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Wed May 14, 2008 |
Recent Events
Rev. Dr. William S. Shillady will be leaving in August
Dear Park Avenue Members and Friends,
This week, the Board of Directors of the United Methodist City Society will vote to affirm the unanimous decision of their search committee to elect me as the Executive Director of the Society. It is with great sadness at leaving this vibrant ministry at Park Avenue, and yet with a new excitement at the opportunity and challenges that face me, that I have agreed to accept this position effective September 1, 2008.
I must tell you that Judy and I will leave Park Avenue with sorrow, and we will miss the love and care with which you have held us these last nine years. Our time together since 1999 has been an extraordinary chapter in our lives and in my ministry.
I was not planning to leave for many years. And as the position at the City Society became open in January, I had no desire to apply. However, a large number of clergy colleagues and leaders of the City Society as well as the New York Annual Conference encouraged me to apply. They felt that my gifts in administration and leadership in the Conference were exactly what the Society needed in its new Executive Director.
My first response was “thanks for thinking of me so highly, but I am very happy at Park Avenue.” But the sermon I preached two weeks ago about the nudging and guidance of the Holy Spirit was truly the experience that I have been living since I was recruited in January.
The idea was intriguing but I did not feel called to pursue the position. However, as Judy and I talked and prayed, it began a serious process of discernment. That discernment convinced me that Park Avenue is an incredibly special place that I would not willingly leave for another church, only for a special ministry.
As I contemplated this possibility, I realized that God had been preparing me, from college on to this moment, to use my gifts and graces to help the City Society be the powerful and effective force for change and hope that it can be. The Society is an arm of the New York Annual Conference for effective ministry and mission opportunities.
The City Society provides meaningful education, training, food, housing and recreation programs to many of the City’s most vulnerable children, families, and adults. It offers a variety of resources to United Methodist congregations to strengthen their ministries. It sponsors and supervises Camp Olmsted (the proceeds of our rummage sales benefit the summer camping program). It also has the same relationship with Anchor House, a residential drug abuse program for males and females, a city-wide program for children and youth that includes day care centers, Head Start programs, summer camps and after school tutoring programs.
I will be responsible for the overall operation, management, planning, financial control and personnel administration.
After a difficult time of discernment and listening to God, friends and mentors, I have decided that this is the ministry to which I believe God is calling me at this time.
I regret announcing this, as many changes are taking place at PAUMC, but the decision this week by the Society’s Board of Directors will make this public information and I wanted you to learn of it first from me.
We are in the midst of spring, a season for new birth and new beginnings. This Sunday, we will celebrate Pentecost and the coming of the power of the Holy Spirit. I will pray for Spirit to come and be with you and with me as we embark upon a new beginning in our lives.
The Bishop and his Cabinet will begin a search process for my successor. It may involve an interim pastor being appointed to serve until the right candidate can be found and interviewed by the Staff Parish Committee. This process is late in the appointment season and I know the Bishop wishes to have more time to find the right person to pick up the baton.
Pastor Jessica will officially be appointed to remain here for a few years. I will be indebted to her during this time of transition. We may also hire some part time staff to assist with all the areas of ministry that we have that an interim person may not be able to fully cover.
Larry Morales will be leading our Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and will keep the congregation informed as the process moves along.
Judy and I have loved these nine years together in shared ministry. I trust that Park Avenue will continue her strong support of the United Methodist City Society and its ministries, especially Camp Olmsted.
Christ’s work at Park Avenue will continue to advance no matter who the pastor may be. It will advance because of your commitment to the ministry of this church and its future.
These remaining months in which I am your pastor will provide time to say our “goodbyes” to each other in this relationship, so that we might fully prepare to say hello to a new pastor and the new ministry that awaits us. My last Sunday will probably be August 10, 2008. Judy and I will need to move and she will have her eye surgery before I begin my new position.
With great gratitude for the past, I ask for your prayers for the future.
In God’s love, joy, and humor,
Rev. Dr. William Shillady
SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER
The Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter is a program that our church has supported in a number of ways since its beginning. PAUMC was one of the founding organizations of this program 25 years ago. Currently, New York City has decided to stop funding the center which provides drop in services for the homeless who wander our streets here in the neighborhood. It is the only center in our area and has a daily capacity to assist 83 persons. Please help us Save the Center!
On the information table, in the church, are flyers and sample letters to send to our political representatives.
NCS has provided services to 27,907 daily visits annually. 21,291 Shelter beds. Meals for 47,476. Showers 6,099.
If the shelter closes, we will see more homeless people on our streets and will not have any place in the neighborhood to encourage them to go to for help.
Please help save the center by sending a letter.
ORATORIO SOCIETY of NEW YORK CONCERT
Emily Crawford, Shea Scanlon Lomma, Florence Long, Linda Guran, David Pritchard, and Rena Strappazon will be singing with the Oratorio Society of New York on Tuesday night, May 20th at Carnegie Hall. The PAUMC members listed above may have tickets left to sell, check with one of us first. Tickets are also available at the box office. The prices range from $20 to $65.
Experience Brahms at His Best
In the Requiem, Brahms combines striking harmonies with unusual Biblical text to create a beautifully lyrical, masterfully written, and immensely moving work dedicated to the whole of humanity. Rounding out the program is Brahms’ evocative, mournful Tragic Overture, a perfect compliment to the Requiem.
Oratorio Society of New York
Brahms: EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM
Brahms: TRAGIC OVERTURE IN D MINOR
Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 8:00 pm
Carnegie Hall
KENT TRITLE
conducting chorus,
soloists Susanna Phillips, Soprano
Christopher Feigum, Baritone
and The Orchestra of the Society
FAREWELL TO RAY ALTMAN
Please join us as we say farewell to Ray and Megan! Sunday, May 18th will be Ray and Megan’s last Sunday at PAUMC. Ray will preach at the 9am and 11am services that day and we will celebrate his ministry at PAUMC at all three services along with a special celebration at coffee hour. Please don’t tell Ray about this surprise: To show our appreciation, we will present Ray with the New Interpreter’s Bible (12-volume set), you are welcome to contribute toward this gift by writing a check, please put “Ray’s gift” on the memo line of the check made out to PAUMC. Ray and Megan are moving to Kerrville, Texas where Ray will serve as the Associate Pastor at Kerrville First United Methodist Church.
GREAT FICTION BOOK CLUB
The next meeting of the book club will be on Tuesday, May 27th at 6:30 pm. The group will discuss “Abide with Me” by Elizabeth Strout. You can pick up a book from Chris, the custodian at the door. They are $11.50
Editorial Review by Barnes and Noble says:
“In her luminous and long-awaited new novel, bestselling author Elizabeth Strout welcomes readers back to the archetypal, lovely landscape of northern New England, where the events of her first novel, Amy and Isabelle, unfolded. In the late 1950s, in the small town of West Annett, Maine, a minister struggles to regain his calling, his family, and his happiness in the wake of profound loss. At the same time, the community he has served so charismatically must come to terms with its own strengths and failings–faith and hypocrisy, loyalty and abandonment–when a dark secret is revealed.
PAUMC KNITTING CLUB
The PAUMC Knitting Club will have its’ inaugural meeting on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 6:30 in Clarke Hall on the 3rd floor. So bring your needles and we’ll learn new techniques, socialize and find a new name for our group
Please contact Margaret Fisher for details at: 212 662-6432 or email her at: mfishe9375@earthlink.net
PAUMC MIDDLE SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
May 18th – Pipes and Pizza. A party at the church with demonstration of the organ pipes.
June 8th – Confirmation Brunch. Family and students will celebrate together.
July 13th – Afternoon boat trip.
August – no activity
September 14th – Picnic in Central Park.
October 26th – Lisa Ingram’s art show at Chashama Gallery.
* A note to parents and guardians; we will always need at least 3 adults to participate. Please volunteer when you can to make these activities possible for the kids. Also, permission slips are required for those kids who do not have parents going with them.
**To volunteer or ask questions, please contact Lisa Ingram at (917) 705-4486. Thanks for your help.
PAUMC’S DISCIPLESHIP OPPORTUNITIES
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY:
At the end of April, Habitat-NYC will be hosting a series of trainings on the RENT-TO-OWN INDUSTRY. 32 of the 38 Rent-to-Own stores in NYC are located in low income communities where over 50% of residents are Black or Latino. Rent-to-Own stores charge consumers exorbitant interest rates as high as 300% and the consumer oftentimes ends up paying three times the price of an appliance or household item than he or she would pay at a retail store. Sadly, over 70% of all Rent-to-Own transactions end up back at the store because the consumer was unable to keep up with the high weekly or monthly payments. If a consumer misses a payment by one day, the Rent-to-Own store will repossess the item and all payments made on the item will be lost.
To RSVP for one of these trainings, please contact Chelsea Clark at cclark@habitatnyc.org
Saturday, May 3, 10 am – 11 am
Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
SATURDAY COMMUNITY LUNCH PROGRAM: All are welcome to join us Saturday, June 7th, 2008 as we prepare and serve a meal to our neighbors. Volunteers meet at Park Avenue Christian Church at 1010 Park Avenue (at 85th Street) to prepare and/or serve: cooking begins at 11AM and servers are needed at 1:30 PM. We’ll serve the meal at 2PM and be done 3:30PM. If you have “food handling certification,” or for more information, please email Lisa Smith (lisa_erin_smith@hotmail.com) or contact Pastor Jessica (e-mail: pastorjessica@parkavemethodist.org; phone: 212-427-5421).
YORKVILLE COMMON PANTRY
Items for the month of May: “Mayday, Mayday.” Baby diapers; Baby formula; Baby food; Baby clothes. Please place your donations in the basket at the back of the sanctuary. The Yorkville Common Pantry (YCP) is the largest, nonsectarian, neighborhood-based provider of emergency food in New York City. YCP provides 1,250,000 meals annually to all who come seeking relief from hunger.
For information about volunteering at YCP, please visit http://ycp.org/index.php/content/C5/.
SUMMER CAMP OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CHILDREN
We have received the registration brochures for our United Methodist camping program. Please call the church office if you would like to see all the exciting possibilities of overnight camps for children and youth this summer. Our Christian camping program includes sailing camp, family camp, bike camp, athletic camp, drama camp, guitar, dance, photography and equestrian camp. In addition to first timer’s camp, there are a variety of programs. There is Camp Kingswood in the Catskills near Hancock, NY. Also, Camp Quinipet on Shelter Island is a beautiful place for camping.
SOFTBALL SEASON HAS BEGUN
From Arthur Chang, our softball coordinator:
The sophomore season of the PAUMC/CCUMC Methodist Gryphons softball team has begun. The New York City MetroSports Softball League season started March 28th . Be on the look out for the upcoming schedule for the Gryphons. The first team practice was Saturday, April 5th in Central Park. Now that the season has commenced, fans and cheerleaders are welcome to attend the games! Contact Arthur at
achang@oppenheimerfunds.com or 615-293-1742
Next Scheduled Game:
Friday, May 9th at 6:30 pm, at Dewitt Clinton field #2, 53nd Street & 11th Ave
Cheerleaders and Fans are encourged to attend!