The Episcopal Diocese of New York Launches the Harlem Valley Ministry

The Episcopal Diocese of New York has launched the Harlem Valley Ministry, an area pastorate that is a collaboration of two Episcopal churches and a mission in Putnam and Dutchess counties.

The three parishes are St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Brewster, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Pawling, and MESA in Dover Plains. MESA stands for Misión Episcopal Santiago Apóstol /St. James’s Episcopal Mission.

The Rev. Jose Martinez is joining the Harlem Valley Ministry to serve as Priest-in-Charge and will lead services at all three churches. He will celebrate Holy Eucharist on alternate Sunday mornings at St. Andrew’s and Holy Trinity, and hold services at MESA on Sunday afternoons. He will be available to each parish for pastoral care.

The goal of the Harlem Valley Ministry is to bring together two small parishes and a mission in the Episcopal Diocese of New York to better serve the diverse needs of the people in the area, said the Rev. Canon Deborah Tammearu, Canon for Transitional Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Similar shared pastorates have been created in other dioceses, she noted; she led a shared pastorate in Dutchess County in the 1980s and 1990s.

“This is the way the church is going to look,” Canon Tammearu said. “What I hope happens with this is that the priest is not the only resource that is shared. It is a much smarter use of office space and bookkeeping and can help reduce overhead.” There can be communication and cross pollination of ideas between the parishes and which can help their ministries flourish, she added.

“Another upside is that these churches will have 24-hour access to a full-time priest, even though Father Martinez will not be there on site all the time,” she added.

“The wardens, vestry, and people of Holy Trinity Pawling are thrilled to be moving forward with the collaboration of these three congregations,” said Debbie Lee, junior warden at Holy Trinity in Pawling.

“We are hoping to establish a stable ministry by ‘growing’ the Episcopal church along the Route 22 corridor,” said Lorraine Scuccimara, senior warden at Holy Trinity.

“The creation of the Harlem Valley Ministry collaboration has been a long and worthwhile process,” said Christina McGann, senior warden at St. Andrew’s. “St. Andrew’s is looking forward to having Father Martinez ministering to our parish and the others in the region.”

The Rev. Jose Martinez was born and raised in Guatemala City, Guatemala. He holds a bachelor of science degree from San Carlos University and also studied accounting. He and his wife, Herminia, have been married for more than 36 years and have three children and four grandchildren.

Father Martinez and his family emigrated to the United States in 1989 and joined the Episcopal Church in Los Angeles in 1992, where he became involved as a lay leader and minister. In 1993, he became a licensed Eucharistic minister and home visitor, and served as director of acolytes and director of adult bible study. He later worked as a diocesan missioner for the Diocese of Oregon, working to help create congregations.

Father Martinez has a master’s degree in divinity from General Theological Seminary in Manhattan and was ordained as a priest in 2007. He served at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hartford for many years and, in 2012, was called by the Episcopal Diocese of New York to serve as vicar to MESA—the mission that is part of the Harlem Valley Ministry—to help to continue the development of the Spanish language ministry of the diocese.

“I am blessed to be called to also serve at two more wonderful churches: St Andrew’s in Brewster and Holy Trinity in Pawling,” Father Martinez said.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church has been a part of Brewster for more than 130 years. The church's grey stone building on Prospect Street is a local landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is home to the Brewster Theater Company and the Brewster Community Food Pantry. The parish is a warm and welcoming community.

The regular Sunday service of Holy Eucharist at St. Andrew's is at 10 a.m. For more information about St. Andrew's, call the church office at 845-279-4325.

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, located on Coulter Avenue, was founded in Pawling in 1910 as an offshoot of Christ Church in Patterson. It incorporated as a separate parish in 1956. Services are at 10 a.m. on Sundays. It is home to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and classes in English as a Second Language. For more information about the parish, call the church office at 845-855-5276.

Image courtesy of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church