(Photo Credit: Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera’s office)

“Blessed are you when people…exclude you…on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” –Jesus of Nazareth, Luke 6:22-23

Until recently, the Village Church rented for its Sunday service the J.M. Charrette School on 490 Hudson St, otherwise known as PS3. The auditorium was spacious and boasted easy access from the street, while allowing Sunday school for the children next door in the gym. The school lacks air conditioning and occasionally used the space for other functions on the weekends—we certainly were not top priority—sometimes causing annoying relocations, but it was a place to connect in the community. Through the good relationship with the school came opportunities to serve the people and, especially, the parents of the Village.

The recent court ruling denying churches access to NYC Public School space rental, in spite of the stay and pending state level counter-legislation, inspired reflection at our church as we considered what makes our worship worship.

On account of the unique Christian tradition of Sunday worship, when school buildings are unused, and the vibrancy of the Christian churches that rent space in New York City, the court judgment to exclude religious services specifically targets Christians worship. Despite lip service about preventing all faiths from renting similarly, others tend not to, so the effect is to stifle Christians’ public influence and effect on communities in which they reside. As such, it seems a genuine instance of discrimination, described by Jesus in Luke 6:22-23 (above). We truly are being excluded from public space because we are worshipping the Son of Man.

What then should be our response? Situations such as these demand the Church to step carefully. There is a spiritual gap between the train and the platform. If this event qualifies as genuine persecution, albeit low-level persecution, it is a weighty event. How often does the Church in this country get an opportunity to bear some hardship for Christ? The last time we read the New Testament, we saw only one appropriate response to persecution of ourselves: to rejoice. On this point, the apostles do not equivocate. Their instruction is fairly forceful (Matthew 5:10-12, Matthew 10:39, Acts 16:22-25, Philippians 1:29, Hebrews 11:26, James 1:2, 1Peter 4:12-14).

The danger for the Church is to respond instead with indignation, demanding our rights, making ourselves indistinguishable from any other special interest group in America. But we do not find Jesus’ above words to be ambiguous. Do you? He is rather crystalline. We are to rejoice. Nay, not just rejoice but to leap for joy. In other words, this rejoicing is not to be a weak-kneed, half-hearted ‘hurrah.’ Nor is it to be a well-I-know-I’m-supposed-to-do-this-so-I’m-going-to-get-it-over-with effort. It is to be a full-throated, deep from the diaphragm praise. It is to dance while uttering interjections with abandon. The city should know our happiness. That is “leaping.”

How could we do this? Why would we do this? Jesus said to do it because of a greater reward that is ours for the gift of bearing discrimination. In such a situation we are at last dealing with the real currency of His Kingdom. The veil is being pulled back to reveal the Son of Man. The fact is that it is an honor to bear inconvenience for the sake of our Lord. He is worth it.

The Church’s response on this point is indicative of her health. Can she take Jesus’ direction? Can she trust God to take care of His churches? Unfortunately, one cannot rejoice at persecution while fighting for one’s rights in persecution. The two cannot go together, even if one mixes one’s protest with prayer. The Village Church recommends Jesus’ words instead. We have moved our Sunday service to Greenwich House, another venerable Village institution on Barrow Street. We are leaping there for joy.

The real loss in this situation, of course, is born by the schools and the children in them The Counsel to the NYC Board of Education, in pursuing their theoretical ideal of a secular society, is actually working against the youth of this city. Their lawyers seem unexplainably pleased to tear apart relationships, between churches and schools, which work for the children’s good. The children lose once again. This is the one grief in our joy.

Alas, we have taken our leave of PS3. We were sure to leave their piano tuned, their fire wardens better off and, especially, their children blessed. But to all the sword fights, Narnia romps and chess games, we bid adieu.

Farewell, PS3.

(Click to listen to the final sermon at PS3, “Waiting on the One Who Feels it in the Gut“)

(Photo Credit: tiptoe)

Please join us for worship at 11:00 AM this Sunday at our new space at 27 Barrow Street, 5th Floor.  This site is one of eight locations for the venerable Greenwich House (est. 1902), a non-profit community organization providing cultural, educational, health, social, medical and recreational services.

As we begin the church’s seventeenth year, we’re thrilled to see the Lord’s provision, keeping our little church in Greenwich Village and continuing to let us be a part of the cultural fabric of this neighborhood.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. —Isaiah 41:10

(Photo Credit: Lel4nd)

Preacher	[All] *Rev. Sam A. Andreades (383) Rev. Vito Aiuto (16) Rev. Darin Pesnell (13) Makoto Fujimura (6) Jeremy Tate (4) Church Members (4) Rev. Ilya Lizorkin (3) Rev. Scott Strickman (3) Rev. Matthew Paul Buccheri (3) John Pa (3) Rev. Jamison Galt (2) Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel (2) Joshua Clayton (2) Peter Anderson (1) Kent Annan (1) Rev. Tom Pike (1) Rev. Chris Hildebrand (1) Rev. Stephen Smallman (1) Rev. Geoff Bradford (1) Rev. William T. Iverson (1) Dr. Jim Romaine (1) Steve Huber (1) Rev. David Ellis (1) Paul de Vries (1) Rev. Hya Lizorkin (1) Rev. Mark Swanson (1) Charlie Drew (1) Scott Sherman (1) Rev. Jeffrey White (1)	Services	[All] *Sunday Worship (446) Convenant Entrance Day (9) Testimonies of Amazement (3) Outdoor Service (2)
Book	[All] Genesis (39) Exodus (4) Leviticus (4) Numbers (28) Deuteronomy (40) Joshua (1) Judges (1) 2 Samuel (3) 1 Kings (1) 2 Kings (2) Psalm (11) Proverbs (6) Ecclesiastes (2) Song of Solomon (1) Isaiah (5) Jeremiah (1) Ezekiel (1) Daniel (26) Jonah (4) Micah (1) Matthew (17) Mark (43) Luke (48) John (19) Acts (36) Romans (10) 1 Corinthians (44) 2 Corinthians (3) Galatians (3) Ephesians (31) Philippians (4) Colossians (3) 1 Timothy (1) Hebrews (4) James (28) 1 Peter (2) 1 John (2) Jude (1) Revelation (3)	Series	[All] *James (26) Numbers (31) Jonah, Prophet of Mercy (4) The Warning of Hell (1) Working Principles (2) Baptism (4) Luke (30) Deuteronomy: Renewing Our Purpose (32) Gender Matters (1) Genesis: Going Back to the Beginning (34) Single Sermon (106) Getting God’s Guidance (3) What is God Like? (10) Acts: Generating Revolution (34) Ruling Money: Finding the Secret of the Generous Life (3) Daniel: Experiencing God's Kingdom in Exile (26) Judges (1) 2 Corinthians (1) Mark: Jesus Uncensored (39) Philippians (1) Proverbs (1) Gospel of Luke (2) 1st Century Corinth and 21st Century New York City (40) Revelation (1) What is the Gospel? (2) Ephesians (24) Vision (1)
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Sermons (13)

Homeopathic Prayer

James 5:15-18 (Part of the *James series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on February 5, 2012 (*Sunday Worship).

Prayer Takes Bowing Your Eyes

Luke 18:9-114 (Part of the Luke series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on May 2, 2010 (*Sunday Worship).

Prayer is an Identity Struggle

Luke 18:1-8 (Part of the Luke series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on April 25, 2010 (*Sunday Worship).

Prayer Takes Nerve

Luke 11:5-10 (Part of the Luke series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on April 18, 2010 (*Sunday Worship).

Six Ways God Addresses Our Problems

Luke 1:5-25 (Part of the Luke series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on October 4, 2009 (*Sunday Worship).

Wrestling a Blessing

Genesis 22:1-32:1 (Part of the Genesis: Going Back to the Beginning series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on March 15, 2009 (*Sunday Worship).

Abraham the Intercessor

Genesis 18:16-33 (Part of the Genesis: Going Back to the Beginning series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on March 1, 2009 (*Sunday Worship).

The Powerful Prayer of the Powerless

Acts 4:23-31 (Part of the Acts: Generating Revolution series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on February 10, 2008 (*Sunday Worship).

How to Pray Really Hard

Daniel 9:1-24 (Part of the Daniel: Experiencing God's Kingdom in Exile series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on February 18, 2007 (*Sunday Worship).

Potent Prayer

Mark 11:20-25 (Part of the Mark: Jesus Uncensored series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on February 26, 2006 (*Sunday Worship).

Faith for Others

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 (Part of the 1st Century Corinth and 21st Century New York City series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on January 15, 2006 (*Sunday Worship).

Religious practices are good. Religious practices are bad.

Mark 2:13-22 (Part of the Mark: Jesus Uncensored series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on October 9, 2005 (Convenant Entrance Day).

Foreigners in the House of Prayer

1 Kings 7:51 (Part of the Single Sermon series).

Preached by *Rev. Sam A. Andreades on August 21, 2005 (*Sunday Worship).

Wisdom, Not Answers (James 1:5-8)

Tags: Pop: Bob Dylan, Ref: New York Times, Topic: Wisdom

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Perhaps you have seen the recent New York Times editorial by Katherine Stewart, which represented the Village Church, being one of those churches in New York who rent a school for Sunday worship, as a pariah of the West Village neighborhood (“Separation of Church and School,” June 11, 2011). Her piece was a commentary on the recent 2nd court ruling (“Court Lets City Restrict Church Use of Schools”, June 2, 2011). While we welcome Ms. Stewart’s recent arrival to New York City, her anxiety over this country’s long-standing legal precedent, allowing churches, along with any other  partisan groups here to rent week-end space from public schools, is uninformed.

People tend to fear what they do not understand. And clearly some have a hard time understanding Christians, as evidenced by the misrepresentations in Stewart’s piece. The Village Church has been a presence in Greenwich Village for over sixteen years, serving the needs of the neighborhood in large and small ways. If Stewart knew anything about the church, she did not show it by her characterization.

Stewart asserts that churches are “attracted to New York by the combination of cheap space and the opportunity to save the city from its parent godlessness…” The idea that any group is attracted to New York seeking “cheap space” is, to put it in the kindest possible way, laughable. (Do you know anyone coming to New York for “cheap space”?) Instead of pouring money into a building, our church rents space in the local school (PS3), leaving more resources for our community programs. The cost along with the Security Guard we provide, is not that much less for other space in the Village.  We should pay — and now it looks like ‘will pay’ — a comparable amount for using an off-off-Broadway theater or rehearsal space on those Sunday hours.

But to what does Stewart object? Does she object to how over a five year period (2004-2008), our church, though quite small, gave away over $120,000, a tenth of our income, to various charities? Many of these charities were local, such as the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Greenwich Village Block Association, International Arts Movement and St. Vincent’s Hospital Chelsea-Village Shut In Program. Or maybe she objects to our mercy network, which has fed homeless, helped service Washington Square Park, and connected needy villagers to financial, counseling and educational services for a decade and a half. I wonder how many of the hundreds of people who will tell you that the Village Church improved their lives would be persuaded by Stewart’s cost argument.

Stewart writes that the Village Church is one of those groups that “has little connection with the school community…”  In fact, members of the Village Church have both attended PS3 and taught there. Her picture of us, along with other churches, as some kind of vulture swooping down to pick at innocent children “for religious purposes” is hard to fathom, unless it is a muddled reference to our monthly Parents Night Out program, open to caregivers and parents (who number among PS3 parents) of any creed, color, party or orientation. Participants are offered a night out while we provide free babysitting by trained church volunteers. This program, held at PS3, is non-religious. The children are led in a evening of artistic crafts and creative play, and delivered happily exhausted to the better-rested parents at the end of their date. The people of our church give up their Friday nights simply to serve the needs of parents, again for free, because Jesus Christ has given freely to us. Maybe that is what is so hard to understand, but that is what Christians are about.

Our ministry, G.A.M.E. (Gender Affirming Ministry Endeavor), seems to particularly bother Stewart, who crafts the careful phrasing of how we are “…associated with the movement to ‘cure’ gay men…” Anyone actually involved in helping those struggling with their sexual identities would find the word “cure” offensive, including us–we have certainly never used the word.

Again, G.A.M.E. began as a response to the needs of our community. We have found that there are some same-sex attracted individuals who do not wish to define themselves as gay and no amount of cultural affirmation has changed their minds. We do not seek them out. They come to us. And they do so because few will support them in their own decisions of self-determination. But we walk with them. Stewart’s suggestion that such a group does not represent the neighborhood just proves how little she knows of the Village’s diversity.

The doors at the school are open on Sunday mornings for all villagers. Those who avail themselves of the experience of a visit encounter artistic offertories and sermons for those who wish to think about issues in depth. Maybe they agree. Maybe they disagree. But no one yet has suggested, as Stewart does from her perch on the Upper East Side, that our voice should not be a part of Greenwich Village’s conversation. And no one seriously thinks that PS3 endorses our views by renting to us. The United States Supreme Court feels similarly and has said so.

We live here. This is my neighborhood. It is a strange phenomenon that Stewart, who blows in recently from California, can present us, genuine New Yorkers, as some kind of alien race. If she is unable to countenance worldviews in her own neighborhood that she does not like, even views that oh-my-gosh include hell, I guess that it is good that she moved here, so she can spend a little more time learning from New Yorkers how to practice actual diversity in peace. That could help her over her “separation anxiety.”

Rev. Sam A. Andreades Pastor, the Village Church June 15, 2011

The New York Times declined to publish this response.

Find out more about the Village Church

• Gender Affirming Ministry Endeavor
• Parents’ Night Out
• History of the Village Church

As we begin a new year filled with promise, we want to be cognizant of the need I raised in my sermon this week from 1 Corinthians 14, ”Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”

Before the Israelites entered into the promised land in Numbers x, we see that they took an account of themselves—they assessed themselves. And as we look towards this year of ministry in our city, that’s exactly what we want to do as well.

The Church Health Team is putting together a retreat for our church this winter. The theme for the retreat is Discovering Our Spiritual Gifts. We want to embark on assessing ourselves as a community so we can minister to our neighborhood together in confidence and reliance upon the Spirit.

The Scripture places significant emphasis on the role Spiritual Gifts play in our life as a community. This retreat will give us the opportunity to discover more about ourselves and how God made us uniquely as individuals, as well as find out how we fit together as a whole church.

The Church Health Team has sought out a speaker who will walk us through the scriptures in an engaging way, and then continue our study in group discussions.

The date for the retreat will be February 19, from 10am to 4pm with a break for lunch and will be at a meeting space in Manhattan. There will be a nominal fee to cover the cost of the meeting space and materials.

As ministry leaders, I would especially encourage you to attend as this retreat will help equip you for ministry and lead more effectively.

You can pre-register online using the form below:

Pre-Registration Form

There is power in a single spoken word. Music is also a power that moves the soul. “Poetry In Music” is poetry in motion to music and the marriage between the two.

Singer/Songwriters Brooke Campbell & Jason Harrod will be joined by poets L.L Barkat & Maxidus to present this unique approach of words and song to New York City at the Bowery Poetry Club (http://www.bowerypoetry.com/). This special evening is brought to you by Zoae Arts (http://zoaearts.com/)!

From out of chaos and anticipation, words are spoken. Silence… Poetry alone is given in its rawest and purest form. As the poems continue and the poets alternate turns, music emerges! Musicians from the first performer’s band will begin to weave into the words with improvisation of what the poet is presenting, interacting with and reacting to words. As the poets interchange, musicians will one by one add to the setting until all is filled with full sounds and words. Once all band members are up, the first set has begun with Brooke Campbell opening for the night. “Poetry In Music” will then escalate with roughly the same process and conclude with a performance by Jason Harrod to close the event.

There just may be further surprises that these artists have to offer with special features that unite the poetry to the music.

Featuring singer-songwriters:

BROOKE CAMPELL “with whose shivery, breathless voice and deep-toned acoustic guitar playing I fell in love after hearing her perform live.” – Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal

JASON HARROD Whose songs about lost love, found joys, and spiritual longing have garnered him a loyal following across the country. “What makes his songs so compelling is their emotional eloquence” – Scott Alarik, Boston Globe

alongside poets:

L.L. BARKAT An author of many books including “God in the Yard: Spiritual Practice for the Rest of Us”, “Stone Crossings” and “Inside Out: poems”. L.L. blogs at Seedlings in Stone.

MAXIDUS a multi-dimensional recording artist, musician, dancer and performer. He has charmed audiences all over the world to the rhythmic beat he calls “urban alternative”. He also serves as the creative director for Zoae Arts.

About Zoae Arts

Coming soon.

Parents’ Date Night + Kids’ Party = 1 Happy Family

Spend time with your spouse or partner and we’ll take care of the babysitting.  The Village Church is offering FREE babysitting to the families of New York City.

Let us entertain your children with arts and crafts, games, and activities while you enjoy a night in Greenwich Village.

Details

• Pick-up and drop-off is at PS3, 490 Hudson Street in NYC
• Registration at the door will open at 6pm
• Snacks will be provided (please tell us if your child has special dietary needs or allergies)

Ideas and Recommendations

Check out a movie at the IFC Center

Friday Night Dinner at the Natural Gourmet Institute

About Village Voyagers and the Village Church

The Village Voyagers is a professional, CPR- and First-Aid-certified ministry of the Village Church.  For fifteen years, the Village Church has been committed to serving Greenwich Village and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The church meets for worship Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM at PS 3 (490 Hudson Street).  For more information, visit villagechurchnyc.com, call (212) 725-2564, or email us at voyagers@villagechurchnyc.com.