18 September 2026 - Friday after the 16th Sunday of Pentecost

Dear friends,

The timeline of change seems to work in funny ways. We wait and wait and wait for things to happen, and then they unfold all at once. Or a change happens slowly…incrementally…patiently, but we don’t realize it’s happening until—all of a sudden—we’re shocked to discover that… we’ve gotten a lot older, or we’ve forgiven someone, or a child has grown three inches.

We’ve spent the last few weeks patiently cleaning, repairing, wiring, painting and repainting at the church. And now—all of a sudden—I feel shocked by the results of all that patient and faithful labor. We couldn’t have done it without the contribution of each person. And this transformation feels like much more than the sum of its parts: a change that is still unfolding, an adventure we have just begun. The Holy Spirit is breathing in us and through us.

Check out some of these “before and after” photos!

This hard work of many volunteers has made us ready to launch new programs with our partners Citation Needed, Parenting Style, and Sunnyside Literacy Labs. These partnerships also emerged slowly, organically, with mutual curiosity and care and many meetings over coffee. We listened to one another’s deep sense of call, and felt the energy of our shared desire to take a risk on those callings. And we dreamed together of a “Greenhouse” where such callings would be nurtured and given room to grow.

Now that these partners are all in one place, and “the Greenhouse” is becoming real, it feels a bit shocking: like a blessing, like grace.

This Sunday, after our 10am worship, we will bless these renewed spaces as a community, and all that is unfolding and is still yet to come. (And you’ll get to see them for yourselves!) I hope you’ll join us.

This will also be my last Sunday at church before my parental leave begins. (More on that in a separate email, coming in a few days): I can’t wait to see what emerges in and through this community while I am away!

peace,
carl+

As a community, we take turns giving and receiving—spending time in the spotlight, and doing work behind the scenes.

Can you help out this week? Or in the Sundays to come? Sign up here!

and…how can we pray with you, or for you?

Every Sunday, part of our service is “the Prayers of the People.” Some people feel comfortable speaking aloud in that momen, but we also wanted to make a space for folks to ask for prayers during the week.

We’re getting a new Bishop of Long Island! Fr. Carl and Spence Moore will be in attendance as we celebrate the consecration of Adam Schumacher as the first Episcopal bishop of Middle Eastern and North African descent. We’re honoring that by singing a Lebenese Sanctus, in Arabic, every Sunday between now and Advent.

Janice Chou of Parenting Style will be hosting an OPEN HOUSE this Sunday from 4-6pm. This is a chance to showcase the beautiful space she is creating in the cellar level of the church, and to give families a taste of the Montessori, Parent-Child, and short-term drop-off playgroups that we are partnering on, beginning next week! Come on through!

The first listening session will be Wednesday, Sept. 30, 11:30-1:30, here!

Following this, EBF will start to offer weekly drop-in sessions focusing on the specific educational topics or parenting needs that have emerged from those listening sessions. These gatherings will always include a wellness or arts-based activity to support stress reduction and emotional well-being. EBF offer these services at no cost to ensure everyone has access to high quality childbirth education and new parent support. We’re so excited to see what emerges from this urgently needed work of care.

Thursday mornings from 9:30-11am, we have a drop-in gathering on Zoom where we can do some of life’s challenging administrative tasks in the context of a supportive community.

At the start of each session, we introduce ourselves, share how we’re doing and what’s on our to-do list. Then we’ll each work on our stuff, on mute, until a few minutes before the end of the session, when we’ll come off mute, share with each other what we’ve accomplished, and celebrate the progress we’ve made.

Thanks to Hugh Klitzke, who has volunteered to host these Thursday morning sessions! If you have questions, you can reach out to Hugh.

Looking for ways to protect our neighbors from ICE?

The neighborhood ICE Watch “Office Hours” meets every Saturday from 2-3 pm. This is now a movable feast—gathering in different places each week, but this is a great way to get connected to the work of protecting our neighbors and building power. All are welcome—reach out to Lila Klatz for info about how to get involved.

There’s also an ICE Watch training happening this Sunday, Sept 20, from 2-4 pm. Register here.

Zehra A
a second moon strings itself in the sky

Zehra A (she/they) is a creative neighbor person based in Sunnyside, Queens. While collage was a favorite creative medium for them during youth, they returned to it again last year, drawn to its accessible & tactile nature, and a desire to connect with their inner child’s desire for play.

This particular piece was born late one night, when Zehra was experiencing some heavy feelings and recognized that she needed to give them a channel for outlet. She remembered some paper a friend had specifically gifted her for the purposes of collage, and started there, creating most of what you’re looking at. She then put the piece away, thinking the glue had fully dried, but when she pulled it out some days later, she saw that some string with a little pink tag had elegantly gotten stuck across it. It felt to her like an act of divine collaboration where the universe was participating in the act of creation with her. So this work invites the question…

What is an act of divine collaboration or synchronicity YOU’VE experienced?

Here’s how one neighbor responded:

In the midst of some conflict with my partner, I was looking for my wallet and chanced upon a picture of the two of us from 10 years ago, when we had just met. Seeing that photo softened my heart, and filled me with gratitude for our relationship. I was able to return to the tough conversation from a totally new angle, and now I feel connected to her in an even deeper way.

Let us know what YOU think on the Little Window Gallery website! We’ll anonymously post all the responses there, and on the LWG’s Instagram page. And in a few weeks we’ll randomly select one of the people who responded and they’ll get to keep Zehra’s collage—a local work of art for their very own!

Thanks to Zehra for sharing this beautiful work, and for the story that, again, reminds us that we are not alone—that divine creativity is breathing through this world, if we can stay open to it…

Please—if you're yearning for something that you haven't seen here, reach out start a conversation. This new mission in Sunnyside is made up of...US. So it gets to be what we want it to be...