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| photography by Beccy Lock |
Resurrection Presbyterian Church is a community that exists to celebrate, in word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Williamsburg and throughout the borough of Brooklyn.
Vito Aiuto, Pastor
Resurrection Presbyterian Church
www.resurrectionwilliamsburg.com
718.986.8006.
vito@resurrectionwilliamsburg.com
www.resurrectionwilliamsburg.com |
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Tell us about yourself
I was born and raised in Tecumseh, Michigan, and moved to New Jersey in 1995 to attend seminary. Upon graduation in 1998, I felt called to live and minister in New York City and have since worked in various ministry situations, administering a social justice program of a large church, leading outreach teams to the homeless at New York airports, and working for three years as a campus minister at NYU. In late 2004 my wife and I moved to the Greenpoint/Williamsburg to begin work as a church planter.
Tell us how the church began
One of the exciting things about this church is that it was built upon the desires and prayers of people in this community. Three years ago I became aware of people who were praying for the creation of such a church, and since arriving in Brooklyn I have met many more people who had been asking God to build a church here that could love and serve this community.
Once I arrived we began to hold monthly “Vision Meetings” as well as monthly parties that were open to any and all people in this area. From these meetings, we developed a vision for what kind of church and ministry we would be. Beginning in January 2005 we began to meet weekly for prayer, singing and further development of our vision. In April of 2005 we were recognized as a mission church of the Metro NY Presbytery, and we began to worship weekly at that time.
Tell us about Williamburg and its people
Like most neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Williamsburg is a vibrant community of multiple ethnicities, including Hasidic Jews, Polish, Hispanics and white English-speakers and a few pockets of Italians. During the past 20 years, Williamsburg has experienced the emergence of a substantial artist community, the result of a large influx of artists fleeing the high rents of Manhattan to establish a vibrant community of the arts here in Brooklyn. The area is poised to change yet again, as the city recently passed an ordinance to develop the waterfront property of Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
| ...we made a decision early on that one of our “visions” would to avoid having a vision, in the sense that it could easily be seen as slick, packaged or gimmicky. |
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Define the demographic that your church is seeking to reach
The short answer is that we are seeking to reach English-speakers, primarily due to the fact that I, as the pastor, speak only English. Furthermore, while there are a fair number of Spanish and Polish-speaking churches in this area, there are much fewer English-speaking churches; thus, it is a good fit.
How must the gospel be appropriately contextualized to reach people in Williamsburg?
Two things come to mind: an emphasis on community and an emphasis on service. On community, we are seeking to establish tight networks of friendship and service so that to be a part of this means to be a part of family. The transient nature of life in NYC can be isolating for many people; we believe that to belong to God is to have a place in his family, the church. Regarding service, we understand that for our proclamation of the good news of Jesus to have any legitimacy in this milieu, it must be accompanied by lives that reflect that truth. Skepticism about Christian-ity is often skepticism about the actions of the church. We need our faith to be worked out in word and deed.
Tell us about the vision for your church
Personally, my vision for Resurrection Presbyterian church is stated above, the duality of purpose, as embodied in community and service. That being said, we made a decision early on that one of our “visions” would to avoid having a vision, in the sense that it could easily be seen as slick, packaged or gimmicky. Part of our identity is to not have too much of an identity outside of our identity as a church of Jesus. We don’t want to be a church for artists or singles or young people or hipsters: we just want to be a church, to worship him, and to be a community for him
Even though you are in the beginning stages of your plant, what are some important things you are learning?
That I need to pray more.
| photography by Beccy Lock |
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Has anything surprised you about planting a church in Williamsburg?
Everything and nothing. I’ve never planted a church before, and I’ve never pastored a church before, so it’s all new. Having said that, it’s a lot like I thought it would be. It’s like being married: nobody can tell you what it’s like before you get there, and once you do it is very, very unforeseen and very, very familiar at the same time.
What important challenge are you facing as a new congregation?
The transient nature of New York makes it very difficult for a congregation to build deep roots. We’ve barely been together a year—and have been a real church for only five months—and yet we have experienced turnover as a result of the city’s transience. We have seen many people leave because of moves to new neighborhoods or out of the city. It is frustrating to look around and realize that quite likely many congregants will not be in NYC in five years.
What are the primary ways your congregation seeks to link the gospel with the unchurched?
Through friendships formed with non-believing friends that result in invitations to homegroups and our worship service. We are also planning on enacting programs that will invite non-believers to engage some of the truths of the faith over meals at people’s homes and/or over drinks in local bars. In addition, we may add an occasional Q & A session after the service.
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