Walk to Church in NYC

By
Heather
 – October 30, 2011Posted in: Ride to Church

In September, Brent and I and my siblings all flew to New York City for a whirlwind trip to attend a party celebrating my aunt’s wedding to her partner of more than forty years. The party took place at the Unitarian church my aunt attends–All Souls. We expressed some interest in the building, so towards the end of the party, one of the church members took us on a tour.

I was particularly impressed to learn about all the outreach they are doing. Several church members excitedly told us about the groups they are involved in. Click here to see the expansive list of options–an AIDS Task Force, an Ethical Eating group, Girl Scouts, Green Souls (my Marin would love this!), Task Force to End the Death Penalty, a Reading Group, a Writers’ Group, etc. I loved seeing all the ways in which they are trying to address the very real problems that face us in the world today.

Our friendly impromptu tour guide explained what Monday Hospitality Night is all about. They have a soup kitchen that feeds several hundred people twice a week. The meals are prepared with fresh ingredients (including homemade baked goods for dessert!) and are served restaurant-style. They do not want people to have to come in and eat a huge spoonful of food slopped onto the plate. So twice a week, they set up tables–complete with tablecloths and flowers–and volunteers from the church community act as servers and bring the food to the table.

Another woman told us she participates in what’s called the “Council of Elders”–a group of older people who get together regularly to socialize and talk about the challenges they’re facing. I asked her how old you had to be to be one of the elders. She smiled a wry grin and said that was up to each person to decide.

So if you’re ever in New York City and are looking for a church, stop by All Souls. You won’t regret it.

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