Pastor sets up sidewalk services
NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - On Tuesday morning, Rev. Gregory Fryer sat on the corner of 88th and Lexington behind a bright yellow, hand-painted booth advertising spiritual help for five cents... in a tribute to Lucy Van Pelt from Charles Schulz's Peanuts comics.
"There are a lot of people who walk by and they smile or give me a thumbs up because they get it. Occasionally I see people walk by who just look befuddled," Rev. Fryer says.
Rev. Fryer is not in this for the money. He even provides the nickels for "payment".
Despite that, passer-by insist on offering donations to go tward the church. And what started late this summer as a fun way for the church to boost particpation in the community, it now represnts one of the high points of pastor Fryer's week.
"People talk to me about questions of romance, conflict within family, their job," Fryer says.
Every Tuesday the pastor sees tears, smiles and many offering him a thumbs-up for his execution of an idea he'd like to see adopted by leaders of all faiths across the city.
"I thought about it for years but I'm getting older and I thought: I better do it if I'm gonna do it," Fryer says.
As winter approaches the pastor says he and his booth will search for some covered alcove them from the worst of the elements but promises to remain available to all every Tuesday morning.