A book you need to read.

I just finished reading Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx by Heidi Neumark. If you are going into ministry of any kind, interested in social justice, or just want a good, soul-catching read then you have to buy this book. Here, I’ll give you the link to Amazon’s book page. My friend Stuart lent me his copy, and it was so good that I’m going to order my own copy just to put it on my bookshelf!

Rev. Heidi Neumark is a Lutheran minister who writes her spiritual memoir concerning the 20 years she spent as pastor of Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the South Bronx. She relates intimate stories of her relationships to her parishoners and their often turbulent lives involving drug abuse, sexual/physical abuse, and inner-city violence. Throughout her work, Neumark tells how Transfiguration – once a by-the-wayside church – became a beacon of hope and a force for active social change within the South Bronx community of Prospect Avenue.

I did a little research about Rev. Neumark, and it turns out that she is continuing her amazing ministerial work at a different church now in Manhattan – Trinity Lutheran Church. As a “Reconciling in Christ” church, Trinity openly welcomes with outstretched arms people from the LGBTQ community as full participants in parish life. Neumark is currently the executive director of Trinity Place Shelter which provides safe housing and food for 10 homeless teens who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning who are at a high risk of suicide, HIV/AIDS infection, and hate crimes. The shelter operates as a non-sectarian service and invokes no proselytizing of any kind, although it is sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church. Taken from the shelter’s website: “Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan laments that mainstream religious bodies have been slow and reluctant to recognize and treat persons who identify as LGBTQ with full acceptance and respect. We are aware that LGBTQ persons are often treated with outright condemnation by those who cite religious reasons for their actions. Knowing that churches have contributed to this pain and oppression, we hope to contribute to liberation and healing through Trinity Place Shelter.”

Isn’t that the true hope and dream of the Gospel?