Wednesday, September 7
The Presbytery of New York City
In January 2010, the Presbytery of New York City gathered in worship before a presbytery meeting. It was the Annual Service of Remembrance for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The sermon preached was titled "Towards a Beloved Community in the Presbytery of New York City.'' Through this service, members of the presbytery and its churches reflected on their lives together in mission. They heard Dr. King's words read aloud, interspersed with the assembly singing in unison: "Wade in the water ... God's a-going to trouble the water.'' The power of love was stirred up. The ongoing need to stand against structures of inequality was spoken. The tensions exposed by historic patterns of injustice and the temptation of forgetting were acknowledged. Reconciliation was celebrated.
All of the participants in the service, from the preacher to the ushers, came from congregations engaged in mission or represented a presbytery entity so engaged. Together they represented the cultural and ethnic diversity of the presbytery and the variety and vitality of mission initiatives within it. Presbyterians in New York City are feeding the poor; sheltering the homeless; advocating for economic justice; accompanying people on their journeys home from incarceration; visiting them in prison; acting to change prison policies; responding to HIV and AIDS; reaching out to youth; providing legal services to immigrants; advocating for comprehensive immigration reform; supporting through speakers bureaus and arts programs the voices of those often rendered silent; collaborating with community partners, of faith and otherwise, and creating relationships across the world: in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in Africa, in South America. They are truly growing Christ's church deep and wide.
There are 96 churches with 16,150 members in the Presbytery of New York City. Within its bounds are Auburn Theological Seminary, the Alexander Robertson School, and Presbyterian Senior Services.
Let us join in prayer for:
Presbytery Staff
Tony De La Rosa, interim executive presbyter
The Rev. Cornell Edmonds, stated clerk
James Tse, finance manager
Peter Moore, property manager
Yzette Swavy-Lipton, office manager
PC(USA) Agencies' Staff
Maria Perry, BOP
Derrick Perkins, GAMC
Prayer
Loving God, we offer our thanks for this world and for the privilege of serving its people. By your Holy Spirit, inspire our vision and our responsiveness. Help us see just how deep and vast your call is for our engagement. Help us to act with love and faithfulness. This we ask in the name of the one who came to reveal your reconciling love, your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Daily Lectionary
Morning Psalms 89:1-18; 147:1-11
First Reading 1 Kings 17:1-24
Second Reading Philippians 2:1-11
Gospel Matthew 2:1-12
Evening Psalms 1; 33