NEWS STORY: Housed at a Terrorist Target, Church Carries on Its Work, Worship

c. 2004 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ Long a landmark and destination because of its famous “jazz ministry” and its sleek, elegant modern architecture, Saint Peter’s Church in midtown Manhattan is now gaining unwanted attention because of its locale: It is surrounded by the Citigroup Center, one of a number of New York financial […]

c. 2004 Religion News Service

NEW YORK _ Long a landmark and destination because of its famous “jazz ministry” and its sleek, elegant modern architecture, Saint Peter’s Church in midtown Manhattan is now gaining unwanted attention because of its locale: It is surrounded by the Citigroup Center, one of a number of New York financial institutions reported to be threatened by al-Qaida terrorists.

But while the reports of potential threats have put New Yorkers on edge since they were announced by federal and local officials earlier this week, Saint Peter’s staff and members are determined to carry on their work as a worshipping community.


And indeed at a Wednesday evening (Aug. 4) “Mass for Peace” at the church’s Erol Beker Chapel, the Rev. Carol Fryer spoke of uncertainty, tension and injustice in the world _ not to mention the very specific presence of police armed with riot gear outside.

But she was also adamant that the church’s work continue. Evoking the spirit of Jeremiah and the Gospel of Matthew in the day’s lectionary readings, Fryer, 47, told worshippers it was necessary to “express a strong sense of hope in the face of very discouraging circumstances.”

“Let your faith shine. Boldly,” she said. “We’re still here.”

Indeed, they were: 12 worshippers attended the service, actually a higher number than usual for a Wednesday night, though Fryer said she had no way of knowing if that was related to events outside the church.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” she said following the service, but added she was surprised and happy at the slightly higher numbers than usual. She said it might have had something to do with an e-mail she sent earlier this week.

In it, Fryer said, she asked “parishioners to show their faith in the midst of this nuttiness” _ which in no particular order included “a media circus,” questions about whether political leaders were doing the right thing and an unseen threat. “How do you stop suicide bombers?” she asked.

“It’s hard to know what to think _ we’re surrounded by police in riot gear, anxiety is in the air,” she said. “It’s a very strange place to be right now _ the thought of the threat looming over us. It’s discouraging.”

Asked what she felt worshippers were eager to hear at such a disorienting moment, Fryer said, “Something of hope.”


“It does feel like people are listening more intently,” she said. “And I’m trying to make sense of it myself.”

So are others _ some not easily. At an earlier midday service this week, one woman left, saying “she felt safer on the street,” Fryer said.

But that seems to be something of an exception, and Fryer, the congregation’s assistant pastor in charge while Senior Pastor Amandus Derr is on vacation, spoke of both the alternating uncertainty and certitude she and the congregation were feeling by asking and answering a question.

“Where is God?” she asked. “God is right here.”

Still, even with such professed signs of hope, it has not been an easy week for Saint Peter’s, an congregation that prides itself on its work with “life at the intersection,” whether that means ministering to the poor and homeless who wander the streets of midtown Manhattan or hosting the church’s famed Sunday afternoon “Jazz Vespers,” a nearly 30-year-old ministry for the city’s jazz community.

It did not feel particularly welcoming that on Wednesday evening the church was surrounded by police vehicles, or that access to the church was now restricted to just one door.

And it was still not clear how the church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation, would cope with the attendant parking problems at this Sunday’s (Aug. 8) services, with Derr planning to return from vacation.


“We’re going on,” said Dorothy Goldman, the congregation’s president, who was among those attending the Wednesday evening service.

Saint Peter’s is unusual because it attracts its share of tourists, so it is difficult to say how events will affect Sunday services, said Goldman.

Like not a few New Yorkers, she wondered why the intense police activity around the Citigroup building and other threatened sites _ such as financial offices on Wall Street _ was not matched by an “overall sense of urgency” in other parts of the city.

Neither Grand Central Station nor the United Nations General Assembly building, both just blocks from the church, appeared to be experiencing the same level of high security, she said, “raising questions for me about what it’s all about.”

But in some respects the current level of tension was really nothing new: Police have used the neighborhood, which also includes New York’s Central Synagogue, for training exercises. And immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, she said, Saint Peter’s installed security cameras in a number of locales throughout the building, including the chapel.

“We really don’t know what to think about this,” Goldman said, eyeing one of the cameras.


DEA/PH END HERLINGER

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