Read Emily’s latest sermon, “Perfect Love Casts Out Guns,” on her blog, Sit and Eat. This one’s on the Parable of the Sower, and the revolution of reckless love God invites us into
Dear Lydians,
I’m writing today to share incredibly exciting news. As you know, St. Lydia’s, for about a year, been engaged in a process to find a storefront of our very own — a place that we can call home. As our congregation continues to grow, we need room! Room for two Dinner Church services a week, and maybe more, and room to host our growing number of events and initiatives. Over the last year, the Leadership Table and I have seen and considered a number of properties.
Recently, we learned of a property located at 304 Bond Street, near Union Street, that fit every single one of our criteria. We agreed to pursue the space, and I’m very, very glad to report that we have secured it! Rachel dropped off our check and picked up the keys yesterday!
304 Bond fits all the criteria the Leadership Table has been looking for. It’s about 1,000 square feet and boasts a nice, big backyard. It’s located in a culturally and economically diverse neighborhood (one that is changing quickly as the recently-built Whole Foods impacts the landscape along Third Avenue). Our new space around the corner from Proteus Gowanus, a local gallery and reading room, and there are other small galleries located just across the street. We also hear there’s a “2-story ice cream paradise” on the way, so we couldn’t pass that up!
Subway Access
During our search for a space, we learned a lot about realty in Brooklyn, and what we could reasonably expect for our budget. We found that the area Atlantic/Barclay stop was out of range for us (though we did apply for a space there that was over our budget — our offer wasn’t accepted). However, good subway access on multiple lines continued to be a priority for us, as we want our church to be as accessible as possible to those coming from different parts of the city. We feel that 304 Bond delivers. The Carroll stop on the F/G is a six minute walk away, and our faithful Union stop on on the R line is an 8 minute walk. The #65 bus may also be useful for those coming from Prospect Heights.
Details
Our lease starts on March 1, and we have one month free rent to give us a jump on renovations. The main space is finished and neat with a new bathroom, while the backyard and basement will need some loving care. I’m excited to begin the design process with the help of plenty of professionals to guide the project. I’m not sure yet when we’ll move into our new space, but I will update you when I know more.
Gratitude
Finding and securing our new home has been an exciting and demanding process, and I have a few very important thank yous to make. First, to the Leadership Table — Phil, Charlotte, Jeremy, Aaron, and Burke — who have thoughtfully guided this process every step of the way. They, together with Jason, Jake, and Sarah have all visited a number of possible spaces and weighed the pros and cons of each, offering expertise and measured opinions. I wish to thank Phil, Jake, and our wonderful Community Coordinator Rachel who were integral to the process of getting the lease signed, sealed and delivered, while I was on vacation! All of these folks are Lydian heroes!
Well folks, I always say that we’re building St. Lydia’s together, and in the next few months, we’re going to see that happen in a way that’s more tangible than ever. It’s your presence as a congregant, your input to this process through Community Meetings and conversations, and your giving to the Room at the Table Campaign that’s brought us here. That, and a God who never seems to give up on us.
Here’s to the next leg of the journey!
With love and gratitude,
Emily
The interior of our new home! The buckets and wires are now all cleaned up. The bathroom is on the left, and there’s a little nook behind it which has one more window. And there’s a big yard out back!
PS: If you’d like to give to the Room at the Table Campaign, you may do so on our website. Just click “donate” and write “Room at the Table” in the “notes” section when you check out. Thank you!
By Wislawa Szymborska
I believe in the great discovery.
I believe in the man who will make the discovery.
I believe in the fear of the man who will make the discovery.
I believe in his face going white,
His queasiness, his upper lip drenched in cold sweat.
I believe in the burning of his notes,
burning them into ashes,
burning them to the last scrap.
I believe in the scattering of numbers,
scattering them without regret.
I believe in the man’s haste,
in the precision of his movements,
in his free will.
I believe in the shattering of tablets,
the pouring out of liquids,
the extinguishing of rays.
I am convinced this will end well,
that it will not be too late,
that it will take place without witnesses.
I’m sure no one will find out what happened,
not the wife, not the wall,
not even the bird that might squeal in its song.
I believe in the refusal to take part.
I believe in the ruined career.
I believe in the wasted years of work.
I believe in the secret taken to the grave.
These words soar for me beyond all rules
without seeking support from actual examples.
My faith is strong, blind, and without foundation.
–read at St. Lydia’s on 2/3/2014
By Dean Young
My poor students, all I ask of them
is to grow antennae, lie down with lava
and rise with snow, grow tongues from
their math assignments and no, Melissa,
your mother won’t approve of the bioluminescent
smear on your communion dress. The world fidgets
in uneasy relationship to our statements
about it nevertheless producing silver
buds from ragged limbs like the luster
in late Frank Sinatra songs. Finally,
when I got off the sixth floor, I felt
like I was walking out into the sky
and aren’t we all pedestrians of air?
Doesn’t it feel all wrong to turn our backs
on the ocean? On an ant? On those Chagall
windows you have to go through a gauntlet
of ancient armor to get to? What was her name,
that night nurse so deft her blood draws
didn’t wake me up? Don’t get me wrong, I want
to wake up. I want my old dog to show me
all that wolf-light she hides inside
even though she thinks I won’t understand,
even though her vet and I conspire
to keep her alive forever.
–read at St. Lydia’s on 2/2/2014
Dear Lydians,
At church we often talk about the backward, upside-down-ness of the Gospel. When Jesus tells parables, nothing about them makes sense, at least according to the way the world usually runs. In Jesus’ stories, the last are first and the first are last.
I’ve been thinking this week about how this backward upside-down-ness of our faith even applies to math. When we were kids, we learned that four minus two was two. If you had four apples and you gave two away, you’d have fewer than you started with. The message? If you give, you’ll have less. It makes sense logically, but perhaps not spiritually.
In his brief work, “A Spirituality of Fundraising,” priest and author Henri Nouwen writes that when you give, you are invited “to an experience of conversion: you won’t become poorer, you will become richer by giving.”
Just like Jesus, Nouwen turns everything upside-down when he talks about the spirituality of money. He writes, “Giving is, first and foremost, a form of ministry. It is a way of…declaring, ‘We have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you — your energy, your prayers, your money — in the work to which God has called us.’”
So it turns out that when we give, we don’t have less, but in fact have more: an upside-down mathematic of grace.
Today, I’m writing to encourage you, as 2014 begins to unfold, to take time in prayer and meditation to reflect on your financial commitment to St. Lydia’s this year. With the knowledge that, through giving, our lives are enriched, what might you commit to support and nurture our growing community?
Making a pledge and giving throughout the year helps me remember that what we have is a gift from God. I can let go of a portion of what we have with trust that God will hold me. After considering my income and financial obligations, I’ve decided on an amount that feels generous and sustainable for 2014.
I invite you to join me in giving at a level that is generous and sustainable for you. If you’d never pledged before, my recommendation is to simply begin the practice by starting with an amount that feels manageable.
All you have to do is click here to send a giving form to Rachel Pollak. You can also fill out a giving form in person at church and put it in the offering plate. Or, you can set up automatic giving through your bank, which is easy to do online. Just contact Rachel and she’ll get you set up with the information you need.
As always, I immensely grateful for all the individual ways each of you has built this community. Thank you for all you do, from putting out napkins to drying dishes to leading singing and sewing sheep costumes. I love you all bunches, and I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to invite you to give.
Four minus two is more,
Emily
Squeezebox is a place for our Song Leaders, as well as congregants, to learn the songs we sing at St. Lydia’s.
Epiphany is a season that gives us a little time to bask in the glow of Christmas before Lent sets in. It means “to reveal,” and focuses on all the way God is revealed to us through Christ. It’s usually associated with light. This season we’ll be singing some songs that reflect the darkness of the winter, but also bring a bit of light in to shine in that darkness.
The season takes us through about eight weeks this year, so we’ll sing one set of songs for the first half of the season, then switch to a new set for the second.
January 2-February 3
Gathering Song
“Arise, Shine,” by Ruth Cunningham. A lively, two-part setting of Isaiah 60:1, a text commonly associated with Epiphany.
Lamp Lighting Song
“The Light of Christ Has Come into the World,” by Donald Fishel. It’s a sweet piece with two parts, one to teach to the congregation, and then one you can sing yourself over the top. Note that the second part is not a pure echo of the first, but changes a little at the end!
Table Acclamation
During Epiphany, we’ll use the Ordinary Time Table Acclamation.
Prayer Song
Song Leader’s choice! A selection of prayer songs may be found here.
Final Hymn
We’ll sing “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise!” Sheet music is here!
February 9-March 3
Gathering Song
“Come All, Draw Near and Eat,” by Mark Howe. This is a very difficult piece. It’s a great challenge for those who feel they’d like to take one one. But if not, feel free to stick with “Arise, Shine,” above. Here is a recording, and sheet music is found here.
Lamp Lighting Song
We’ll sing a new piece entitled “God Give me Light in My Heart,” adapted from a song of the same title by Anne Krentz Organ. It’s a simple melody — teach it and let folks harmonize. Here’s the recording.
Table Acclamation
During Epiphany, we’ll use the Ordinary Time Table Acclamation.
Prayer Song
Song Leader’s choice! A selection of prayer songs may be found here.
Final Hymn
We’ll sing an old traditional shapenote piece called “All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly.” You can listen to a recording with all the part here — and let me tell you, they’re trickier than they look! The sheet music is here.
Squeezebox is a place for our Song Leaders, as well as congregants, to learn the songs we sing at St. Lydia’s.
Song Leaders and all who sing, here is the music we’ll be singing at St. Lydia’s during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, that is, December 29 and 30, 2013, and January 5 and 6, 2014!
Opening Hymn
We’ll be singing the lovely Christmas hymn “What Child is This.” We don’t have a recording of this yet, but you can hear the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, rock it, British style, here, and see the sheet music here. Our version will be slightly more haunting, sung over the shruti box set to silver.
Lamp Lighting Hymn
For our Lamp Lighting Hymn, we’re dusting off an old favorite, “The Light of Christ Has Come Into The World” by Donald Fishel. It’s a sweet piece with two parts, one to teach to the congregation, and then one you can sing yourself over the top. We’ll set the shruti box on silver for this one.
Table Acclamation
We’ll continue using the celebratory Advent_Christmas Table Acclamation Rachel wrote for Advent and Christmas, with the little dinging bell and the steps that take us in a simple step around the table.
The dance steps are simple: Step with the right foot, left behind, step with the right foot, and left foot back. We’ll move together in a counterclockwise motion.
Prayer Song
We’ll sing a piece we learned in Advent, “Day of Light, Day of Birth,” by Anne Krentz Organ for the Prayer Song. Since we’ll be sitting at the table, you can simply teach the melody (part 1) to the group, then come in yourself with part 2.
Final Hymn
On December 29 and 30, we’ll sing “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” Once again, no recording for this one, but you can listen here to a lovely organ version. Also, please note that there are two possible tunes that can be used for this hymn, and we’re using, well, the one that I linked to. The sheet music may be found here.
On January 5 and 6, we’ll sing “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise!” Sheet music is here!
Finally, if you’d like to take a look at the script, you can find it here.
Celebrate Christmas at St. Lydia’s!
We’ll be gathering at 7:00 on Christmas Eve, December 24, for a Christmas Pageant Parade!
Then, we’ll have services as usual on Sunday, December 29, and Monday, December 30.
It’s still the Christmas season, so expect lots of carols and good cheer!
Read Emily’s latest sermon, “Carry Your Hearts to the Fields” on her blog, Sit and Eat. This one’s good for dark winter days.
Squeezebox is a place for our Song Leaders, as well as congregants, to learn the songs we sing at St. Lydia’s.