News from the Congregation November 13, 2020
‘Christ’s Glory or Self Glory?’; ‘An Abundance of Good Things’; | CCC - Thanksgiving Sunday Food Drive, Holiday Toy Drive; Deacon Paul Daniels - Black Episcopalians Lecture, Advent Program on Howard Thurman, Episcopal Charities Virtual Tribute Dinner; Sunday Programs (9:45 am Visit with the Vicar, 10 am Genesis Bible Study, 11 am Worship Service, 11:45 Vicar and Friends, 12 pm Coffee Half-Hour, 12:30 pm Eucharist Class. Weekday Programs (Wednesday Compline Service, Thursday YESS Bible Study, Thursday EfM Class, Friday Midday Prayer and Meditation).
Canon Lee
So many of us come to church when our life projects fail. I have heard stories from you about failed marriages, failed careers, and failed dreams. The values of the world, which tell us how to achieve and measure success, betray us. We hit bottom.
We realize it is only a Power greater than ourselves that can restore us to sanity. We come to church to meet this Power.
But the desire for human glory is strong and the need for “self-improvement” unceasing. We are continually tempted to create new projects for ourselves. Often, we make the church into a project. Something to fix and turn into a "success."
A simple way to recognize whether we are falling into this temptation is asking ourselves this question: when we do ministry in the church, do we aim for our glory or for God’s glory?
If there is a silver lining to the pandemic, it is that all churches, including the Cathedral Congregation, are now forced to put God’s glory first. I hear from many of my fellow priests about the financial difficulties their churches face because the income generated from peripheral activities, like space rental to outside groups, has plummeted.
What happens when a church is forced to stop its peripheral activities? What happens when a church focuses only on essential activities, such as proclaiming the apostles’ teaching, studying the Bible in community, or engaging in a disciplined practice of prayer?
The pandemic has forced the Cathedral Congregation into this experiment. We are learning what happens when a group of people make Jesus Christ the sole foundation of their life together.
More importantly, this foundation is not a “Jesus” who is an empty category upon which we project our human ideas and desires. Rather, he is the Jesus of revealed Scripture and the historic tradition, whom we encounter in our fellowship and worship, the One who has been resurrected by the power of God, “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Romans 4:17).
Marsha and Tim
Our Senior Warden Marsha Ra on Abundance and Thanksgiving.
My father brought an abundance of good things home—mostly food. He delivered products to grocery stores in the city and was aware of every sale offered from Eight Mile Road to the Detroit River. Naturally, he took advantage of every good deal. In the days before Costco and BJ’s our family had an attic stuffed to overflowing with cases of food. There were cases of two pound cans of strawberry jam, no. 10 cans of peaches, tomato sauce, large bags of potatoes and onions. My father did almost all of the grocery shopping because of the choices he had. I remember his proud, happy face when he would bring home a really great cut of meat. Every Thanksgiving he would, naturally, bring home a turkey. Each year, the turkey seemed to grow larger. Although we were a small family—two parents, two children—the turkey could have fed an army. I remember the largest one he ever snagged. It must have weighed 25 pounds. A deep frown appeared on my mother’s face. She wrung her hands and bit her lip as she wondered if the bird would even fit in our oven. “Oh Harold!” she complained. This was followed by a deep sigh. We would have to start cooking the bird at the crack of dawn if we hoped to actually eat it before sunset on Thanksgiving Day. We couldn’t share it with anyone in our extended family since my mother did not keep a kosher kitchen. This Tom turkey was not killed according to Jewish law, so it was our challenge to eat it all. It would take us about a week.
Fast forward to 1983 and I am directing the Soup kitchen, which we called “Cathedral Kitchen.” In some ways I was channeling my father. I loved ordering the free food from the US Dept. of Agriculture and from City Harvest, planning all the while what meals I could turn out with available supplies. Soup, casseroles, sandwiches—of course, but also using powdered eggs to create egg fu young. My masterpiece was pineapple upside down cake for 200 made entirely of agricultural surplus. One Sunday someone brought in a huge bag full of broken up croissants and Danish pastries. We used them to make bread pudding that could have been served in a fancy restaurant.
Often, after we finished cleaning, someone would show up late and desperate for food. If there was no prepared food available we offered a few canned goods. On one particular Sunday all we had were small cans of tuna fish. I remember very clearly a hungry young man who approached us—a thin red-head carrying a plastic grocery bag. I told him I had tuna fish but that he needed a can opener. He smiled broadly and triumphantly pulled a can-opener from his bag. “I have one!” He was so pleased to receive this tiny gift and I was so humbled to hand it to him. I have thought about him many times over the past 30 years.
Today, as we look forward to Thanksgiving, I am proud of our congregation’s efforts to feed hungry people. Information on ways you can help is found in this newsletter. We may be facing a Thanksgiving with fewer people around the table this year, but we know that this pandemic will come to an end. Hunger will not. Please pray for and help our hungry neighbors.
CONNECT
Tuesday, November 17 | 6:30PM - November General Membership Meeting of the New York Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians
"Where Do We Go From Here?" The Rev. Deacon Paul Anthony Daniels Speaker
Saturday, December 5, 2020 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM - The Northern Manhattan Inter Parish Council Advent Quiet Day: Reflecting on Howard Thurman
This online event, being led by the Rev. Deacon Paul Anthony Daniels of the Cathedral, will focus on the words and ideas of Howard Washington Thurman, an African-American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements and organizations of the twentieth century.
To register & receive the link please email: rector@stmarysharlem.org.
NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE
Episcopal Charities is pleased to invite you to this year’s annual Virtual Tribute Dinner: Responding to the Call on Thursday, November 19 from 8PM - 9PM. This event will feature a number of the outreach programs we help support, giving you an insider’s view of the transformative work that is taking place even during the pandemic. Plus, there will be musical performances and appearances by some very special guests, including the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry; Deborah Roberts and Al Roker; Gina Belafonte; and more! We hope you will join us.
GIVE
This Holiday Season, the Congregation and Cathedral are providing several ways to give back to our community.
THANKSGIVING WITH THE CONGREGATION
To continue the food distribution work that the vestry has funded, members of the congregation are working to provide turkeys to families in our neighborhood. We have decided to provide the thanksgiving meal to the Robert D. Jones (RDJ) Refugee Shelter at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on 126th Street, gift cards to a local grocery store to residents of a local housing development, and a financial contribution to Cathedral Community Cares. Thank you to Kevin de l’Aigle for coordinating these gifts for our neighbors.
THANKSGIVING WITH CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY CARES
The Thanksgiving Sunday meal will be NOVEMBER 22nd of this year. We are asking for those donating cooked turkeys, chickens, pies, cookies, etc. to have goods HERE ON THE GROUNDS not later than 9am. There will be a table set up with a volunteer to accept the donation and to give a donation receipt. Another volunteer will take the donations downstairs to the team for it to be prepped, packed and handed out at 10am.
HUNGARIAN PASTRY SHOP
On Wednesday November 25, all proceeds raised by our neighbors at the Hungarian Pastry shop will be donated to Cathedral Community Cares.
TOY DRIVE
Congregation member Sonia Omulepu is working with Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) on a toy drive. To contribute, drop off at CCC in the Towne building (on the south side of the Cathedral) Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 10 AM and 4 PM only until December 3rd! CCC will accept toys and $20 and $25 gift cards (for older children). Gifts should be unwrapped!
THIS SUNDAY, November 15, 2020
9:45 AM - Visiting with the Vicar
Join the Vicar fifteen minutes before Bible study to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
10:00 AM - In the Beginning: A Study of Genesis
Join the Vicar for a study of the first book of the Bible. Discover Genesis, not as a collection of ancient mythological stories, but as the Word of God addressing our fundamental and deepest needs. This Sunday, we continue our study of Genesis 4, under the heading: "The First (Dysfunctional Family, Part II."
11:00 AM - Congregation Watch Party for Cathedral Worship Service
Watch the Cathedral worship service on Zoom with other members of the Congregation. As a way to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, we will be turning off Zoom chat for the duration of the service.
You can also watch the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
11:45 PM - Vicar and Friends
Join the Vicar and occasional guests right after the service for a brief time to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
12:00 PM - Digital Coffee Half-Hour
Join us at this week’s Digital Coffee Hour to meet members of the congregation.
12:30 PM - Adult Formation Class - Eucharist in the Reformation
Sub-Dean Patrick Malloy continues his popular series on the history, theology, and practice of the Eucharist, starting with the Reformation.
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Wednesdays | 7:30 PM - Midweek Reflection and Discussion
“Advent: Season of Second Chances.” Starts Dec 2. 2020
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline
Fridays | 12:15 PM - Midday Prayer and Meditation
The Angelus and 10 minutes of silent meditation. Stay afterwards to connect with the Vicar and others in the parish.
Thursdays | 6:30 PM - Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry is designed for lay people who want to delve more deeply but are not necessarily interested in ordination; EfM classes provide a more formal study of scriptures and the history of the faith. Current Topic: “Living into the Journey with God”
Thursdays | 6:00 PM - YESS Bible Study
The Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour continue their Bible study of the Gospel of Matthew.
Reminder: you can find a directory of weekly programs with links to each program’s Zoom by clicking here.