Pastor's Page 

Some Things You May Want to Know About Me

I have been serving North Church Queens (formerly, legally, and sometimes still known as the North Presbyterian Church of Flushing) half-time since October 1, 2007.  I also work half-time as a GED Instructor.

I am a graduate of Davis and Elkins College (B.S.), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (D.Min.).  I have served churches in North Carolina and West Virginia, on the staff of West Virginia Presbytery, and as adjunct faculty teaching Religion at Belmont Abbey College and Religion and Philosophy at Davis & Elkins College before moving to New York City.  I currently serve on the Committee on Ministry of New York City Presbytery. I am married to the Reverend Victoria L. Moss, Pastor of the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, NY.   You can read my personal blog "Summit to Shore" at http://summittoshore.blogspot.com/ 

John Edward Harris

 December 2011

Grace to you and peace.

Over the past few months we have experienced an earthquake, a hurricane, and a freak October snowstorm.  With such occurrences, one might wonder if we are  nearing the end of the age, when the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and we can see the Son of Man coming in the clouds  (Mark 13:24).  If only we had recently experienced a total lunar or solar eclipse, I might entertain such an idea.

While we may not know when Christ will return, we know that we will celebrate his birth on December 25th.  As I write to you, the temperature is near 70 and I have the window open, even though I am writing in the middle of November.    With such balmy weather, it is hard to believe that by the time you read this, Christmas will be less than a month away.  Nevertheless,  December 25th will soon be here, so you better start getting ready.

Before we celebrate the birth of Christ, worship will focus on biblical passages such as Isaiah 40:1-11, verses we understand as pointing to Christ’s birth, as well as verses such as Mark 13:24-37, a passage we believe directs us to Christ’s second coming.  During Advent we maintain a dual focus, looking back to the first  coming of Christ while also looking ahead to his return.  For four Sundays preceding Christmas, we act like Christ has not yet been born while all the while knowing that he has.  We also look forward to Christ’s second coming, not knowing what day or hour that might be.  This dual focus helps us get ready to celebrate Christ’s first coming and to welcome him when he returns.

Before November 27th, members and friends will have decorated our sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas season, helping to remind us that just like Christ, Christmas is coming. During Sunday Worship over the following weeks we will progressively light first one, then two, followed by three, and finally all four outer  candles of the Advent Wreath.  During the Christmas Eve Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, beginning at 7:00 PM, our preparations will be rewarded and our anticipation answered when we light not only the four outer candles but also the central, or Christ Candle, as we hear the good news of Christ’s birth.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we will also enjoy a Christmas dinner and program on Saturday, December 10, beginning at 12:30 PM ($20 in advance), and Christmas Caroling on Wednesday, December 21, beginning at 7:00 PM. I hope you can include some of these seasonal opportunities in the midst of your holiday shopping, parties, tree buying and decorating, and gift wrapping.

Incase you are wondering, we will indeed be worshiping Christmas morning, Sunday, December 25th, at our usual 10:00 AM gathering time.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

John Edward Harris, Pastor

Pastor’s Annual Report

For the Year 2010

The Reverend John Edward Harris, D.Min.

As I reflect on the year that was, I note subtle changes with how the printed worship folder as well as the newsletter are produced, and also changes in the appearance of the newsletter. Some of these changes were necessitated and other changes prompted by the death of the church’s computer and the session’s decision not to replace it. Other small changes in our common life included distributing, for the first time, “eco-Palms” to celebrate Passion/Palm Sunday and the introduction of The Presbyterian Coffee Project, including fairly traded coffee, tea and chocolate. New programs and offerings included our first “Faith, Ethics and Public Service” event, a “Renew Yourself Cooking Class”, and an ongoing “Morning Stretch” and a “Scrapbook Club”.

We also saw the continuation and even growth of some other programs and offerings. Watercolor classes, movies, picnics, and Bible studies provide opportunities for learning and fellowship as well as helping to bring visitors into our facility. Our second “Art for Peace” competition and show attracted over twice as many entrants as last year and brought in many to see the art work.

This past year we said goodbye to some old friends due to relocation, inactivity or death. Among those, we bid farewell to long time member, Deacon and Elder Minnie Salamone, who entered the Church Triumphant. We also welcomed three new members and many new friends. Our three new members are mother and on Ramona and Will Spisak as well as Wendy Kaiser-O’Neill.

Not all change is planned, nor is it fully good. In the late fall, our long-time Organist Mary Lou Osmers became ill and is still recovering. In her absence, Lynda Spielman at first, and now Sharon Langone, has ably filled in at the organ. How long this arrangement will last is uncertain.

For three years, NCQ has occasionally shared worship, meals, fellowship, and study with the First Presbyterian Church of Whitestone. This past year, John Moser (our Clerk of Session) and I started occasionally meeting with our counterparts at Whitestone, The Reverend Andy James (Whitestone’s Pastor) and Lisa Sisenwein (Whitestone’s Clerk of Session), in order to explore additional avenues of cooperation. Both sessions also held a joint meeting as a way of getting to know one another better and learning about the other congregation’s history, strengths and weaknesses.

Where these meetings and cooperative events with the First Presbyterian Church of Whitestone might lead certainly has not been determine and is as of now, unclear. These events and meetings will most likely continue well into 2011. As they do, I hope we will all remain open to God’s Spirit to guide us into new ways of doing and being and places yet undiscovered and unexplored.

Last year, when I was still working part-time at Eastern Mountain Sports, I reflected upon it not being easy to balance two schedules. I eventually left EMS. In the late spring and early summer, I worked part-time with the US Census Bureau, but that was a temporary position. I am now working part-time as an in-home-tutor with Champion Leaning Center, tutoring High School English Language Arts and Math. While my tutoring schedule is more reliable, predictable and flexible than when I worked at EMS, balancing my two work schedules, tutoring and church, is still somewhat of a challenge.

While economists tell us that “The Great Recession” is over, we all know that there are still some in our midst without a job and a steady income. Social Security recipients this year received no COLA increase. Certificates of Deposits or not paying interest anything like before the recession. We also know that our Church budget is still very tight and does not offer us the opportunity to do all that we might like or dream.

In the coming year, economic realities will most likely affect us in ways they have not affected us in over three years, because my four-year term as your half-time Designated Pastor will expire at the end of September. After March, the session will have the opportunity to explore how, or if, our relationship past the end of September might continue, including determining whether or not the NCQ budget can support even a half-time Pastor. Meanwhile, I will be engaged in some deep soul searching and professional self-assessment in order to determine what shape and form any future relationship I might have with NCQ might, or might not, look like.

As an American, and especially as a transplanted New Yorker, I am mindful that this coming September, I, along with other New Yorkers as well as most Americans, will be recalling that it has been ten years since the fateful events of September 11, 2001. As we mark and commemorate the events of that date that have changed our lives and country forever, I hope and pray that what is best, most honorable, and compassionate about us and in us will rise to the surface, and that our darker side, while recognized, will remain subdued.

I am certain there are some significant events and changes in the past year I have forgotten to reflect upon and important upcoming changes and events I failed to anticipate and note. Please forgive all such omissions and oversights.