L I V I N G T H E H O P E

Our Pastor, Chris Lawrence, was called by the faith of our Congregation to leave his native England and come with his wife Naomi and their children, Asha & Kirin, to East Harlem to minister through the Church of the Living Hope.

Since 1987, he had lived in inner city largely poor neighborhoods of London, England as a community organizer with church ministry responsibilities. For ten years, he was a leader within a church re-plant in a rapidly transitioning neighborhood of Hackney, London. He was deeply impacted by first hand experience of ministry and community renewal in some of the poorest communities in Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Ciudad Juarez. Alongside new congregations, and grassroots Catholic communities, he developed love for all things Mexican, making many return visits over the years. Now he and his family have opened their arms and hearts to El Barrio, East Harlem.

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Church of the Living Hope161 East 104th StEast Harlem NY 10029(212) 427 2431thelivinghopechurch@gmail.comwww.churchofthelivinghope.org

o u r fi f t i e t h ye a r o n 1 0 4 t h s t r e e tFifty years after arriving on East 104th Street, the Church of the Living Hope is preparing for a new adventure in following Jesus out into the streets. Since Easter 2014: a new Pastor is called by the Congregation; the Parsonage is completely refurbished; we find dozens of new neighborhood friends; organizations are embraced by the Church; worship and music spill out of the church doors, and we feasted and celebrated and caroled in the streets.

VIRGIN OF GUADALUPEOn December 12 we projected an image of Mary, cooked traditional Mole Poblano, and invited in our neighbors to a six hour prayer vigil where we interceded for women in our communities and the wider world. A Mariachi band played outside and people who would never have ventured in lit candles in our sanctuary and wrote on the prayerwall.

PAGEANTA few days later we were joined on the street by many of the same neighbors as we heard the Christmas story, sang and acted out the familiar events. Beautiful images were projected onto our building and we mixed sounds of an Argentinian Folk Mass with traditional Carols.

Maundy ThursdayFeet were washed, the stories of the first Passover were retold, delicious food was eaten. Then we descended to the vestibule to hear about the betrayal of Jesus, the sleepiness of the disciples, and Jesus’ arrest. We left the building in total silence, deeply moved at the contrast between warm fellowship upstairs and the loneliness of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

VIRGIN OF GUADALUPEOn December 12th we projected an image of Mary, cooked traditional Mole Poblano, and invited in our neighbors to a six hour prayer vigil where we interceded for women in our communities and the wider world. A Mariachi band played outside and people who would never have ventured in lit candles in our sanctuary and wrote on the prayer wall. None of us had done anything quite like this before, but recognizing women’s vulnerability and women’s witness in the face of threats to life seemed like the right way to approach Christmas this year.

NATIVITY PAGEANTA few days later we were joined on the street by many of the same neighbors as we heard the Christmas story, sang and acted out the familiar events. Beautiful images were projected onto our building and we mixed sounds of an Argentinian Folk Mass with traditional Carols.

On Easter Sunday we worshiped both at sunrise on Wards Island Bridge and again in the Sanctuary.

Throughout the year we took our singing and worship to the streets and added a new emphasis on Spanish language songs and prayers along with our favorites.

C h r i s t m a s 2 0 1 4

E a s t e r 2 0 1 5

Church of the Living Hope 161 East 104th St, East Harlem, NY,

350 residents of our block had a feast day on Saturday September 19th. The afternoon of art & movement, massage & Zumba, pinatas & tie-dying, and coloring & composting was brought to a climax with a banquet, as actors in costume danced holding beautiful carnival props and puppets. The air was filled with the sounds of guitar, fiddle and even beautiful Mariachi songs from children in full uniform. Many who came remarked that nothing like this had been attempted before…and must we wait a whole year for another one ?

(September 17, 2016 - save the date!)

D e C o l o r e s

& O p e n H o u s e

Church of the Living Hope 161 East 104th St, East Harlem, NY, 10029

On Saturday June 20th, we opened our doors and welcomed in neighbors and friends old and new. There was food, music, creativity, the painting of faces, telling of stories as we showed off the renewed vibrancy of our minstry.

And our premises have started to attract crucial groups and organizations who have been able to build a partnership with us.

The ex-Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Rev Rowan Williams visitedIn 2015 we welcomed a Mexican community

educational organization (CREA). We welcomed also ‘Outside Voices’ who give those with disabilities the chance to perform on stage, write their own plays and be in them. People here have been able to complete their basic education and be celebrated and given certificates. CREA and Outside Voices have helped to make this a busy building , with meals to cook and share together, new songs to sing together.

OPEN HOUSE June 20th

DE COLORES - Mayan Costume

“The Church of the Living Hope is a church where you can come as you are...‘Open arms’...we are a family. The Christian love is overwhelming. You can be gone for years, come back, and you will not miss a beat. The ‘family’ tradition will forever be the foundation of CLH.”

Church of the Living Hope 161 East 104th St, East Harlem, NY, 10029

2 0 1 6 : L i s t e n i n g a n d L e a r n i n g

R e n o v a t i o n s ! !We renovated our fourth floor parsonage. No sooner was the paint dry when the Pastor and his family started a tradition of “open house” meals each and every Monday evening.

Downstairs Johnny Rodriguez did extensive redecoration, we purchased new furniture, and rewired and replumbed the basement to bring the building up to code.

“Our Place” will be a parent-led group that provides help with reading and writing for all ages, in both Spanish and English. We are planning adventures on the streets and up and around the apartments. And Art, music, theater will all be in the mix !

We do this because we love Jesus. We are following him. The people all around us are “his people”, and so we make it our purpose to be loyal, and seek their best, as we are all one family. Their challenges and their hopes are ours.

Trustees Brian MooreBarbra Haynes Christina TerrellJoan BalkcomRose Terrell-Harrison

Leadership TeamKeiko White Betty Washington Jonathan Calvert Donna RuizPeter Calvert

We want to put down fresh roots around us in the tenements and in Washington Houses. To be more effective, we will recruit a Spanish-speaking Outreach Worker. July will be devoted to a concerted Listening Project to actively hear hundreds of people who live in our twenty blocks and we will be ‘harvesting stories’ from our neighborhood. In September we will hold our second De Colores Street Feast.