What We Do
Engaging the Business Community
Individual pastoral care and spiritual direction for business leaders is the focus of this segment of the New York Fellowship ministry. Scores of men’s and women’s Bible study groups have been initiated throughout New York City and the tri-state area. Dinner groups meet regularly at the New York Fellowship Hospitality House on East 32nd Street. The New York Fellowship also helps with leadership of The New Canaan Society, a weekly men's study group of 250 in Connecticut. In collaboration with the New York Fellowship, the NCS Manhattan Chapter with 100 men was founded.
Developing Leaders
Dozens of college-age men, women, and seminarians have spent time with the New York Fellowship – from one summer to a few years – to develop their spiritual growth and service to the poor. After their tenure, they move forward to develop projects and ministries in many locations. Alumni include pastors of churches, the director of a Midwest foundation for abandoned boys, the founder of a ministry for homeless men in Nashville, a physician's assistant who serves the poor in the third world, and a director who went on to run faith-based initiatives for the Bush Administration, among many others.
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Supporting Diplomats & Public Officials
New York City’s unique access to world leaders at the United Nations provides countless opportunities for hosting foreign diplomats who return to their countries with the Christian message – where it is often suppressed. As an extension of this work, the New York Fellowship participates in the National Prayer Breakfast movement in Washington, D.C., hosting a dinner for UN and US ambassadors. We have had seasons of regular luncheons with UN ambassadors in New York. In addition, the NYF helped initiate the Annual Governor and First Lady's Prayer Breakfast in Albany, N.Y, where attendance grew from 1,000 to 2,000 attendees over 10 years.
Counselling in Crisis
In the wake of the September 11th attacks, New York Fellowship Director B.J. Weber spent countless days at the family grief center established at the N.Y. Armory, just a few blocks from the NYF Hospitality House. Prayer and spiritual support were offered on a daily basis to NYC firefighters as they struggled with the trauma of their losses. The New York Fellowship maintains a spirit of availability allowing us to respond immediately to emergencies — from helping a young mother of four who suddenly found herself widowed to providing emergency counseling to a marriage reeling in crisis.
Serving Athletes
From 1980 to 2001, B.J. Weber spent many Sunday mornings speaking at chapel services for the NY Mets, NY Giants, NY Jets, as well as other visiting competitors. For more than a dozen years, he served as Chaplain for the New York Yankees. For more than a decade, BJ was a board member of Baseball Chapel, Inc, helping to organize the national planning strategy for Baseball Chapel programs throughout the country. His personal friendships with many pro athletes continue to open up unique doors while creating opportunities for players to share their testimonies of faith.
Caring for Urban Kids
Motivated by the success of the Chicago Little League founded by Bob Muzikowski, the New York Fellowship assisted a coalition of volunteers to launch the first chartered Little League team in Harlem in 25 years. Hundreds of underprivileged children now participate free of charge. New York Fellowship’s initiatives with organizations and churches resulted in the development of tutoring, vacation Bible school, camping opportunities, and field trips for these East Harlem children. For about 10 years the New York Fellowship operated an annual Kids-To-Camp Scholarship campaign which provided urban kids with sleep-away camp where they learned about how a relationship with God can sustain them in the challenges of their lives.
Leading Retreats
The New York Fellowship provides leadership for the New Canaan Society’s weekend men's retreats both regionally and nationally. The New York Fellowship also hosts monastic retreats for national business leaders at the historic Trappist monastery where B.J. was first found by Christ in 1973. Its
atmosphere of solitude, silence, prayer and meditation provide the perfect foundation for study and spiritual teaching. The men who attend attest that the retreats offer life-changing and profound experiences.