INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE chapter 112

As I was beginning my third year in ministry I was invited to serve on the International Christian Education Committee. While I was very honored I was smart enough to know it had nothing to do with my great ministry accomplishments and everything to do with it being an “International Committee.” They needed someone from Canada and at the time I was the only paid Christian Education person in Canada. I love saying I was the best CE person in the Canadian Alliance. It helps when you are the only one. I did wonder if they remembered that I was an American?

The committee met twice times a year for three day each at our headquarters at 260 W. 44^th Street, New York, NY. Still don’t know why I rmeme3ber that. address I can’t even remember the addresses of all the homes we had.

I had no idea what the committee was about — CE stuff, I was told. But my heart was 100% into youth ministry now and I had things I wanted to say. I needed to straighten out LIFE.

I had traveled very little in my life. As a kid we only went to visit relatives. I had that one big college choir trip with the school choir through western. Then there was our honeymoon. Now I was headed to New York City flying into JFK airport.

I had thought someone would meet me, small town thinking. I was to catch the bus to Grand Central Station. From there I was to take a cab to The Madison Hotel and be at the headquarters office for a 9:00 a.m. meeting.

Arriving alone in New York was overwhelming, but everything worked out and I ended up at the right place and was in my room by 8:30 p.m. As I looked out the window I could see the street below lined with big black limos. I don’t remember what show was playing, but the limos were dumping their contents at the St. James Theater right below. There was limo after limo. I had only seen a limo on TV before, but there were dozens below me. The men were mostly in tuxedos and the women in gowns and fur coats. I laughed. It wasn’t even cold.

I watched the traffic for a while and decided I needed to see this stuff up close and in person so descended to the street. I watched the last of the cars deposit their payload and then headed up the street toward the bright lights. One long block away was Broadway. To my right was Tomes Square and hundreds of open businesses to my left. I went left through the throngs of people. Nearly every corner had a street musician and a small crowd gathered to listen. There were so many people I had to push through at times.

When I reached Macy’s I returned on the other side of the street. There were enough lights to appear to be daylight. At the base of Times Square was 42^nd Street. All I knew about that street I learned from Natalie Wood in “The Miracle on 42^nd.” It was brighter than Broadway. I turned right. There were plenty of lights and signs everywhere, but no window displays. I had passed a few stores on 42^nd before I realized I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. This was “sin” city, one long block of porn store after porn store. Everything was XXX rated. There were more policemen on that block that I thought might even work for the City of Saskatoon. There were also the “women of ill repute leaning against buildings.  When I got to the other end of the block, I turned back and just stared at the muddle of humanity. All kinds. I could not believe what I had just seen and just walked through. It was all right there in the open. I didn’t know a place like that existed. I barely went to movies at that point in my life. Nothing seemed to be hidden. Our headquarters was only a block away. The old Tabernacle where Albert Benjamin Simpson had begun the C&MA was just one block down Madison. I could not believe my eyes.

I went to the headquarters the next morning and met the rest of the committee. It was not the Christian Education Committee but a sub-committee on youth ministry. Great. This was even better. Just where I wanted to be. Since Mrs. Weidman was still the International CE Director, I wondered what Miss A had to do with my appointment, if anything.

After introductions and facing the reality that the youngest member of the committee was me and the next one was at least 20 years older, they got down to business. The first order was introductions and to tell the newcomer (me) exactly where we were and what was all around us. We were located in an extremely danger part of the city. It was not safe to be out alone at night (whoops). One of the guys offered to stay a little later and show me around. With the two of us, I would be safe.

I kept my mouth shut about my previous excursion and took him up on his offer. We left for the tour at about 8:00 p.m.