Since moving to NYC only a few months ago, God has providentially given us everything we needed. We have a beautiful space in which to worship, and we have met many new friends (connections) in our community. Several of our new friends jumped at the opportunity to help us create a worship service. We thank God for each one of them, and we thank God for the many more friends that He will bring our way!
Are you wondering how our first service went? Would you like to hear the highlights? :)
It was FANTASTIC! We had 70 people in attendance for the first service, and it was a PERFECT day to skip church. The weather was mid-70s, sunny, light breeze, Father's Day, and the U.S. Open was on television. Plus, there are endless ways to have fun in this city on a Sunday afternoon. It was so amazing outside that even I was tempted to skip church! (no, not really)
To have that many people come to the our first service is a great start. We also heard many compliments on the quality of worship that Connection Church NYC provided. Here are a few highlights!
Kyle Herring flew up from Georgia to lead our music. He is believes that God is leading him to NYC to plant Connection Church NYC with us. Larry and I also believe God is leading him to join our team. While it is not official just yet, don't be surprised if we announce a new addition in the next few days! He led us to worship Jesus through song and did an amazing job. He rehearsed with Edson (bass player), Kenny (vocal), and Nick (cajon) on Saturday and they sounded like they'd been together for years on Sunday! The music was amazing.
We had a mission team from Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, AR who helped us in so many ways. Members from their team helped with our projector slides, our kids ministry, greeting, offering, and just about everything you can imagine. They were such a blessing and this was only their first day of work in NYC! We have them all week long.
Several people shared how they loved the worship service and can't wait for the next one to happen in July. And check this out--This was the first worship service in a church for some of our people, too! Isn't that amazing?! This is the first time they ever came to a Christian worship service! Praise GOD! This is why we are here! We want to introduce Jesus to those who don't know Him yet, and see their lives filled with the life, hope, freedom, and joy that comes from God's Holy Spirit living within them! Hallelujah!
Thank you for your prayers and support. If God is leading you to join us by giving financially, then you can give online by clicking- here- and follow the instructions. You can help us reach out into our community even MORE this summer.
We have a lot of work to do this summer to continue gaining favor with the people of Astoria. According to Pastor Paul from Trinity Lutheran Church, which is the church we rent from, there are many people who are asking questions about this new church, Connection Church. Join with us in prayer and support, and let's make sure we stick around for many years and continue to do our part in sharing the gospel with people all over the world.
Remember, when we reach NYC, we reach the world!
