Moving forward in more ways than one

10/1

The Greengrass Yom Kippur marathon has begun

Back from a visit with my friend Sekou from a luncheon with a vast array of the city’s faith based activists at Union Seminary. Part of the New York Theological Seminary’s Micah Institute. (It’s a bit of an oversimplification, but NYTS is a more grassrootsy sister institution to UTS…). In the midst of discussions on progress on issues like Living Wage, Climate change and affordable housing, Sekou is trying to rally the troops to put boots on the ground in Ferguson  next weekend for a Hands Up rally and action to draw attention to the failure to bring charges against the police officer who shot Michael Brown to death. The sense of a campaign against black youth is a deeply felt concern in the African-American community.

Pat O is showing a group of four people from a downtown healing center around the building. They’re very interested. In a lot of space.

He’s also trying to get the roofing people to set a time to start the work. Not as simple as removing the stop work order. Contractors march to the beat of their own drummers. And the good news: our asbestos report comes back negative.

Dzieci has arrived and is beginning their warm up exercises in the sanctuary. Tricia and Lee arrive for their rehearsals.

I’m meeting with my friends from the Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association executive committee. Sitting in the church, seeing the faces of my friends as we meet via gotomeeting from Hawaii to Minneapolis to Atlantic City. It still amazes me. Like a group skype, leaping across continents.

People keep coming in looking for food. Keep getting us confused with SPSA.

The Session gathers and prepares for our conference call with Presbytery’s property committee. Their questions are good ones and we patiently explain our evolving plans. It feels good to meet with an atmosphere of real desire to understand, not hostile opposition.

To Charlie

That meeting over, all of us fully updated, Marsha wants us to lift a glass to an old and close friend she just lost in Charlotte. It makes me feel good that she wants us to share in this moment with her. That’s the kind of community we’re trying to build…where we celebrate each other’s victories, share with each other in our losses and defeats. And those moments that fall in between.

We’re moving forward in more ways than one.  

On the street, the Barney Greengrass yom kippur marathon is underway.

The Greengrass crew getting ready to roll