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A Home Missions Adventure in the Wilds of New York City
By Kris A. Newman
July 31, 2006
Have you ever considered going to three
foreign countries within eight days? I would suggest taking on New York City,
instead. You will probably know the language and recognize most of the customs,
but you will never be the same.
With chaperones and baby Bella (the smile
maker) in tow, the Elim Tabernacle Youth Group of Greenfield, Wisconsin,
(nicknamed Another Level) arrived excitedly at Newark International
Airport on Saturday, June 17, 2006. Eight days and many miles later, we would
return.
The first missions stop was with Bro. and
Sis. Stephen Smith in the northwestern suburb of Tarrytown, New York. A small
band of new and not-so-new believers gathered with the Smiths on Sunday for a
double whammy service—Sunday School, quickly followed by Evening Worship.
Rather than their normal sound-track led worship, the congregation was pleased
when the musicians of Another Level opened the Sunday School and Evening
Worship services with live music and sign language. Energy flowed through the
building as the common ground of praise was laid.
After service, the first taste of famous New
York style pizza greeted the hungry travelers. Easy friendships were made with
other believers. On Monday, the friendships continued as 15 workers went into
the immediate area surrounding the church. Fifteen hundred church invitations
had been hung on doors before all was said and done. By Wednesday of that week,
Bro. Smith would have spent hours on the phone answering questions about the new
work in Tarrytown.
The next four days we stayed at a grand old
hotel in the middle of Times Square. True tourists, we saw and heard and did
all that could be packed into each day. Shopping all the best spots, seeing all
the bright lights, eating at quaint corners and watching the crush of humanity
filled our waking hours.
Early Wednesday afternoon, we hopped the
subway to Harlem, where Bro. and Sis. Michael Gratten were awaiting our
manpower. Pastoring one of the oldest UPC churches settled in the middle of
Harlem, the Grattens are a true treasure. Another Level members were put
to work cleaning and re-arranging Sunday School classrooms. A little sweeping,
furniture-moving, some rest time playing on the instruments, and we were ready
for outreach. Right across the street from the church are several high-rise
apartment buildings. Another Level invited over 200 families to come to
Sunday School. How would you like a “bus ministry” that was comprised of
walking to the apartment lobby across the street, gathering the students, and
bringing them back and forth to church?
The Harlem day wasn’t over until we had been
fed Lincoln’s fried chicken, homemade corn bread, and other delectable edibles
made at the hands of Sis. Gratten. After all that good food, Another Level
was ready to minister again and opened the evening Bible Study with music.
Thursday evening found us worshipping with
Bro. and Sis. Doug Davis and the saints at Bethel UPC, another jewel in the
crown of our fellowship. It’s amazing how “family” can be found wherever you go
when you are part of the family of God.
On Friday morning we left the hustle and
bustle of the city for the quieter pace of Staten Island. There we were warmly
welcomed by Bro. and Sis. Robert Carter. Music and pizza and fellowship on
Friday prepared us for the “Hello Neighbor!” outreach event on Saturday. Rain
tried to deter us, but the friendliness inside of the church flowed outside and
drew the neighbors in. Another Level helped in all aspects of this event
including serving lunch, participating in music, acting out lively Bible
stories, helping with crafts, and giving testimonies; filling the day with
friendship.
By Sunday afternoon, after hours and miles
of connecting and re-connecting, giving and receiving, Another Level said
good-bye to New York City on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It seems
fitting, in retrospect, to visit the ocean last when one has been to New York
City. The vastness of the creation of God and the peace it presents is a solid
balance to the vista man has created in Manhattan.
Knowing that an effort was made to give of
ourselves to encourage those working tirelessly in a city like New York has
added a sense of accomplishment to the members of Another Level. It’s
not about who can sing the best or who bought the coolest purse or who walked
the farthest, but the friendships that were made, the enthusiasm that was
shared.
I’m not sure what mark was left behind by
Elim Tabernacle’s Youth Group in New York City, but I can see the impression
that ministering in the City left upon Another Level.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2006, Kris Newman
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When
Kris Newman is not traveling, she can be found reading books like
Oh! The Places We Will Go!
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