The Church Club of New York

Annual Dinner to Feature Randall Balmer

Please save the date of May 12, 2009 for the Church Club of New York's 122nd Annual Dinner, which will be held at the Harvard Club.  Our guest speaker will be the Rev. Randall Balmer, who is professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University and a visiting professor at Yale Divinity School, an editor of Christianity Today, and the author of the author of a dozen books, including Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America, God in the White House: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush,  and Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, now in its fourth edition, which was made into a three-part documentary for PBS.

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.

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.

Presiding Bishop Addresses the 120th Annual Dinner

The Church Club celebrated its 120th annual dinner by honoring Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at a black-tie event at the Union League Club in Manhattan. During her speech, she noted that many of the guests at the reception before dinner had said, "You have such a challenging job."  "I don't think that's bad thing," she told the audience.   "I think we are meant to be challenged in the varieties of work and ministry in which we are engaged and that if we are not challenged we are likely bored, and that's not healthy for anybody."

Speaking about the various high-profile news stories about the conflicts between the American Episcopal Church and other provinces in the Anglican Communion, notably in Africa, she said, "I think this is probably one of the most exciting times in history to be an Episcopalian and an Anglican.  The Communion is moving.  It's not a dead and dormant thing."

Church Club President Grace Allen introduced the presiding bishop, calling attention to her varied background as an oceanographer and licensed pilot. "Perhaps her studies of the marvelous creatures of the deep, along with her flights among the heavens, will guide her in her global ministry," she said.

Bishop Jefferts Schori spoke to  nearly 300 Church Club members and guests, including many clergy from New York, Washington, London, Paris, and other places.  "I was tickled when somebody told me that clergy could not be members of this club," she said to laughter from the audience.  "This in a real sense is the strength of the Episcopal Church--the baptized who know their place.  It is at the table, and it is leading the conversation, so I give thanks for your ministry and your witness."

She spoke for about twenty minutes and then took questions from the audience.

Noting that even though the headlines in the New York Times about the Episcopal Church often seem dire, Grace Allen agreed with the Presiding Bishop's positive message: "As Bishop Katharine has said tonight, the hope of reconciliation, the promise of communion, and the desire to move forward together are goals shared by our partners around the world."

Other highlights of the evening included an invocation by the Rev. Canon J. Robert Wright, which touched on the Church Club's history as an intellectual and theological organization, the benediction by the Rev. Kurt von Roeschlaub of St. Stephen's Church in Port Washington, and the singing of "The Church's One Foundation," led by Dr. Anton Armstrong, conductor of the St. Olaf College choir.

Listen to Bishop Jefferts Schori's remarks here (an MP3 file, about 30 mins).

Watch the video here.

See all the pictures of the event here.

See some photo highlights by clicking below:

Bishop Griswold Caps Lovely Evening at the Union League Club

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold and  one hundred seventy members and guests turned out in style at the Union League Club to celebrate the Church Club's 119th annual dinner.  The Club had planned to honor Bishop and Mrs. Griswold for their joint ministry, but Mrs. Griswold was called away at the last minute on a family matter. 

The evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner.  Church Club President Grace Allen recognized the Club's past presidents--J. Truman Bidwell, A. Walker Bingham III, G. William Haas, and Chauncey G. Olinger, Jr. --and the bishops in attendance--Bishop and Mrs. Harry Shipps, Bishop and Mrs. Mark Sisk, and Bishop Catherine Roskam and her husband Philip.

The Rev. Canon J. Robert Wright, historiographer of the Episcopal Church and professor of ecclesiastical history at General Seminary, gave the blessing. The Rev. Kurt von Roeschlaub, rector of St. Stephen's Church in Port Washington, offered the benediction. To conclude the evening, Bishop Roskam led the singing of "The Church's One Foundation."

Frank Griswold became the 25th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church in 1998.  He is especially known for his spiritual wisdom, his leadership in the fields of liturgy and ecumenism, and his initiatives in the reconciliation of differing viewpoints within the church at home and abroad. 

Phoebe Griswold has been an active laywoman within the church, particularly in the creation of a global women’s network for the Anglican Communion of which the Episcopal Church USA is a member, and also in such organizations as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts, and the campaign for schools, hospitals, and churches in Jerusalem. 

The Church Club of New York is happy to salute the Griswolds and to recognize their outstanding contributions to the good of the church and the betterment of human society.

Bishop Griswold spoke about his tenure as presiding bishop, as he approaches retirement.  After nearly nine years in office, worldwide travel commitments, and his leadership of the Episcopal Church as issues pressing the Anglican Communion have come to the fore, he said he is looking forward to spending time with his five-month-old granddaughter.  He spoke about all he had learned in his travels, from lay people and clergy, with different cultural perspectives and expectations of the Church and concluded that he is most hopeful about the future.

Bishop Griswold accepted the Church Club's gold medal and, on her behalf, a plaque giving Mrs. Griswold an honorary membership in the Club.

To listen to Bishop Griswold's talk, click here.

For photos from the event, click here.

The Church Club is very grateful for the support of its members and guests at the dinner, especially the Patrons, Sponsors, and Friends, who helped the Club reach its fundraising goal for the evening.