Class notes - Princeton Theological Seminary

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fall 1997 ~ou~nd~g_i_n_t_h_e_f_~_I_d Once upon a Timein Brool~lyn... A Native Son Rebuilds a Church In many fairy tales, and movies of fairy ministry by the New York City Mission tales, there is a magic moment at which Society between his middler and senior years, a transformation occurs. A repugnant beast who felt called to return home. Aloyo recalls turns into a handsome prince in Beauty and his wife's blank expression as the two of the Beast. A young girl thought to be dead them stood looking at the pulpit. He recalls, comes to life in Snow White. And in Disney's most recent release, Sleeping Beauty, a determined too, the sense that he had of the possibilities that lay ahead. prince inspired by love cuts through "The people, the remnant, wanted dense thickets of thorns and rouses a sleeping a vision," Aloyo said. "I decided to make population with a kiss. my preaching motivational, to take the Though Victor Aloyo was born and Deuteronomaic stories and apply them raised in Brooklyn, the son of a supermarket here." owner and a high school teacher, his story Thus, his first step in rebuilding the resonates with a similar magic, a magic church was not to clean the years of debris he attributes not to fantasy but to the grace of God. Once upon a time, in 1902, a church was constructed in East Brooklyn that ministered to the predominantly ItalianlGermanl Polish community. The church thrived and membership grew to 300. But in the '40s, many members of the church community moved from the city to the suburbs, and only a remnant of the original membership remained. Soon, there was an influx of Caribbean and South American immigrants into the neighborhood, and a second constituency rose up. But the church was poor and lacked both money and leadership. Forty years passed and the building, like the congregation, slowly decayed. By 1989, the year Aloyo graduated from Princeton Seminary, all that was left of the church was a shell. The interior was decrepit; walls were crumbling and beams were exposed. Birds flew through the windows broken by vandals and left their droppings on the altar and pews. A twelve-foot-high fence with barbed wire, the last resort of the out of the balcony or tear down the wire handful of remaining members, surrounded fence. Rather, it was to address the inner the church in an attempt to prevent further needs of the people, to lift them up and damage. to remind them that they (were) chosen The Presbytery of New York City decided by God. to close the church and sell the facility. "All possibilities exist," Aloyo reminded But the dozen members remaining believed his parishioners, "if you know who you are." "the area (was) viable for Reformed witness" Unlike in fairy tales, where someone and refused to go. with a magic wand makes the improbable Enter Aloyo, a seminarian from (if not impossible) happen immediately, the Princeton employed as director of urban transformation of Redeemer Presbyterian Church took considerable physical, emotional, and mental effort. The new, young pastor went door-todoor in the neighborhood introducing himself to parents and youth. He made a daily forty-five minute commute to play basketball with the young people so that they could get to know him. He united the two remnant congregations (English-Spanish) and began a bi-lingual service, sharing with the people that he had much to learn from them. "Help me," he said, "and you will see where my heart is." Within his first three months as pastor, the congregation had grown from twelve to _ fifty, many of the new members youth. Small groups were developed and met on a regular basis. The session met at Aloyo's house to go over the five-year plan that he and the members of the church had developed together. The magic of God's grace had started to work. Aloyo and his congregation rallied on the theme "Let us rise up and build." (Nehemiah 2: 18) They determined four goals on which to focus: developing educational ministry, renovating the facility, developing youth and young adults ministry, reaching and out to the community. The initial goals were all realized, some slowly and some quickly. 26. inSpire
fall 1997 ~ou~nd~g_i_n_t_h_e_f_~_I_d _ Within five years, the Sunday school had developed into eleven classes and the youth ministry program into four age groups, each named by its participants: Pathfinders (senior high), Genesis (junior high), Servants of the Savior (grades 4 through 6), and Kids of the Kingdom (K through grade 3). The young people were (and are) full participants in the services and act as liturgists, lectors, ushers, oblation bearers, and babysitters. The church experienced a "domino effect" as young people attracted more young people who attracted more young people. Physically, Redeemer Presbyterian Church experienced a Cinderella transformation. The once delapidated building is now a tribute to God's grace and to the talents and efforts of both the pastor and the congregation. As a result of Aloyo's knowledge of architecture (he was, at one time, offered full scholarships to both the Pratt Institute and Cooper Union in architecture), a parishioner's expertise as a contractor, and the general efforts of the church community to both design and build the structure, Redeemer now houses a lovely sanctuary with a handcarved cross, a sound-proof nursery, and an eleven-paneled, movable wall that can accommodate the diverse programs that take place within its walls. Among these activities are the House of Praise "coffeehouse" for young adult fellowship; an after-school tutorial program on Monday through Friday afternoons implemented by the Pathfinders, who serve as tutors, and their parents, who act as coordinators; classes in computer literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL); and the weekly Thursday Age of Jubilee program for those fifty years old and over. How has the congregation been able to sustain such growth, both physically and financially? In part, Aloyo acknowledged that there have been "fairy godmothers" along the way-the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church contributed funds toward the renovation of the building, and both NYNEX and Astoria Federal Bank donated computers for the after-school program. In part, he credits the congregation, eighty percent of whom are between eighteen and forty years old, for their willingness to "try new things ... to redevelop their whole understanding of ministry ... and to give their best because they know who they are giving it to." Today, Redeemer Presbyterian Church is a lively place, especially on Sundays when, in addition to a congregation-wide prayer service, Sunday school, and a bi-lingual Spanish-English worship service, there are additional services conducted by the Sandol Fellowship (Korean) and the Hindi-Punjabi Fellowship. The guiding theme at Redeemer is "one community celebrating the Kingdom." Flags from the thirty-two countries that compose of racism and discrimination that is so overwhelming in our world today." Education, rather than assimilation, is the goal, according to Aloyo. "We safeguard the worship practices of each culture," Aloyo said. "The people of God are called together. Everyone participates together as members of one church, not as tenant and landlord." Most fairy tales end with the phrase, "and they lived happily ever after." For Aloyo and his congregation, however, there is no such sense of completion. Rather, they embrace the idea that they "are on the congregation hang above the pews, and a great adventure" that is filled with the "an intentional effort is made," said Aloyo, kind of magic that only God can provide. I "to both confront and combat the sense Out of the Depths Margaret Howland Dives for Images from the Deep Like many young pastors who are devoted to their work, Margaret (Peggy) Howland found in her thirteenth year of ministry that she was acutely lonely. Her only friends were her colleagues in the church. So Howland resolved to "get a life." The result has been a twenty-five-year passion for underwater photography. A member of the Class of '58, Howland stumbled into her avocation by chance, though she had been interested in photography since childhood. Her first pastorate was at Woodside Presbyterian Church in Troy, New York. While in Troy, she became very active in the Schenectady Photographic Society where she competed in the color slide group. "The photography excited me. Through the monthly competitions, I learned technique, composition, what creates impact in a photograph," she recalls. "And I learned that the way to make friends was through mutual activity." During her first summer at Woodside, the summer of the Woodstock music festival, Howland founded South End Summer Program. Initially a day camp, the program grew to include a youth center, a remedial education program, and a day camp for developmentally disabled children as well. She became so involved with the program inSpire· 27
Page 2 and 3: Princeton in photos This little pig
Page 4 and 5: fall 1997 from the president's desk
Page 6 and 7: fall 1997 on&off Campus Ellen Myers
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Page 10 and 11: fall 1997 Student Life Perspectives
Page 12 and 13: fall 1997 ormation Nurtures Sc tish
Page 14 and 15: fall 1997 A COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS P
Page 16 and 17: fall 1997 Fruits of ~~- -e Their ;t
Page 18 and 19: fall 1997 Class notes Key to Abbrev
Page 20 and 21: fall 1997 Class notes James R. Cham
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Page 24 and 25: fall 1997 Class notes Paul E. Munds
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Page 34 and 35: fall 1997 \ Obituarie_s ~ PA, from
Page 37 and 38: fall 1997 Theological Education Fun

Class notes - Princeton Theological Seminary

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