One of the most exciting summer programs at New City is City Sail, which takes eager Jersey City teenagers and gets them out on the Hudson River in a sailboat, something that many of them would otherwise never dream of doing. When I got to New City in June, Pastor Trevor asked me what some of my goals were for the internship. So, of course, I dreamed up a few lofty, high-minded, and prestigious sounding goals to impress PT like "become well-acquainted with the city of Jersey City and be a contributing member of the neighborhood surrounding New City" and "learn to disciple kids and teenagers as they grow in their relationship with Jesus" and also "develop a worship service planned and led by teenagers for the New City community." And at the end of the list of these noble goals I concluded with "And learn to sail." I was half-kidding, of course, that learning to sail would be one of my internship goals, but PT took me seriously.

And so, later that week I found myself out on the Hudson, learning all about halyards and fenders and jib sails and starboards and ports and helms and all the other rather regular things that sailors give funny names so that they feel special about themselves.

"Can you hand me the jib sheet?" PT would say to me, pointing to the rope that lay on the side of the boat.

"Oh, you mean that rope over there?" I replied, innocently, as any normal person would.

"No, no, it's a jib sheet, not a rope." He replied, brow furrowed at my ineptitude.

See what I mean?

And so, even in ineptitude, I attained a first mate's position on the sailboat with Captain Pastor Trevor. We went out on the Hudson twice a week with sometimes as many as fifteen teenagers. We learned to sail together, jib sheets and all. We laughed and smiled and screamed together, certain of our ending up soaked, as the boat heeled heavily in high winds. We bonded over scrambling from starboard to port and then port back to starboard as we tacked back and forth between the skylines of Jersey City and lower Manhattan. And when, in the cool early evenings of late summer, the sun began its setting behind Lady Liberty's outstretched arm, we returned to the marina. Everything still, save for the gentle clanging of hundreds of halyards against hundreds of masts of sailboats in their slips, we docked, folded sails, coiled lines, washed decks, and left the marina in our fifteen passenger McDonald's bound Church Van. Another successful voyage for City Sail.

Just this past week, Wendy, our communications specialist at New City, finished up the 2008 City Sail promotional video. It's posted on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHm0DjgueBg

Do give it a watch, it's not only cinematic brilliance, but offers a rather comprehensive look at what City Sail is all about. Enjoy.