Annual Report for the
Spring Meeting of the Metropolitan Association April 2004
The function of the Committee on Congregational Development and
Standing is to seek to develop new churches, strengthen existing
churches and their ministries, and to discover other churches who
are looking for a spiritual and larger church connection. The
committee meets monthly. Unless conducting a site visit to
one of our churches, the committee currently holds a dinner meeting
on the last Thursday of each month at the Church in the Gardens,
Forest Hills . We graciously thank this church for its hospitality. Since
last year, the Suffolk Association Church Development Committee
meets with us, as well.
The Committee has been expanded to include
13 members, in addition to its chairperson, who is a member of
the Association Board of Directors. After election at the
Spring Association meeting, it began its new working year with
an all-day workshop in June, 2003. This was led by the Rev.
Edward Rivera-Santiago, Minister of Evangelism for Local Church
Development and Renewal, from our National Evangelism Ministry
team in Cleveland , Ohio . The
committee developed the following core values (vision, focus, goals
for its work together) for this year, and has been hard at work
addressing them every since:
- To create a passion for revitalization
within our Association
- To encourage established congregations
to become "planter
churches"
(provide
space and resources to new congregations)
- To pro-actively seek
appropriate new congregations for affiliation with our Association
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The
following items represent some of the major work items and updates
on our member churches since the Spring Association meeting:
- In
keeping with the 12-Point Renewal Covenant made between our Association
and the Pilgrim UCC (Grand Concourse) Church, we have continued
working with and supporting its pastor, José Lantigua, in his efforts
to revitalize that church. He
is working with the current Guyanese congregation, in addition to
teaching them to reach out to the largely Spanish-speaking community
around the church. We
assisted him in the completion of his application for a Leadership
Subsidy Grant, which was forwarded to the New York Conference Commission
on Revitalization, Evangelism, and Church Development for approval. After
some revisions by the Commission's Co-Chairperson, Alan Dailey,
the application was sent to our National office in time for the February
1 deadline. If approved,
Pilgrim will receive $60,000 over a five-year period.
- Safe Haven Ministries is now "nesting" at
St. Mark's UCC, Ridgewood . This began
as a temporary solution to a need for this church space. Since
both congregations found this
to be a mutually satisfying arrangement, they have decided
to extend their commitment to shared space.
- Dr. Peter Walter attempted to begin a new church, Murray Hill
Congregational UCC. The
meeting place was in the Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen's
Club at Lexington and 36th St. in Manhattan . Dr. Walter, a
former member of our committee
and seminarian graduate, had presented an extensive overview of
his vision for this new "Open
and Affirming Progressive Christian Community of Faith" in
September. After
renting space, advertising the start of this new congregation,
and opening the doors to the public, Dr. Walter abandoned this
project due to no turnout.
- Iglesia Cristiana
La Palabra, Corona , Queens , was evicted from its space and
was in need of a new place to worship. Rev. Geoffrey Black and
Rev. Michael Caine negotiated
with Corona Congregational Church, asking that they might house
La Palabra temporarily, until it can begin building its new church. Before
this negotiation was finalized, La Palabra was able to find another
place to rent, across the street
from their original meeting place. La Palabra felt that this
would be a more familiar and easier location in which to meet.
In addition, with the help of Rev. Cruz Echevarria, the church
has reached out to, and brought in a
number of new family groups in that neighborhood. Gary Roberts,
New Church Loans (National),
is working with Rev. Winston Peña on securing a loan
to build the new church.
- CSI Malayalam Congregation
of Greater New York, Seaford , has requested funding
to increase its space, adding a basement, hall, and an apartment
for the parsonage. Gordon
Giles of the Cornerstone Fund met with the pastor and members
of this church at their church following the Metropolitan
Association Fall Meeting on November 22.
- An initial
draft describing our committee and its work has been prepared
for the new Association
website.
- Miguel Diaz, member of
the committee, and pastor of Spanish Evangelical Church
in the Bronx, reported that he has trained some of his
lay leaders to assist UCC
congregations in doing Hispanic outreach. The committee
will work further with Rev.
Diaz on this, as there is a need to establish need, interest,
and ongoing relationships
with such congregations.
- In light
of our Association's emerging commitment to Congregational
Revitalization and Development, and in recognition of the need
for, and difficulty in finding leadership
for the ever-growing Hispanic population in the Metropolitan area,
our committee proposed, at the Fall Association Meeting, that our
Association create a paid position to be known as Coordinator for
Hispanic Church Development. The
job will be part-time, at 20 hours per week, with compensation
at $225 per week, and probationary for a one-year period. Our
Committee had, prior to the Association meeting, presented an initial
draft of this proposal, including
a suggested job description and resumé of their recommended
candidate for the position to the Board of Directors so that this
compensation might be included in the proposed budget for 2004. These
items were approved unanimously
by the Association body at the Fall Association Meeting.
The Rev. Cruz Echevarria has now been working in this position
since January, and was put
on the payroll effective February 15, 2004.
- The highlight of our
year has been the extremely successful Metropolitan E...Vent
which took place on March 13 at Grace Congregational Church,Manhattan
. Approximately
100 people attended, representing 30 churches (26 Metropolitan
Association, 4 Suffolk ). Our worship service, two keynote
speakers from the National office, and ten workshops received high
ratings on our evaluation
forms. Of
those who submitted an evaluation, almost all indicated that
they would attend another such event. Our thanks to the
pastor of Grace, Rev. Rubin Tendai,
and his Agape group, who so graciously hosted this E...Vent.
We have many tasks ahead, including meeting with two churches
interested in joining our Association, and reaching out to our
inactive churches. We
would like all of our churches to be active in, and connected on
an Association level. We
invite our Association's churches to contact us with any concerns
or problems, so that we might be of assistance to them.
Respectfully
submitted,
Bonnie Miller, chairperson
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