Summer 2002 - The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York

Summer 2002
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About the Cross
RECENTLY I RECEIVED AN ANONYMOUS LETTER. IN GENERAL, I USUALLY
trash such letters, but in this case, I have decided to answer the
unnamed author in an open letter.
The issue raised is the question whether the “pastoral staff
is practicing what it preaches in regard to common humanity.”
Case in point, the processional cross which is used on Communion Sundays and during Lent and Advent. At my request, the
bulletin on those weeks carries an explanatory note stating that
“the cross which leads the procession today is dedicated ‘In
memory of all those who died from AIDS in our church and
community.’”
“AIDS is among the many serious diseases and misfortunes
which can affect mankind,” states the author of the letter, who
then goes on to ask, “Would it be appropriate to have crosses
dedicated and publicized in memory of those who have died of
breast cancer, heart disease, prostate cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s,
etc., to say nothing of other dire misfortunes? Should church
crosses be used for such purposes?” The writer goes on, “By now
we are all familiar with the dedication you publicize. In continuing to do so, you are minimizing and obscuring the suffering and
misfortunes of many others, and the end result is to divide, rather
than unite in a common humanity.”
Two things need to be said about this letter to start. First,
there is nothing about the dedication phrasing that is “mine.”
It is the church’s cross, set apart with a designation by its anonymous donor, who decided to give a loving memorial to the
many members and friends of the church who have died of
AIDS. The cross was given during Dr. Shepherd’s tenure as
pastor, but I am pleased that the congregation has this beautiful worship aid to inspire its worship. Since there is no other
significant representation of the cross in the sanctuary, I think
it adds a great deal to our worship.
Second, I do, indeed, feel that it would be appropriate for
other donors, including the writer of this letter, to come forward and offer generous memorials in memory of those who
have died of breast cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease,
or any other of the sufferings of humankind which have
robbed us of the dearest ones of our hearts and homes.
Memorials are given and always have been given to churches
throughout the world inspired by exactly such dedication and
sacrifice and in response to health crises and world events such
as wars and epidemics, acts of heroism and courage. Recently
150 hymnals were given by our Board of Deacons in memory
of the four members of the church who died on September
11th, 2001, naming those members and inscribed on a bookplate in each hymnal. Dotted around our sanctuary are memorials dedicated to former pastors, trustees, organists, and
elders, all of whom touched the hearts and lives of a generation of faithful Christians who did not want to forget them.
They each offer a visual expression and an aid to worship inspiring the faith of members and visitors.
As you walk around the sanctuary you can’t help but be
touched by the times and seasons in which members and
friends of the church have sought to memorialize loved ones.
Memorials in churches, especially old churches like ours, are a
time-honored tradition.
The writer of the letter seems particularly offended that
AIDS is singled out among all diseases, and that the cross itself
is the symbol to which the dedication is attached. In defense
of that, I might say that this congregation has been deeply affected by the AIDS epidemic during the 80’s, 90’s, and even
now. Many of our members are survivors of the loss of a partner, husband, wife, brother, sister, or child who was taken by
AIDS. Some of our members have told me that they are HIVpositive, and many of fond memory and affection were lost in
the years in which the epidemic ravaged this city. A number of
our members continue to give volunteer time, or work in the
medical community, and are affected by AIDS every day.
Beyond our own city, AIDS is ravaging Asia, Africa, and the
developing world. No disease is having a greater impact on the
T HE C HURCH T OWER
health, economies, and future of the poorer nations of the
world than is AIDS. It was a profoundly significant factor in human life on this planet in the latter part of the Twentieth Century and in the beginning of the new century. That we have a
cross dedicated to loved ones who have died of AIDS should be
a visual expression of our involvement in and concern for one
of the most important health crises shaping our planet.
Why keep repeating the dedicatory inscription in the bulletin? For several reasons. First, bulletins are for visitors far
more than they are for members. Those visitors who do not
know why a Presbyterian church has a cross as a part of its processional (which is a rather unique thing in and of itself)
should understand what the cross represents and why it has a
special meaning to First Church. Second, precisely because a
processional cross is a somewhat surprising presence in a Reformed and Presbyterian church, it needs some interpretation.
It was my belief that our own members would appreciate knowing why the cross is used in this way and for what purpose it was
given. And third, it is important to honor and thank those
who give memorials, whatever those memorials are, especially
anonymous donors who, out of kindness and affection for the
church, have done something to inspire the generosity and
faith of us all.
The Session, Trustees, and I would be most appreciative if
other members would step forward and offer gifts and memorials which can be dedicated for whatever Christian purposes
touch the heart and faith of our members and friends. I would
love to see us add a concert grand piano to the sanctuary and
allow its music to be dedicated in honor of those who have
died of laryngeal cancer and who can no longer sing God’s
praise. It would be lovely to have new paraments, banners, and
stoles to be executed which would honor those who are blind
and who will never see the symbols those paraments bear, but
who can touch them, nonetheless. There are countless opportunities for such dedications and gifts and all would enrich our
worship and inspire our faith. My hope is that the cross, that
key symbol of suffering and love which we proudly carry in
procession, will not be the last such generous memorial honoring those who have fought the good fight and have not lost
their faith.
R EV. J ON M. WALTON
Summer 2002
DURING THE TIME I HAVE LIVED IN NEW YORK CITY, I HAVE TRAVELED
to New England on numerous occasions. This year, over
Memorial Day weekend, I found myself there again; and I noticed something more intensely than I ever had before: mile after mile of stone walls. I had seen these walls before, but never
so continuously. Not only were they along both sides of the
main roads, but arms of wall would branch out along side
roads and otherwise invisible property lines. As I watched
these walls flow together, rise up, disappear, then reappear, I
was reminded of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost titled, “Mending Wall.”
In the poem, the narrator is walking with his neighbor
along the stone wall between their properties—each on his respective side of the wall, making repairs as needed as they walk
along. The first line of the poem, “Something there is that
doesn’t love a wall,” sets the theme around which the narrator
muses on this mending walk. Perhaps these stone walls are not
so necessary, but every attempt to broach the subject with the
neighbor is met with the same response: “Good fences make
good neighbors.”
It is such a simple image, but it presents a very powerful concept for us to consider as people of faith. Near the end of Frost’s
poem, the narrator considers the following about wall building:
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know/ what I was walling in or
walling out,/ and to whom I was like to give offence.”
We all build and maintain good fences in our lives, but I
wonder if we might consider, as we make plans for next year
here at the church, in our children’s schools, in the places
where we live, with our families, and even as we relax on our
summer vacations, what the cost is of these walls we build stone
by stone and mend tenaciously? What are we walling in? What
or whom are we walling out? Imagine what could happen if we
learned how to be good neighbors without the help of fences.
B ARBARA E. D AVIS
D IRECTOR OF C HRISTIAN E DUCATION
A Fond Farewell, with Thanks
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
Come into his presence with singing...
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
And his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
And his faithfulness to all generations.
—from Psalm 100
AS I LOOK BACK ON THE MONTHS THAT I HAVE SPENT AT FIRST
PRESbyterian Church, I am filled with gratitude for a wonderful experience. My first Sunday was just a week before the attacks on September 11, and those events and their lasting
impact shaped my early months here. I was touched and inspired by the ways in which this church came together in
worship, service, and mutual caring in the days and weeks
that followed. It was both a joy and a very moving experience
to write replies to the many church groups and Sunday
school classes that sent their loving prayers and artwork to
Summer 2002
Summer Reading/Summer Fun
HOW WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER, WEEKends at the beach or on a fishing lake in the mountains, with
leisure time to read and to become engrossed in a good story.
Well, this summer I’m taking a slightly different approach to
my reading list. I’m going to read the Bible.
Now hold on just a minute; it’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Think about it. For those who want down-to-earth fiction,
there’s Ruth. For the adventurous, there are the rags-to-riches
stories of King David’s life and conquests in Samuel. For legal
historians, there are the holiness codes of Leviticus and
Deuteronomy. For poetry, Psalms. For self-help, Proverbs. Of
course, for fantastic images rivaling The Lord of the Rings,
there’s Revelation.
But who wants to be painted as a bible-carrying religious fanatic at the local sidewalk café or at Jones Beach? Well, here’s
the perfect solution: Paperback bibles can be had for less than
$5, and something in me loves the seemingly heretical feeling
of ripping out a chapter to take with me on the subway or to
the rooftop. No one’s the wiser (except maybe the one doing
the reading)!
My other summer’s passion, also for those who like their
Christian education in a slightly more organized format but who
love summer adventure, is the national Presbyterian Church’s
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unique, deeply spiritual, and extremely fun program at our very
own conference center in northern New Mexico. Ghost Ranch,
a 21,000-acre property roughly the size of Manhattan near Santa
Fe, has a dozen or so different seminars each week. Course offerings range from the arts to comparative religion, from worship to politics (including numerous 9/11-related programs,
one led by Farid Esack, who facilitated a program at our church
in late September). All set in the dramatic natural environment
that painter Georgia O’Keefe made so famous, with lots of time
built in for exploration, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, and
meeting other Presbyterians from around the country. You may
have seen Ghost Ranch recently featured in Newsweek, Architectural Digest, and Traveler Magazine’s top places in the country.
The website for Ghost Ranch (including their on-line catalog)
can be found at www.ghostranch.org.
So buy those bibles, rip out chapters to read—or take a trip
out to your conference center in New Mexico—and see what new
insights may come into focus. Welcome to an exciting summer!
R EV. M ARK H OSTETTER
FPC, and I deeply appreciate having had that experience.
Though I had spent a year as a hospital chaplain, First Presbyterian Church has been my first encounter with the daily
workings of a large and busy church. As someone who was not
quite “staff” but present for staff meetings, I have appreciated
the good humor, diligence, and prayerful attention that all of
the staff bring to their work. Each staff member found time to
teach this raw novice about some aspect of church functioning.
Both the Membership Committee and the Christian Education Committee gave me a glimpse of essential parts of the
church’s functioning and helped me stay on course. And the
congregation, with its warm welcome and many individual gestures of support, has been a continuous source of challenge,
guidance, and affirmation. I have learned about professional
ministry from the best of teachers in First Presbyterian’s members, and from Lindley, Jon, Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Sally,
Mark, Beverly, and many others. I have grown a great deal during this year, for which I am very thankful. Though I still have a
lot to learn, I am far better equipped for ministry because of
my time with you. I extend my heart-felt thanks to the members and friends of First Presbyterian Church as I graduate
from seminary. You were my first church, and I will never forget you. Thank you, and may God bless each of you in your
ministry, worship, and life together.
M ARY D ONELLE R AMSAY
S EMINARY I NTERN 2001-2002
The FPC Garden – Early Summer
IN SPITE OF THE 9/11 TRAGEDY AND WHO
Illustration by Pat Penick
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knows what toxic chemicals raining
down, and, in spite of our dramatic
spring weather—masquerading sometimes as July, sometimes as March—our
First Church garden this summer is lush,
beautiful, and very healthy. Robin Key,
the head of our Garden Committee, says
Dogwood Blossom
even the ancient London plane tree
which lost big branches in a recent storm is still in good form.
Early spring was lovely with crocuses in many colors, snowdrops, and tiny grape hyacinths around the perimeter of the
lawn. Then came the daffodils. The big bright yellow ones always remind me of my grandmother’s old-fashioned brass telephone! The crabapple trees in the south lawn bloomed in
exuberant pink and white-petalled billows, and, as you read
this, are producing thousands of small green apples. These will
grow, turn red, drop, and squish underfoot to the delight of
children, squirrels, and some of our birds, and to the dismay of
our patient staff which tries to keep the paths clean.
The handsome dark green hedge, the dwarf cherry laurel,
which grows parallel to the church house ramp and to the
south walkway along the sanctuary, has finished putting forth
its fragrant white flower spikes. But, look for a modest repeat
performance at the end of the summer. Now that they’re maturing, these interesting bushes are producing green fruits.
The Lenten roses—low-growing plants of the hellebore family
—reliably started blooming before Ash Wednesday and will
keep at it all summer. Their greenish cup-shaped flowers bend
over shyly like bells, but can be spied hiding among their
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leaves in a large clump west of the birdbath and also under the
crabapple trees on the south lawn.
Thanks to Robin Key, who is also a landscape designer by
profession, interesting things go on in the garden all year long.
Under Robin’s guidance, an organization called Hollywood
and Vine handles general garden maintenance and care of the
perennials and GreenPro Services deals with the lawn. Our
own FPC staff is responsible for mowing the lawn and removing as much of the blown-in and dropped-in trash as they have
time for. Volunteer “weeders” not only weed, but do edging,
clipping, deadheading, the always-needed trash removal, and
other garden chores. When the weeders are working, passersby frequently stop and comment on the green lawn and beauty
of our property. When they also say “thank you,” we say credit
goes to the Lord, Robin Key, and a host of other people!
As a result of all this planning and tending, the small, curved
garden on the north lawn is particularly varied and beautiful. A
magnificent purple iris will be finished blooming when you read
this. But, look for the tall allium which will soon produce big,
fluffy, lavender globes. Green and white-striped hosta leaves will
soon surround spikes of lavender flowers. Elegant pale yellow
columbine are due soon, along with a variety of flowers in
shades of pink. Even the many shades and textures of green
leaves are worth appreciating. Of the flowers, my personal favorites are the tall Japanese anemones to the east of the birdbath. They look like butterflies to me, some pink and some
white, and they flutter over the garden with amazing grace. If
you’re not wearing spiked heels or cleats, this garden is fun to
look at from the lawn side as well as from the walkway.
At the front of the church, the four Winter King Hawthorn
trees parallel to the front gate are unusual additions to the Village tree community. Their pale gray bark and delicate branches
look like charcoal sketches. Fragile white blossoms have given
way to tiny green berries which later will turn red and provide a
visual delight for us and food for the birds. Most of the bushes
used as foundation plantings have finished blooming, but will
provide clumps of cool green throughout the summer. The female holly bush at the southeast corner of the church is always
worth a special look. It already has both green and red berries.
The berries will all be red well before Christmas.
The Korean dogwood trees in our south lawn may have
shed their blossoms by the time you read this. They have been
spectacular through most of May with hundreds of four-lobed
bracts standing straight up from their branches on sturdy
three-inch stems. Unusual coral pink fruits will follow. They
will look a little like small litchee nuts.
The roses in the cloister garden started blooming early and
are in good fettle. Oldtimers still miss seeing from the MellinMacnab balcony the roses which once were in the north garden. They were moved to make room for the required ramp.
(Frankly, I think they’re happier not having the constant rain
of cigarette butts which now get chucked into the tough—so
far—cherry laurels.) Also in the rose garden is the newly
planted tree peony which Robin says she’s excited about. It
should be beautiful to see next spring.
The back of the cloister garden, which was left alone during the South Wing restoration, is now being worked on and
enhanced. The big blue hydrangea bush at the southwest corner has been moved and replaced by an oak leaf hydrangea,
which Robin says will produce white blossoms in the summer
and colorful foliage in the fall. Another area of our grounds
that will be fun to watch.
On September 12 it was hard to feel thankful for anything
at all. Granted, the church wasn’t going to collapse like the
towers, and our particular church buildings and grounds were
intact even if the congregation was grieving and very much not
intact. I was doing a brief stint of welcoming people into the
church and chatting with a surprising number of people who
just wanted to talk. Sharing the same watch was Stuart Jones’
wife Lisa with their young baby Melissa. What a generous gift
that was! The baby’s smile helped all of us. There was one
more small blessing that day. Quintin from our staff was out
mowing the church lawn in his usual competent way, and
somehow the malodorous, death-brown air gave way every so
often to the fresh green fragrance of new, cut grass.
PAT P ENICK
E LDER AND W EEDER
Summer 2002
The Tartan Fair is also an obvious source of much-needed
funds for the work at our church. The first year of the Fair the
net available for a special benevolence was c. $8,000. Last December we made gifts totaling over $36,000 to our Homeless
Shelter, the Holmes Camp & Conference Center, the Church
of Gethsemane, and our WQXR Sunday broadcasts. We may
not realize as much every year—or we may raise more—but
whatever the amount, it will be designated for the mission
work of our church. This working together clearly has benefits
beyond what the individual volunteer receives in the doing.
We each come to the church looking for something: a connection to God, a connection to each other. As Rev. Ted Wardlaw, pastor at Central Presbyterian in Atlanta, recently said in a
sermon, “We ask God for many things; but what God consistently gives us is community, each other.” The Tartan Fair is
one of the many ways our church offers to be a part of that
community. Come, iron an apron, sell a used book, bake a
cookie—rejoice in our community.
J OAN L. R YAN
E LDER
A Heritage in Silver
The Tartan Fair: Something for
Everyone to Do!
THIS IS A TESTIMONIAL—PERHAPS SHORT OF THE PROVERBIAL SOAP
box in Hyde Park, but nonetheless a testimonial—to one of
the institutions at First Church: the Tartan Fair. Now in its 11th
year, the Fair has become one of our best openers to new members and a ready channel for the congregation’s stewardship of
time and talent as well as treasure. Reade and I joined First
Church in the summer of ’96 and, though not exactly shy, we
still needed an easy, one-shot kind of invitation to get involved.
I got that the first weekend in December from Alexandra Engel, one of the Fair chairs, who handed me an iron, parked me
in front of the ironing board in the Mellin-Macnab lobby, and
asked me to press 96 tartan aprons.
Those aprons adorned twice that many volunteers over the
next two days of the Fair, volunteers who sold everything from
plants to white elephants, to used and new books, real treasures
in our Silent Auction, and edible treasures in the Café and
Baked Goods sections. Ironing those aprons connected me in a
small, but significant, way to everyone who wore one and to the
effort as a whole. Our Sunday worship at First Church had already established the strong spiritual connection we sought,
but working with other members added a new dimension to my
feeling of belonging. Soon after the new year someone I had
met at the Fair asked me to serve on the Christian Education
Committee, and a whole new depth and breadth of belonging
began. (Don’t worry; if you work on the 2002 Fair you don’t
have to go on a committee the next month!)
IN THE SPRING OF 2000 I WAS CONTACTED BY THE YALE UNIVERSITY
Art Gallery concerning three 18th-century silver collection
plates belonging to First Presbyterian. The plates are part of a
collection of silver communion vessels on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yale wanted to include the plates,
thought to have been made between 1761 and 1765, as part of
a show titled Myer Myers: Jewish Silversmith in Colonial New York.
The plates now take their place in an important display of
work by one of colonial America’s, and New York City’s, most
important artisans. Myers had produced elegant Torah finials
for some prominent synagogues of the day, but the collection
plates may represent the only time Myers made silver objects
specifically for a Christian church.
The balance of our silver collection at the Metropolitan
Museum includes a plain tankard by Daniel Van Voorhis, a
more elaborate one by Abraham Poutreau, and four beakers
by Philip Goelet. These museum pieces were once an important part of our communion service when First Presbyterian
was located on Wall Street. In her 1981 book on First Church
history, A City Church, Dorothy Ganfield Fowler writes, “The
Lord’s Supper was celebrated four times a year. Tables (usually
four) covered with white cloth, containing a silver tankard,
four silver beakers, and three silver plates, were set up in the
front. The silver beakers, about six inches in height, perfectly
plain, were made by Philip Goelet (1708-1784) of New York
and carried the inscription: ‘Ex Dono Annae Peartree, Ecclesiae Christi Presbyterianae apud Neo-Eboracenses, 1730.’”
Fowler further writes, “The silver plates, ten inches in diameter, were inscribed ‘Ex Dono Peter R. Livingston’ and were
made by Myer Myers (1723-1796), the outstanding goldsmith
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FPC silver, circa 1730, made by Philip Goelet and Mike Myers, renowned
colonial silversmiths, from A City Church by Dorothy Fowler
in New York City…” Of the tankard made by Abraham
Poutreau, she writes, “The tankard was very elaborate. On the
side opposite the beaded rat-tail handle was a coat of arms and
above the date, ‘A legacy of Mr. Jeremiah Owens to the Presbyterian Church in New York, 1756.’”
Currently, the collection plates are traveling with the Myers
show and have been to the Skirball Museum and Cultural Center in Los Angeles and are scheduled to be on display June 6
through September 13 at the Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware. After that the plates will rejoin the other
pieces still on display in the Luce Study Center of the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they have
been on extended loan since 1925.
The value of these most important of First Presbyterian’s
communion silver pieces is in what they represent as a continuation of sacred service in the Christian Reformed traditions of
our congregation. Just as in our communion service we serve
each other—the passing of the bread and wine through the
pews—so too have past generations communed with us in this
heritage in silver.
D AVID P ULTZ
E LDER AND C HURCH A RCHIVIST
From the Nursery School
THE STAFF, PARENTS, AND CHILDREN OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL
like to extend our best wishes to the staff and members
of the First Presbyterian Church for a peaceful and pleasant
summer. Thank you for reaching out to our school this year in
so many ways. The support of the Church has been a source of
strength for us as a school and for families and individuals to
whom it provided much-needed help during the past year.
E LLEN Z IMAN
D IRECTOR
WOULD
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T HE C HURCH T OWER
PARISH REGISTRY
Maya Rae Arnott
Daughter of Allison Maria Constantine and Andrew Scott Arnott
DECEASED
Florence E. Denholm
Jack Boyd Anderson
Son of Elizabeth Dorothy Alexander and G. Lee Anderson
LETTERS OF TRANSFER
Robert S. Laurenzano
To: Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Allison Brown
To: First Presbyterian Church, Ashville, North Carolina
BAPTISMS
William Lambert Hou
Son of Jennifer Leuba and Victor Hou
Luca Nelson Jorsling
Son of Julie Mastrarrigo and Reuben Jorsling
Robert James Marlow
Son of Kelly Anne Radford and Robert Kerr Marlow
Adult
Beatrice Silver Chalom
David Chan
Darcy Cosper
Lois Hagen
Angeline Marie Urie-Ho
Phillip Ho
Perry Wren McKinney
Son of Kimberly Jones and Mark Stephen McKinney
Frank Ernest Schramm
Julie Marion Schramm
Lauren Elaine Schramm
Children of Patricia Meyer and Frank Ernest Schramm III
Child
Emily Michaela Wilschetz
Daughter of Carol Ann Buch and Timothy Dean Wilschetz
Virginia Naomi Gordon,
Daughter of Jeanne Reagan-Gordon and David Raymond Gordon
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CHURCH HOUSE
12 WEST 12 STREET NEW YORK NY 10011
Return Service Requested
“The Church Tower” is published by The First Presbyterian
Church, 12 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011 (212) 675–6150.
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Barbara Davis
Brian Fellows
Mark Hostetter
Jeanette Ninas Johnson
Barbara Kellogg
Pat Penick
Joseph Anthony Bosco
Son of Amy DeRee Ormond and Joseph Anthony Bosco III
David Pultz
Mary Ramsay
Joan Ryan
Charlotte Wallace
Jon Walton
Ellen Ziman
Fabienne Van Wambeke
Daughter of Isabelle Kellogg and Luc Van Wambeke
MARRIAGES
Angeline Marie Urie and Phillip Ho
Lori Lin Knight and Richard Albert Lucken