Celebrating Reverend Schaper’s retirement at Judson Church
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Judson Memorial Church celebrated
Donna Schaper as senior
pastor, this past weekend
with two days of remembrances
and acknowledgments. After 15
years at Judson, Rev. Schaper is
retiring.
On Saturday, Judson members
held an outdoor Thompson
Street party, with masks and on
Sunday, Rev. Schaper attended to
her last Sunday service as senior
pastor, followed by two hours of
tributes. For the fi rst time since
the March 2020 New York Pause,
congregants were in person inside
Judson’s renowned sanctuary.
Local electeds spoke; State
Senator Brad Hoylman and Boro
President Gale Brewer provided
Proclamations. Statements sent
via video from Rev. Shernell
Stilley of the United Church of
Christ and Rev. Cheryl Dudley
of American Baptist Churches
underscored Rev. Schaper’s contributions.
Former Minister at
Judson Rev. Michael Ellick (2007-
2014) and current Minister Rev.
Micah Bucey also sent video messages.
The recorded service and
At the Farewell, Donna Celebration! service at Judson, her
final presence as senior pastor at JMC.
event are viewable on YouTube.
For Suzanne Dickerson, Village
resident and 35-year congregant,
Rev. Schaper’s immigration
advocacy resonated with her
particularly the efforts to bring
back her friend Jean Montrevil
after he was deported.
Dickerson points out, “Donna
is completely dedicated to Judson’s
three missions—faith, social
justice and art. She’s very spiritual,
and she has a great sense of
humor.”
On a personal note, Dickerson
loved having a minister with
whom she completely related— a
woman about her age with a family.
Donna was a confi dant and
a source of comfort to her when
Dickerson experienced family
losses.
Keen Berger tells that, “I was
on the search committee that
chose Donna, hoping she would
lead in a progressive way. And she
did. She is a radical leader.”
A decades-long Judson
member, responding to Ronald
Regan’s election, Berger joined
Judson to connect with likeminded
progressive people.
Among the many things instituted
under Donna’s tenure,
Donna fertilized the ground
from which the New Sanctuary
Coalition formed and grew; as opposed
to sick calls to congregants,
Donna instituted wellness calls
to get to know church members
and ask what were their concerns.
And Donna was dedicated to having
the church be more inclusive
including sexual orientation,
people of color, and reaching
people with whom one don’t
always agree. Living by example,
Donna’s husband, history professor
Warren Goldstein is Jewish.
Donna also instituted the Community
Ministry program from
which over 100, mostly seminarians,
have participated.
Rev. Schaper fi nal service included
the UCC ritual for ending
an authorized ministry.
This ritual epitomizes how
the church needs to look to the
future. “We should not hang on
to her and she should not hang
on to us. It’s a hard stop,” says
Berger, explaining how this leaves
the path open, fresh, for the next
person. “We are about to start he
search process.”
A transition minister will join
during the interim until the new
one begins in one year.
As a parting gift “for Donna,
from Donna, for Judson, from
Judson,” the church began in her
name, an Open Access & Innovation
Fund and has so far, received
$45, 150.
Donna received a few person
gifts and then even her husband
Warren was bestowed a gift, a
chef’s hat for his cooking and
contributions to the church
community.
“Over the last 15 years, I’ve
had a ringside seat to the pastor
to a lifetime,” Warren said as he
revealed how her stint at Judson
is more than double of any of the
previous six assignments in her
39-year pastoral career.
Warren refl ected on how Donna
recognized the great challenge
of the job in such a big city where
the need was so great and the
congregation was extraordinary.
Struggling New Yorkers could get a piece of
$2.7 billion in rent assistance, Cuomo says
BY MARK HALLUM
New Yorkers who may still
be struggling to make
ends meet could get some
help from Albany which plans to
pay out from a $2.7 billion pot,
with applications opening up
June 1.
The state Offi ce of Temporary
and Disability Assistance will be
doling out the funds through the
Emergency Rental Assistance
Program which could provide
people with enough money to
cover 12 months of past-due
rent, three months of prospective
rental assistance and 12 months
of utility arrears payments.
Governor Andrew Cuomo
expects the funds to serve anywhere
from 170,000 and 200,000
households
“New Yorkers and small businesses
in every corner of the State
were devastated by the pandemic,
and as we continue to recover and
rebuild we need to make sure they
have the resources they need get
back on their feet and succeed
in a new, reimagined economy,”
Cuomo said in a statement. “This
critical funding will help ensure
New Yorkers who are experiencing
fi nancial hardship through no fault
of their own will not be thrown
onto the streets, while also providing
stability for small businesses so
they can help play a role in New
York’s economic resurgence.”
The funds are geared toward
people who may be at risk of
becoming homeless or may be
experiencing housing instability
as long as they earn less than 80%
of the area’s median income.
Within the fi rst 30 days, those
who are unemployed, have an income
at or below 50% of the AMI
and other vulnerable populations
will be prioritized; but after that
period, anybody who qualifi es can
apply depending on the availability
of remaining funds, according
to the administration.
Under the program, landlords
will be required to waive any fees
relating to late payments, while
only under limited circumstances
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
will the tenant be legally subject
to rent hikes or evictions. The
administration, however, did not
expand on those details.
The majority of the funds are
from federal assistance to the
state, likely through the American
Rescue Plan.
There is an additional fund for
businesses experiencing hardship
as well due to the pandemic,
according to the governor.
Starting June 10, $800 million
will be parsed out small businesses,
for-profi t independent
arts and cultural organizations
in $50,000 grants and can be
used for payroll, rent, mortgage
payments, taxes, utilities and
personal protective equipment.
The state says that 330,000
small businesses are eligible
along with 57% of the state’s
certifi ed women and minorityowned
businesses.
In order for a business to be
eligible, annual gross receipts for
2019 will need to be presented
to the state which will determine
whether or not proprietors receive
between $5,000 or $50,000.
Losses also have to have been
incurred between March 1, 2020
and April 1, 2021.
4 May 27, 2021 Schneps Media