CHURCH OF THE HOLY
APOSTLES
296 Ninth Avenue
New York, New York 10001
The Parish
Holy
Apostles is a diverse
community which glorifies
God with elegant liturgy,
inspiring music and
thoughtful preaching;
strives for social
justice; and operates the
Holy Apostles Soup
Kitchen (HASK), one of
the largest programs in
the country providing a
free meal to anyone who
is hungry. On September
30, 2008, the Rev.
William A. Greenlaw,
Ph.D., will retire as
rector of the Church of
the Holy Apostles, after
25 years of service to
the parish and the soup
kitchen, including 23 as
rector. This period has
seen the change from a
small and struggling
community to a thriving
parish with a renowned
outreach.
Our liturgy, centered in
the Book of Common
Prayer, features grace
and reverence, rich choir
and spirited
congregational singing
directed and accompanied
on our 1994 Van Den
Heuvel organ by Dr. David
Hurd, and preaching that
reflects the Anglican
ethos of Scripture,
tradition and reason –
recognizing the struggle
of most of us to make
sense of an imperfect
world.
Holy Apostles was founded
in 1844 as the result of
an outreach by Trinity
Church to immigrants who
worked on the Hudson
River waterfront to the
west of the Church’s
location in the Chelsea
section of Manhattan, and
social activism and the
desire for social justice
continue to be integral
to our identity as a
parish. In 1977, two of
the first women priests
in the Diocese of New
York, one openly gay,
were ordained at Holy
Apostles. In 2003 many
Holy Apostles members
marched in opposition to
the invasion of Iraq. In
2006, Bishop Gene
Robinson of New Hampshire
preached to an overflow
crowd on Gay Pride
Sunday, and Holy Apostles
has been an opponent of
efforts to deny him, or
any other gay priest, the
right to be treated in
accordance with our
baptismal vows.
Although uniquely united
in our commitment to
inclusion and justice in
and outside the church,
the congregation is
diverse in incomes, ages,
careers, marital status
and sexual orientation.
Average Sunday
attendance has been
steady at 106-108 for
2005-2007 and membership
has hovered at about 160
for the same period.
About a third live in the
immediate neighborhood
and the balance elsewhere
in Manhattan, the outer
boroughs, or the suburbs.
A significant number have
graduate or professional
degrees, but the Sunday
congregation includes
every educational level.
Our principal outreach
ministry in the last two
decades has been the Holy
Apostles Soup Kitchen.
HASK provides a
nutritional meal to all
comers at mid-day every
Monday through Friday. In
2007 HASK served 303,633
meals, an average of
1,163 per day. HASK
celebrated its 25th
anniversary in October,
2007. No proselytizing
occurs as part of HASK’s
program.
Holy Apostles is a
community that tries to
live out the Gospel, and
this effort guides our
liturgical life, our
social activism and our
presence in New York
City. We refer to the
people fed by HASK as our
“guests” and mean it. We
have worked to extend
“radical hospitality” in
a variety of other ways,
as well.
The church’s location in
Chelsea reflects the
dynamism, diversity and
resources of midtown
Manhattan. Housing for
all income levels
surrounds the church
property. Four blocks
away are Penn Station and
Madison Square Garden.
With ten minutes’ walk in
the opposite direction is
General Theological
Seminary, situated in a
nineteenth-century
historic district. Our
neighborhood offers easy
access to cultural,
educational and
entertainment
opportunities, with
tremendous growth
recently along the far
west side where one finds
new galleries and
restaurants, the Chelsea
Piers and Hudson River
Park.
Our website is
www.holyapostlesnyc.org,
and interested parties
will find additional
information about Holy
Apostles at that source.
Liturgy and Music
The
center of community life
is the Sunday Parish
Eucharist. Our liturgy
features high standards
of musical excellence
with strong
congregational
participation in a Rite
II setting. The services
are primarily chanted or
sung, including the
Nicene Creed and the
Lord’s Prayer. Our
congregation loves to
sing. The Healing Rite is
offered on the third
Sunday of each month. Our
approach to the liturgy
might be described as
“high church” with a
sense of inclusiveness
and warmth.
In recent years, the
clergy leadership has
included the rector,
associate rector and a
paid part-time priest
associate, who rotate
through the celebrant,
deacon and preacher
roles. Several non-paid
assisting priests
participate or substitute
on a scheduled basis.
Seminarians from General
Theological and Union
seminaries also assist in
liturgy planning, acolyte
and preaching tasks.
Dr. David Hurd, a noted
composer and educator,
leads the music program,
directing a choir of 16
voices which includes
both professional
vocalists and volunteer
singers from the parish.
The choir season extends
from September to late
May or early June,
depending on the
liturgical calendar, and
the choir also supports
services on feast days,
major holidays and Holy
Week. Feasts such as All
Saints and Epiphany often
are celebrated at an
evening Eucharist with
full choir, festive
procession, and
after-service fellowship
and hospitality.
During the Sunday Parish
Eucharist, Church School
for toddlers through
early adolescents is led
by the paid, part-time
director of children’s
ministries. The program
is structured to allow
the children to rejoin
their families before
Holy Communion. The
Church School meets on
all Sundays of the school
year, and a more informal
program continues through
the summer.
Additional weekly
services include a spoken
Eucharist on Tuesday
evenings followed by
study of the lectionary
for the coming week or
other presentations in
adult education. Morning
Prayer is offered each
weekday morning, led by a
licensed lay person or
seminarian. A recent
development is an early
“Kids’ Church” Eucharist
one Sunday a month,
serving families with
children under five.
Lay involvement in the
Liturgy includes masters
of ceremonies (MCs) who
coordinate and direct
services and who serve on
the Liturgy Planning
Committee with the clergy
and Dr. Hurd. This
committee meets quarterly
to review past services
and plan for the upcoming
church seasons. Lay
chairpersons manage teams
of sacristans and ushers.
Lay people read the
lesson and epistle at
every service and lead
the Prayers of the People
on all but festival
services. The MCs manage
and train teams of
acolytes, comprised of
persons of all ages from
teens to retirees, male
and female.
Parish members have
recently provided other
contributions of talent
and treasure to our
liturgy, including a
beautiful set of white
vestments made by one
member, Prayers of the
People for the Easter
season written by other
members, and selection
and arrangement of
flowers and greenery for
our services by a small
group of volunteers.
The Sunday service is
followed by a coffee hour
that provides the
opportunity for
announcements, fellowship
and conversation.
Holy Apostles Soup
Kitchen
A
few minutes before or
after 9:00, every Monday
to Friday morning, a HASK
guest starts a line
outside the church. The
line grows steadily,
stretching up Ninth
Avenue to 28th
Street and several
hundred feet around the
corner. The line begins
to move at 10:30, when
HASK opens the door and
begins serving its guests
for the day.
Significant work has been
performed before that
door opens. The chef and
the sous chef have
planned and prepared a
meal including an entrée,
two vegetables, a
dessert, bread and butter
and a beverage of the
day. Other HASK staff has
set up tables and chairs
in the church nave to
provide a place for the
meal and organized the
food for dispensation to
the guests as they come
though for their meal.
Volunteers do most of
the serving, assigned to
their roles by either the
associate program
director or one of his
volunteer assistants.
After all have been
served, including the
staff and volunteers, a
task that usually takes
two hours, the volunteers
and HASK staff clean up,
wash trays, pots and
pans, and prepare the
church for its next use.
In addition to feeding
its guests, HASK
collaborates with city
social service agencies
to provide support
services and potential
activities for them:
medical and dental
services, legal help,
referral to substance
abuse treatment, help
with public assistance
entitlements, shelter
placement, and other case
management needs. HASK
also offers a writers
workshop, weekly Bible
study for those
interested and a drumming
and art group.
While HASK’s mission is
to feed its guests, it
also offers its
volunteers the
opportunity to
participate in an
activity that gives them
satisfaction in return
for their efforts in the
feeding program. The
program utilizes about 50
volunteers each day. The
volunteers include many
from the immediate
neighborhood who are at
HASK every day, others
who come from greater
distances on certain days
each week, groups from
New York City schools,
visiting church groups
from across the country
and the occasional
prominent public figure.
HASK marked its 25th
anniversary in October,
2007, unwanted evidence
of the persistence of
poverty, homelessness and
hunger. There is no
indication this need will
disappear soon. Holy
Apostles remains
committed to this
mission.
Finances
The
Church and the Holy
Apostles Soup Kitchen are
part of one legal entity,
the Church of the Holy
Apostles. There are,
however, clearly
delineated, separate
budgets, accounts and
records, designated as
“the Church” and “HASK.”
For 2008, the HASK budget
projects income of
approximately $2.6M and
expenses of essentially
the same amount, the
present numbers assuming
a slight year-end deficit
of $70,000. HASK has a
reserve fund with a value
of $1.16M at the start of
this year. This reserve
amount is lower than
HASK’s goal of having
reserves equal to one
year’s expected
expenditures. HASK’s
income is derived from
the donations of
individuals, foundations,
corporations, and, to a
small extent, federal,
state and municipal
government grants.
The Church has a much
smaller budget than HASK.
The Church’s 2008 budget
projects revenue of
$460,000 and
significantly higher
expenses, resulting in a
deficit of $168,000.
Church revenue comes from
pledges and plate
collections, income from
rental of the church to
Congregation Beth Simchat
Torah (the largest GLBT
synagogue in the country)
for Friday night
services, a lease of an
apartment on the 3rd
floor of the church’s
Mission House and other
space use fees (e.g.,
weddings, concerts,
recitals and community
events), and transfer
fees from HASK pursuant
to an allocation of costs
for the church space used
by HASK for its feeding
program. The Church has
an investment account
with a value of slightly
over $1.6M at the end of
2007 and a Building Fund
account of $581,000 at
that date.
The Church and HASK
currently have 26
full-time and three part-
time employees.
Compensation costs for
each employee are
allocated to either the
Church or HASK budget
based on the employee’s
duties. The costs of
those solely involved in
the HASK program (e.g.
the chef) are carried by
the HASK budget, the
reverse is true for
individuals with solely
Church responsibilities
(e.g., the director of
music) and for others (e.
g., the rector, the
associate rector, the
director of
administration, the
operations manager and
the sexton) the costs are
divided between the two
budgets to reflect the
individual’s work for
each program.
Buildings
The
church property, located
at the southeast corner
of Ninth Avenue and 28th
Street in the
Chelsea section of
Manhattan, includes the
church itself and the
adjoining Mission House.
The city has designated
the church structure and
its fence as a historic
landmark. The Mission
House, a three-story
building, was formerly
occupied by clergy
staff. Today it houses
our industrial kitchen,
staff offices and meeting
rooms. The top floor has
an apartment that is
currently rented to a
non-parishioner who
serves some security
functions. There is no
rectory, and the current
rector and associate
rector both receive
housing allowances as a
significant part of their
compensation.
The church building is a
clean-lined brick
structure with a lofty
spire. The white interior
looks like a modest-sized
Tuscan church with a
decidedly open feel. The
absence of pews enhances
the openness. The
stained-glass windows are
works of art, most having
been designed by John
Bolton, the first
stained-glass artisan in
the U.S. (The church’s
website includes photos
and additional
architectural
information.)
The buildings are in good
condition and there are
no immediate and
compelling needs for
capital improvement.
A 1990 fire that damaged
much of the church led to
the decision to feed
HASK’s guests in the
nave. Rather than
rebuilding pews, the
rector and vestry
consciously decided that
parish worship and HASK’s
meals would take place in
the same space.
Programs other than HASK
In
addition to the Soup
Kitchen and the groups
involved in the liturgy,
the parish offers other
opportunities for
involvement, including: a
varied adult education
program; the Hospitality
Guild (parishioners who
bring food for the coffee
hour that follows the
Sunday service); Plant
Parenthood ( people who
tend the church’s
gardens); the Social and
Economic Justice
Committee ( which makes
the parish aware of ways
to make our world a
better place); Knit
Indeed (a group of
parishioners who knit
scarves that are blessed
and given to HASK
guests); and Flora Labora
( responsible for flowers
and greenery for
services).
The parish’s increasing
number of families with
young children has
allowed the programs led
by the director of
children’s ministries to
grow. Thirteen children
began the current year in
the Church School. Adult
volunteers assist the
director regularly in
caring for children of
varying ages, and others
join for a particular
season or activity.
Other parish activities
include an annual
retreat, a newcomers’
party, occasional
cabarets, foyer groups
(people who get together
for meals from time to
time) and the annual
meeting.
At the annual meeting in
January, the parish
elects its vestry,
comprising twelve members
in three-year classes and
two wardens. The vestry
reflects the active
involvement, commitment,
and rich diversity of
backgrounds and
experiences in the
parish. HASK is within
the scope of the vestry’s
responsibilities. The
vestry’s leadership is
complemented by the work
of committees on finance,
stewardship, buildings,
and liturgy planning.
A
New Rector
Holy
Apostles seeks a rector
who is an ordained
Episcopal priest of high
intellect and energy,
with solid experience
demonstrating these
attributes and commitment
to inclusivity, social
justice, and the dignity
of every person both
within and outside the
church.
The rector should be a
person of prayer,
prepared to bring
spiritual leadership to a
diverse community; and a
lover of liturgy and
music who can respect
what Holy Apostles has
created, can discern
whether and where change
from present practices
will add to the quality
of our communal life in
worship, and can lead us
in any changes in those
practices. Engaging and
relevant preaching is
essential.
The new rector should be
a pastoral leader and
community builder within
the parish. The parish
has achieved an
environment that welcomes
participation and
respects diverse gifts;
the successful candidate
will bring a style of
leadership that is
relational and respects
these values. In
addition, the ideal
person would be someone
who can increase Holy
Apostles’ role in the
church’s immediate
neighborhood.
Finally there is the need
to lead HASK and the
fundraising effort
required to finance HASK.
This is a significant
challenge. The donors are
changing and several
foundations that have
been substantial
contributors to HASK have
altered their charitable
focus. Our present rector
has been both an
excellent chief executive
of HASK and its principal
raiser of major
donations.
At the beginning of the
search for a new rector,
the parish self-study
demonstrated great
consensus about the
mission, worship,
programs, inclusiveness
and commitments to social
justice that we cherish,
and also identified areas
for possible growth:
increased outreach to
young adults and families
with children, as well as
to the immediate
neighborhood; growth and
greater diversity in our
membership, programs,
worship and pastoral
care; and sustainability
of the parish’s
ministries, including
HASK. The vestry
anticipates that, in the
first years of her or his
appointment, the new
rector will guide a
planning process, seeking
to build on the parish’s
strengths in a dynamic
environment.
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