Who we are
God is love. The end.
(...and the beginning.)
We are part of the Episcopal Church, which traces its roots back to the English Reformation, and on back to the first followers of Jesus. We are sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, which is the most diverse diocese in the Episcopal Church, and is actively pursuing justice, reconciliation, and repair.
The Episcopal Church cherishes the ancient Christian wisdom and practice that has been passed down to us. We are a "liturgical" tradition—we are formed by practice, by what we do. Some of our ways of praying and the forms of our services have a lot in common with the Roman Catholicism.
At the same time, the Episcopal Church has taken a number of "progressive" stances on theological and political issues. We are fully affirming of queer and trans folks, and see in queer life and love an image of God. We ordain and appoint to leadership people of every gender, sexual orientation, race, and ability. Why? Because the heart of Jesus' ministry was a love that embraced difference, that sought solidarity with the marginalized and the liberation of the oppressed: a love that transformed both lover and beloved, and that posed a radical challenge to the social, political, and economic order of Jesus' day. We are not heroes; we are falling down all the time. But we seek to be faithful to that love in all that we do.
The Rev. Dr. Carl Adair (he/him) is gathering this new church start. His passion is to help create spaces where people feel seen and known, where they are opened to awe and wonder, where their pain is held and their gifts are cherished—and they feel empowered and supported to grow into greater integrity. Father Carl writes:
I have had a long, complicated, sometimes painful and sometimes healing relationship with the Christian tradition. I guess when it comes down to it, I am sustained in my practice as a follower of Jesus by experiences of love that have broken my heart open. The symbols, rites, and language of church are all messy and problematic, but they are—for me—a way to be faithful to that love that continually exceeds my imagination and control: the love which I would call God.
Carl also serves as the assistant rector at Zion Episcopal Church in the Douglaston neighborhood of Eastern Queens. For the past three years, he has led the Zion History Project, which seeks justice and reconciliation through truth-telling about the 43 people that Zion's founders enslaved, and about Zion's complex relationship to the Matinecock people, on whose ancestral land Zion was built.
Before becoming a priest, Carl worked in the restaurant industry and as a teacher’s aide for students with disabilities; he also earned a PhD in English Literature and taught college English in two New Jersey state prisons. His call to the Episcopal priesthood was kick-started (ironically enough) by falling in love with an atheist—the audio journalist and artist Meg Cramer. They moved to Sunnyside in the summer of 2021, and their daughter Judy joined the interfaith family in February 2022.
Carl recently joined Instagram. The best way to reach out is via email. He would love to hear from you.
