Dreams Unlocked

Worship band playing before the service. Redeemer Presbyterian Church This is a continuation of the last post. Redeemer Presbyterian Church purchased a parking garage on the Upper West SIde of Manhattan. Over a number of years they renovated it into a worship and office space. Knowing the price of commercial real estate in NYC, this was quite a coup for the church. The resulting building is a narrow sleek building that blends in nicely to the chic surroundings. When we went, I was quite surprised at how slim the building is. Instead of building out as most churches would, they had to build up - 5 stories up. The entry level is actually the balcony of the sanctuary. You go down some stairs to get to the main level. the sanctuary is quite small - I imagine that my church here in Ithaca would actually seat more people. The design is quite minimalistic and sleek. It looks more like a contemporary concert hall than a church. The kids programs were on the third floor, so I

Entry to Redeemer Presbyterian Church  West 83rd in New York City. This past Sunday we had the opportunity of attending a worship service at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Redeemer is a fairly well known church throughout American Christianity (and likely on farther shores, now). Their fame is due to their growth to 7000 people attending one of multiple services at 3 different sites across Manhattan. Somehow they have managed to plant and sustain a vibrant growing dynamic congregation in a very complex and challenging city. Along with their growth is the remarkable gifts of their lead pastor, Timothy Keller. I first heard of Keller in the early 00's when we were attempting to church plant in downtown Vancouver. I read one of the earliest drafts of his church planting manual - which is still one of the best resources for church planters or anyone wanting to minister in a global city. Soon, I discovered his sermons - there are several

Waiting for our train in the subway station. We are in New York City this weekend - soaking in the Christmas lights and decorations. We are staying right in the heart of things - a few blocks off Times Square. This afternoon we skated in the famed Rockefeller Center skating rink. It's quite an iconic rink - right in front of 30 Rockefeller - where 30 Rock, SNL and many other shows are taped. The cast of Saturday Night Live always skate there after the Christmas show - which might be this Saturday! NYC is quite a shock to the system. We only had to drive a couple of blocks after emerging out of the Lincoln Tunnel - but I couldn't figure out why everyone was honking so much - it wasn't much different than driving in Delhi! We walked about 20 minutes to get to the rink - it is amazingly disorienting seeing the mad riot of people and vehicles all rushing back and forth - a crazed kaleidoscope of color and noise … and smells - whoa, there is some rank smelling spot