The Church Club of New York

Retrospective: Art Exhibition by Mary Melikian Haynes

Church Club member Mary Melikian Haynes is currently having a major retrospective of her paintings at the Gregg Galleries of the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park, NY (212) 475-3424, June 3 to 28.  Titled "Along the Way," the exhibition spans five decades. Club members are invited to visit the galleries to view these 50 works of art. Mary and her husband, the Very Rev. Warren E. Haynes, recently returned from their fourth Church Club Pilgrimage.

Works by Mary Melikian Haynes

Annual Meeting & Tour of St. George's Church

The Church Club held it Annual Meeting on June 5th in conjunction with a reception and tour of historic St. George's Church, led by the rector, the Rev. Dr. Thomas F. Pike (left).

The Church Club elected new trustees to fill the slots of those whose terms were expiring.  John H. Andren, Jr., Frederick W. Gerbracht, Jr., Henry L. King, Cathy West Mullins, Arnold H. Neis, and Bettina Nelson were elected to a three-year term.  Stephen Storen was elected to fill an expiring one-year term.

After the business meeting, Dr. Pike talked about the history of St. George's Church (which became the parish of Calvary-St. George's), its dedication to lay leadership, and the long and important role in the church of J.P. Morgan -- who joined the Church Club of New York in 1900.

The business meeting and the first part of Dr. Pike's talk too place in the chapel.  He also led a tour of the main church, which was briefly the largest single interior space in the city until the first Madison Square Garden was built in 1879.

After the tour, Club members enjoyed a reception in St. George's Chantry and courtyard.

121st Annual Dinner

On April 30, the Church Club celebrated its 121st annual dinner by honoring the Rev. Canon John L. Peterson, Canon for Global Justice and Reconciliation at the Washington National Cathedral.  The event was held at the Harvard Club.

See more pictures here.

Listen to Canon Peterson's remarks here.

Episcopal Church at Yale Choir: Evensong at Grace Church

On Friday, April 4th at 6 p.m., members of Yale's vibrant and growing ministry's Chapel Choir will offer an Evensong open to all at Grace Church (Broadway and 10th St.).  Those members of the broader Yale community who are also interested in attending a post-Evensong reception to meet current students and learn more about ECY's growth should contact Grace Krom, Program Coordinator at Episcopal@yale.edu. More information about ECY can found at www.episcopalchurchatyale.org.

The Episcopal Church at Yale is the largest Protestant chaplaincy at Yale with nearly 250 student and faculty members drawn from Yale College and the Yale Graduate and Professional Schools. Formed in 1869, ECY is one of the oldest college chaplaincies in the country. This vibrant and growing ministry whose life is centered in common worship draws about 50 - 60 students each Sunday for Holy Eucharist and fellowship dinner following. Over 150 students attending Easter services and over 200 attend our annual service of Christmas Lessons and Carols.

This year even weekly activities have seen increased participation - Bible study (10-12 students), confirmation class (6 students), and the vocational/career discernment group (7 students). Another 12 or more students participate in service activities in the New Haven community. The congregation is made up about a fourth by non-Episcopalians and is thus on the front lines of missionary endeavors of the church. The choir, made up of 25 outstanding voices and directed by two excellent musicians/organists, themselves students at the Yale Institute of Sacred music, is one of special joy and pride.

Church Club members are warmly invited for Evensong on April 4.  You will have the opportunity of hearing them and meeting with them afterwards.

The Rev. William Danaher on "Money Matters"

The Rev. William Danaher of General Theological Seminary concluded the Church Club's 2008 lecture series with a talk called, “Money Matters: On Anglican Economics & Millennium Development Goals."

He spoke about the role of the Anglican Communion in providing the leadership necessary to fulfill the goals outlined by the United Nations in reducing global poverty.

You can listen to his talk here (40 minutes), and follow the discussion afterwards here (15 minutes).

Fr. Danaher's lecture concludes this year's series titled, "Anglicanism and the Moral Challenges of the Day."

You can listen to the first two lectures here (Prof. Gary Dorrien) and here (the Rev. Victor Austin).

UPCOMING EVENTS: Annual Dinner & Pilgrimage to Rome

The Church Club's 121st Annual Dinner will be held on April 30, 2008 at the Harvard Club.  This year's speaker and honoree will be the Rev. Canon John L. Peterson, Canon for Global Justice and Reconciliation at the Washington National Cathedral and former Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

You can read his bio here.

A reception will be held at 6:00 PM, followed by dinner at 7:00.

Also, there are a few spaces left on the Club's Pilgrimage to London: Crossroads of Anglicanism, May 1 - 11, 2008.  Here is the itinerary and here is an overview.

Victor Austin, Moral Authority & Anglican Cohesion

The Rev. Victor Austin, theologian in residence at St. Thomas Church in Manhattan, gave the second lecture in the Church Club's annual series. He spoke about moral authority, the power from which it derives, its relationship to truth, and its capacity to bind disparate groups within the Anglican Communion.

Despite centuries of reliance of scripture, tradition, and reason, the global Anglican Communion is under increasing strain, as questions of authority abound.  Fr. Austin noted the "characteristic Anglican willingness to muddle through imperfect structures." 

Listen to his talk (about 45 minutes) by clicking here.

Gary Dorrien Talks Theology, Liberalism & Love

Prof. Gary Dorrien, the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, kicked off the Church Club's 2008 Lecture Series with a talk about liberal theology and the need for a clear intellectual and moral purpose, with love at its core.

His talk "The Liberal Vision" is the first installment in the series titled, "Anglicanism and the Moral Challenges of the Day." The event was held at Church of the Incarnation on Madison Avenue.  Information about the rest of the series may be found here.

You can listen to Prof. Dorrien's talk, about 40 minutes, by clicking here.

(The tropical decor comes from Incarnation's annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper.)

Anglicanism & Moral Challenges: Lecture Series 2008

The Church Club's lecture series for 2008, titled "Anglicanism and the Moral Challenges of the Day, will feature three addresses by three leading Anglican moral theologians.  Representing different traditions and approaches, they will speak about not simply what Anglicans should think about the moral questions of the day but how Anglicans should think morally.  All three are Episcopal priests and professionals in the field of moral theology.

All lectures will be held at Church of the Incarnation:

209 Madison Avenue (at 35th Street)

$60 for the series for Church Club Members, $75 for non-members

For reservations, contact
The Church Club of New York
(212) 828-7418
churchclubny@nyc.rr.com

February 12:  6:00 Refreshments. 7:00 Lecture
“The Liberal Vision”
Professor Gary Dorrien, (Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary)
Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary

February 19:  6:00 Refreshments. 7:00 Lecture
“Authority in Anglican Ethics”
The Rev. Dr. Victor Austin (Ph.D. Fordham University) Theologian in Residence, St. Thomas Church

February 26:  6:00 Refreshments. 7:00 Lecture
“Money Matters: On Anglican Economics & Millennium Development Goals”
Professor William Danaher, (Ph.D. Yale University)
John Henry Hobart Professor of Christian Ethics, The General Theological Seminary

Gallery-going

The Church Club spent an evening at the Cue Art Foundation in Chelsea, learning about the organization's support of young and under-recognized artists as they make their way in New York's rough-and-tumble art world.   The Club also welcomed prospective members, giving them an opportunity to learn about the Club's mission and programs.

Los Angeles-based artist Phranc, who works in  cardboard and craft paper (what she calls "a delicious medium"), spoke about her exhibit at Cue.  Reviewing the show, The New Yorker, wrote:

The post-punk folksinger is also an artist, who makes cardboard and kraft-paper constructions modelled on everyday objects like a red-and-white checked short-sleeved man’s shirt, a zipper-and-snap-bedecked motorcycle jacket, and a schlumpy bathrobe. This could be oppressively winsome if not for the production values; the pieces are expert while remaining patently handmade.

Special thanks are due to Club member Brian Starer, who is on the Cue Art Foundation's board of directors and is one of the founders of the organization, who helped make the evening possible.

See more pictures below.