Our Community
Diversity has a host of meanings at PSUMC. Diversity means “straight and gay, black and white, old and young, rich and poor,” the words of our Creed. It also means diversity of theological expressions.
Our church sits in the geographic center of one of the most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods in New York City. As a community, Park Slope is widely known for being tolerant and progressive, rich in its variety of family structures, forward-looking institutions, and politically active residents.
PSUMC’s congregation reflects the Park Slope neighborhood, particularly the wave of newcomers of the last 20 years. Most people attending Sunday service are under 60, and many are under 40. Occupations include lawyers, teachers, church/non‑profit management and support staff, social workers, theater people, artists, graduate students, self‑employed house cleaners and dog‑walkers.
Persons of many economic levels and ethnicities worship together each Sunday, including African American, Asian, Hispanic and White persons. The congregation includes couples and singles, families and children. There is a substantial lesbian and gay membership. A significant number of congregants are interfaith and interracial couples and families. Members tend to be progressive and many are active in political and social causes.
It is unlikely that there are many churches as heterogeneous in their beliefs as PSUMC. Worship at PSUMC has its foundations in traditional Christology but with an appreciation of other religions’ sacred texts; concern for the ecological dimensions of the creation and planet; an awareness of the tenets of Liberation Theology; and a critique of patriarchal religion and hierarchy. Diversity means reflecting both feminine and masculine images of God, heard each Sunday in our church as we start the Lord’s prayer with “Our Mother and Our Father who art in heaven.”
Our laity
helps to define the worship experience with a very high level of congregational
involvement. In addition, a worship committee takes responsibility for
recruiting members of the congregation to plan the services and serve as the
liturgist and preacher during the weeks the pastor is away on vacation. Fellowship circles provide
intimacy, support and education in small groups.
We start our faith journeys in various places. While some
members are life‑long Methodists, others arrive
from diverse religious backgrounds, including Roman Catholicism, Judaism, other
Protestant denominations, and in at least one case, Islam.
PSUMC embraces a “wide table” approach -- there is room for all.