Subway Art Gallery Opening on the 23rd St C,E.

View the Blog Post HERE.

Very Clever.

H/T to Cafedave.

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Suffering in Times Square

OK. I've been very busy lately. But my friend Michael Winram is in town, and he wants to do Times Square for New Years. I've told him that is snowing (which he knows), and that the temperatures are are guessed to be 21F (but with wind will feel like 5F). Now, if you are from the Antipodes, that's -6C (and feels like -15C).

The last time I did this was with Ed Spinger on December 31, 1997. That pic is 11 years old. And it was cooold then.

I'm going to join him. And Winram says he's committed to the end.

• Should I stand by him until the bitter end?
• And have you been to Times Square on NYE? Or anywhere colder?

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Gentleman New York

I described New York City as a woman in THIS POST. Give it a go on your own Blog, or in the comments on mine. Describe your city as a woman. The forth is from Mrs. W, ex-NYC, now Vancouver, Canada.

NYC
He stood transfixed, silenced by what
sprawled above his head, pushy and
unruly as a junior high classroom.

It shoved him numbly from here to there,
Central Park: Harlem: Times Square. The wet
wind blew snow and umbrellas in his eyes as
he shivered.

But the old ladies always gave a dollar to the
crumpled man with leukemia when
he sang the song that requires no teeth between
subway stops and there was
always a seat available for the fragile, well-wrinkled gentleman with his
pert cap and clear, dripping nose.

Traveling is hard on the bones.

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Pic on Flickr by Saint Roch.

Best Steak in NYC?

My New York readers are relatively silent. But a friend who is visiting town wanted to know where is the best place to get a NYC steak.

Suggestions?

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Pic on Flickr by DazeGoonBoy.

Lady New York (A poem of sorts).

OK, so I promised. Only Byron said he may laugh. So a few things by way of disclaimer: First, I am neither a poet, nor the son of a poet. I basically wrote this in my head coming out of the Subway at 34th St and 3 walking blocks north on 6th Ave. You can see the amount of time I put into it by clicking HERE. You get what you walk for. Then I came home, and Dr Laurel, who's profession is words, suggested I make it prose, rather than poetry. What came about is this:

New York City: A Portrait.

She is smart, and will not be patronized; she is thoughtful, and will endure no easy answers. She is lonely, and wants 'connections', but she is busy, and will not make them. She is open-minded, needing to be part of 'the larger narrative'; but she is consumed, needing 'immediate relevance'.

She is blind, in need of sight; and she is sinful, in need of a Savior.

So, two things:

• Have I missed anything about New York City?
• If you were to describe your own city as a woman, what would you say about her?

Could this be a lame Meme?

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Uber-Urban Ministry (Some Random Thoughts).

A friend wrote me:

I was wondering whether you could crystallize your experiences and reflections of what it is to be a Christian, a minister, and/ or a church in NYC: or what are the implications or challenges that the raw experience and facts of NYC issue to Christians. I know you love thinking in enumerated propositions, and that would be great!

In the spirit of 'enumerated propositions', I offer three challenges to building a church in New York City. This is not about simply being a Christian in NYC, which I will write about in another post. And I will offer some positive things in coming posts. But here are three challenges:

• Cities are transient. One of the biggest challenges you face in Uber-Urban is that people are transient -- here for two years, then gone. So healthy community and functioning discipline are hard because people are coming and going. It takes a while to know someone and have them trust you. It reminds me of para-church student ministry (but without the value of being on campus for a balk of the day). I remarked in our staff meeting recently that our church is really a different church to what it was 3 years ago, simply because of the turnover of new people.
  

• Cities are busy. So many people work *very* hard, and so many want to go to church where the work is done for them. They get what they need quickly, and leave it at that. Now, that is not true of many people -- and I think that our church is pretty good with using gifts etc. But most people have very little 'margin' left in their life, and they feel it. And so do we. (It must be said that people here are often very generous with their money, which is really great.)

• Cities are full of options. So many options: educational options; social options; sporting options; cultural options. And also - there are many options for church here, which is great. Not all options for church are good with the Scriptures. But we've found that when people get scared that they will be 'known', and when people start having tough relationships in a church, and when we as pastors begin to work on godliness, they can just as easily go elsewhere. Why not go to a church where you can get a good sermon and good worship, and then be left alone? That, again, is not true of many. But it is a factor in city life.

I wrote a little poem about New York City a few months back. I'm a little embarrassed by it. In it, I describe NYC as a woman.

If you promise not to laugh, I'll post it.

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Pic on Flickr by Joannou.

My Two Worlds Collide on West 53rd St tonight.

If you'll pardon the melodrama, but tonight, my two worlds collide.

Andrew Katay and his wife Catriona have been my friends since we served in InterVarsity (EU) at the University of Sydney. They have embraced Dr Laurel and we enjoy the rare times we get to spend with them. Andrew is the Rector (Senior Minister) of Christ Church Inner West Anglican Communities in Sydney.

They are here in NYC for a very unusual reason: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) on West 53rd St has an exhibition called "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling." Basically, they are rebuilding 5 exceptional homes in the vacant lot next to the Museum.

What has this to do with Andrew and Catriona?

Andrew and Catriona have a vacation home 4 hours north of Sydney, and theirs is one of the homes that is being rebuilt here in NYC. And so they are here for the MoMA opening tonight, and one of the architects of the project, Jeremy Edmiston, has invited us to tag along.

Dr Laurel and I visited the home, in sleepy North Haven, about 3 years ago now. Back then, it was only just taking shape (and an unusual shape at that). It will feel very strange (and nicely out of place) to see that same home reconstructed in busy Midtown New York City.

As I said, my two worlds will collide.

• You can see more in the pictorial journey in this MoMa site (Click on Burst*008 for pics).
• You can read the NY Sun, which has some great slides of the Katay's home in North Haven.
• Click for an article in Metropolismag, where Andrew talks about the 'Drive-bys' in the sleepy town.
• Or click on the Sydney Morning Herald for more.
  

The Herald has has my favorite quote from the architect:

The house is made of plywood and decorated with giant flower cut-outs. But the oddest thing is the completely asymmetrical exterior; there are no straight horizontal or vertical surfaces or lines in the frame of the building, apart from the columns supporting it.

We're not really living in a symmetrical time, says architect Jeremy Edmiston. "Who has symmetry in their lives?"

Indeed, who does?

Should be fun tonight.

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A Question for my NYC readers...

From E.B White, of Charlotte's Webb fame:

There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable.

Second, there is the New York of the commuter--the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night.

Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.

Of these trembling cities the greatest is the last--the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements.

Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion.

OK, my New York Readers, its time to come out from lurking:

• Which New York are you?
• Does the shoe fit?
• Why did you come to New York?
• Have you found what you are looking for?

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H/T Stephanie Dahle for the quote.

Doubting in the Bronx?

At 2:17AM someone in the Bronx was directed to my Blog by typing these words into a search engine:

im born again water and spirit but doubt sometimes

It made me a touch sad when I read that. It almost felt like a prayer typed into the Net. If you log on again, my new friend from the Bronx, click here for some of my work on being 'Born from above'.

What would you say to Mr. or Ms. Bronx?

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Pic in Flickr by DownTown Pictures.

Sad...

There was an accident today on East 50th and 51st St -- a crane fell and at least 4 people are dead. Read about it HERE. Keep the families in your prayers.

The crazy thing from my point of view is that my office is the building just to the right of the brown one above. (Our office is near the 'B' in the words 'Building destroyed' on the map). I walk past that demolished building every day. There was a little pub at the bottom of that building.

I often work on a Saturday afternoon at the office (but not today). I am deeply thankful to Jesus for life, but an events like this confirm in me that my life is a mere breath, and must be reckoned with seriously.

Psalm 35:5-7: You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

Indeed.

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'First Things' blog about Christ Church NYC

Commendation is good. Anthony Sacramone over at 'First Things' wrote a post on Christ Church NYC this morning. Read the Blog post by clicking HERE.

Anthony points out that the "Anglican Communion is quickly becoming a synonym for entropy. But there are still bastions of orthodoxy that unabashedly hoist the flag of traditional 39-Article Anglicanism as it reaches out to the unchurched and the unbelieving in the big city."

It includes these words:

So, as a break from the usual TEC/Anglican needling, I thought it would be nice to light a candle rather than curse the darkness. To which end I give you Christ Church NYC. [...]

So if you’re in the NYC area and interested in learning about the Christian faith as read through an Anglican lens, or are already an Episcopalian/Anglican looking for a congregation that preaches the gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, not the Times, the Guardian, the Voice, and the Jesus Seminar, Christ Church may be just what you’re looking for.

You also can read Dr Paul Barnett's 'The Ten Elements of Historic Anglicanism' by clicking HERE. And also my Blog Posts interacting with Dr Barnett HERE.

And 50 Points for guessing where the picture was taken.
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Men serving homeless men

I don't talk enough of what is going on with our Church. We have grown significantly this year. And because of this, we are now able to do more in and for the city.

So we have taken on two 'service project' or what they call here 'mercy ministries' here in NYC that we believe honors Christ, and serves the lost.

One of them is that the men of Christ Church serve the many homeless in the city. So once a month, we go to the NYC Rescue Mission and run their evening service. The men have nowhere to live, and they are struggling with all sorts of hardships, addictions and pain. They come for a meal, but if they want to stay the night in a clean bed at the Rescue Mission, they have to come to church first.

I think that they like it.

So in just a few hours, a group of us will be sharing the message of Hope to those who feel most hopeless.

Pray for us.

Classic Graffitti near NYU

While walking with a friend through New York University yesterday, we came across this timely piece of graffiti. It was near Astor Place. (Click on the picture to see more detail.)

We had to stop and take a pic.

• Is this Christ Vs Hedonism?
• What do you make of it?
• For New York friends, what does it suggest about your mission field?
• Is this what people really think if they are honest?
• How did we get to this point?
  

A Question for you...

A Question...

What is at the vortex of Perfect Weather, Sunday July 22, 2007 and Central Park, NYC?

Answer: Harry Potter.

We spent all afternoon in Central Park with a group from church yesterday and it was clear to anyone that Harry was being read by the hundreds in Central Park yesterday afternoon.

It felt like a Yo-Yo Craze for adults. (Remember the Yo-Yo Craze?)

Excuse me for a moment, I have to go and buy me a copy...


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Nathan and Cassie

So, its been a lot of joy for us this month: we had Em-mma stay for three week, and then we had a good time with Nathan and Cassie Tasker last week. Nice. We had Nath play at our church, and Laurel and I hosted two 'house concerts' (Or you probably ought to call them 'apartment concerts'. And on Sunday, we hung out in Central Park, which is spectacular in springtime (See Pics of The Boy and The Girl.)

Being thankful to God is a must-activity for believers in Jesus.

If you click on the Pic of Nath and Cassie, you'll get a full report of their time with us.

Click away...

NYC: Three Last Reasons why New York is a crucial investment

The Pic is Manhattan in 1782 -- before Sydney Town was settled by Europeans...

OK -- It’s been 3 weeks since I have posted.

A couple of reasons for this are:

• My boss has been away, so I've been pastoring this church without the rector. (More work... )
• Family takes precedence over a Blog. (More family...)
• And I have wondered how to process these next three reasons. (More thinking...)

Here are, according to Redeemer, the next 3 reasons why New York is a crucial investment for evangelicals:

2. The pluralism factor
"Most analysts foresee an America in which the European/Anglo population becomes a smaller and less influential factor in the country, while Latinos and Asians and others become greater in numbers and power. History should teach us a lesson. America was a Protestant nation until 1880-1920, when a massive wave of immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe came, mainly through NYC. It was mainly Catholic and Jewish. WASPs in New York neither welcomed these newcomers nor sought to win them into new churches. Instead they fled the city. The newcomers eventually took power in the cultural institutions within the city. Now a third wave of immigration is coming, and NYC is again a focal point for it. Will evangelical Protestants fail the challenge again?"

3. The minority factor
"Though smaller, only LA can rival New York as a way for the Christian church to get control of America’s cultural and social future. But the Evangelical church in LA is far stronger than in New York City. While Los Angeles has several major evangelical seminaries, many organizations and institutions, and scores of mega-churches, New York City does not. Also the great majority of NYC evangelicalism is black and Hispanic. These vital churches are this largely cut off from the power and resources (financial, political, and educational) enjoyed by Anglo churches; New York Christianity is fragmented, immature and weak theologically, corporately and spiritually."

4. The spiritual revival factor
"For people who recognize the importance of sound theology for long-term viability and spiritual health, the surprising growth of Redeemer must be seen as a once in a life-time opportunity for spiritual harvesting in NYC. In less than 6 years it grew to roughly 1500 people, and it has the opportunity to grow far larger over the next 20 years. If it does, there is a possibility of planting 30 or 40 daughter churches (churches made up of Redeemer members/attendants) and 50-60 sponsored churches. That would create a permanent, widespread movement that could change the face of the city.

But Redeemer has already unearthed far more opportunities to plant new churches and ministries than it can meet. If it seeks to meet them alone, without help, it will weaken the development of our own leadership resources. That, in turn, could mean fewer new churches in the future. Therefore, we need partners."

--- Redeemer Church Planting Manual

A couple of initial thoughts:

All of this comes out of a paradigm that a lot of Sydney people may not feel the weight of. It comes from a view that God's people ought to engage with culture in a way that effects culture for the common good. The regular question asked is this: "How can followers of Christ be a counterculture for the common good?" It comes out of – amongst other places -- Jeremiah 29:7. It’s Augustine. It’s Bruce Winter’s Seek the welfare of the City. And the things you’ve just read, I believe, has been most immediately influences by James Montgomery Boice’s, Two Cities, Two Loves: Christian Responsibility in a Crumbling Culture.

I’ll be honest: I’m still trying to process the whole approach. I'm looking forward to understanding the position. And I'm in the right place to do that. I certainly do believe in 'seeking the welfare of the city' -- Christians are to be good citizens. Although I'm not sure if this means that our mission is changing the culture. I do get nervous with ideas like finding “a way for the Christian church to get control of America’s cultural and social future.” Hmmm.

I know that they are not, repeat not, advocating moral majority stuff.

Help me to understand...

Re Redeemer partners. Our Church was was initiated by Redeemer. We are proud to be a Redeemer affiliate. In many ways, we are the Redeemer vision. And, with partners, our dream is to be a church planting church here in Manhattan. There is a lot more to say about Redeemer’s place in New York. Redeemer’s leadership has a large vision. My prayer is that the leadership’s vision is shared more and more by its actual members and attendees. That’s surely the only way that 30-40 Churches can be planted!

What do you think?

Love, Justin.

NYC: Four Reasons why New York is a crucial investment [Monday]

I'm reading the Redeemer Presbyterian Church Planter's manual. It cites 5 facts about New York City, which I quoted last week. And then it cites 4 reasons NYC is such a crucial investment for the broader evangelical church.

So, you’ll be offered one reason a day this week. Ponder these and pray for us.

REASON 1. The Cultural Influence Factor

“There is a lot of bemoaning the fact that, while there are millions of born again Christians, they seem to be having no impact on the culture. The reasons given are usually complex and unconvincing. Nobody notices that evangelicals are totally non-urban. Homosexuals, while only 2% of the population, are nonetheless highly influential. Why? One answer is that they live predominantly in the largest urban areas, where they work in places that control social discourse. But evangelicals, who are 15-20% or more of the population, have fled the cities. This is a recipe for complete cultural irrelevance.”

An interesting possibility. To explore more: Read this article from Christianity Today.

I always believed that NYC is an important city in the world. But I hadn’t thought about the idea that Christians moving to the suburbs might possibly impact the influence of the gospel. [I'm wondering if it as true for Australia as it is for the US?] Still, it makes me think again that for a Christian, the only factor in choosing where to live ought not to be simply ‘where I’d like to live’. I reflected on that tension on a previous post HERE.

By the way, have I ever said ‘church shopping’ are two words that should never be placed together? Click here for a video of "Maybe we should try the new Mega church".

Disturbingly funny.

Love, Justin.

NYC: Five Facts, Five Reasons (Friday)

FACT 5. The Spiritual Need of NYC
“With the exception of Boston, NYC is perhaps the least protestant in the country. Of its 7.5 million people, just 1 to 1.5 million identify themselves as protestant, and a mid-80s survey of New Yorkers indicates that no more than 500,000 people (roughly 7% of the city) are actual Protestant churchgoers. The great majority of these are African-American. The leading Protestant Church of the city is generally considered the Episcopal church, yet it now has a combined Sunday attendance of fewer than 25,000 people, out of a city of 7.5 million (0.3%). No wonder, to the average Manhattanite, Protestant religion is invisible!”

re Anglican: 25,000 people in this huge city? 0.3%? Laurel and I are here in Manhattan, working with Christ Church NYC because we do not just perceive the need. We know it.

Next week: From my 'Church Planting in NYC' manual: 5 Reasons why NYC is such a crucial investment for the broader evangelical and orthodox Church…And the week after that, I’ll begin telling you a bit about our church and its vision and mission and our experience of both.

Love, Justin.

PS The pic of the First REC Church, where our church meets in the evenings.

NYC: Five Facts, Five Reasons (Thursday)

FACT 4. Influence of NYC:
“It competes with Los Angeles as media capital, with Paris as fashion and art capital, with London as theater and literature capital, with Tokyo as financial and corporate capital, and with Washington DC as power capital. It is second only to Boston in number of College students. But no other city excels in all of these areas. (The Pope once greeted Cardinal O’Conner as “The Archbishop of the capital of the world”!) It is certainly the communications center of the globe. Millions of the next wave of US immigration -- Latino and Asian -- are coming to New York for a generation before assimilating out into mainstream society, as did their predecessors, the Jews and Italian. In summary, New York is the single most formative influence on US culture and society.”

When I read something like this, I always think of the Apostle Paul, and how he was eager to preach in Rome.

If you have been to NYC, take a go at describing it briefly in the comments!

Love, Justin.

PS Photo by a good friend at my church. And, in the spirit of Bryon (see HERE and HERE), can you pick the building? Pick it, then descibe your experience on the city.

NYC: Five Facts, Five Reasons (Wednesday)

FACT 3. Diversity of NYC
New York City is really an interlocking network of major cites. In it lies a Dominican City of 500,000 in Upper Manhattan, a West Indian City of 800,000 in Brooklyn, a Haitian city of 200,000, a Columbian city of 200,000 in Queens, two Chinatowns of over 100,000 each in lower Manhattan and Flushing, and centers of 80,000 Greeks in Astoria, 50,000 Russians in Brighton Beach, 40,000 Hindus in Eastern Queens, 150,000 Arabs and Middle Easterners in northern Brooklyn. While some US cities are filled with Hispanics (LA, Houston), others West Indians (Miami) and others Asian (SF, LA), New York is home to masses of each. It is more diverse than any other US City.

David Miles, an old friend and mentor, used to call Byron Bay (in NSW, Australia), a ‘global corridor’. New York City is a global superhighway. Imagine where the gospel could travel.

Love, Justin.