Park Avenue Christian Church

06/07/2026

Pride Sunday Worship at Park Avenue Christian Church

06/05/2026

June 7: Pride Sunday

This is a very special Sunday in the life of our church! We’ve switched up our usual Pride Sunday rhythm from celebrating on the day of the march to kicking off Pride month, together. We’re inviting the broader community to worship and fellowship with us as we bring guests who will offer direct service to people in need. Listen closely in upcoming worship services for more details.

Matthew 13:31–35 (see https://tinyurl.com/pacc-scripture-060726)

Proof

Jesus tells two short parables about the realm of the heavens: a mustard seed sown in a field and yeast mixed into flour. Both images begin quite small. The seed grows into shelter while the yeast works through the whole batch. Jesus is teaching the crowd to recognize God’s realm in hidden processes that may already be happening before it can be perceived. The proof of God’s movement can sometimes rise quietly.

Questions for Worship Preparation:

- Where might God be growing something in your life that still looks small?
- What hidden work have you dismissed because it does not yet look finished?
- What would it mean to trust the proof of God’s presence before the full result appears?

06/05/2026

🌈✨ Somewhere along the way, many were told they had to hide parts of themselves to belong.

💜 This Sunday, we tell a different story.

A story where every beloved child of God is welcomed. 🤲🏽 Where love becomes action. ❤️‍🔥 Where dignity is honored, diversity is celebrated, and community is built one open door at a time. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✨

Join us for worship 🙏🏽, music 🎶, brunch 🥂, and a joyful reminder that you are not merely accepted—you are cherished. 💖

🌈 Beloved.
✨ Created.
💜 Called.
🎉 Celebrated.

🗓 Sunday, June 7 | 11 AM
📍 1010 Park Ave & E 85th St

06/03/2026

“We Carry This” – a United Church of Christ by The Rev. Kaji Douša

[Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you that are weary… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28a, 30 (NRSV)

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” Jesus said. Then what’s that on my back?

A number of people I meet imagine that faith means less work and strain. But that wasn’t Jesus’s promise. He said we would not carry it alone.

A yoke is a shared means of bearing responsibility. It’s designed so that the weight is distributed, so that no single body absorbs all the strain. When Jesus speaks of a yoke, Jesus is speaking about companionship with a shared direction.

That means some of what you are carrying right now may not be yours to carry by yourself. Some of what feels heavy may be a sign that the work is holy but you need to find someone you can entrust to share the load.

Part of spiritual maturity is building a spirit of discernment that reveals who to celebrate with and who to collaborate with, too. They may not be the same person. Your spirit of discernment can reveal who to struggle with and who to trust with what God is doing in you.

God will give you appropriate companions for your walk. Some of the work is learning to recognize them. The rest of the work may just be healing enough to let them do it.

Jesus’s yoke is easy because it comes with provision, presence and people. So if you’re collapsing? The first thing to do is to figure out why. Asking those questions will shape you, alongside others who can carry the yoke beside you. Someone else, in other words, is going through their own expression of the same thing.

If you are carrying too much, pause and ask: is this Jesus’s yoke, something I picked up alone, or something someone else dumped on me? Who might God already be placing next to me?

Prayer
God of shared strength, help me to recognize the yoke you offer and the companions you provide. Teach me to carry what is mine, and to trust others – and especially you – with the rest. Amen.

The “StillSpeaking Daily Devotional” series is produced by The United Church of Christ: https://www.ucc.org/daily-devotional/

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

Fear tells you to hold on tighter 🤲🏾

God invites you to open your hands ✨

What you own can never save you.
What you hide will never heal you.
What owns you can never free you. 🕊️

- "The Lies That Bind" by The Rev. Kaji Douša

05/31/2026

Trinity Sunday

05/29/2026

May 31

This Sunday, our sanctuary will be transformed as the young people of our partnering dance program: Manhattan Ballet and Movement Center, presents their Spring Concert: Sleeping Beauty. We pray that you will join us after worship for the matinee performance. (See our website for more details).

Acts 5:1–11 https://tinyurl.com/pacc-scripture-053126

How We Respond to What God Gives

Acts 5 tells a difficult story about Ananias and Sapphira, a story set inside the shared life of the early church. Trust becomes a problem. In Acts 4, believers share what they have so that no one among them is in need. Giving becomes part of the church’s witness. Then Acts 5 shows what happens when generosity is performed without honesty. Ananias and Sapphira want the appearance of full participation while holding back the truth. This text asks a searching question of every community formed by the Spirit: when God gives us life, belonging, resources, and responsibility, how do we respond with integrity?

Questions for Worship Preparation:

- What has God placed in your hands that is meant to serve life beyond you?
- Where are you tempted to manage appearances instead of telling the truth?
- What would faithful giving look like if it began with honesty, trust, and shared responsibility?

05/26/2026

🌈✨ Come as you are. Leave reminded that you are deeply loved.

On June 7, we’re gathering for a joyful Pride Celebration filled with worship, brunch, music, healing, and community at Park Avenue Christian Church. 💒🥂🎶

Bring your whole self. Your joy. Your questions. Your sparkle. God already delights in who you are. 🌈💖

11AM Worship
1010 Park Ave @ E 85th St

Plus: Pride Brunch 🍽️ + Free confidential health screenings & supplies 🩺✨

05/25/2026

Yesterday’s Pentecost worship service felt like holy fire and home all at once ❤️🔥🕊️

Dressed in red beneath stained glass and sacred song, we were reminded of ’s powerful words: “There’s divinity in difference.” Pentecost was never about everyone becoming the same — it was about the Spirit moving so deeply that people could finally hear one another with love.

Grateful for a community that celebrates every voice, every story, and every shade of grace ✨❤️