TGC Washington Heights

A Visit with Ainsley Jane

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:41:16 -0400

This morning I walked to the bank on 158th and Broadway to deposit a couple of checks. Since I was in the neighborhood I sent a text to my friend Shaun West. His daughter Ainsley Jane was born April 14. Charlotte and I visited Ainsley Jane and her mother Karena in the hospital, but we missed Shaun that day. So I was excited when Shaun replied that they were up and at it. You never know with the schedule of a newborn.

What a joy to see Shaun and Karena and sense even in their exhaustion an excitement of being parents! As I held Ainsley Jane before I left I was able to reflect back over the six years that I have known Shaun and Karena, dating back to my time with Barnes & Noble. I have been privileged to see God at work in their lives through some very trying circumstances.

As that sweet little girl slept in my arms I saw evidence of God’s miraculous work, not just in the birth of a healthy baby, but in the uniting of two lives through his love and the promise of an even brighter future.

Welcome to the world Ainsley Jane West! And welcome to Washington Heights!

What Is Trinity Grace Church Doing in Washington Heights?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:20:09 -0400

“Devoting ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom and extending His love to all of Washington Heights.”

At the end of March our congregation celebrated its first anniversary. One of the highlights of that celebration were the baptisms of four of our brothers and sisters. There is much evidence of God at work in our community and through our young church.

As we move into this second year God is calling us to deeper levels of His love and grace. There is growing sense that we have a specific call to daily devote ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom and that a principle expression of that is to extend the love of Christ to all of Washington Heights.

What do we mean when we say “all of Washington Heights”? A simple answer is that God is calling us to all of Washington Heights. In the months leading up to our launch a year ago March we sought to define our place in the ecclesiastical landscape in Washington Heights. We believed that God was calling us to be a bridge community, one that would seek to build bridges to all demographics in our neighborhood. That meant that we would not seek to become a church identified with only one subgroup of Washington Heights, but trust God to unite our hearts and create something new and exciting that would bring together people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9). And to add to that description people from different socioeconomic realities, cultures, educational experiences, religious backgrounds, native New Yorker and transplant, and we could go on.

I truly believe that God has raised up Trinity Grace Church Washington Heights to do exactly that. We have an opportunity not only to be a fresh expression of the body of Christ in our neighborhood, but also to reach out to the four corners of Washington Heights (as well as Inwood and Hamilton Heights - what we generically call the Heights) - east and west of Broadway, north and south of 181st Street, into the Dominican community, into “Hudson Heights,” into the Columbia University community around New York Presbyterian, into the artist community, and much more.

What we are all called to do is be the expression of Christ right where we are: in our building, in our block, in the restaurants we frequent, the parks we go to, the bodegas and coffee shops and laundromats and dry cleaners, the doctor’s offices, in our commuting, in our schools, yes, everywhere we are…to devote ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom and extend His love to all of Washington Heights.

TGC Washington Heights on Broadway

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:49:27 -0400

As I write we are two days from our second worship service in Washington Heights. Last Saturday, March 31, the Washington Heights community of Trinity Grace Church celebrated our first public worship gathering with neighbors and supporters from other TGC parishes present.

What a time of celebration! Jesus was exalted, we were blessed and encouraged, and an important statement was made for the kingdom of God and the unity of the body of Christ.

We are meeting at the Broadway Temple of the United Methodist Church (4111 Broadway between 173rd and 174th Streets). The host pastor, Rev. Hector Rivera welcomed us and assured us that he feels no threat by our presence, rather he sees this as a strategic opportunity to partner as brothers and sisters in Christ to bless the neighborhood. That sounds like a direct answer to Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17.

The launch is behind us; the euphoria of that first service is fading; yet the call to join God in the renewal and transformation of our community is ever before us.

What a privilege to partner with a community of like-hearted followers of Jesus! Our prayer now and continually is “your kingdom come, your will be done in Washington Heights as it is in heaven.”

Join us this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. on Broadway!

Trinity Grace Washington Heights

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:07:15 -0500

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)

With these words from Jesus, announcing the beginning of his public ministry, a group of Jesus followers took the next important step toward the public phase of their ministry. That group met last night in a little theater on Broadway, but way off Broadway, in Washington Heights to declare their commitment to “join God in the renewal of all things” in upper Manhattan through Trinity Grace Church Washington Heights.

The forty or so who gathered together represent an equal number of stories of the mosaic that the Spirit is creating to exalt Jesus and live out the good news in one of the forgotten sections of Manhattan. Beyond the common non-inclusion of upper Manhattan on popular tourist maps, the population of the Heights daily faces challenges that are largely unknown or ignored by neighbors downtown.

Some of us came initially to Washington Heights because the rents were more affordable or because it was close to studies or near employment. Yet over time those narratives have found deeper meaning inthe narrative- Jesus’ story, a story of good news that through the gospel there is salvation, freedom, hope, sight and favor.

As we move forward to an April 1 public launch we want to share stories of those who are forming this community, as well as the vision that calls us from our ordinary lives to become passionately engaged followers of Christ.

Stay tuned…

What Is God Doing in Your Life?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:28:48 -0500

Gio Andollo who is a member of the TGC Washington Heights community recently posted this response to the question, “What is God doing in your life?”

One of my pastors at Trinity Grace recently posed the titular question to our congregation, hoping for a flood of emails to his inbox. I didn’t get around to it last week (and neither did most others, apparently) but I do think it’s an important question to think about every now and again. It just makes sense to ask what an author is up to as we turn the page to a new chapter - especially when we ourselves are characters in the narrative!

I’ve already written about what I hope to happen this year as an extension of what I accomplished throughout 2011. But what does it all mean? WHY do I wish to accomplish X, Y, and Z? Is it only for my own sense of accomplishment and actualization or is it also to glorify God? Meanwhile, do I actually see God’s hand moving in my life? If so, where? How?

There are at least two major ways that I see God at work in my life right now, patterns that I anticipate will be woven throughout the entire year.

The first actually is a sense of self-actualization - but for the glory of God, not the glory of me. That is to say: I know that God has called me to be a songwriter, a performance artist, an activist. I anticipate that I will grow ever more comfortable in these shoes as I break them in; that I will continue to improve my craft and gain in cultural influence as I work toward these ends. But God didn’t call me to this life so that I might be glorified. It’s for God’s glory and God’s kingdom, not mine. The artistic excellence and acclaim that I desire, the cultural influence that I seek is on behalf of God’s kingdom. Indeed, I’ve been called a “voice in the wilderness” (alluding to John the Baptist), a canary in the mineshaft, a prophet. Lest such comparisons and analogies get to my head, I can only pray that my integrity in faith and obedience will stand the tests that God yet has for me; either way, I know that the nearer I approach the man God has called and wills me to be, the greater God’s glory.

Even the daily provision that I pray for, largely dedicated to my climb out of debt, is ultimately for God’s glory and honor - that I might one day, in my abundance, give to the poor and bless the church with a generous heart. I believe that it is God’s will that I be free from debt and I trust that God will provide all my needs and help me to reach this freedom soon!

The second thread that God has been weaving into the fabric of my life is the neighborhood of Washington Heights. It all started just weeks after I moved to NYC in September of 2009. The Heights missional community took off at that point and I began to fall for the neighborhood, though I lived in Harlem at the time. I joined men in prayer at the 181 overlook, volunteered to teach music at Operation Exodus, and joined the Neighborhood Trust community development credit union at the GWB bus terminal. But I still did not realize then that God was clearly calling me to this neighborhood.

Perhaps that epiphany did not arrive until July of last year, when I began volunteering at the new “pop-up” bookstore and arts community center on 175 street and broadway. Word Up Books is committed to promoting literacy and the arts in a neighborhood that is vastly underserved. Though the Heights has the largest concentration of children in Manhattan, the school libraries are unkept and unused, public libraries are sparse, and we are the only bookstore within a thirty block radius! Great things have come out of our service to the neighborhood and we have had much favor and appreciation from our neighbors. Most importantly, it has provided a forum to really integrate into the life of the neighborhood, to meet many people who live and work in Washington Heights, including many local writers, artists, and musicians. And of course it’s a great place to be a witness for God and the church, to show God’s heart for the Heights and for peace and justice.

It is a great privilege to be involved in the work God is doing to bring peace and justice to the Heights and NYC through these various organizations. But I am especially looking forward to the great work God has for the new church plant in the Heights as we join God in the renewal of all things. I currently and temporarily sleep in Inwood, farther uptown than I prefer, but I plan to move to Washington Heights in June with other folks from the Heights MC. By God’s grace we will live together, intentionally, with emphasis on spiritual praxis, hospitality, and service to the church and neighborhood.

So… That’s what I believe God is doing in my life. I’ve made some plans accordingly, though I suppose there’s always the possibility that God has some dramatic irony up the sleeve! No matter. Whichever way God leads, I will follow.

Prayer and more prayer

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:42:07 -0500

Tonight the men of Washington Heights will be gathering at the 181 Overlook for prayer. The women of Washington Heights will be gathering in the 160s to pray as well. These times of prayer on Monday nights are so powerful as we meet to connect corporately with God. The tone of these times is joining the prayer that Jesus taught us, that God’s will be done and that His kingdom come in Washington Heights as it is in heaven.

Last evening a group of people met in the 140s to pray for the launch of Trinity Grace Washington Heights. This was the second week of prayer with a specific focus on all that goes into a new weekend gathering in the Heights. From the start we have sensed a strong spirit of expectation and longing.

As we prayed these were some of the themes that were lifted to the throne of God:

that God would be glorified in all that we do
that we would experience true community
that doors would open to the right place for us to worship
that quickly became a building that we could have full-time access to so that we could truly have a “presence” ministry in Washington Heights. (I love that kind of faith and daring in asking!)
that disciple-making would happen
that there would be unity
that there would be a growing identity with our neighborhood
that there would be a strong children’s ministry
that there would form a powerful worship ministry team
that God would work through his people to supply the necessary finances
that God would bless the church and the Washington Heights neighborhood, transforming lives, families, businesses and systems
that we would be part of providing an alternative educational opportunity for children in Washington Heights
that God would bless the pastoral leadership

There was also echoed gratitude for the way that Spirit has already built a community of love among us and a presence in the Heights, as well as for the response of God’s people in generosity to make the Washington Heights church plant a reality.

And so we continue to pray, and may it be said of us that we prayed without ceasing. There is no other way to join God in what he is doing in Washington Heights.

So we pray!

It Takes a Village

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:26:01 -0500

I clearly remember when then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton came out with her book “It takes a Village”.
What controversy!! I especially remember the outrage in my small circle of influence and Bob Dole while running for president, specifically stating that it just takes a family, not a village. That book came out exactly 10 years before I become a mother.

Fast forward 10 years to when our own little bundle of joy came into our lives. At that time in our lives, I needed to go back to work for financial reasons and only got to stay home with Sophia for the first 8 weeks of her life. After I returned to work, our then pastor’s wife watched her 2 days a week, hubby watched her 1 day a week and my parents split the other 2 days between themselves. There was already a village starting.

Over the years, we’ve had different people involved in the aspects of our family’s life and invested in our kids. The older two spent time in daycare and had outside nannies and sitters. I can say without a doubt that I’m proud to have a village of excellent people around us that encourage, support and help in the day-to-day of parenting. I honestly cannot imagine raising our children without them! I love that they have more than just two people investing in them and providing godly examples and behaviors. I love that they each have special people in their lives that just make them light up! I love that those people may or may not be blood relatives and the more the merrier (in my opinion!)

I’ve only been a mom for 5 1/2 years, but I can definitely say, without a doubt, that while yes, a larger portion of child rearing and education lies on our shoulders as parents, I welcome the village that we’ve created around our kids. Honestly, I do think that our Western Culture has totally missed the boat on this one! I love going home to Peru and having 30+ family members surround our kids, play with our kids, discipline them, educate them, love on them, etc.

And here at home…those of you who are part of our village (you know who you are) You are so very much loved and so very much appreciated! We are so incredibly thankful that we’re not alone on this journey and that we have others who love our kids so much!

Last night, our extended family, our village, (most of them are not blood relation) came around our family to love on and pray for our little Lucas and his struggle with eczema. What a sense of belonging and security, knowing that others love our kids and want the best for them. I’m so thankful for the people God has brought into our lives…some of which we’ve known for the full 5 1/2 years as parents and other we’ve just met but still feel like family.

Thank you family…we love you!

Kristina Torrejon is a wife, mother of three, and member of the developing Trinity Grace Washington Heights church community.

Measuring Influence

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:34:10 -0400

Charlotte and I have had the privilege of doing a considerable amount of premarital counseling. One of the things we remind couples of is that if their parents are still married and committed to marriage until death parts them, it is one of the greatest gifts they have been given by their parents.

Yesterday I had the joy of celebrating a gift given to Charlotte and me. Sixty years ago on October 30, 1951, George William Lawn and Irene Marie Pechacek were married in Texas. To their union were born 11 children, nine of whom still survive. My wife and her twin were the third and fourth children born to this couple living in Jamestown, New York.

My father-in-law, almost 91 and his 80-something bride sat at a table with some family members present and we celebrated not only longevity, but a deep commitment to weather the storms of life and stay married.

Bill, who grew up in small-town Dubois, Pennsylvania, and Irene, who grew up in Crowell, Texas, met in Manhattan. After a whirlwind romance they were engaged, planned their wedding long distance writing letters, were married and then honeymooned in Mexico.

It was my joy to spend the afternoon with my father-in-law on Saturday. He took great interest in my life and got excited as I shared some of the new opportunities and challenges in my life. But the good stuff was listening to him, hearing him share from such a wealth of experience: what it was like to move from his small-town world to service in the U.S. Navy and be part of the liberation of southern France during World War II, his exposure to inequality and racial discrimination that led him to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Alabama, and being on the cutting edge of physical therapy techniques and inventions as America was dealing with the lingering effects of polio.

It would be impossible to recap a life in a few brief paragraphs, but one story stands out to me and brings George William Lawn’s life into perspective. My father-in-law was growing in his professional and civic influence in Jamestown. In 1969 mayoral candidate (and eventual mayor) Stanley Lundine asked him to run for city council. It was a tempting offer and one that he would no doubt have been successful at, perhaps even launching a political career. Bill asked for time to consider this. That evening he came home to his 14-year-old daughter (now my wife) going through some chapter of adolescent angst. As he sat down and heard her heart he made the decision to be there for his family and forego the opportunity for “greater influence.” I’m very thankful for the influence he leveraged for his family.

Happy anniversary Bill and Irene! And thanks!

Monday Morning Musings - September 19, 2011

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:34:53 -0400

This past week I celebrated another birthday milestone. The calendar says that I have reached 55; my heart and spirit don’t feel bound by a “speed limit.”

I have been blessed by many during this past week with their kind words. I’m so grateful for the continual and faithful ministry of the Spirit in my life. I am more committed than ever to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and share in His sufferings becoming more like Him in his death (Philippians 3:10).

Nothing moves my heart more than to see the Kingdom of God breaking out all over: four guys in a public place talking about Jesus and the signs of the Kingdom, God bringing unexpected people together to join one of our community members in an architecture project in the Bronx, a corporate sponsor agreeing to make a school mural possible to bless the vision of another community member, people responding to the needs of others through generosity, English class students asking for prayer because they know we pray and others realizing that we are there because we care and love our community. And that’s just the beginning…

In the days to come we will see more and more signs of the Kingdom:

Salvation/Deliverance
Righteousness and Justice
Peace
Joy
God’s Presence
Healing
Return from Exile

Paul lifts a prayer for the church in Colosssae in his letter to them: “And so, from the day we heard (of you), we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (1:9-14).

I take great courage and comfort in the fact that right now JESUS IS KING! Not in some distant future or in some ethereal spiritual realm that cannot be touched, but RIGHT NOW in your life and in mine, in our neighborhood, in our city, in our world. Can I repeat it? JESUS IS KING!

How does that impact your life today?

Serving the King!

Gary

Monday Morning Musings - August 29, 2011

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:10:59 -0400

As I write this Monday morning I reflect back on a weekend that was all over the map.

TGC Leadership Retreat…Kirkwood Camp (outside Stroudsburg, PA) was the place that I wanted to be as 100+ people from the five neighborhood churches came together for a time of spiritual retreat and vision for the fall. One of the highlights was our time in the Westside neighborhood leadership team as Derek Worthington (Westside neighborhood pastor) shared our focus for the coming months: “Taking Root” and “Taking Ground”. Colossians 2:6-7 states this well: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (NIV). A major component of “Taking Ground” is the Washington Heights plant. There was a significant time of prayer as the Westside leaders prayed for the Heights.

Wedding Anniversary…Charlotte and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary at Kirkwood Camp. We appreciated so many best wishes from friends far and near.

Hurricane Irene…Just a week after an earthquake was felt in our city, a hurricane booked a trip to New York. The potential force of Irene became an issue while we were at Kirkwood Camp. The staff made a decision to cut short the retreat in order to allow everyone to get home before the storm hit, and before vital transportation services in the city were suspended. Following that decision we joined in a time of worship and prayer to the One who stilled the storm and trusted that once again the storm would be no match for the Creator. As we waited it out, it became increasingly obvious that Irene had encountered a greater power. The New York Times reported on this answer to prayer in one of its headlines: “Storm Damage Largely Spares New York.” I listened with interest to Anderson Cooper and a CNN weather person try to explain why Irene weakened: “North Carolina got in the way of the eye. It literally knocked the stuffing out of the eye. Irene never got its eye back, never got its mojo back.” We lift in prayer those who got the brunt of the storm, and we thank Jesus that the large population centers of Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston were largely spared of significant damage.

Interesting stat out of the weekend…Saturday night as NYC braced for Irene, the NYPD reported only 45 arrests compared to an average of 345 arrests for a Saturday night in August!

These are exciting and challenging days! I leave you with these words from Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, “The greatest work of Jesus’ friends (remember His words in John 15, ‘I no longer call you servants; I call you friends’?) is to cultivate an appetite, a hunger, in God’s people for the Lord Jesus. The world awaits those who can present such a rich gospel that it leaves people spellbound, filled with awe, and desperate to know their inimitable Lord.”

Monday Morning Musings - August 15, 2011

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:24:25 -0400

We just got back from nearly a week in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania. We were only a few hours from New York City, but it seemed that we were in another world. The purpose of our time away was to have a spiritual retreat in which we could read, pray, journal and reconnect to each other.

On the way out we stopped at a Christian bookstore, a novelty in our reality. I found two books (among the discounts) that caught my eye and became the focus of my reading while away.

The first book is “7 Saving Graces: Living Above the Deadly Sins” by Steve DeNeff. I tweeted that this was the best book I have read in 2011. The book is profound and simple at the same time. The author examines the seven deadly sins and points out that it isn’t a matter of practicing the opposing virtue, but through the power of the Spirit being transformed by the corresponding saving grace.

The second book is “Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ” by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. I was convicted by how often I focus on the peripheral issues and forget that Jesus is our life and chief occupation.

The authors write: “The reality is that Christ trumps everything. All Scripture testifies of Him. The Father exalts Him. The Spirit magnifies Him. The angels worship Him. The early church knew Him as her passion, her message, and the unction of her life. Christ was her specialty. He was her Bridegroom and head. She specialized in nothing else. All told, there’s nothing worth pursuing outside of Christ.”

May Jesus be exalted in our midst as we live and move and have our being in Him!

Monday Morning Musings - July 5, 2011

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:47:28 -0400

First, it’s Tuesday not Monday, but yesterday was the Fourth and we all were enjoying some aspect of a beautiful summer day. Second, today is July 5 and this day holds special significance for Charlotte and me. Nine years ago today we moved to New York City and settled into the Heights.

In my journal of March 31, 2002, a little over three months before we arrived in New York City, I wrote: “Last night before we fell asleep, I told Charlotte that instead of saying that God is leading us to plant a multi-ethnic church in Manhattan, I would like to say that God is leading us to plant a church that reflects the face of Manhattan. The mystery of the church is that it is inclusive, not exclusive. In Christ we are heirs together (with Israel), members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I can in my heart of hearts, or in my spirit, see people from every nation, tribe, people and language coming together in Manhattan to praise and glorify the Lamb—the risen Lord Jesus Christ!”

It’s strange how I forget those words that the Spirit puts in my heart, but then as I go back I discover that the Spirit doesn’t forget. Over the past several months the Spirit has been showing that our church in the Heights will look like the Heights. The glory of our God will be reflected in the face of each one of us.

Our brother Jose leaves today for Los Angeles on his way to the Dominican Republic. What a privilege it was for us to pray over him and commission him Wednesday evening! Let’s continue to lift him in prayer.

To the glory of God!

Gary

Monday Morning Musings - June 27, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:42:38 -0400

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 NIV)
We began exploring the “one another” passages this past Wednesday evening. Christ is the head of the body, His church. We are members of His body, called to live by His Spirit and to partner with Him in carrying each other’s burdens. It was encouraging to share together what this looks like and how we are seeing it in action in our community. Pardon the pun, but the ice cream sundaes were the cherry on top.

The final event of the evening was a visit to Word Up Community Bookshop at 4157 Broadway @ 176 Street. There is still time to visit as it will be open through July 14.

As we prepare to come together this week, read and reflect on this “one another” passage:

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:13-16 NIV)

Thankful to be in community with you!

Gary

Monday Morning Musings - June 20, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:39:09 -0400

“In my experience, and in my observation over the last thirty years of following the Lord, I’ve discovered that as a general rule a revelation of Jesus Christ will eventually lead to a revelation of His church as well as a revelation of God’s grand mission (or Eternal Purpose). By that I mean, knowing the Lord will necessarily lead to hungering for, desiring, and seeing the reality of His Body in practice as well as the Divine purpose for which the Body exists. The reason? Christ and the church are inseparably united. And experiencing the Head will naturally give one a spiritual instinct for the experience of the Body and the mission that God has given it.” (Frank Viola from his blog Beyond Evangelical)

As I read these words this morning I continue to be impacted by the importance of knowing Christ, of seeking Him and recognizing His supremacy in the church, His headship in His Body.

My prayer is that every time we come together as His Body He is the one who is leading us and working out His purpose through the Holy Spirit and the gifts He has given us. As I get glimpses of this happening, such as in our time together this past Wednesday evening, I long for more, as I’m sure you do too.

As we experience the Head we will have a spiritual instinct for the experience of the Body and the mission that God has given us. As we prepare to come together tonight for prayer let’s seek the direction and leading of our Head, Jesus Christ.

Your brother in Christ,

Gary

Monday Morning Musings - June 13, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:36:19 -0400

Morning has passed, but I still want to get some thoughts out to you. This morning I sat down with some of the TGC pastors to have a conversation with Andrew Marin from Chicago. Andrew and his wife have lived for the past 10 years in Boystown, a predominantly GLBT neighborhood in Chicago. Andrew and his organization, The Marin Foundation, have sought to build a bridge between Christians and the GLBT community - a bridge that leads straight to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Andrew stressed how important it is to minister as Jesus did, not expecting people to come to us, but to go THEIR - to “their” place. That is the reality of incarnational ministry, an aspect of following Christ that often overlooked. Jesus left the temple or the synagogue - where the rabbi would usually frequent, and he found himself by Jacob’s well, in Peter’s house, at Matthew’s party, always in the company of sinners and tax-collectors.

I couldn’t but help but ask myself what that looks like for us in the Heights: to go THEIR…

Even as we are lamenting and perplexing over the possibility of public schools being potentially closed to the church and our church in particular, I am reminded that the Holy Spirit is constantly calling the church out to go THEIR. In Acts 8, after the martyrdom of Stephen “a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” What happened is that the message of Jesus moved out just as Jesus had instructed his followers before Pentecost.

Back to the Heights… God seems to be calling us and TGC at large to a season of rest before we get involved in the next big thrust. This is a time for us to abide in Christ, to seek God’s face, to spend time encouraging each other, and to ask God what he has in store for us.

Thursday evening I was privileged to join Jose and his Destino brothers for a meal at Jose’s apartment. These young men look up to Jose and are seeking to follow after Jesus. As I sat there I began to imagine what it would look like to build into their lives and help them to follow Jesus. I want to focus some time in prayer and fasting to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me into the next season of ministry in the Heights. I invite you to do the same.

Let us allow the Spirit to prepare us for his call to go THEIR.

Because of Jesus,

Gary

Monday Morning Musings - June 6, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:32:45 -0400

Good morning! I was so encouraged by Jon’s message yesterday, especially his “underwhelming” description of what would make a church spectacular:

-Proximity

-Permanence

-Shared memories

-A long term shared vision for the future

-Radical commitment to one another

-Patience

This came out of the parable of the mustard seed in Luke 13:18-19, “Then Jesus asked, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in it’s branches.’”

What is the kingdom of God in Washington Heights like? As I reflect back over the last week I see it in the shared memories of Memorial Day from good food to ninjas and laughter and good conversation. I see it in a group of women who came together Wednesday evening to stand with a sister as she took the big step of leaving secure employment into the future that God and her dreams are calling her to. I see it in the way that the community continues to pray and believe for health and the safe delivery of a baby. I see it in a dozen or so of our community who stepped out of their “comfort zone” to attend the Uptown Arts Stroll kickoff at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center (yes, once I learned it I like to say it!).

I’ve been asked a lot recently what a church in Washington Heights will look like. My answer is simply, “It will look like Washington Heights.” It will look like us, and our neighbors, as the mustard seed of the kingdom that has been planted continues to send down roots and sprouts and grows and the birds are able to rest in its branches.

Allow me to share one story that illustrates the kingdom potential in this “understated” way. Through the English conversation classes we were able to meet a couple. Their story briefly…immigrants without status, two small children, one back in their homeland with an aged relative, trying to get status so they can reunite the family. Now to the point…

Thursday evening Joy ran into the man on the train and in the course of conversation he shared some of the tension going on in the family and that tension is putting up a wall between him and his wife. This now is not just another story of immigrant angst - it’s our story. We are agents of this kingdom and we can pray and through the Spirit impact the lives of this family, our neighbors. Many other stories are being written. These are important stories to share. The kingdom is among us!

Gary

Monday Morning Musings - May 30, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:19:39 -0400

Happy Memorial Day! It’s great to have a day off and an extra blessing to be able to come together as a community today around noon! It was a year ago today that Mike hosted the Heights and Mid-Heights group and something special happened and today we have opportunity to celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do.

Charlotte and I are pretty much settled in. We look forward to having you over soon. We are thankful for open doors to meet neighbors - even through locking ourselves out of the apartment when we were doing laundry.

You are all so amazing! It’s an honor to live life with you and to together join God for the Heights.

Gary Wiley

Monday Morning Musings - May 23, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:15:36 -0400

We’re still here! Saturday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m. has come and gone and we are still here and can continue to be about our Father’s business. Followers of Jesus have always been at their best when they have heeded Jesus’ words in Acts 1:7-8 - “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Saturday morning in my devotional time I read the words of Jesus a few verses earlier in the same chapter: “You are witnesses to this. And now I am sending upon you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city, then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.” We know from the Acts account that the followers of Jesus did stay in the city and they spent that time in earnest and concentrated prayer. Ten days later the Holy Spirit came in power.

This morning I was reading in Colossians (4:2-6) - “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer.” I want to give more than lip service to prayer; I want to devote myself to prayer. That is the model that Jesus gives us from his own life and ministry.

Gary Wiley

Monday Morning Musings - May 16, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:10:59 -0400

One of the highlights of Charlotte and my week was signing the lease for our new apartment. Since then we have been busy packing and preparing to move.

Another highlight was sharing a meal with Matt and Laurie at Tonalli yesterday. How encouraging to hear their story of how God specifically called them back to New York City. The first time they visited our community was the worship and prayer night last month. That night confirmed in their hearts that they wanted to part of what God is doing in the Heights.

We had a significant worship and prayer night Wednesday. As 36 of us, including seven children crowded into one apartment, two things became clear: the need to begin researching a place where we can meet as the community grows and the need to provide ministry and care for our children. Let’s make this a focus of our prayers.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14, NIV)

Gary Wiley

Monday Morning Musings - May 9, 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:03:41 -0400

Happy Mother’s Day! We are so thankful for our mothers who gave us life and raised us, and especially for the mothers of our community who are loving and guiding our children in the way of the Lord. We offer prayer for each one and surround them with our support.

Last evening Charlotte and I watched the 1995 movie “Losing Isaiah” with Halle Berry and Jessica Lange that reminded us of some of the tragic scenarios still being lived out in family situations in our city. Let us pray that God’s kingdom would come to Washington Heights as it is in heaven.

A 24-year-old father of a two-year-old daughter, became the latest casualty in the underlying violence in our community. On Monday evening three young men shot him and stole his iPhone on 177th Street between Broadway and Fort Washington Avenue. Let’s continue to pray for the peace of our neighborhood.

This week Charlotte and I look forward to signing the lease on our new apartment. We are very thankful for God’s leading. We will be moving to 615 W. 172 Street between Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue. We can’t wait to be there!

This evening at 7:00 the men will meet once again at the 181 Overlook. I’m excited to hear that the women are planning on a prayer time as well.

As I think of each of you I join the Apostle Paul in saying, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6, NIV)

Gary Wiley