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2010 Bicentennial Service Pledge Drive
In 2010 members and friends of The Park are invited to celebrate 200 years of faithful witness in New York City by volunteering a combined total of (at least!) 2010 hours of service to our congregation and community by October 10, 2010. On this page you'll find information about volunteering opportunities both and in our community. We hope you'll explore both, and make the decision to pledge your service. The Deacons will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about the drive or a specific service opportunity.
Don't see something here? Let us know about it: we warmly invite all to suggest other opportunities not listed here, or to organize a group for a one-time service event, whether it be at The Park or in our wider community, such as hosting a New York Cares coat drive, getting together a group to volunteer a day of service to Habitat for Humanity, or helping out around the building.
Steven Crumb & Sarah Armstrong-Crumb, Coordinators
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE AT The Park
Interfaith Programs
A growing Reform Jewish congregation with members of all ages, backgrounds and sexual orientations, the Temple of Universal Judaism has been The Park's interfaith partner since 1974. The TUJ community is inclusive and welcomes Jews, non-Jews and Jews by choice; intermarried and intramarried; couples and singles; and all who wish to worship with us in seeking peace, justice, righteousness and a community of concern for "repairing the world" (Tikkun Olam). Visit the Temple's website (www.tuj.org) and Social Action blog (http://www.tujsocialaction.blogspot.com/). More info on interfaith service opportunities coming soon!
Saturday Community Lunch Program
Contact: Rev. Luis-Alfredo Cartagena, Pastoral Associate, pastor.luisalfredo@gmail.com
For over twenty years, The Park has been the host site for the Saturday Community Lunch Program. Each week, over 200 people show up for a hot meal served by volunteers from The Park and our ecumenical and interfaith partners in this endeavor: Park Avenue Methodist Church, Manhattan Church of Christ, St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church, and Congregation Da’at Elohim. Many of our guests have been coming for years to enjoy a meal and table companionship. Many are homeless. There are the “irregular regulars” who stop by when times get a little tight. And, with the downturn in the economy, we are seeing new faces.
Service opportunities include cooking and serving food, providing hospitality and helping to clean up.
Music and Arts
Contact: Paul Vasile, Minister of Music, pvasile@parkavenuechristian.com
Music Ministry
The music ministry of plays a vital role in our worship life, helping God's people to offer their heartfelt praise and prayer through hymns, responses, Psalm singing, choral anthems, instrumental music and more! We are committed to musical diversity and excellence, and welcome the gifts of children, students, volunteers and professional musicians from our congregation and community. Above all, we seek to provide opportunities for learning and growth and hope that our work together will glorify God, build a community of respect and love, and help each of us to realize our greatest potential.
You are warmly invited to join any of the choirs or ensembles: Sanctuary Choir, Gospel Choir, Youth Chorale, Drumming Circle, Recorder Consort.
Arts at the Park
Classics, New Works, Cabaret, Choral, Classical, Opera, Comedy, Children's Theater and the Performing Arts: Arts at The Park is professional theatre, cabaret, orchestral and choral music, political and theological discourse, and family and holiday events at the Park Avenue Christian Church. Our mission is to entertain, empower, and inspire while turning neighbors into friends.
Volunteers are needed regularly to usher events (calendar at http://parkavenuearts.info/) and host receptions, and are invited to enjoy the performance for free!
Theater 1010
Contact: Judith Jarosz, Artistic Director of Theater 1010, jjarosz@parkavenuechristian.com
This award-winning theater offers a full season of musical theatre, drama, operetta and children's theater. Service opportunities abound for thespians and those who just want to be involved: ushers are needed for all shows and events; backstage assistance is greatly appreciated; concession assistance is valued; and you are invited to audition!(Equity Actors are welcome.)
Visit: http://www.theater1010.com/
Hospitality
Greeter's Ministry
Contact: Iris Burroughs, Greeters Chair
The Greeters are a welcoming presence at our front doors whenever we worship and occasionally for special events. Volunteers are asked arrive 30-45 minutes prior to the start of worship services to help greet and hand out bulletins.
Coffee Hour
Contact: Sarah Armstrong-Crumb, Co-Chair of the Deacons
Every Sunday after worship services we offer coffee and light refreshments in the parlor to members and friends of The Park. Volunteers are invited to donate, or to purchase and be reimbursed for, light refreshments (such as bagels, cookies, fruit, home baked goods, cheeses, etc.) and to help host the coffee hour.
Outreach
Contact: Rev. Monte Hillis, Associate Pastor for Outreach, mhillis@parkavenuechristian.com
Lifeline
Lifeline, a God-centered recovery fellowship, is one of The Park's newest endeavors. Participants come from diverse backgrounds, confront different addictions and participate in various approaches to recovery. Though we may be affected by each other's addictions, we've ALL come to believe that we need a higher power to attain freedom from the effects of addiction. Our purpose is to help each other grow along spiritual lines and maintain conscious contact with God (as each of us understands God). We meet once a week, on Sunday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., to share a unique mix of inspiration, music, sharing and fellowship.
Service opportunities include helping with set-up, staffing the book table and simply supporting others by your presence. Visit http://www.lifelinenyc.org/
The Forward newsletter and marketing outreach
Contact: Bill Weber, Media Coordinator, media@parkavenuechristian.com
We reach out to our community in a variety of ways, and service opportunities abound! We regularly need help folding and mailing The Forward, our monthly newsletter; We have a booth at three street fairs (June, September and October); We distribute fliers in the neighborhood before big events and in the Narthex during such events ... to name only a few!
Building and facilities care
Contact: Ray McGarrigle, General Manager of The Park, rmcgarrigle@parkavenuechristian.com
There are a host of little tasks around the building and grounds of the church that could use the service of volunteers: such as maintaining the tree pits and flower beds on our sidewalk, clearing and re-organizing closets, deep-cleaning the fellowship hall kitchen, among many others.
Visiting homebound and hospitalized
Contact: Rev. Katherine Kinnamon, Associate Pastor, kkinnamon@parkavenuechristian.com
There are a number of members and friends of The Park whose health, occasionally or on a regular basis, prevents them from joining us in worship and fellowship, and who would love the company of visitors. Pick up the phone, grab a friend, or head out on your own to friendship and fellowship!
Bicentennial celebration planning
Contact: David Mitchell, Bicentennial Committee Chair
This year we're celebrating 200 years! We're planning a very big party, which will involve several events and be attended by folks from all over the country, and there's much work to be done: making decorations, helping with mailings, setting and breaking down for events, providing hospitality ... More info coming soon!
Flower and Altar guilds
Flower Guild
Contact: Bess Terry
The Flower Guild ensures that there is a bouquet of fresh flowers in the sanctuary for worship each Sunday. Service opportunities include: purchasing flowers ($50); reaching out to members/friends at church and encouraging them to contribute flowers and seasonal plants; preparing mailings of invitations to out-of-city members and friends for contributions of Easter lilies; sending "Thank You" letters and bulletins after Easter; checking the Flower Chart Weekly, and keeping an accurate record of Flower Reservations; organizing poinsettia donations for Christmas
Altar Guild
Contact: Carol Griffiths
The Altar Guild performs periodic maintenance on the materials used for Communion and around the chancel: candlesticks, wine and bread trays, chalices, cruets, etc. An extra set of hands is always welcomed.
Youth Ministry
Contact: Stanley Cantave, Pastoral Associate, stanley_cantave@yahoo.com
The Park Sunday School provides religious education for children and youth from all faith traditions, churches, and denominations. The program includes: unique religious study with the Montessori Method a discovery technique that engages the whole child-hands, heart, mind, senses, intuition emphasis on the spirituality of childhood as we experience our stories from the Judeo-Christian heritage worship together in a church community that emphasizes peace, love, and service as the basis of our life together.
Visit http://www.parkavenuechristian.com/sundayschool
Donate Glasses
Contact: Steven Crumb
Donate your used glasses to those in need. A drop box is located in the foyer near the parlor.
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES
Services to the homeless
The Park is committed to serving the needs the homeless of our community, and encourages members and friends to partner with neighborhood churches and charities such as the ones listed below. Stay tuned for focused initiatives in the coming months.
Lennox Hill Neighborhood House
Visit http://www.lenoxhill.org/content/volunteer/index.html (for information specifically related to volunteering opportunities).
The Park is working to deepen our relationship with the Lennox Hill Neighborhood House, one of New York’s premier human services providers. This 116-year-old settlement house provides an extensive array of effective and integrated evidence-based services--social, educational, legal, housing, health, mental health and fitness--which significantly improve the lives of 20,000 people in need each year, ages 3 to 103, on the East Side of Manhattan.
Yorkville Common Pantry
Visit http://www.ycp.org/volunteer.html
The Yorkville Common Pantry's Pantry Program is New York City’s largest community-based food pantry and is designed to meet the needs of our families by providing culturally-appropriate and nutritiously-balanced food. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, YCP distributes grocery packages to between 1600 and 1800 families. YCP’s Project Dignity is designed to meet other needs of homeless and hungry individuals in our community and consists of a range of services designed to meet the most basic needs of YCP’s clients - food, shelter, hygiene, medical services - as well as the larger, more challenging issues they face - long-term housing, health care, benefits and employment. The overall goal of the Program is to serve as a bridge back to health, well-being and self-sufficiency for our homeless and hungry clients.
There are many ways for volunteers to serve: unload & shelve food from the delivery trucks, pre-pack pantry bags for pantry distribution. (ideal for kids)*, distribute grocery packages during our food pantry, serve breakfast &/or dinner at our meal programs, prepare meals and food packages for our emergency 24|7 YCP food program, organize food drives ...
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church and Neighborhood House
Visit http://www.janhus.org/
The Jan Hus Church and Neighborhood House shares many of the same values we hold dear at The Park, namely their commitments to: being open and affirming, for the full inclusion of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people in church life; providing services to the homeless, which is evident in their historic and successul Homeless and Outreach Advocacy Program; being a center for art, education, music, history, literature and cultural activities not only for church members but the city itself.
We are working especially to support and build upon their successes serving the homeless. More info coming soon.
Meals on Wheels (City-Meals)
Visit http://www.citymeals.org/volunteer
The Meals On Wheels Association of America is the oldest and largest national organization composed of and representing local, community-based Senior Nutrition Programs in all 50 U.S. states, as well as the U.S. Territories. These local programs are our MOWAA Members.
The many service opportunities include: being a drivers or runner, helping with special events, providing office help, meal preparation and packaging, making telephone calls, being a senior center aides.
God's Love We Deliver
Visit http://www.godslovewedeliver.org/volunteer_home.html
God's Love We Deliver's mission is to improve the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. They prepare and deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. They also provide illness-specific nutrition education and counseling to our clients, families, care providers and other service organizations.
Volunteers prepare meals in GLWD kitchens, deliver meals to clients, assist at events, and pitch in at the Development and Finance Departments offices.
New York Cares
Visit http://www.newyorkcares.org/
New York Cares was founded by a group of friends who wanted to take action against the serious social issues that faced New York City in the late 1980s. Finding few options to help, they created their own organization to address the problems from the ground up. Now the city's leading volunteer organization, they bring vital volunteer support to thousands of nonprofit agencies, public schools, and other deserving organizations. NYC staff works with partner organizations to identify their most pressing needs, creates projects to bridge the gaps, and recruits and deploys teams of volunteers to make a difference.
More than 48,000 people volunteer with NYC year after year to help 400,000 disadvantaged New Yorkers through services such as: organizing volunteer groups, promoting disaster preparedness, and (perhaps most famously) organizing winter coat drives, to name only a few.
City Harvest
Visit http://www.cityharvest.org/volunteer/
and http://www.cityharvest.org/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/
City Harvest links the food industry and countless organizations, foundations, corporations and private citizens in New York City together to help feed their hungry neighbors. Each week CH helps feed more than 260,000 hungry men, women and children. Volunteers rescue food from restaurants, green markets and civic conventions, organize food drives, send holiday cards, provide office support, raise awareness of hunger issues ... among many, many other things.
Central Park Conservancy
Visit http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageNavigator/aboutcon_jobs_vol_volunteerinfo
The Central Park Conservancy, whose mission is to restore, manage, and enhance Central Park in partnership with the public, is a private, not-for-profit organization founded in 1980 that manages Central Park under a contract with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. At 843 acres, there’s a lot of work in Central Park. The CPC has staff in the field, visitor centers, and offices, and every one of them can use your help. Not only will you have the satisfaction of helping to keep the Park clean, green, and beautiful for everyone’s enjoyment, but you’ll make new friends, stay in shape, and clear your mind.
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