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
Alexander
Temple Wimberly, who is the son, grandson and great-grandson of Presbyterian
ministers, was chosen from 36 candidates nominated by 23 Protestant theological
schools throughout the U.S. and Canada to receive the 2003 David H.C. Read
Preacher/Scholar Award. He will preach at MAPC on September 21.
This $10,000 award is given annually by MAPC to a graduating seminary student
who demonstrates special distinction in both preaching and biblical scholarship
and is committed to the parish pulpit.
Mr. Wimberly, 25, grew up in Indiana, where his father is a minister. He
will receive an M.Div. degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton,
NJ, on May 17, and is seeking a call as a Minister of Word and Sacrament
in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The other 2003 finalists, each of whom received a $500 award, were MaryAnn
McKibben Dana of Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA; Lester Bowers
of Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Decatur, GA; and Geoffrey
Taylor, also of Candler School of Theology.
“In addition to a wonderfully blithe spirit, Alex
has both theological and spiritual depth and will make a splendid contribution
to the church,” Dr. Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, Associate Professor
of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, wrote in her letter
of recommendation. “In his chapel service this winter,” she
noted, “he had us all breathless as he grappled with some of the most
perplexing and challenging questions before us in the life of faith.”
His wit, imagination and creativity were also stressed by the Rev. Dr. Hughes
Oliphant Olds, Visiting Lecturer on the History of Christian Worship at
Princeton Seminary.
Alexander Wimberly received an A.B. degree summa cum laude
with majors in History and Religion from Wabash College, Crawfordsville,
IN, in 1999. While growing up, he didn’t think the ministry was his
vocation and intended to be a teacher. Eventually, however, “I realized
I couldn’t ignore the little voice inside me any longer. The idea
of preaching the Gospel and helping to take care of the spiritual lives
of a congregation was too captivating to disregard. I needed to pursue the
possibility of becoming a 4th generation Presbyterian minister after all,
and so enrolled at Princeton Seminary.”
His experiences in 2000-01 while a student intern at McCracken Memorial
Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which included four months
of being in charge when the minister fell ill, confirmed his commitment
to parish ministry. “I loved it, and have come to believe that while
pastoral ministry can be one of the most exhausting vocations, it is also
one of the most rewarding,” he declared.
Each year the candidates nominated by their theological
schools for the David H.C. Read Preacher/Scholar Award are judged on the
basis of their seminary records, biographical statements, recommendations
by two professors, audio tapes of sermons on Old Testament and New Testament
texts preached before live audiences and brief exegetical papers in support
of each sermon. A seminary can nominate no more than two candidates in a
given year.
All the materials submitted are first reviewed by a lay committee of MAPC
members that selects up to four finalists for evaluation by a panel of professional
preacher/scholars. In addition to the Rev. Dr. Fred R. Anderson of MAPC,
the panel for the 2003 award consisted of the Rev. Stephen Bauman, Pastor,
Christ Church Methodist, NYC; the Rev. Amandus Derr, Senior Pastor, St.
Peter’s Lutheran Church, NYC; and Dr. George M. Landes, Professor
Emeritus of Hebrew and Cognate Languages, Union Theological Seminary, NYC.
In
1995 Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA conferred on John Weaver
the honorary Doctor of Music degree. On Saturday, May 10, he will receive
another such degree at the commencement ceremony of the Curtis Institute
of Music in Philadelphia. John retired from the Curtis faculty this year
after serving as Head of the Organ Department since 1971. He was a student
at Curtis, graduating in 1959. On Sunday afternoon his successor and former
student, Alan Morrison, will play a recital at Curtis in his honor as part
of the school’s Alumni Weekend. Dr. Weaver will continue as chair
of the organ department at the Juilliard School, a post he has held since
1987.
Are you interested in exploring the basics of the Christian
faith? How about learning more about the character of the Presbyterian Church
or the opportunities for fellowship, service, and spiritual growth at MAPC?
Have you been thinking about making MAPC your church home?
These are all good reasons for attending our next Inquirers Seminar on Saturday,
May 10, when we will address all those questions and more. We will begin
gathering at 8:30 am for coffee and 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 Mary Walling at the church office (288-8920, x241). If you have
questions or concerns in general, please call the Rev. J.C. Austin at the
church office (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.
The next Families with Young Children gathering is Saturday, May 10, from 10 to noon. Weather permitting, we will meet on the Roof Garden; otherwise, you can find us on the 5th floor. These gatherings are for families with children through age 5. Join us for conversation, play, and a light breakfast. This is a great opportunity to get to know other MAPC families with young children. Please RSVP to Margaret Williamson at (212) 288-8920, ext 271, or e-mail her at mew@mapc.com
Regardless of our age, our bodies are probably feeling
a bit stiff and sluggish after this long winter. Tai Chi is a gentle way
to wake them up! A form of movement meditation, Tai Chi is a graceful series
of movements performed in slow motion. Easy on the joints, it is a powerful
stress reliever. A simple 13 movement form for beginners incorporates all
the Tai Chi principles - relaxation, grounding, energy flow and alignment.
Sharon Smith has been practicing Qigong, Tai Chi, & other Taoist arts
for 24 years and teaching them for 19. She teaches seminars internationally
and teaches classes regularly at several venues in New York City. Sharon
is a recipient of a Balm Foundation grant for her work with senior citizens.
Come join us on May 12 for an introduction to Tai Chi, followed by refreshments
and time for fellowship. Please wear comfortable, loose clothing and shoes
in which you can easily move. For those with limited mobility, Tai Chi can
also be done sitting down. RSVP to Margaret Williamson at (212) 288-8920,
ext. 271 or e-mail her at mew@mapc.com.
The St. Andrew Chorale will conclude its current season
with a concert of psalms and canticles composed over the past 45 years by
its director, John Weaver. The two major works of the program will be a
setting of the Te Deum composed in 1964 for the dedication of the Aeolian-Skinner
organ at John’s former church, Holy Trinity Lutheran on Central Park
West, and an extended setting of Psalm 90 for organ, harp, flute, chorus
and soloists composed in 1968 as part of his Masters of Sacred Music degree
at Union Theological Seminary. His Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis will also
be included along with several psalm settings.
The concert will be at 4 pm on May 18. The suggested donation is $15. ($10
for Seniors and Students).
New Member
Jennifer Small
Confirmation Class
Luc Alicea
Carl Case
John R. Christin
Matthew Grogan
Sarah H. Johnson
Alexander Mestler
Death
*Sylvia Rhodes
Wedding
W. Hampton Shiver III and *Tiffany Beth Hughes
(*MAPC Member)
To address the need and desire for a columbarium within our church, the session of MAPC previously decided to create such a space in our facilities. A columbarium provides niches to hold urns containing the cremated remains of our loved ones. The following report of the Columbarium Steering Committee was delivered to Session and the Board of Trustees at their April meetings by Dick Iverson. Pricing policies and procedures are being developed and will be announced later this spring.
The Building Steering Committee (John Heilshorn, Chair)
was created by Session in 2001 to oversee building modifications in the
near term and to revise the Master Plan of October 1997. During 2001 and
2002 it oversaw Day School and Game Room renovations. In 2002 it determined
that the key to the revised Master Plan was the future of the Phillips Building.
After extensive analysis the committee focused on two alternatives: refurbish
the existing building, replace the stairway, and add an elevator and new
connectors to the Church House, or completely rehabilitate the building
with insertion of a new floor (including a penthouse addition). The committee
will select an alternative after a more thorough cost analysis.
Integral to the future of the Phillips Building is the Read Columbarium.
Regardless of the alternative chosen, the columbarium will stretch along
the west wall of the Phillips Room and occupy the space now used for a storeroom,
the children?s worship classroom (formerly the reposing room), the sacristy
and a mop sink. The committee envisioned a stone floor for the columbarium
and Phillips Room and agreed that the stone floor would be better over a
concrete base than over the existing wooden sub-floor. Theo Prudon, one
of the architects on the initial renovations, consulted.
The committee discussed the columbarium at two meetings in November 2002
and came to several conclusions:
1. the Read Columbarium, as described above, would require major renovations
that are expensive and time consuming;
2. the immediate need for a columbarium could be met by creating the initial
structure in a space that had been intended for columbarium expansion: the
“North East Side Chapel” (in Master Plan terms), better known
as the passageway from the Church House to the Dana Chapel; and
3. a sub-committee should be established to develop this alternative.
Fred Anderson, as moderator, appointed three members of the Steering Committee (Ann McChord, Dick Iverson, Chair, and himself) and two others (Edith Hazen and Nancy Ost). This committee has been meeting regularly since February 2003 and can now report the following:
The committee visited columbaria in the city, and others
via the web. It talked to two vendors and chose Eickhof Columbaria LLP of
Crookston, MN. Eickhof has built many columbaria locally including those
at St. Peter?s Lutheran, St. Luke?s in the Field, Marble Collegiate and
many cemeteries. Eickhof is also building a 5,000-niche columbarium for
the Roman Catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. Ralph Price, Eickhof’s
local representative, chaired the columbarium committee at St. Peter’s.
Eickhof submitted plans for the Phase I columbarium, which were modified
in consultation with the committee and Theo Prudon. The end result is a
proposal from Eickhof to build three units for the north, east and south
walls of the side chapel. The three units would include 60 single niches
and 115 companion niches; a companion niche holds two urns. One niche with
a special covering stone would house the ashes of David Read. This covering
stone will have a Celtic cross similar to the flying cross in the sanctuary.
The Read niche will be moved to the main columbarium when it is built.
Eickhof will deliver and install the three units in August 2003. A local
contractor will prepare a base for the units and make other changes in the
area: remove some of the wainscoting, install a green slate base around
the columbaria and along the walls (the slate matches the floor), relocate
a light switch and install new overhead lights, move the existing plaque
to the west wall, and repaint.
The Read Columbarium will be dedicated on Sunday, September 21. Pat Read
will be present, and the David H. C. Read preacher-scholar will preach that
Sunday.
The Eickhof proposal costs $50,055; additional fees for the contractor and
architect will range from $25,000 to $30,000. There is $46,395 in the Read
Columbarium fund now. Given the fees charged for the niches, the project
will be self supporting.
The committee also reviewed the columbarium polices of six churches and
has drafted for MAPC a Columbarium Policy and accompanying notes. The policy
and notes were presented to the Session and trustees earlier this month
for their first reading.
The committee is gathering price data from funeral directors, cemeteries
and churches in order to develop its own pricing schedule. The schedule
will be presented at the next meeting of Session. As background to that
discussion: the range in prices for niches in cemetery columbaria is $1,100
to $5,000; there is a cost of opening the niche of $475. The price of niches
in six protestant churches in the area range from $750 to $8,000.
The following Proposal was approved by the Session at it’s April meeting: PROPOSED that MAPC enter into a contract with Eickhof Columbaria LLP and supporting contractors, for Phase I of the Read Columbarium, and that Session charge the Columbarium Committee to oversee the installation and make necessary arrangements for the administration of the columbarium.
Save the date!
Rain date – June 12
Bring dinner and a blanket
Beverages and Good Times will be provided.
From time to time over the past 33 years I have written
to the congregation concerning the function of the music before and after
our Sunday services. It is time to do so again.
The organ prelude and postlude are like musical bookends to the liturgy.
The prelude draws upon music in which I try to reflect the spirit of the
season of the church year or the particular lectionary lessons for the day.
It is music intended to uplift thoughts, inspire prayer and prepare us for
worship. Therefore, we request that extended conversations, which may distract
the thoughts of other worshipers, be kept to a minimum. As the bulletin
reminds us, “If you must whisper, let it be a prayer.”
The postlude is very different in my mind. I see it as great going-out music.
The service ends with the benediction and congregational Amen, but it seems
to me that to eliminate the postlude would be akin to Joe Geunther or Anne
Bennett turning off all the lights immediately at that moment. Some of the
most wonderful organ literature is appropriate for this function of sending
us out onto the avenue or to the coffee hour with glorious music still ringing
through the sanctuary. Those who want to really listen to the postlude are
encouraged to move toward the front of the church.
Applause at the end of the postlude, however, is to be discouraged. It is
embarrassing to me and inappropriate as a part of our gathering together
as a congregation. Sunday morning worship is not a concert. A more appropriate
response would be to say Amen.
What can chase away today’s troubled clouds of concern?
Just for one evening? This year’s Evening of Readings and Music on
Wednesday, May 21 promises to bring cheer and lift all out of the dumps
and despair.
Humor and Wisdom are to be served up in style. How? With clever, choice
readings, all brief, from recent acquisitions to MAPC’s Hood Library.
Some readings will bring smiles and ripples of laughter. Others will offer
bits of wisdom to be savored. Several are biographical and tell of intriguing
life experiences.
Music will be an added pleasure ...what could be better than music from
MAPC’s best? You may recall that “Music hath charms to soothe
the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” It’s
sure to brighten and enliven the evening.
The whole evening will offer a time of fellowship. The reception will begin
at 6 pm in the Church House Lobby. Dinner is scheduled for 6:30 pm in the
Parish Hall. The program will start at 7:30 pm. For dinner reservations
send a check in the amount of $18 payable to MAPC, Attn: Margaret Williamson,
921 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10021. Tel: 212 288-8920. Reservations
are due by May 14.
Also, see: