The Council of Churches of the City of New York (CCCNY) was established in 1815 as the Brooklyn Church and Mission Society. It is the oldest ecumenical council of churches in the United States. [1] [2] The council represents 1.5 million Protestants, Anglicans and Orthodox Christians. [3] A. R. Bernard is the president of the council. [3]
In 1957 the council sponsored Billy Graham's crusade in a New York City mission in Madison Square Garden, which ran nightly for 16 weeks. [4] Since 1963 the council has organized the Family of Man annual banquet. [2] [5] In 1989, the council began to focus on public policy issues and advocacy for the poor. [2]
The Family of Man Medallion is awarded to "individuals who exemplify excellence in the use of God-given talents in the service of humankind." Since 1963 the council has presented the award to recipients such as the former United States presidents: John F. Kennedy, [2] Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, [6] Richard M. Nixon, and Jimmy Carter. The award was also presented to John D. Rockefeller III. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat received the award in 1978. In 2005, David Yonggi Cho was the twenty-fifth person and the first Asian man to receive The Family of Man Medallion. [7]
In the 1960s, the Council built the Protestant Chapel at JFK International Airport Terminal 4. The chapel provides Sunday worship, Bible study, and chapel counselling to airport employees and the travelling public. [2]
The Council built the Protestant-Orthodox Pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair and sponsored the production of the film Parable , directed by Rolf Forsberg, which was the principal attraction in the pavilion. [5] [8] The film depicted humanity as a traveling circus and Christ as a clown. [9] The clown was played by Clarence Mitchell, Tom Erhart portrayed Punch, and Madhur Jaffrey played a magician's assistant. [8] Over three million people visited the pavilion. [5] The film was initially criticized as sacrilegious, but it was well received at the fair and in later showings. [5] [10] However, in building and operating the pavilion the Council incurred a debt of more than $400,000, which took five years to repay. [5]
The council's name was changed several times over its history. In 1968, it adopted its current name, replacing the previous name of Protestant Council of the City of New York. [11] [12]
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan, was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist branch of Judaism along with his son-in-law Ira Eisenstein. He has been described as a "towering figure" in the recent history of Judaism for his influential work in adapting it to modern society, contending that Judaism should be a unifying and creative force by stressing the cultural and historical character of the religion as well as theological doctrine.
The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations, 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or attractions at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. The immense fair covered 646 acres (2.61 km2) on half the park, with numerous pools or fountains, and an amusement park with rides near the lake. However, the fair did not receive official support or approval from the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).
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Rolf Forsberg was an American playwright, film and theater director.
Parable is a 1964 American short Christian film written and directed by Rolf Forsberg, made for the Lutheran Council and became popular when first screened at the 1964 New York World's Fair in 1964, and again in 1965 at the Protestant Pavilion. The film depicts Christ as a clown and the world as a circus and is considered both a revolutionary Christian film and one which proved to be influential.
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