St. James Presbyterian Church

06/08/2026

"Everything Must Change."

Some songs are performed.

Some songs are lived.

In this special music offering from St. James Presbyterian Church, before the sermon Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen presents a heartfelt rendition of the modern jazz standard *Everything Must Change.*

Written by Benard Ighner and recorded by generations of jazz artists, the song reflects on one of life's deepest truths: seasons change, circumstances change, and time continues moving forward. Yet within that reality is also hope, resilience, beauty, and the possibility of new beginnings.

Offered on the day of a memorial concert honoring beloved pianist, composer, and educator George Mesterhazy, this performance also carries the spirit of gratitude for friendship, artistry, mentorship, and the enduring gift of music itself.

Whether you know this song well or are hearing it for the first time, take a few moments to listen, reflect, and receive its wisdom.

Everything changes.

Love remains.

Music remains.

The memories remain.

Photo by Mikey Gulcicek, BFA Photographer, FIT.

Please consider supporting our ministry through PayPal. Watch, share, and subscribe.

Rev. Derrick

"Everything Must Change."Some songs are performed.Some songs ar...

06/08/2026

What do spilled milk, a sunset, a good laugh, and a favorite meal have in common?

They might all be hiding something extraordinary.

In this week's *Let the Children Come* message, Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen invites children, youth, families, and all who are young at heart to look a little closer at the world around them. Sometimes the most amazing things are not found in faraway places or big events. Sometimes they are already present in the ordinary moments of everyday life.

Through a surprising image and a simple challenge for the week, this message explores how wonder helps us notice, joy helps us delight, peace helps us rest, blessing helps us receive, fun helps us enjoy, excitement helps us anticipate, and gratitude helps us remember.

What extra-ordinary thing might be waiting for you this week?

Watch together and share a conversation afterward:

What was the most ordinary part of your day?

Did you discover anything extraordinary hiding inside it?

Please consider supporting our ministry through PayPal. Watch, share, and subscribe.

St. James Presbyterian Church
Harlem, NYC

A Church of Faith
A House of Justice
A Pillar of the Black American Journey

https://youtu.be/7jg1KDQ4DUw

06/08/2026

"Everything Must Change."

Before the sermon begins, Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen offers a moving rendition of the classic song *Everything Must Change.* The song becomes more than special music. It becomes a doorway into the Gospel's invitation to see life differently.

We all know change is part of life. Seasons change. Circumstances change. Relationships change. The future arrives whether we are ready or not.

Yet what if change is not the most important part of the story?

What if the deeper question is how we live while life is changing around us?

In the sermon *While We Are Living,* Rev. Dr. McQueen explores the stories of Abraham, Matthew, a woman who has suffered for twelve years, and a young girl whom everyone believed was gone. None of them know what is coming next. They are simply living ordinary lives when God meets them with new possibilities.

This message is an invitation to pay attention, to remain open, and to discover that God's life-giving presence often arrives in the moments we are most tempted to overlook.

It could very well be that the next ordinary thing is already becoming something extraordinary.

The Sermon Companion Guide and bulletin for this service may be found on our website.

Photo by Mikey Gulcicek, BFA Photographer, FIT.

Please consider supporting our ministry through PayPal. Watch, share, and subscribe.

St. James Presbyterian Church
Harlem, NYC

A Church of Faith
A House of Justice
A Pillar of the Black American Journey

"Everything Must Change."Before the sermon begins, Rev. Dr. Derri...

06/08/2026

What if the most important moments of faith happen while we are simply living our lives?

In this worship service from St. James Presbyterian Church, Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen explores the stories of Abraham, Matthew, a woman who has suffered for twelve years, and a young girl whom everyone believed was gone. None of them wake up expecting an extraordinary encounter with God. They are simply living ordinary days.

Yet scripture reminds us that God often arrives in the middle of work, worry, routine, disappointment, grief, and hope. The future rarely announces itself before it arrives. More often, it enters quietly, disguised as an ordinary day.

"While We Are Living" is a sermon about possibility, attentiveness, and the God who continues bringing life into places where others have stopped expecting it.

It could very well be that the next ordinary thing is already becoming something extraordinary.

The Sermon Companion Guide and bulletin for this service may be found on our website.

Please consider supporting our ministry through PayPal. Watch, share, and subscribe.

St. James Presbyterian Church
Harlem, NYC

A Church of Faith
A House of Justice
A Pillar of the Black American Journey

What if the most important moments of faith happen while we are sim...

06/08/2026

Join us for Lectionary Bible Study this Monday from 6:00pm to 7:30pm as we reflect together on the readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

This week’s scriptures invite us to consider promise, endurance, gratitude, compassion, and hope that has been through something. Together we will listen for how God meets us in frail places, strengthens us in difficult times, and sends us into the world with love.

Scripture Readings:
Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19
Genesis 18:1–15; 21:1–7
Romans 5:1–8
Matthew 9:35–10:8 (9–23)

The Bible Study Companion Guide is available on our website. See our Calendar Page for Zoom invite.

All are welcome.

St. James Presbyterian Church
Harlem, NYC
A Church of Faith
A House of Justice
A Pillar of the Black American Journey

06/07/2026

Most of us wake up expecting ordinary days.
A familiar routine.
A conversation.
An errand.
A day like any other.

Yet throughout scripture, God seems to meet people in the middle of ordinary life.

Abraham begins a journey without knowing where it will lead.
A woman reaches through a crowd carrying twelve years of disappointment.
A young girl becomes a witness to God's persistent commitment to life.
What if the extraordinary is already closer than we thinkWhat if grace is already present in the life we are living?

Join us this Sunday as we explore how God continues bringing life, hope, and possibility into ordinary days.

Visit our website for worship information, the bulletin, and Sermon Companion Guide.

Please consider supporting our ministry through PayPal.

Photo Below take RedKup.

06/02/2026

What if one of the great challenges of our time is not simply that we are busy, but that we are always waiting for what comes next?

The next responsibility.
The next solution.
The next season.
The next piece of news.

The ancient Teacher of Ecclesiastes observed this tendency long ago and arrived at a surprising wisdom: we often spend so much time preparing for life that we overlook the life already unfolding around us.

Join Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen and the St. James Presbyterian Church Prayer Break Gathering this Tuesday from 5:00–5:30 PM as we reflect on Ecclesiastes 2:16–26 and consider what it means to live faithfully in an age of perpetual anticipation.

Together we will pause, pray, and make space to notice the gifts, relationships, and moments of grace that so often pass by unnoticed in the rush toward tomorrow.

Visit our Meditations page for this week's reflection and Zoom information. If this ministry has been meaningful to you, we also welcome your support as we continue creating spaces for prayer, reflection, and community.

We look forward to gathering with you.

06/02/2026

What does it mean to trust God when the future is unclear?

In this week's Lectionary Bible Study, we explore stories of people who are called, challenged, healed, and transformed while living through the ordinary realities of life.

Abram leaves everything familiar without knowing where the journey will lead. Matthew rises from his tax booth and follows Jesus. A grieving father seeks hope for his daughter. A woman who has suffered for years reaches toward healing.

Together, these ancient texts invite us to reflect on trust, promise, hope, and faithful response.

Join Rev. Derrick McQueen, Ph.D., and a diverse community of participants from across the United States and beyond as we engage scripture through conversation, historical context, theological reflection, and shared discovery.

Whether you are a pastor, church leader, lifelong student of scripture, or simply curious about the Bible, you are welcome at the table.

What stands out to you in these readings? Share your reflections in the comments.

St. James Presbyterian Church
Harlem, NYC

A Church of Faith
A House of Justice
A Pillar of the Black American Journey

Watch, share, and subscribe.

What does it mean to trust God when the future is unclear?In this...

06/01/2026

Join us for worship from St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC, for Trinity Sunday, Year A.

What if the deepest mystery of our faith is not how God exists, but why God keeps wanting to be with us?

Through scripture, prayer, music, and proclamation, this service explores a God who delights in creation, crosses distances to draw near to humanity, and gathers people into communion. From the wonder of Psalm 8, to the beauty of Genesis, to Christ's promise on a mountain in Galilee, we are invited into a deeper understanding of relationship, community, and grace.

Rev. Derrick McQueen, Ph. D. preaches:
**"And Still They Worshiped"**
Matthew 28:16–20

Watch, pray, worship, and share.

The bulletin and Sermon Companion Guide for this service may be found on our website.

Please consider supporting the ministries of St. James through PayPal.

St. James Presbyterian Church
Harlem, New York
Watch. Share. Subscribe.

Join us for worship from St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC...

06/01/2026

What happens when worship leads us to the mountain, only to send us back into the world carrying a promise?

This special presentation combines our Trinity Sunday Special Music and sermon proclamation.

Featuring:
**"Lord, Don't Move This Mountain"**
by Doris Akers and Mahalia Jackson

Followed by the sermon:
**"And Still They Worshiped"**
by Rev. Derrick McQueen, Ph. D.

Together, the music and message explore faith that continues even when every question has not been answered, a God who keeps drawing near, and a Church that has carried hope from one generation to the next.

If you have ever wondered how faith survives uncertainty, how worship lives alongside doubt, or why people continue gathering in community, this message is for you.

The bulletin and Sermon Companion Guide for this service may be found on our website.

Please consider supporting the ministries of St. James through PayPal.

Watch. Share. Subscribe.

What happens when worship leads us to the mountain, only to send us back into the world carrying a promise?This special presentation combines our Trinity Sun...