Last week, the young adults of Westminster got out of the church building and worked in a vacant lot in the South End of Albany. We hope this will be the beginning of many more opportunities to partner with our neighbors.
"God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them." Genesis 1:27 (CEB) All of these people are made in the image of God. All means all! Pray over these faces, over the places they are from and the lives they lead. Pray for the people around you as you read this. Pray for yourself and the eyes to see the image of God in everyone you meet. I moved to Albany about a year and a half ago. Since I came here, I have made an effort to get to know the people who live in our near neighborhood. Of all the neighborhoods in the Capital Region, the few blocks that surround our church are the most quickly changing, the most alive day and night and the most concentrated during the workday. The fun part of my job is dreaming up ways to reach out to all these different groups of people in a meaningful way. What needs do people working downtown have? How can we connect with the young students and professionals who live in these blocks? There is no single program that will reach them all. Nevertheless, in Lent we are trying something new to reach out to our neighborhood. A few years ago, I visited the Danish capital, Copenhagen. In the height of Northern European winter, the Cathedral is open three nights a week. They call it Night Church. On the night we attended, an artist had created an installation of images and pathways weaving through the aisles and small side chapels. Hundreds of young people wandered in and out of the building as a choir of a dozen sang soothing tones that echoed in the massive sanctuary. We came away feeling we had truly encountered the Holy. Here at Westminster, we are attempting a Night Church of our own. Our version will have a mixture of silence and readings with music at 10-minute intervals. Worshipers will have the opportunity to visit interactive prayer spaces throughout the sanctuary or just sit quietly and pray. They can come for a few minutes or for the whole hour. Please join us in praying for this new endeavor. Pray for the people who wander by or who are looking for God in their lives. You are welcome to attend and see what it is all about. Who knows what will result from this experiment. As long as we are open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, we take this risk in faith. These are words I spoke today at the People's Assembly at the Capitol. Hundreds of people came from all over the state to work together for economic justice. For two months the Spirit has been stirring in our midst A strong wind is kicking up dust that has been settled for way too long Rattling the buildings of power and privilege Waking those who have been asleep Stirring up energy for change This wind is stirring in us For two months, ordinary people have talked and marched, wiggled their fingers in agreement, met together and prayed together All to end economic tyranny and injustice in the market place You cannot evict the wind; you cannot kick the Spirit out No one can silence this movement because this is a movement of the people, there are too many of us. The winds have already turned The powers may have descended on Zuccotti Park showing their force and heavy weight, trying to stamp out the wind The wind is elusive and light, it can be soft, unruly or fierce Nothing can harness the wind Nothing can stop it Once the wind starts blow – hold on to your hats At a recent gathering of pastors, our facilitator wanted us to share a little bit about ourselves. You know these games - usually they involve telling your favorite ice cream flavor or coming up with an adjective with the same first letter as your first name. Except this time, the question he asked was about home. Where or what or who is home for you? I could have very easily answered that I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In fact, I have just returned from a trip visiting my family and friends in Tulsa. The question he asked, however, was deeper and deserved a deeper answer. On my recent trip, I visited the small town where my grandmother and her siblings grew up. Her mother, my great-grandmother, came to Indian Territory (what is now Oklahoma) in a covered wagon when she was just a girl. I listened to stories and learned about my family's roots. I called it my heritage tour. Then we left Oklahoma and headed back to Albany. After sometime away and a long journey in the car, it felt so good to finally arrive at our apartment, to pet my dog, to sleep in my own bed. So when he asked what or where is home for me, I found the question harder to answer. I loved getting to know my roots in Tulsa and seeing my loved ones. Yet I have a home here now. My husband, dog and I really have made a home here. We have our routines and our favorite places. And the fact is, we really love upstate New York and Albany. Where is home for me? My answer is yes. And I hope to discover new ways God makes me feel at home wherever I am. Next to the main entrance of Westminster hangs a typical church sign: the pastors are listed as well as a scripture quote and worship times. However, the worship times on the sign are wrong. The sign was made several years ago when worship and children's education hour were at the same time - 10:15. Around seven or eight years ago, worship changed to 10 and education for all ages is now at 11:15. Yet, the sign remains unchanged. Why? Because it is cast in solid bronze. Whoever designed the sign foresaw the changing of pastors. There are removable panels that can be filled in with a pastor name plate.  What's surprising to me is that no one foresaw the possibility of worship times changing. Or at least not changing often enough to need a removable panel. I know some church traditions that are figuratively set in stone. This is the first time I've run across an aspect of church life that is actually in stone. Westminster has embraced the change in Sunday morning schedule. But, the sign out front has not embraced the change. The sign's material shows an immobility that does not reflect the character of the congregation. Even though we have changed around it, the bronze sign remains stalwart. Christians used to take pride in a lack of change. The unchanging character of the Church reflected, in their minds, the unchanging character of God. I can see how comforting and reassuring that must have been. Now, the Church that doesn't embrace change is seen as stuffy. Westminster has gone through many changes in the past several years. We are more comfortable talking about the changing winds of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Unfortunately, they can't make a sign out of wind. I recently moved to the neighborhood near the church. What a great place! Anything artistic or unique seems to happen here. I love walking around my neighborhood and meeting new people.  On Saturday, I went to Larkfest, one of the major street festivals in Albany. There was food, games and karaoke, vegans, artists and pomegranate juice. Oh, and lots and lots of people.  I love the opportunity to get to know this neighborhood better. I have worked here for 10 months and made an effort to connect with the community. But it's different when you live here. Especially in the warmer months, people sit on the stoop or linger outside smoking or talking with others. I'm getting to know faces, even dogs, and little corner stores. In the midst of adjusting to my new surroundings, I hope to learn from the neighborhood how our church can be a better partner and neighbor. This morning, I participated in a press conference in which several faith groups gathered to speak against cutting jobs programs for young people, including Green Jobs Corps, Career Pathways and Summer Youth Employment. Below are highlights from my contribution. "Young people are called to great things every day. The prophet Jeremiah was called and thought he was too young for the job. It is not always the young people themselves who object but people in places of power and authority who decide that there is no place for their gifts. "Who are these young people? As recently as last week, the New York Times ran an article describing the millennial generation, now in their teens and 20s, as highly service oriented. They do not necessarily know what they want to do for a living, but they know they want to do something with meaning, and they know they want to give back. "I work with many young people in my ministry. Some of them have cultural and economic barriers that stand in their way. They all have dreams and callings to great things. But for many of them, the path is not an easy one. Even when they look for opportunity, it is not always to be found. "The great calling my generation has to service and leadership is falling on deaf ears. The proposed cuts are to key jobs and mentoring programs for the people who need them the most. Just because a young person does not know what they want to do or what they are good at does not mean they do not have gifts to share. Why would we punish those who are not on a fixed career path at the age of 18? "When programs to engage at-risk young people disappear so do the ambitions of the young people themselves, like a smart child disengaging from a boring classroom. Our great prophets are lost forever in the cycle of poverty. "May our commitment to young people do justice to their great calling."  Westminster is in a fantastic neighborhood! Hardly a week goes by without some community gathering or event. I took some snapshots of the annual Winter Wonder Lark festival on Lark street, 2 blocks from Westminster.  The atmosphere was relaxed and festive. Families gathered to decorate ginger bread houses, independent artists sold their wares, and still others went shirtless (see below).  Santa Speedo Sprint. No joke. It is hard to form community out of nothing. Lark Street and the community around Westminster are wildly diverse, and still so many find a home. The community is already here surrounding our church. What makes the community outside the church different from the community within the church? |  Frances Wattman Rosenau
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