Stewardship: Godspell Jr.

Good morning. My name is Penny Wagner. I’m 13 and I am just now beginning Confirmation.

For those of you who don’t know, when you go through Confirmation you have to complete a Confirmation project. What I have chosen to do as my Confirmation project is to direct Godspell Jr. at our Church.

I understand that this takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. Which is another reason that Stewardship is so important.

I am incredibly excited to direct this musical, but we will need money for costumes, sets, scripts, the license to do the musical and more.

Your Stewardship pledges help support programs like this musical. But remember that Stewardship can also be time and talent. We would love your help.

 If you would like to volunteer to help out with backstage matters or volunteer to play an instrument, that would help too. I am working with Eric Slaughter and Karen Dunlap and soon we will have a date out for an information meeting.

If you would like more information about the musical or know you would like to help out or act in the musical, please come. That is also when we will inform you all about the date of auditions.

I am excited to direct this musical. So please pledge. Some of my favorite things that come from Church are the Fall Church Retreat, the youth group activities, the choir, both children and adult. And without your pledges, we would not have any of that. So please pledge.

Thank you all for listening to me.

Penny

Sharing Strength – Building Faith – Gifts United in Christ: 2020 Stewardship Kickoff

Good Morning,

Helen Anthony with her parents visiting NYAPC

Welcome to the 2020 Stewardship Campaign! If you are a regular NPR listener, you might be a little tired of fall fundraising. But don’t worry! We will not be interrupting the sermon to “Raise $5,000 before the end of the hour!”. 

Throughout this falls Campaign, you will hear from members involved in diverse Church activities. Next Sunday, September 29 at 10am we have a Mission Fair so you can be reminded of all the activities and programs that you support through your pledge to New York Avenue. And maybe you can even sign up for something new!

Our theme this year is Sharing Strength – Building Faith – Gifts United in Christ. 1 Peter 4: 10-11 reminds us of the unique gifts that each of us has been given by God, and challenges us to return those gifts to our community, New York Avenue. Through sharing with and supporting our community, we continue glorifying God.

Recognizing that New York Avenue Presbyterian Church offers us strength in this changing world, we are happy to return to God what God has given us. In celebrating our strengths, together we build up our faith community, to nurture ourselves and the daily visitors to our church building. During this time of transition, we hope that you will continue to support New York Avenue, through your time and offerings. Board Members were asked to pledge early, and so far we have 85% support from Elders, Deacons, Diaconal Ministers, and Trustees! We hope that seeing the strong support from our four boards will encourage you to participate this year as well.

We have set a goal of $700,000 for this years campaign, about a 5% increase over last years pledge numbers. I hope that you will join me in prayerfully considering an increase to support our church, our thriving programs, and most importantly, our future.

Thank you,

Helen Anthony, Stewardship Chair

Welcoming Transitional Pastor Rev. Dr. Heather Shortlidge!

After a summer long search by the Personnel Committee, on August 18, the Session approved Rev. Dr. Heather Shortlidge to be the Transitional Pastor (Interim Pastor) for the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.  She will begin on September 17 with her first Sunday on September 22, 2019.  She brings experience working in large and complex churches, attention to detail with well thought out questions, and a call to the prophetic ways that the church can tangibly show up as an ally and a friend for those in the deepest physical and spiritual need. 

The Rev. Dr. Heather Shortlidge comes to us from First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis, where she has served as the Associate Pastor for the past twelve years. For the past year and a half, the congregation has been in the midst of transition, figuring out a way forward after a long-term Head of Staff/Senior Pastor retired in May 2018. Heather served as the Acting Head of Staff for five months and then continued in her role as the Associate Pastor once a Transitional Pastor was called. She’s excited to help lead New York Avenue during this time of discernment and transition.

Heather has a few connections to our congregation. Last fall, she officiated at the funeral of long time New York Avenue member, Ralph Reeder, at which Roger Gench was also invited to participate. Prior to that, she helped supervise and develop previous Interim Associate Pastor, Katie Cashwell, who did a yearlong seminary internship at First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis. And way before that, she had the privilege of studying New Testament with Frances Taylor Gench while in seminary.

Heather earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond, her Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and her Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from McCormick Seminary in Chicago.

Before Annapolis, Heather served as the Associate Pastor of Rivermont Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, TN. And before that, she served as a pediatric hospital chaplain at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

She’s a certified yoga instructor and volunteers as a puppy raiser for FIDOS for Freedom, an organization that trains assistance dogs. She’s currently raising her seventh puppy, a black Lab named Newman, who will be returned at the beginning of September. Heather lives with her partner, John, near the water in Annapolis. Her immediate family lives in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Colorado.

Stay tuned for the Avenue News article about Pastor Heather coming soon in September!