By Ayala Ben-Yehuda
A 26-year-old minister has become the new spiritual leader of the Community Church of Little Neck, which wants to bring youthful energy into the aging congregation.
The Rev. Matthew Mardis replaced the Rev. Patricia Mitchell, the interim pastor of the church, in August as the church's pastor. He was officially ordained in a ceremony at the church May 18, a designation that allows him to perform weddings, baptisms and other sacred rites.
“They wanted youth and energy,” said Mardis of his selection to lead the 75-year-old church.
The Altoona, Pa. native moved to Great Neck in August after graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Mardis originally belonged to the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a conservative sect, but a “conversion experience” his senior year in seminary led him to become part of the United Church of Christ, a far more liberal denomination.
He said he and the Community Church of Little Neck, a non-denominational, independent church, had common goals for the congregation.
“Preaching was their No. 1 priority, and that's why the church was a good fit for me,” said Mardis. “It's the part of the job I enjoy the most.”
Mardis said he enjoyed the academic aspects of preaching, which he described as having “one foot in the intellectual and one foot in the real world.”
Being in charge of his own church at such a young age did not seem to faze Mardis, who said he had wanted to be a minister for a long time.
“I've grown a goatee since I've started,” joked Mardis, who described himself as baby-faced. “I need all the help I can get.”
On a more serious note, the minister's mission is to use his energy to attract younger, more diverse worshipers at a time when he said the churchgoing population in New York City is down.
“Little Neck is changing,” said Mardis. “If this church is going to have a future in this neighborhood, we're going to have to become welcoming to the neighbors we have now.”
A Korean congregation uses the Community Church for Sunday afternoon services, but the minister hoped to integrate them “not only in our building but in the life of our congregation.”
“Our base is aging,” he said. “The boom time for the Community Church of Little Neck was 50 years ago, but the problem that churches like mine (have) is that we're not connecting with our new neighbors.”
His first sermon as official head of the church was titled “Coloring Outside the Lines,” and made reference to a passage in the New Testament about a time when early Christians realized that God worked with other people too.
Mardis emphasized that inviting Koreans into the church was not his only goal and he wanted to develop a spirit of hospitality towards all people.
He also expressed pride in his adopted community.
“It's a fantastic church and a fantastic part of New York City and I don't plan on going anywhere,” he said.
Reach reporter Ayala Ben-Yehuda by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
