Remembering

The Village Church, Sam and Mary Kay have been there for me and my family through so many important periods of my life. I began attending in 2005 when I started at The King’s College. It was the first church I attended after leaving the one I grew up in and attended as a child. I loved Sam’s sermons and the worship, led by Sarah Dickinson. I remember the outdoor services, Sam’s Bob Dylan impression, and Karen’s dance offertories as some of the things that set Village apart from what I had come to expect from a church.

When Ty and I got engaged, Sam and Mary Kay counseled us. When we had our wedding, Sam officiated. Ty and I grew into our faith and adult lives together with our Brooklyn Fellowship Group, led by Tom and Alissa, and Adam and Renee. The BFG was when we really connected with our dear church family as we sang, read Scripture, and drank coffee and beer in a studio apartment in Fort Greene. When I was pregnant with Theo, I celebrated my first Mother’s Day onstage, singing with Sarah and the worship team at PS3. I am grateful that Theo was baptized by Sam and that Mary Kay was there to encourage me during the early days of motherhood.

I don’t think we will ever find another place like Village. We were challenged, edified, encouraged, loved, ministered and listened to, counseled, and embraced there. It was a congregation that made me feel like it is possible to live in New York City happily, fruitfully, fully. I miss my dear friends, those who had to leave the city or church years ago, and those who remained until the last service. It was difficult for us to come in to the Village every week, dragging a baby and all his baby gear along. We felt the resistance every Sunday, the pull away from the commute. But what is far more difficult than the weekend trains and crying, napless child, is Sundays without our church family. Thank you for giving me a home for 8 years.