How the People were Saved
On Tuesday evening, at the height of the evening rush, the Roosevelt Island Tram experienced a power surge and failure that brought the only operating commuter tramway in North America to a halt. A trip that averages between five and ten minutes became an ordeal lasting several hours. Police, Fire, and Emergency personnel struggled to find a way to rescue the approximately 70 stranded passengers in the two cable cars, one of which hovered over York Ave. in Manhattan, while the other hung hundreds of feet above the waters of the East River. 
After six hours, officials determined that there was only one way that the people might be saved. A small police basket with an independent, diesel-powered engine could travel along the cables and take a limited number of people safely to either side. There were no other options, and not everyone could fit into the basket. After twelve hours, the whole thing was over and the tram is currently grounded pending further investigation into the problem.
Yes, I know this is a bit of New York City current events, but this story is rich with sermon illustration possibilities. I'll have to remember this one for the next time I preach at the church.
I know most of you are wondering how our Easter service went, especially in light of our public launch on Palm Sunday. Considering that we meet at 4:00 in the afternoon and it was Easter after all, we are pleased to acknowledge that our attendence was still larger that our pre-launch average and we can certainly give praise to God for his continued blessings in the life of Ascension Presbyterian Church. Here, Michael and I are involved in the set-up of the library in preparation for the worship service. Following worship, we had a great potluck dinner at Michael's home.
We also had a wonderful, Good Friday service in the library followed by a catered dinner. It was a rainy day, but several people came and it was a wonderful time of fellowship and worship. Our Passover Seder was also a great outreach function and the Messianic Rabbi did a stellar job of demonstrating how the Passover points us to Christ.
I know several of you are anxious to get my prayer letter in the mail, but I've been waiting to report with more detail to you, news of our launch and follow-up. At the moment, I plan to put together a letter next week to share such details with many of you on my mailing list. We are most thankful for your continued prayers.
On Tuesday evening, at the height of the evening rush, the Roosevelt Island Tram experienced a power surge and failure that brought the only operating commuter tramway in North America to a halt. A trip that averages between five and ten minutes became an ordeal lasting several hours. Police, Fire, and Emergency personnel struggled to find a way to rescue the approximately 70 stranded passengers in the two cable cars, one of which hovered over York Ave. in Manhattan, while the other hung hundreds of feet above the waters of the East River. 
After six hours, officials determined that there was only one way that the people might be saved. A small police basket with an independent, diesel-powered engine could travel along the cables and take a limited number of people safely to either side. There were no other options, and not everyone could fit into the basket. After twelve hours, the whole thing was over and the tram is currently grounded pending further investigation into the problem.
Yes, I know this is a bit of New York City current events, but this story is rich with sermon illustration possibilities. I'll have to remember this one for the next time I preach at the church.
I know most of you are wondering how our Easter service went, especially in light of our public launch on Palm Sunday. Considering that we meet at 4:00 in the afternoon and it was Easter after all, we are pleased to acknowledge that our attendence was still larger that our pre-launch average and we can certainly give praise to God for his continued blessings in the life of Ascension Presbyterian Church. Here, Michael and I are involved in the set-up of the library in preparation for the worship service. Following worship, we had a great potluck dinner at Michael's home.We also had a wonderful, Good Friday service in the library followed by a catered dinner. It was a rainy day, but several people came and it was a wonderful time of fellowship and worship. Our Passover Seder was also a great outreach function and the Messianic Rabbi did a stellar job of demonstrating how the Passover points us to Christ.
I know several of you are anxious to get my prayer letter in the mail, but I've been waiting to report with more detail to you, news of our launch and follow-up. At the moment, I plan to put together a letter next week to share such details with many of you on my mailing list. We are most thankful for your continued prayers.
posted by Jack at 7:18 AM
1 Comments:
Jack,
I am happy to hear that the launch was successful. Oh, yeah! Nice picture too. New York is treating you well, brother.
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