Imagine NYC
Just off of Central Park on West 84th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, there is a church called Saint Matthew’s and Saint Timothy’s. Walking down a long hallway flanked by mosaics of biblical characters, the smell of incense grows stronger as you near the sanctuary. The sanctuary at SMST is beautiful and simple. The expansive space is illuminated by skylights. The wooden pews are arranged around a central table covered with a colorful cloth and two candles.
There are simple cushions beneath each pew, so that worshipers can kneel if they wish during prayers of confession. There are more elaborate cushions near the table where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, for those who wish to kneel as they receive the bread and wine. On the walls there are pictures of Jesus and other biblical scenes - some of them painted like Eastern Orthodox icons, some of them rustic cloth on rough hewn material. Above the central table is a beautiful cross suspended from the ceiling, composed of blue tiles. While the space is soaring in height, it is rather small in scale, built to seat 120 or so on the main level.
This will be the space that will host worship services for a new Christian Church in New York City called “Church of the Incarnation.” The new church has an old name for a specific reason. First, “Incarnation” ties the community and its vision to the heart of the good news in Scripture - God taking on flesh in Jesus Christ in order to renew all of creation. Second, “Incarnation” ties the community and its style to practices of worship shared by the ancient church. New churches in the city who are more contemporary in feel are healthy and effective. Yet Incarnation is taking a different approach by retrieving a range of ancient practices in the hopes of providing a hospitable environment for New Yorkers who might not gravitate towards more contemporary expressions of faith and worship.
Incarnation is led by founder and resident theologian Jared Witt. Jared and Stephanie have three boys, and live on the Upper West Side. Jonathan and Jubi Williams come to the staff at Incarnation from Philadelphia. Jonathan is a native New Yorker and has been teaching public school in Philadelphia for the past seven years. He will serve as Director of Community Life at Incarnation. Jubi, a Philadelphia native, has worked in the area of adult education for the past seven years. She will serve Incarnation in several areas, including administration and music. Jonathan and Jubi have one daughter and another baby due in August. They are moving to NYC in July. Rhesa Storms will serve as the Music and Programming Director at Incarnation. Rhesa’s training was in piano performance, and she will be responsible for Incarnation’s weekend services. Rhesa and Brent have two children and live on the Upper East Side.
This summer, Incarnation is beginning to gather a group of people who will form the nucleus of this new community. Small groups this summer will be working through a curriculum that consists of the five primary “values” at Incarnation: wisdom, hospitality, generosity, wonder, and storytelling. Each value is expressed in a particular biblical story and will be used to shape the culture and vision of the group.
A variety of missions groups are spending time in the city with Incarnation to help serve in the city and promote summer events. Preview services, Sundays at 5:00 p.m., are scheduled for July 19, August 16, August 30, and September 13. Weekly services will begin September 27. You can find the website at www.cotinyc.com.