklair. Join us for this opening of the 2006-2007 season! Admission is by donation at the door ($15; $10 students/seniors). AND look out for the SAMS full-season flyer that will be mailed in early September!
This Fall our Children’s Choir program will grow to include a special choir for MAPC’s tiniest singers. Children ages 3-5 will have the opportunity to sing in our Cherub Choir which will rehearse on Wednesday afternoons during Kid’s Club. Led by our Associate Director of Music Mary Huff (who is fast becoming one of New York’s busiest children’s choral conductors!) and Andrew Henderson, the Cherub Choir will enjoy activities that include vocal exploration, rhythmic play, simple and partner songs, and healthy beginning vocal instruction. Our Cherub Choir will sing during three Sunday services during the school year with our older Children’s Choir, as well as participating in our Christmas Eve tableau. For more information about the Cherub Choir, or the MAPC Children’s Choir, please contact Mary Huff at mwh@mapc.com.
September 3
Handel Lord, I Trust Thee – Willan Rise Up, My Love
September 10
Vaughan Williams Let All the World (from Five Mystical Songs)
– Farrant Hide Not Thou Thy Face
September 17
Walton Jubilate Deo – Byrd Teach Me, O Lord
September 24
Rachmaninoff Blazhén Muzh (from All Night Vigil, Opus 37) – Wesley Lead Me, Lord
Are you in your twenties? Thirties? Single? Married? Have children? The 20s/30s group invites you to join in their discussions and social gatherings this fall. We’re going to try some new ideas–alternating our twice-monthly Sunday schedule so that we meet at 1pm, after the 11:15 am worship service, for one meeting; and at 5:30 pm, before the 7:30 pm worship service for the other. Childcare will be available as a matter of course at the 1pm meetings, and by request for the 5:30 pm meetings. We’re also planning a few Wednesday evening wine, cheese and discussion events, (with childcare available upon request) and other social gatherings and excursions in the city.
Our meetings this year will focus on topics that are of current concern and how we approach and address them as people of faith. We’ll be starting with a look at the Care of Creation–as Christians, how do we understand our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation? And what actions can we take to respond faithfully to the current environmental crises?
The group will be led by our seminary students, Jessica Patchett Anderson and Douglas Grace, who have already started planning for the fall and are bringing great energy and ideas to this ministry.
The first 20s/30s meeting of the fall will be Sunday, September 17, at 1pm in the Youth Lounge, after the 11:15 am worship service and coffee hour. A light lunch will be available.
Other events for September and October include:
Saturday evening, September 30, bowling at Bowlmor Lanes
Sunday, October 1, 1 pm lunch and discussion, childcare available
Sunday, October 15, 5:30 pm supper and discussion, followed by 7:30 pm worship service, childcare available upon request
Wednesday, October 25, 7 pm Wine, Cheese and Discussion, Parish Hall
For more information contact Beverly Bartlett at the church 212-288-8920 x247, or bab@mapc.com.
The first Mid-Timers gathering of the fall will be a walking tour in Central Park on Saturday, September 16. The tour will be led by a guide from the Central Park Conservancy. Watch the Sunday bulletin and the pastors’ emails for details of time and meeting place. We’ll plan on going to lunch either before or after the tour. One of the best things about Central Park is that there’s always something new to discover! Come learn and see something new about the park, and enjoy the fellowship of MAPC members you may not have seen much over the summer. RSVP to Margaret Williamson at 212-288-8920 x271, or email mew@mapc.com.
Mid-Timers events are for anyone who falls between the 20s/30s group and Seniors Unlimited! You make the call!
The Hood Library will re-open on Sunday, September 10–Ministry Celebration Sunday! Please return your summer reading books on this date, and look for the little red book cart downstairs at the Ministry Celebration. Remember, the library has current fiction, non-fiction, biography, periodicals and a religion section–and it’s easier than a trip to the public library!
Our fall Seniors Unlimited season will “swing” into gear with a special program entitled “American Culture and the Popular Music of the Thirties.” This presentation by Dr. Reid Badger focuses on the popular music of America during the critical period of the Great Depression as a reflection of how Americans responded, especially emotionally, to the serious challenges they faced. Selected contributions from Tin Pan Alley, Hollywood, and traditional American folk song will be analyzed to illustrate the themes of nostalgia and escapism, the potential for social revolution, and the sense of personal despair. In addition to popular songs, instrumental big band “swing” music will be discussed, not merely as the most commercially popular musical sound of the period, but as a music that tended ultimately to deny fatalism and to affirm Americans’ sense of their common humanity.
Dr. Reid Badger is Professor Emeritus of American Studies at the University of Alabama and Adjunct Professor of Humanities at New York University. He is the author of two books and numerous articles on American cultural history. He has been an invited lecturer at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the National Archives. He received his B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and his Ph.D. from Syracuse University.
This program, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities’ “Speakers in the Humanities” program.
Refreshments and a time for conversation will follow the program. Please come and bring a friend!! RSVP to Margaret Williamson at the church, 212-288-8920 x271, or mew@mapc.com. Please let us know if you are coming, so we will be sure to have enough refreshments!
The first Families with Young Children gathering of the fall will be held on Saturday, September 9. All families with children ages 5 and under are welcome–older siblings can come, too! Come play and catch up with people you may not have seen over the summer–this is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other families in the church. Bagels, fruit and beverages will be available. RSVP to Margaret Williamson, 212-288-8920 x271, or mew@mapc.com
Mark your calendars for the rest of the fall Families gatherings: October 14, November 11, and December 9.
The knitters will begin their monthly meetings on Tuesday morning, September 19. This group is open to anyone who wants to knit or crochet–beginners to experts. Bring a project of your own, find help in deciphering instructions, or make baby items for the residents of Inwood House, or scarves and hats for homeless clients of the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter. If you are a beginner this is a great place to find help in getting started, and we have a supply of donated yarn for you to use in learning.
The Congregational Nurture Committee has two events coming up in October–mark your calendars now!
Friday, October 13: Barbecue and Movie night on the Roof Garden! All ages are welcome. Since it’s Friday the 13th and so close to Halloween, we encourage children (of all ages) to wear their costumes.
Saturday, October 28: 10 am to Noon
Women’s Book Brunch: The Fabric of Friendship
Joy Carol, author, speaker, spiritual director and workshop leader, will be with us to talk about women’s friendships and read selections from her new book, “The Fabric of Friendship.” Brunch will be served and copies of Joy’s book, just off the presses, will be available for purchase.
More details about both events will follow in the September UPDATE and pastors’ e-mails.
Kids’ ClubPlease note that Kids’ Club will begin at an earlier date and time than usual this fall. We will begin on Wednesday, September 20 at 3:45 pm. More details & registration information will be arriving shortly. Mark your calendars! |
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