News and Notes - 17 April 2026

Friday, 17 April 2026 - Friday after the Second Sunday of Easter

Dear friends,

Spring is springing big time this week, and that reminds us to keep doing what we always try to do: to celebrate and nourish new life.

So we’re tending our garden, we’re raising money to support our music director Ali and her husband Chris at the birth of their baby, we’re nourishing the ground for exciting new partnerships that will sprout in the fall.

We’re baptizing people into the new life that Jesus shows us. Our leaders are preparing for me to be on leave for a couple weeks when my wife Meg gives birth…soooon. We’re singing new songs and opening our hearts to new and surprising signs of resurrection.

And we do that together. Thanks for being a part of it.

peace,
carl+

p.s. Thanks to Alexa, Pau, John, Pia, Evan, and Judy for being part of the Spring Garden Workday this past Saturday! We cleaned up the beds, spread mulch shared by our friends at the 45th St. Green Space, and we planted 5 flats of annuals.

The daffodils and tulips came up all on their own, with no help from us!

GIVE TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION!

In this News and Notes:

This Sunday
- This Little Light @ 8:30
- Holy Eucharist and Baptism @ 10am
- ICE Watch Training @ 2-4pm
- The Sunday Circle @ 5pm
Pray for the Bishop Election happening tomorrow!
Baby Gift for Ali Dineen and Chris Schroth!
Coming up:
- Family Music Jubilee on Sunday, April 26th @ 3:30
Weekly ways to learn, connect, and serve our neighborhood
- New Series in our Wednesday Bible Study:
  - Liberation Theology VS. Christian Nationalism
- Thursday Afternoon Food Distribution @ Bliss Plaza
- ICE OUT Office Hours—the schedule is in flux!

We need some help to make Sunday happen—and we have a NEW ROTA for the season of Easter! As a community, we take turns giving and receiving—spending time in the spotlight, and doing some work behind the scenes.

Can you help out this week? Or next Sunday? Sign up here!

Every other week at 5pm we host The Sunday Circle. We take turns reflecting on questions that have no right answers, but call forth something honest in us: this is a spiritual community for non-religious folks.

This Sunday, we’re talking about DOING NOTHING. Are you bad at that? Too good? We’ll talk about productivity and its alternatives, together.

Support Ali and Chris as they prepare for the birth of their baby!

New life is coming in Ridgewood! Our music director Ali Dineen and her husband Chris Schroth are preparing for the birth of their first child in early June! And you are invited to help.

You can make a gift at this link to support Ali and Chris as they become parents; select "Ali and Chris BABY Fund" in the dropdown menu. You can also give cash to Fr. Carl or our treasurer Eric Silberberg on the next few Sundays. There’s no pressure to give: this is just one way for us as a community to show up for Ali and Chris at this harried and holy time.

SAVE THE DATE! During Coffee Hour next week—April 26—everyone is invited to decorate some baby onesies to share with Ali and Chris AND Meg, Judy, and Fr. Carl. These onesies will remind these parents that this community cares during that 3am diaper change, and that God is present with them in the stress and in the mess.

Coming Up…

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 18) the clergy and lay delegates of Long Island will elect a new Bishop to serve and lead our Diocese. Fr. Carl and Eric Silberberg, our lay delegate, will be in Garden City for this important vote. You can learn more about the slate of candidates here: (note that a non-male candidate was part of the initial slate, but she decided of her own accord to withdraw.)

Almighty God, giver of every good gift and source of all wisdom and understanding, look graciously upon your church and so guide the minds and hearts of those who will choose our next bishop. We pray that those who offer themselves as candidates in this process, you will grant hem wisdom and discernment; a spirit of revelation and knowledge of your will, that they will care for all your people and equip us for our ministries through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

NEIGHBORHOOD ICE WATCH TRAINING this Sunday, April 18 from 2-4pm in Sunnyside. This is a great chance to feel empowered to protect our neighbors from harassment and deportation, to connect with others in solidarity. Exact location will be sent via Signal but pssst. it’s in the sanctuary.) Learn more here (and please don’t share on social media).

On Sunday, April 26th at 3:30pm, we’re so excited for another edition of this new monthly series, The Family Music Jubilee!

Alyssa Yuge and Alec Manasse will use clarinet, viola, and violin to dig into the BIG EMOTIONS of classical music and explore how composers brought them to life.

Alyssa and Alec are Sunnysiders, musicians, and educators who have performed together since meeting in high school. They regularly play with the American Ballet Theater and the Symphony of Westchester and have been sharing their love of music since their debut recital in 2018.

Learn more and share the Facebook event—or this Instagram post!

Weekly ways to learn, connect, and serve this great neighborhood…

At 7pm on Wednesday, join us ON ZOOM for Bible Study…our way.

This Wednesday we will begin a new series: “Liberation Theology VS. Christian Nationalism.” We’ll talk about where these different lenses come from—and how they make the Bible into a document of freedom or a rationale for domination. Click this link!

On Thursday afternoons, we’re part of a weekly food distribution at Bliss Plaza (46th and Queens Blvd).

If you’re looking for a concrete way to show solidarity with our vulnerable neighbors right now, and you’ve got some flexibility on Thursday afternoons, sign up for a shift here (1:00-2:30 and 2:30-4:00)!

Looking for ways to protect this community from ICE?

There will be a Deportation Defense Training happening in the neighborhood on Sunday, April 19 from 2-4pm. If you want to feel empowered to identify and respond to ICE here in the neighborhood, register here. (Note: you’ll need to have the Signal messaging app on your phone to register, and get final info about the location.)

The weekly “Office Hours” are shifting to a monthly Saturday gathering. Watch this space for more info. NO OFFICE HOURS this Saturday, 4/18.

There WILL be something new
in the Little Window Gallery…

Fr. Carl just can’t keep up.

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...

Reach out!