It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

As of midnight Monday, an agreement was not reached between TWU Local 100 and the MTA setting into motion the first Transit Strike in New York City in 25 years. This was the scene Wednesday morning on the street near the Long Island Railroad station in Forest Hills as commuters from all over central Queens scrambled to find alternatives to the otherwise convenient subway service. Meanwhile, across the street on Queens Blvd. striking transit workers, whose illegal job action caused this mess, walk the picket line before a less-than-sympathetic general public.

Borrowing a page from the Al Queida playbook, the union decided to strike at a time when it would do the most harm to the most people... the week before Christmas. Ironically, the union heads are asking for the moral support of the very public they abandoned. New Yorkers, however, are showing their true colors, walking great distances, car pooling with complete strangers, and finding creative methods of getting around. I'm thankful that for the first time in my adult life, I have no real commute. But most people in the city have not been similarly blessed... As of the time of this blog entry, state mediators have stepped in and it looks like the workers may be returning to work as a deal is ironed out. This strike has made the national news scene, so if you're interested in the outcome, please check your media outlets for more information.

I had intended to use this week's blog entry to make a simple Christmas greeting, but I also want it to be informative so I found it necessary to make mention of the biggest issue facing city residents. With the unavailability of our worship facility, combined with the Transit Strike and predictable low attendence expected on Christmas Sunday worship services, we have been granted an unplanned reprieve from an otherwise busy season.

Prayer Concerns: Looking ahead, assuming this strike won't stretch into January, we are planning our broadening worship service for the 15th. Our music program is improving and we expect that to continue through mid-month. We will have our last pre-launch service on January 8th which we hope will re-orient our launch community to worshipping together before we open our doors to more people. Hopefully this two-week hiatus will be helpful to give Michael the rest he needs to get his back in better condition. Please keep all these matters in your prayers.

If any of you have been considering a ministry worthy of year-end giving, please consider the Forest Hills Church Plant. Should you contribute, make checks payable to Redeemer Presbyterian Church with my name on the memo line. Send your gifts to my address: 83-44 Lefferts Blvd. Apt. 3C; Kew Gardens, NY 11415 with a note explaining the frequency of your giving (monthly, quarterly, one-time, etc.). This will help me to track the funds I've raised.

Lastlty, I do want to wish you a most blessed Christmas and pray God's Richest Blessings on all of you throughout the new year.