God Provides

The church is doing great. Attendance is up, bible studies are up, and we are seeing growth in the staff and volunteer department. Sadly, however, we ended the month of November in the “red.” Not the end of the world, because we knew will still had December and the help of the holiday season’s incentive to be generous. It looked like we were on track to finish the year in the black, and then we got our first snow!

We had a rocking snowstorm the third Sunday in December giving us 12” of snow. I preached in snow boots and had to dig five families out before even arriving at church. Needless to say, the attendance was not the greatest, nor was the giving. It seemed like we were destined to finish the year $2k in the hole. And while this may seem a small sum to many, it is still a kick for our congregation. But, don’t you know that God is good!

In the past 24 hours money has been coming in from everywhere! Checks from WI, cash offerings from other parts of Queens, people dropping by the office giving large sums of moneys, and then little notes of encouragement from out of the blue via email. (Turns out a lot of people are listening to our podcasts apparently!) We have not only come out of the red, but are now firmly in the black. GOD IS SO FAITHFUL

I am so excited for 2010. Yes, it will be overwhelming to say the least with a new baby, I start grad school, the church’s continued growth, and struggling to find a way for our oldest to go to school (seems likes private is our only option ($$$)), but God is in control! I’m believing for more salvations and more water baptisms then ever before (37 baptisms in ’09). I would also love to see a greater Jewish presence and emphasis in our ministry, and that is a very tough seed to foster. But, again, God is good.

Worth the Investment

Brother Josh - Israel

I am fully aware that many of read this blog are lovers of Jesus and have a heart for missions, particularly amonst the Jewish people. As a reult, I need to inform you a new and worthy investment opportunity for the Kingdom. Josh M. is a former youth pastor of an Assembly of God church in central Pennsylvania. Recently, however, Josh has moved his family to Israel to commit his life to see Jewish people come to know Jesus.

Josh is a personal friend of mine who comes from a Jewish background. We had lost contact over the years, however, during the the process of support raising to move my family to NYC, our paths crossed while he was youth pastor. It was great to not only remember times growing up, and to see exciting to see God using Josh to reach youth, but even more encouraging was to learn of Josh's burden to reach his fellow Jewish people with the Gospel.

Since that reunion almost 5-years ago, Josh and his amazing family have remained faithful to the Lord, and humbly looked forward for the next step of ministry in their life. It's been great for my family and I to see the hand of the Lord guide them, unite them, and ultimately bring clarity as to HOW they were going to be used in reaching the Jewish community for Messiah. Turns out, that God's calling was not going to simply require a move to a different church and people group, but to an entirely different country!

This past summer, Josh and his beautiful family moved to Israel and became official citizens of the country. Their desire is not to simply minister for a season, but rather to commit their lives to serving God in their new country! They have a tremendous amount of skills and abilities, and it is my honor to not only be their friend, but also the pastor of a local church that supports their call to ministry.

Josh and his family need our help. Moving locally is expensive; moving internationally is VERY expensive. It will take Josh and his family a significant amount of time to adjust to their new country and culture and to find employment that will make full-time ministry possible. They need financial help to see them through this phase in their life. (In fact, Josh has made an incredible live worship album as a means to honor the Lord and raise funds for his new life of ministry.)

Will you please consider supporting Josh and his family through this exciting ministry to the Jewish people of Israel? Will you commit to pray for this family, for their struggles in a new land and culture, and for many people to come to know Jesus as Messiah? Will allow God to use you globally? I pray you say "yes," because if it were not for others supporting my family and I in prayer and finances, Forest Hills Community Church would not exist, and many in our church would still not know Jesus. We are all blessed when we give to Jesus!

Do the sensitive nature of Josh's ministry venue, we cannot disclose all his contact information online. Please email me for more information.

Testimony

Every week we convert our Sunday morning message into Bible Study format and make it available for all to download and share with their friends. This past week, one of our members, who is typically very shy, rose up in faith and shared one of these Bible studies with her coworkers. Here is her testimony in her own words:

The bible study notes this week totally came alive today at my work's Christmas party!!!!!! ("It's a gift from God that Abimelech comes back into the life of Abraham in ch. 21 .") As you know this job has been incredibly emotionally and spiritually draining, and I have wanted to quit for a long time. However, I always felt the Lord calling me to stay and witness. Finally, the many months of persevering are reaping rewards!

My old boss (volatile, bad temper, intimidating one)(her husband works at my job now) came to the party and I told her about what Jesus has done in my life and how love him and I want to live for Him now. She wants to talk more with me.

I also talked to one of the electrician's and he was shocked that our church is in a movie theater (he is roman catholic) and he said he wants to check it out just because he is curious. I gave him a Christmas flyer and told him he can check out the website and podcasts.

Everyone kept asking me to drink and I was like I don't need it, and their like yeah we know you don't need it , we don't need it either, but were drinking it. I'm like I haven't had a drink in 2 years and and it's not that I don't need it, but I don't WANT it! I was so confident and joyous!!!! Gave Lecrae (Christan Rapper) CD to my coworker for Christmas gift (secret santa).

I prayed all day for strength, wisdom, confidence, humility. God answered and he started all the conversations and I answered my coworkers with the joy of the LORD!!!! We were all at one big table so everyone heard our conversations!!!!!

God is doing His thing in NYCity. People are being saved, sanctified, and sent out as missionaries to their world!

Snow Miracle

This weekend, NYC (and the entire Northeast) got pummeled with multiple inches of snow. Here in Queens, we racked up between 10-12 inches and it literally brought the city to a halt. However, we had to have church this Sunday despite the weather for a number of reasons.

#1 - we use a movie theater for our church services, and if they are "open," then we are required to pay the weekly rental fee no matter our attendance or even the ability of the church staff's (including the pastor's) ability to attend. Our theater is one of the top theaters in Queens, and they NEVER close! For us to bail would be an incredible waste of God's money.

#2 - it's the last Sunday before Christmas! Many people who never attend church throughout the year, make it a point to at least attend this specific Sunday and Easter Sunday. With such an opportunity to reach unsaved people, how could we NOT have church?

#3 - we're in the middle of an intense passage in our current sermon series! Since January 4, 2009, we have been preaching our way through the book of Genesis. We have read and preached every single word in the book, and we have now come to the place in the Abraham narrative where God asks him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. How could we not preach this salvific and magnificent passage on the Sunday before Christmas?

#4 - it's about the word, not attendance. (This point goes hand-in-hand with the previous point, but in a slightest different direction.) Even if it was just myself in church today, it would be worth it because my being there and preaching would enable us to record and Podcast our message. Hundreds, if not thousands, who may be trapped at home, stuck on a train, or whatever will still be able to learn about God's salvation so long as the church would conduct a service.

#5 - church is all about Jesus! I love going to church, hanging with my fellow believers, meeting new people, worshipping Jesus in music and the word, and praying for people to begin a relationship with Jesus, or strengthen an already established relationship. I love being in the midst of God's presence and seeing Him work. And, YES, He is alive and active outside of Sunday mornings, but you cannot argue the uniqueness of a Sunday morning worship environment. We had to have church this Sunday!

Despite an incredibly difficult journey to get to the theater in the snow (I had to shovel several members out and take advantage of 4-wheel drive), we had a fantastic turnout this Sunday! People came ready to worship, ready to hear from Jesus, ready to get serious about living in obedience, and ready to lay it all down for Him. People were saved today and all were blessed. I am so glad we didn't cancel, and I am so glad for technology that makes it possible for all to hear about Jesus, even when they are trapped indoors because of snow. Thank God, it's all about Jesus!

Snow Storm & Church

Like most you, we are bracing for the first "big one" of the season; which means, our Sunday Christmas service is being threatened. While we know that God is sovereign over everything and that His plans cannot be disrupted, it is still discouraging to know that a Sunday may come and go without a corporate gathering to praise and worship Jesus. (I really love church and it's holy purpose!)

Please take some time today and pray for God's will to be done this holiday season despite the snow, the loss of a shopping day or two, and the panic of a planned week thrown out of whack. May all people get ample opportunity to hear the Message of the Season (God has come to Us!), and may the body of Messiah rally to worship and proclaim the glory of God.

For those of you who are able: Would you consider having church tomorrow inside your homes? Invite your neighbors over to read the Christmas story and explain its meaning. (Surely, the "greenest" Christian could figure that one out!) End the time with coffee, tea, and cookies (Lord knows you'll have plenty of time to bake with the snow falling and the roads being closed). The whole event could last an hour, but the effects could last an eternity.

Let's be the church, people. I know it may be new and uncomfortable, but it's our calling (I Peter 2:9-12) My flesh bristles at the idea too, but let's see what God can do through the storm!

Chanukah and Christianity

Every year we step our efforts to reach our Jewish community (and the Jewish community world wide) with the message of Messiah during the holiday of Chanukah. With so many celebrating the holidays and digging into their personal religion and understanding, it is imperative that we, His witnesses, shine His light and allow Him to change hearts and lives. Typically, this means that we create a unique Sunday sermon series on the Messiahship of Jesus or the Christmas story in the Old Testament. This year, however, we are taking it up a notch!

In conjunction with our already established Sunday sermon series, Genesis, we will reading through the birth of Isaac and revealing his foreshadowing of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Messiah. It has been a tremendously rewarding experience, and has caused our Jewish community to rethink their cultural understanding of Isaac and his role on the altar at the hand of his father.

Also, this year we are holding a special outreach event entitled, MESSIAH-mas, for kids. Our kids church department as put together 2-hour program full of games, snacks, songs, and bible lessons on the story of Chanukah and the story of Christmas. They have invited local schools and the neighbors to be a part, and we are praying that many will come to know Jesus and His church as a result. So far, the rewards look promising.

Finally, this year we are also taking full advantage of the Internet. Yes, we have always used Podcasts and YouTube to get the message of Messiah out at Christmas time, but this year we are adding PRINT to our approach through a daily BLOG. Each week, we have explained a little more of the Chanukah story to our readers, infused the proper biblical insight and explanation, and then followed it up Messiah-centered application that should move lives into repentance and a relationship with Jesus.

Of all our planned approaches this year, our BLOG stands to bear the greatest fruit because of it's online medium. A blog can be sent via Email, Social Network, Web links, and more. And because it is online, it can be referrenced and read all year long, for many years to come. Please, please pray for God's word to bear fruit, and for many Jewish and Gentile persons to come into covenant with Jesus!

Missions Newsletter

We have just recently published our newest Newsletter about the ministry here in New York City. It is full of articles about our recent holiday outreaches, the success of our ministry school, and updates on the family. We are humbled by all that the Lord continues to do through us and your faithful prayer and financial support. People are meeting Messiah, Jesus!

If you have not yet received your e-newsletter, please email us today with your email address and contact information.

New Home for MatchlessFire Online

We are excited about our newest means of proclaiming what God is doing in New York City. After years of dealing with a traditional website, we decided it was time for something better. Tragically, it became just too hard to keep a traditional website up to date with all the events, challenges, and testimonies God was performing through our life as missionaries. We needed a way to keep our new and exciting stories in the forefront of our supporters and partners, and a blog approach was the answer.

With a blog, the newest information is always at the top of the page in a clean and crisp format. Also, we can infuse other great features such as video, pictures, Twitter and Facebook information, and more on to our front page. Thus, we now have the capability to update you with all the news and information you need to pray more effectively, share more specifically, and rejoice more jubilantly over the ministry taking place among God's people in New York City.

Family

We just wrapped up the FHCC family Turkey Day meal. It was a blast! As always, we packed out the FHCC Campus with more food and people than it could handle, but it was well worth it. It was amazing tonight to watch so many different people, from so many different walks of life, hang out and genuinely enjoy one another! (I didn't see any fakers in the house.) Tragically, this isn't always the case in most churches. It's not that churches are bad, or worse than any other social environment; they're just made up of "people," and people disappoint. But do they have to?

In case you haven't caught on yet, Christmas season is upon us. This favorite holiday of mine, marks the time in history when God Almighty took the form of human flesh and dwelt among us, as one of us (John 1:14). In theological terms, we call this the "Incarnation." God did not forsake His divinity, He added to it by become completely human. This means that God was hungry, tired, happy, sad, had bad hair days, and was even tempted. He was like us in every way, except for one: He was sinless. Jesus never sinned. Jesus never put Himself first, belittled anyone, or even ignored anyone. Jesus never disappointed. (Heb. 4:15)

Perhaps the best part about Christmas, however, is that it is not the end of the story, but merely the beginning of the Incarnation & its effects. Jesus didn't come to simply show us how to live, He came so that we may live how we ought to! His death on the cross paid the price for sin, freeing us from all condemnation. His sinless life and righteousness have been imputed upon us, giving us divine favor and privilege. His life, death, and resurrection have purchased for us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who renews all things and enables us to live the life God intended for us to live (Romans 8). We do not have to sin and disappoint anymore!

What made the FHCC family dinner so great was not a bunch of people will good intentions and great personalities. What made the evening so wonderful was that is was made up of people who have been changed by Jesus. They are not "people of the world," but rather "people of the Spirit." Whether they are talking about the challenges of life, or the crappy offense of the NY Jets, they can do so in a manner that glorifies God and allows His glory to shine through them. They have become a blessing!

It is a fantastic thing to not only be the pastor of FHCC but a member. I love my brothers and sisters, and I am so humbled by what God is doing in our neighborhood and city. If you have never taken Jesus or the miracle of Christmas seriously before, I beg of you to make this your year. Jesus changes people; I've seen the proof!

FHCChurch
Sundays @ 10am INSIDE the Midway Movie Theater
Mondays @ 8pm INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram)
www.fhcchurch.com