On Sunday, October 27th we launched two services @ Crossway! The planning, prepping and getting the word out took some time. We planned for well over 8 months, setting up meetings with all of our Sunday Morning staff helping them to recruit and get their staff ready. When Sunday came there was such excitement in the air! Between both services we saw a 34% increase in attendance which was confirmation of the vision God placed upon Nik (and the leadership team). I personally taught the younger grades (K-2nd) for each service. I was tired but it was a good tired!
The Worship Team was AMAZING! David Kennedy brought his team to a new level! We've acquired some new voices and together they brought us into the throne room! I was so blessed to see how God brought it all together!
We have seen God do amazing things this past year. We've come so far and are excited for what God has in store for our church. There is so much work to do and we are blessed with the people of our church that are ready and willing to be a part of this alongside with us!
We also just had our 2nd annual Women's Retreat. One word to describe our weekend was: FREEDOM!! That was also the theme of our retreat: FREEDOM: RECKLESS ABANDONED FAITH. Lillian Lebron came and spoke to our women and she really wrecked us - in a good way! LOL! Lillian and her husband, Rafael, are youth pastoring at The Mission Church. They have a heart for people! There was such a connection with Lillian and our women. They received her as one of our own. Also, Laura Johnson, attended and truly mothered and loved on our women. There was so much love, deliverance, and joy that came out of that weekend. I am so thankful to Jesus for showing up and setting us free! He is just getting started because as Lillian said, "The purpose of our freedom is to advance the kingdom of God." That is exactly what we plan on doing!
I am truly humbled and blessed that God saw fit to use my husband and I to do this work. I can't see my life in any other field or profession. Sure, there are times it gets hard. There are times where I just want to hide and look for cover. God never promised it was going to be easy. He never said if you do this I will never allow anything bad to touch you. Instead, He promises to walk with us, to go before us, to carry us when we have nothing else to give. Inner city living has so many perks and advantages (stores opened later, so many choices of stores, everything you need is pretty accessible by feet or by car/bus, etc.) but it also has its frustrations (parking, getting honked at the minute the light turns green, people going straight even though they are in a turn only lane, etc.). Through all of the ups and downs I am still thankful. I still praise Jesus for everything. I have learned so much yet I have so much more to learn! I am thankful for a PATIENT God who waits without getting angry at me. His grace is so SUFFICIENT! The greatest blessing of all is HE IS NEVER LATE, HE IS ALWAYS ON TIME!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
WHERE WERE WE?
WOW! Has it really been that long since my last blog?! I must be really busy, then! LOL!
In the last few months we have seen such a growth in our attendance. We have been averaging at least 140 on a Sunday morning! God has done such great things @ Crossway! See what's been happening!
1. Since our 21-Days of Hunger we have seen God do such miracles - marriages restored, healing, church growth, leaders being raised up.
2. Our kids have completed a full year of inner-city public school education and are now in their second full year and are doing temendously well. Mya completed her first ELA & Math State tests required beginning in 3rd grade and continuing through 8th grade. Her level was a 4 (the highest possible level!)!! All of the teachers she has had (primary teacher, science, social studies, gym) adore her. She has proven herself in all areas! Isaiah, though struggles with being impulsive & rambunctious, has also shown how smart and capable he is! He has grown up so much. He continues to show us just how amazing he is. He hasn't taken any testing yet as he is only in second grade. However, he is beginning to get tests in subjects such as math & spelling. Lukas just started Pre-K! He loves it! In the first three weeks I was worried he would choose not to acclamate but once he started getting to know his classmates a complete turnaround happened. He, now, cannot wait to get to school! He asks about playdates and talks about everything he does in school. Well...almost everything! LOL!
We appreciate everyone's prayers for our kids! Mya, for the first time, voiced that she doesn't ever want to go back to Dutchess County! That was a shock for us! She misses and loves her friends tremendously but a love of the city and all of it's diversions & activities has sprouted! She has made some great friends and really loves all of the opportunities attending an inner city public school provides - field trips, diversity & free programs!
3. We had an amazing intern, Andrew Sauder, stay with us over the summer! He did so much for Crossway! He pretty much concentrated on the grounds. He gutted the whole upstairs to get ready for what we hope will one day (VERY SOON) be construction! Andrew worked so hard! He worked tirelessly to beautify our campus and make it presentable! Some of the families of Crossway provided him with dinner almost every night of the week! He also had dinner with us at least one night per week! Our kids adopted him as a big brother and still talk about him as though he is coming back "home". We tell them that only God knows what He has in store for Andrew! We do miss his presence but know He is God's will and will pursue whatever God's perfect plan for his life is!
4. We hired a professional painter to FINALLY re-paint the lobby and hallway of our first floor. The green had to go! It now feels so warm and welcoming when you walk into the Worship Center. We also purchased amazing Christian abstract artwork from a very talented artist based out of The Point Church in Long Island. Jennifer did an amazing job at being able to capture our vision for our church and the pictures that hang in our foyer are a constant topic of conversation!
5. LifeGroups have proven to be highly successful! We can't seem to have enough as people continue to attend and want more! We have been seeing such tremendous growth in all ministries. Our Friday Night Family Nights have seen an average in-church attendance of about 80-90 people! We have Royal Rangers, MPact Girls Ministries, Women's & Men's LifeGroups, and Youth. We have been averaging about 12-15 youth per Friday! We started out with 5!
6. Nik was finally OFFICIALLY installed as the Senior Pastor of Crossway on March 17th! There were over 180 people in attendance. Friends new and old came to celebrate our installation. It was so humbling and such blessing to have both "families" join together to celebrate what God has done! With the Installation came the news that we are no longer under District Supervision but a sovereign church! That was a big stepping stone!
7. We are still working with an architect to create the plans for what we want to see happen with the upstairs space! More to come on that one! Don't want to spoil any surprises! LOL!
8. We had our first Women's Retreat over the October 12th weekend! God moved in such a miraculous way! We had 36 women attend! Our speakers came from within our church and, boy, can these women minister! There was such a sense of God's presence and peace all over that weekend. I can honestly say that I wasn't stressed out that whole weekend!! The women cried, laughed & ate together as though there wasn't a stranger among us! We truly enjoyed each other's company! We got out of the city for three days and it was truly a time of refreshing! I am thankful that there was such a hunger and willingness from our ladies to be a part of this retreat! More than half of the women had never been on a retreat before so it was such a blessing watching them have fun!
9. Though there are still challenges we know God is able! He is bigger than any potential obstacle or nuisance! We know He is our advocate & defender! Nothing new is under the sun and God will prove Himself to be faithful to those who have been faithful! AMEN!
10. With the holidays approaching we have begun our Thanksgiving Baskets once again! Last year we gave out 11 Thanksgiving baskets to those families in need! This year we are hoping to give out at least 25! We know that God can provide the need and we are believing for the provision to come! Nothing is impossible when you have the God of the impossible by your side!
I am sure I have missed out on some important news and updates but I will be sure to write an update soon! Hopefully sooner than later!
Please continue to pray God's provision and Hand of Blessing to be upon our church, our community & our family. There are so many needs in all of these areas but we know God can & will provide. There are times, in the flesh, we can't see past the physical situation. However, when we sit in the presence of God we know something is being worked out on our behalf and we are comforted. Though this walk hasn't been easy, we have seen God move in tremendous ways!
We are and will be forever grateful for all of you!
In the last few months we have seen such a growth in our attendance. We have been averaging at least 140 on a Sunday morning! God has done such great things @ Crossway! See what's been happening!
1. Since our 21-Days of Hunger we have seen God do such miracles - marriages restored, healing, church growth, leaders being raised up.
2. Our kids have completed a full year of inner-city public school education and are now in their second full year and are doing temendously well. Mya completed her first ELA & Math State tests required beginning in 3rd grade and continuing through 8th grade. Her level was a 4 (the highest possible level!)!! All of the teachers she has had (primary teacher, science, social studies, gym) adore her. She has proven herself in all areas! Isaiah, though struggles with being impulsive & rambunctious, has also shown how smart and capable he is! He has grown up so much. He continues to show us just how amazing he is. He hasn't taken any testing yet as he is only in second grade. However, he is beginning to get tests in subjects such as math & spelling. Lukas just started Pre-K! He loves it! In the first three weeks I was worried he would choose not to acclamate but once he started getting to know his classmates a complete turnaround happened. He, now, cannot wait to get to school! He asks about playdates and talks about everything he does in school. Well...almost everything! LOL!
We appreciate everyone's prayers for our kids! Mya, for the first time, voiced that she doesn't ever want to go back to Dutchess County! That was a shock for us! She misses and loves her friends tremendously but a love of the city and all of it's diversions & activities has sprouted! She has made some great friends and really loves all of the opportunities attending an inner city public school provides - field trips, diversity & free programs!
3. We had an amazing intern, Andrew Sauder, stay with us over the summer! He did so much for Crossway! He pretty much concentrated on the grounds. He gutted the whole upstairs to get ready for what we hope will one day (VERY SOON) be construction! Andrew worked so hard! He worked tirelessly to beautify our campus and make it presentable! Some of the families of Crossway provided him with dinner almost every night of the week! He also had dinner with us at least one night per week! Our kids adopted him as a big brother and still talk about him as though he is coming back "home". We tell them that only God knows what He has in store for Andrew! We do miss his presence but know He is God's will and will pursue whatever God's perfect plan for his life is!
4. We hired a professional painter to FINALLY re-paint the lobby and hallway of our first floor. The green had to go! It now feels so warm and welcoming when you walk into the Worship Center. We also purchased amazing Christian abstract artwork from a very talented artist based out of The Point Church in Long Island. Jennifer did an amazing job at being able to capture our vision for our church and the pictures that hang in our foyer are a constant topic of conversation!
5. LifeGroups have proven to be highly successful! We can't seem to have enough as people continue to attend and want more! We have been seeing such tremendous growth in all ministries. Our Friday Night Family Nights have seen an average in-church attendance of about 80-90 people! We have Royal Rangers, MPact Girls Ministries, Women's & Men's LifeGroups, and Youth. We have been averaging about 12-15 youth per Friday! We started out with 5!
6. Nik was finally OFFICIALLY installed as the Senior Pastor of Crossway on March 17th! There were over 180 people in attendance. Friends new and old came to celebrate our installation. It was so humbling and such blessing to have both "families" join together to celebrate what God has done! With the Installation came the news that we are no longer under District Supervision but a sovereign church! That was a big stepping stone!
7. We are still working with an architect to create the plans for what we want to see happen with the upstairs space! More to come on that one! Don't want to spoil any surprises! LOL!
8. We had our first Women's Retreat over the October 12th weekend! God moved in such a miraculous way! We had 36 women attend! Our speakers came from within our church and, boy, can these women minister! There was such a sense of God's presence and peace all over that weekend. I can honestly say that I wasn't stressed out that whole weekend!! The women cried, laughed & ate together as though there wasn't a stranger among us! We truly enjoyed each other's company! We got out of the city for three days and it was truly a time of refreshing! I am thankful that there was such a hunger and willingness from our ladies to be a part of this retreat! More than half of the women had never been on a retreat before so it was such a blessing watching them have fun!
9. Though there are still challenges we know God is able! He is bigger than any potential obstacle or nuisance! We know He is our advocate & defender! Nothing new is under the sun and God will prove Himself to be faithful to those who have been faithful! AMEN!
10. With the holidays approaching we have begun our Thanksgiving Baskets once again! Last year we gave out 11 Thanksgiving baskets to those families in need! This year we are hoping to give out at least 25! We know that God can provide the need and we are believing for the provision to come! Nothing is impossible when you have the God of the impossible by your side!
I am sure I have missed out on some important news and updates but I will be sure to write an update soon! Hopefully sooner than later!
Please continue to pray God's provision and Hand of Blessing to be upon our church, our community & our family. There are so many needs in all of these areas but we know God can & will provide. There are times, in the flesh, we can't see past the physical situation. However, when we sit in the presence of God we know something is being worked out on our behalf and we are comforted. Though this walk hasn't been easy, we have seen God move in tremendous ways!
We are and will be forever grateful for all of you!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
GO GIANTS!
Though I am not an avid NY Giants fan our church put on the BEST Superbowl party I had ever been to! A big shout out to Luis & Melitza Santiago for organizing it and taking the reigns to put it all together! EVERYTHING was done to perfection! My in-laws still can't stop talking about how much they had! I told them they could hire Luis & Melitza to plan their next party - FOR A FEE! LOL!
We had about 80 or so in attendance and our youth ministry really showed ownership over this event. From serving to greeting - everyone felt welcome! Even me!! LOL! I don't know how welcome I was playing devil's advocate until the last two minutes of the game but I'm sure I was forgiven after rooting for the right team towards the end! LOL!
The food, the cake and the big game on the big screen was only the icing on the "Superbowl" cake! It was the comraderie, the laugther, the games and just being together that made that night such a success! EVERYONE who was there wanted to be there. EVERYONE who was there enjoyed each other's company. We showed that we are a family! Though we come from all different backgrounds and all walks of life we make it work! And boy did we ever on Superbowl Sunday!
Our very own Erik Acevedo (aka Blazetorch) ministered in rap during the half-time show! The crowd loves him! Erik was also the MC for the night. He kept everything moving smoothly!
Please be sure to check out the pics below to get a glimpse of just how much fun we really had! God had truly blessed us with such amazing people in our church! We have our moments but we all know why we're here! We are here to let people know about Jesus! We are here for the community, for our church and for one another! God has made us all unique and with our own talents and abilities! Superbowl Sunday our church shined! We had visitors both young and old and we are believing for great things to come!
We had about 80 or so in attendance and our youth ministry really showed ownership over this event. From serving to greeting - everyone felt welcome! Even me!! LOL! I don't know how welcome I was playing devil's advocate until the last two minutes of the game but I'm sure I was forgiven after rooting for the right team towards the end! LOL!
The food, the cake and the big game on the big screen was only the icing on the "Superbowl" cake! It was the comraderie, the laugther, the games and just being together that made that night such a success! EVERYONE who was there wanted to be there. EVERYONE who was there enjoyed each other's company. We showed that we are a family! Though we come from all different backgrounds and all walks of life we make it work! And boy did we ever on Superbowl Sunday!
Our very own Erik Acevedo (aka Blazetorch) ministered in rap during the half-time show! The crowd loves him! Erik was also the MC for the night. He kept everything moving smoothly!
Please be sure to check out the pics below to get a glimpse of just how much fun we really had! God had truly blessed us with such amazing people in our church! We have our moments but we all know why we're here! We are here to let people know about Jesus! We are here for the community, for our church and for one another! God has made us all unique and with our own talents and abilities! Superbowl Sunday our church shined! We had visitors both young and old and we are believing for great things to come!
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