Park Avenue Christian Church dually aligns with UCC

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Park Avenue Christian Church dually aligns with UCC

> Written by Jeff Woodard
> June 7, 2011

A symbolic culmination of its long history of affiliation and 
cooperation with the United Church of Christ, the 400-member Park 
Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in New York City has 
dually aligned with the UCC.

"Park Avenue is the first church of its size to be dually aligned 
with the Disciples," says the Rev. Rita Root, UCC New York Conference 
Interim Minister. "For this to happen in New York City and to have it 
be the historic Park Avenue - it's really exciting."

The congregation's decision was announced May 7 at the New York 
Metropolitan Association spring meeting.

"It's especially exciting for it to be Park Avenue because of its 
historic commitment to justice, as well as its history within New 
York City," adds Root.

Root says she is hopeful that the alignment will serve as a pilot 
that will be implemented in other geographic areas. "In the western 
part of our Conference, we have the Western Region, where all UCC and 
DOC churches are in covenant together. We are very committed to 
ecumenical work and being a ministry with our denomination partners."

The Rev. Alvin Jackson, senior pastor at Park Avenue for the past 
five years, said, "It's a little unique for a church to seek a 
secondary affiliation after having a long tradition in one 
denomination. Our church brings 200 years of history into this new 
alignment, and we are looking forward to more of the same from other churches."

Jackson cited Park Avenue's long working relationship with the UCC's 
Broadway, Riverside and Judson Memorial Churches in New York City as 
being a key to the new alignment.

"And we have conversations going with number of other Disciples 
pastors and leaders in the area," adds Jackson. "We are facilitating 
conversations in hopes of further alignment."

Dual alignment is more common, says Root, in the upstate region of 
the New York Conference.
"We have a number of dual alignments where we have smaller churches," 
she says. "When you're in a small community, it just makes sense. 
It's not uncommon for us to have alignments of UCC/Disciples, 
UCC/Baptists or UCC/Methodists."

One notable exception to that rule is the larger, historic Riverside 
Church, which is also aligned with the Baptists in New York City.

A tangible sign of Park Avenue's affinity for the UCC was its 
decision to purchase both the DOC Chalice Hymnal and the UCC New 
Century Hymnal for worship. In addition, both DOC and UCC symbols are 
on the masthead of Park Avenue's web site.

While just now coming to fruition, the alignment first came under 
consideration by Park Avenue in the 1990s. The Rev. John Wade Payne, 
then senior pastor at Park Avenue, served on the Ecumenical 
Partnership Committee (UCC/DOC). Church elders met with UCC officials 
to explore dual alignment during a time when Park Avenue was actively 
marginalized by other DOC churches in the region in response to the 
church's ordaining openly gay candidates for ministry.

For more information about Park Avenue Christian Church, please visit 
<parkavenuechristian.com>.