Mission to the World

Once a year, during the last week of August and the first week of September, the eyes of the sporting world are gazing on Queens. Of course, whe I say "world," I mean world. Tennis is one of the most international of all professional sports, partly due to the individual nature of tennis, and partly due to the worldwide appeal of the sport.
During this period, the New York Mets always schedule a road trip to keep traffic and transit congestion under control. Shea Stadium is literally across the street from the USTA Tennis Center and share the same station on the subway.

While the entire world descending on Queens is not generally remarkable, as this happens every day here as the most diverse single county in the United States, I alwals like the fact that so many people visiting from all over get the chance to discover that there's more to New York City than Manhattan.

Queens represents an alternate view of foreign missions. Typically the approach taken by many is to leave American soil to venture out into the world with the Gospel. In Queens, you remain on American soil and the world comes to you. It's an interesting twist on the traditional model.
As a young church plant, Ascension Church is classified a "mission church" until it is financially solvent and has its own elected officers. From where I stand, Ascension, as a church planted in Queens will always be a "Missions" church by virtue of it's location. Pray that this church always remain true to its evangelistic placement and opportunity.

One other newsworthy item worth noting. For the last few days there has been a taxi strike going on in New York City. While one of the reasons for the strike is the cost of installing credit card readers for passenger use, the other is the Taxi and Limousine Commission's plan to install GPS navigation devices in the cars. Drivers complain that they will be tracked and watched as in a "Big Brother" secnario. I've been a passenger in a NYC cab before and found myself wondering how great it would be if the driver actually knew where he was going. I say, install the GPS so I can hail a cab in Midtown without having to convince the driver that he doesn't need a passport or visa to get to Queens! Maybe it's just me.