Parking in Queens

This entry may fall flat on my readers outside New York City so it might bear some fleshing out. Most of the homes and apartment buildings in my neighborhood were constructed before cars played such a major role in American life. My building in particular was built in 1931 when the automobile was a luxury item for the wealthy of which there were select few during the Depression. In 2006, however, parking in my neighborhood is at a premium. The problem is so pronounced that when I get home after 6:oo pm, it's not unusual for me to drive around for a half an hour looking for a spot within reasonable distance of my building.

Parking being what it is (NYC drivers will appreciate this), when I find a good spot, when I have a place I need to go, I jump through hoops to avoid driving there if I can walk for fear of loosing my precious parking spot.

Do you see the irony here? We want easy access to our cars and promptly avoid the advantage that very access provides. I use my car every day, but if I didn't, the city steps in by forcing cars to move for a few hours one day each week to send in the street sweepers. Were this not the case, I'm convinced that people with the best parking spaces would be content to let their cars rot and rust where they are rather than give up their spot.

In some sense, you could say Ascension Presbyterian Church has the best parking spot in Queens. We found parking right in the heart of central Queens. Unlike parked cars, however, we have sought to take full advantage of our parking job. We have been all about movement since we launched back in the Spring. Our ministries have grown and we still look for opportunities to keep moving. There is no advantage to simply rest on our prime location and suffer the spiritual rust that complacency brings. What good is a great spot if you don't use the car?