Heidi Neumark
Encyclopedia
Heidi Neumark is the author of the book Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx
(Beacon Press
). She grew up in Summit, New Jersey
and now lives on the Upper West Side
with her husband Gregorio Orellano of Manhattan
, and has two children, Ana and Hans. Rev. Neumark received her undergraduate degree from Brown University
and completed her Master of Divinity at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
.
Neumark spent 20 years at Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the South Bronx
before moving to Trinity. She is the pastor
of Trinity Lutheran Church on West 100th Street in Manhattan
. Trinity Lutheran Church describes itself as "a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
. Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, meaning we welcome all people, including gay
, lesbian
, bisexual, and transgender
individuals and couples as fully participating members of our ministry. We encourage worshippers who are uncomfortable with the nouns and pronouns in the liturgy
and hymns that convey a gender for God to substitute a word or words that better express their praise of the Triune God."
From Publishers Weekly
"In 1984, when Neumark became pastor of Transfiguration Lutheran Church, the South Bronx
was groaning under decades of neglect. A 1976 HUD policy called "planned shrinkage
" had radically reduced city services, including hospitals and schools, and only people too poor to move elsewhere remained in this area of sewage treatment plants and torched apartment buildings. For 19 years Neumark lived and worked among addicts
, pushers, prostitutes, people with AIDS
, abused women and children and gang members, without abandoning hope: "I am drawn to a different vision-the walls rebuilt, the land reclaimed, the people who rise up like grass improbably breaking through slabs of stone." A gifted storyteller, she portrays people who, despite personal tragedies and minimal resources, band together to build low-income housing, create first-rate schools, restore their church, plant trees and help each other through crises. People like Burnice, who initially came to church to pick up Christmas gifts, intending to trade them for drugs and then kill herself with an overdose; but who kept coming back, got her GED
, found a job and is now a leader in church and community. "Some future pillars of the church arrive in ruins," Neumark wryly notes. With its hard-nosed realism and passion for God, this memoir
should appeal to people of faith across the political spectrum.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc"
Neumark often lectures at colleges around the United States
and writes weekly sermons for her congregation.
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
(Beacon Press
Beacon Press
Beacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
). She grew up in Summit, New Jersey
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
and now lives on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
with her husband Gregorio Orellano of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and has two children, Ana and Hans. Rev. Neumark received her undergraduate degree from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and completed her Master of Divinity at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is one of eight seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , located in Philadelphia . It was founded in 1864 but traces its roots further back to the first Lutheran establishment in Philadelphia founded by Henry Melchior...
.
Neumark spent 20 years at Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
before moving to Trinity. She is the pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of Trinity Lutheran Church on West 100th Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Trinity Lutheran Church describes itself as "a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
. Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, meaning we welcome all people, including gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
individuals and couples as fully participating members of our ministry. We encourage worshippers who are uncomfortable with the nouns and pronouns in the liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
and hymns that convey a gender for God to substitute a word or words that better express their praise of the Triune God."
From Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
"In 1984, when Neumark became pastor of Transfiguration Lutheran Church, the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
was groaning under decades of neglect. A 1976 HUD policy called "planned shrinkage
Planned shrinkage
Planned shrinkage is a public policy, practiced most notably in the 1970s in New York City, of withdrawing essential city services from neighborhoods suffering from urban decay, crime, and poverty so that neighborhoods may be claimed by outside interests for new development...
" had radically reduced city services, including hospitals and schools, and only people too poor to move elsewhere remained in this area of sewage treatment plants and torched apartment buildings. For 19 years Neumark lived and worked among addicts
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
, pushers, prostitutes, people with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, abused women and children and gang members, without abandoning hope: "I am drawn to a different vision-the walls rebuilt, the land reclaimed, the people who rise up like grass improbably breaking through slabs of stone." A gifted storyteller, she portrays people who, despite personal tragedies and minimal resources, band together to build low-income housing, create first-rate schools, restore their church, plant trees and help each other through crises. People like Burnice, who initially came to church to pick up Christmas gifts, intending to trade them for drugs and then kill herself with an overdose; but who kept coming back, got her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
, found a job and is now a leader in church and community. "Some future pillars of the church arrive in ruins," Neumark wryly notes. With its hard-nosed realism and passion for God, this memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
should appeal to people of faith across the political spectrum.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc"
Neumark often lectures at colleges around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and writes weekly sermons for her congregation.
Selected works
- 2002 - Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx (ISBN 0-8070-7256-7)