New York Trip Recap!
On Wednesday, October 20, the CPIs (Church Plant Interns) emerged from a subway station into the hustle and bustle of a New York City morning, dwarfed by the surrounding high-rises and welcomed by the Gracepoint NYC team and boxes of delicious char siu buns.
The CPIs gather around to meet the Gracepoint NYC team.
Pastor Manny, who had arrived in New York City earlier with his wife Sunny (not pictured), introduces the CPIs to the Gracepoint NYC team.
The NYC team consists of only three couples: Andrew and Priscella, Jesse and Erika, and Daniel and Hallie. They took us on a short tour of the city, starting from a distant view of the famous Statue of Liberty, through the Financial District, to the 9/11 Memorial.
On a short tour of New York City, we stopped by New York Harbor. Behind us, in the distance, was the Statue of Liberty.
Reaching out to NYU students
In the afternoon, the CPIs split into two groups — one to New York University’s Manhattan campus and the other to its Brooklyn campus — to spread the word about a Bible study taking place that evening. I was part of the group going to the Manhattan campus, and we spread out in Washington Square Park, a common hangout space where NYU students blend into the multitude of locals and tourists and where the nearby NYU buildings are distinguished only by violet flags displaying the university’s logo. There, I helped distribute flyers that the NYC team had made to promote the event.
Andrew (bottom right) leads a small group of CPIs in the direction of a fountain at the center of Washington Square Park.
A Bible study in Manhattan
In the evening, those of us who were on the Manhattan campus gathered on the sixth floor of a building a few blocks from the campus. We were soon joined by four new NYU students, some of whom we had met earlier that day while handing out flyers! We sat in circles on an assortment of chairs, chatting and munching on New York pizza. After a fun icebreaker, Pastor Manny gave a message, explaining three things that are essential for happiness.
We chat in circles at the venue of the Manhattan Bible study.
Pastor Manny starts his message on happiness.
At the end of a long day
Later, we met up with the CPIs who had gone to the Brooklyn campus at Times Square, finding ourselves surrounded by enormous panels, their bright lights flashing above the closed retail stores contrasting with the night sky above us. After saying goodbye to the NYC team, we walked to the nearest train station and took a train to New Jersey where we were hosted for the night by the Gracepoint New Brunswick team, which serves Rutgers University.
We regrouped at Times Square before heading to New Jersey for the night.
Tickets mark our seats during the train ride to New Brunswick.
The CPIs raise their hands to indicate that they’re part of the large group traveling to New Brunswick.
Walking through the past
The next morning, we had a breakfast provided by the New Brunswick team at one of the homes before rushing off to catch a train back to New York City. Then, we spent two hours at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, but those two hours felt too short. I spent most of the time in the historical exhibit, which took me through a moment-by-moment account of what happened on September 11, 2001. As I walked past the broken fragments of the Twin Towers and the personal items that gave me glimpses of various lifetimes, I was struck by how an event that occurred when I was only a one-year-old unfolded into reality.
White roses mark the names on the 9/11 Memorial on birthdays.
Another day, another campus
We got to see the members of the NYC team one more time for lunch before taking a train from New York City to Stony Brook on Long Island. We were picked up from the train station by members of the Gracepoint Stony Brook team, who took us to Stony Brook University and gave us a short tour of the campus. The slow-paced suburban campus was a shift from the fast-paced urban campus we had seen the previous day in New York City. After the tour, we spread out on campus to spread the word about a Bible study taking place the next day. When the sun set, we got to know the Stony Brook team better over Chinese noodle soup and boba. In a large circle, we exchanged stories, and the CPIs got to share from what had happened that day and the day before. That night, we took yet another train to New York City where we boarded a red-eye train back to Boston.
The members of the Stony Brook team take the CPIs on a tour of the Stony Brook University campus.
Memories of New York
And that was the trip the CPIs took to New York! Looking back, we were amazed by how much we had accomplished in just the two days that we were in New York. I’m thankful that I got to take part in the NYC team’s mission to reach the students at NYU and in the Stony Brook team’s mission to reach the students at Stony Brook University and that I got to know the members of these teams better through the process. I’m also thankful for the hospitality of the New Brunswick team. I hope for a chance to visit New York again!
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