This week, the Collegiate Churches of New York proudly released an open letter to President Obama, Member of Congress, Governor Cuomo, Members of the New York Legislature, Mayor Bloomberg, and Members of the New York City Council asking them to help us live in to God's Economy. Click here to read that letter.

You can join the call to our leaders by downloading an unsigned copy of the letter here. Simply sign the bottom and mail it to your representative.

:: How to contact President Obama 
:: Contacting your representative in Congress
:: Writing to Governor Cuomo
:: Finding your NY State Assembly Member
:: How to contact Mayor Bloomberg
:: Contacting your City Councilperson

Middle Church is now accepting submissions for an exciting new project: a literary magazine! As we continue to work for God's Economy, the theme will be "Giving and Getting." What has been your experience being a Giver: of your time, to a charity, a gift to a friend? Or have you been a Getter, on the receiving end of these things? We would also like artwork, music, short video--not just written stuff --for our electronic magazine. Adults and kids of all ages welcome! Send your submissions to Carol Wierzbicki, the editor, at litmag@middlechurch.org by March 1, 2012.

On September 11, Middle Church commemorated the 10th anniversary with an Interfaith Worship celebration that featured dance, music, and reflections (you can watch the full service here). Below is the prayer shared by Jocelyn Lieu, an elder at Middle Church. Our church was a sanctuary for so many that day, including Jocelyn and her then infant daughter. Continue to follow the Ribbons of Hope Project this year.

Then and Now: A Prayer for Remembrance and Peace
by Jocelyn Lieu

Second Avenue is almost deserted

No traffic

The few people we see are wearing masks, as if the city has been swept

by plague

The doors to Middle Church stand open

Cool air surrounds us

The bitter smell that's everywhere hasn't penetrated the sanctuary

Beneath the altar a single candle burns

I close my eyes, then lay my head on folded arms

TV images replay in fast succession

Tiny blurs that are people fall past the gleaming façade

The North Tower folds in on itself

and the world is covered in ashes

I am sobbing

My shoulders heave, but even in the fullness of grief I know that crying

here isn't the same as crying at home

I have become a woman weeping in church, one of countless women

who have wept in churches through the ages

One of many, a single mote

Peace comes over me

then I feel them

The air is raked with the presence of the people who have died and are

dying

I know you're here, I want to tell them

* * *

I know you're here

We are here now

our voices raised

in our many tongues

Our voices raised

in song and prayer

We burn

with sorrow

We burn

with love

We burn

grateful for your peace, oh God

grateful for your forgiveness

grateful to you for keeping alive

for helping us to keep alive

the fierce continual flame

of peace

Notes: The first section of this prayer-poem appeared, in a different form, in my 9/11 memoir What Isn't There (Nation/Basic Books, 2007). The "fierce continual flame" of peace is gratefully borrowed from Muriel Rukeyser' poem "Easter Eve 1945."

Prayer by Hussein Rashid
In the Name of God, the Compassionate the Merciful,
Oh Lord, we know you will not burden our souls with more than we can bear.
O God, O our Lord, You are peace,
and from You is peace,
and to You returns the peace,
O our Lord, give us life of peace,
and usher us in the abode of peace.
Blessed are You, our Lord, the Most High,
O the Lord of Majesty and Reverence.
O Lord, Light of the Heaven and the Earth,
Guide us by your light,
Light upon Light.
Place light in my heart,
light in my tongue,
light in my hearing,
light in my sight,
light behind me,
light in front of me,
light on my right,
light on my left,
light above me and light below me;
place light in my sinew,
in my flesh, in my blood, in my hair and in my skin;
place light in my soul and make light abundant for me;
make me light and grant me light.
It is only through your light we will be guided out of darkness,
out of hopelessness, out of despair.
Your light will heal us.
Your light will lead us.
Your light will bring us together.
Let us compete in good works,
that we may please you,
and be worthy of Your Light.

Our Senior Minister, Jacqui Lewis, joined a distinguished list of congregational leaders at the 17th Annual Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund, July 18-22, 2011 at Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee.  Jacqui led two workshops on creating multicultural communities of faith that welcome children.

2011 Great Preachers Series:

The Rev. Kanyere Eaton, Pastor, Fellowship Covenant Church, Bronx, NY;

Bishop Kenneth Carder, Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C.;

The Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, Pastor, Friendship West Missionary Baptist Church, Dallas, TX (invited);

The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Ph.D., Senior Minister for Vision, Worship and Arts, Middle Collegiate Church, New York, N.Y.;

The Rev. Janet Wolf, Professor of Church and Society, American Baptist College, Nashville, Tenn.;

The USDA’s discretionary spending on emergency food (TEFAP) is on track to be reduced by nearly half this year – meaning 7 million fewer meals for New Yorkers in need. This could result in food shortages as we enter summer and head into the holidays this fall and winter. Sign-on letters are circulating in the House and Senate asking the USDA to use existing funding to purchase food for TEFAP this year, and the deadline to sign on is Monday, June 27.

Click here for instructions on reaching out to your representatives about this.

The Middle Project releases the report, "Doing Church and Doing Justice: A Portrait of Millennials at Middle Church" conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, on the faith of young adults (ages 20-29). To read a copy of the report, “Doing Church and Doing Justice: A Portrait of Millennials at Middle Church” head over to the Middle Project website.

 Jacqui has been invited to speak at the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations' General Assembly in June! 

Our Senior Minister, Jacqui Lewis, is back in South Africa to work on racial reconciliation with the Uniting Reformed Church and the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa. According to Jacqui, "This second trip is significant in that they asked Johna and I to come back. Our colleagues there, clergy and lay leaders, have work to do, like we do here, on healing old wounds and creating a new more just church culture that can inspire more peace in the country. We are excited to teach and learn and bring those learnings back to Middle."

Jacqui will be back in the pulpit on April 10th.

Check out Father Michael Lapsley's sermon from his last visit to Middle on March 27th!

Forgiveness is Not Easy - Middle Church Sermon from Middle Collegiate Church on Vimeo.

Greetings Friends, 

We recently received an email from the RCA, our denomination, asking whether one day could make a difference. They think it can, and we agree. That's why we're passing on the link to the Daily Prayer Calendar. From there you can download a PDF copy of the monthly calendar, or sign up to receive the daily prayer in your email. 

We hope you'll join us. 

 Did you see the piece in the New York Times' East Village blog about our World AIDS Day worship? Click here to read it!

The Reformed Church in America: working to make Room For All, including LGBTI persons. Check it out here.

Please let us know if you've moved, changed your name, or if your information's changed in any way: email Kate Tull at ktull@middlechurch.org, and we'll make sure you're up-to-date in our system!

The Middle Project has updated the information for this year's conference! Click here for information on who'll be speaking and what the topics will be at The Leading Edge 2011: A National Conference for Leaders on Faith, Justice & the Economy.

The documentary "Local Faith Communities" is now available to view online at www.localfaithcommunities.org. We encourage to take a look and see what your friends and neighbors are doing to encourage faith diversity and tolerance. 

Deadlines: Ordering at Middle- Sunday, August 15, 2:00 PM
Distribution: Saturday, August 28, 10:00 AM - 11:30 PM

In these economic times, who couldn't use high-quality groceries at low, low prices? Go to angelfoodministries.com for more information or to place an online order.

Please help your Angel Food angels by making note of deadlines. With the holidays approaching, deadlines are coming a bit earlier in the month, so please order early.  We will stop taking orders at Middle on Sunday, November 8 at 2 PM, however, online orders can be placed until 5 PM on Thursday, November 12. If you are unable to pick up your groceries, please send a friend. We cannot hold groceries beyond the pick-up time due to storage limitations. Groceries left after the pick-up time will be given away - no exceptions.

To volunteer on Distribution Day, contact Adriene Thorne at athorne@middlechurch.org or 212-477-0666.

After 24 years of considering the Belhar Confession, the RCA's General Synod voted to adopt it as a Standard of Unity. Read more.