In life we have a lot of firsts. Today I had one of those firsts. I took my first trip to New York City, New York. I am one of 27 Wynne Baptist Church music ministry team members that have come to the Big Apple to assist Nathan and Leslie Tubbs. They are church planters with the North American Missions Board. They have planted a church called Cornerstone Church at Bay Ridge. Bay Ridge is located on the south end of Brooklyn, NY. Tomorrow we will begin serving the Bay Ridge area with Nathan and Leslie. Our plans include picking up trash along 3rd and 5th Avenues and handing out cards inviting locals in Bay Ridge to attend a service with Cornerstone Church. On Thursday we will be working in a park doing various odd jobs. Hopefully the weather will hold off. On Friday and Saturday we will be attending a music conference at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. We will be singing with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir on Sunday.
My day started bright and early at 4:00 am. After getting my bags loaded I headed to Wynne to pick up Chris. We arrived at the church around 5:00 or so and by 5:30, we were on our way to the airport. We arrived in New York early which was good. It took 3 shuttle buses to get us to our hotel in Bay Ridge. Jack was our driver. He is from Kingston, Jamaica. Along our journey to Bay Ridge we got to see such landmarks as the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and across the Hudson we could see where the World Trade Center Towers once stood.
After meeting with Nathan and Leslie for a meet and greet orientation, Nathan took us on a walk around the neighborhoods in which we will be working. Nathan said that approximately 97% of New Yorkers are non-Christian and considered unreached. He also believes that of the 3% that claim to be of the Christian faith, only 1.5% of them are genuinely saved. That statistic blew me away. There are around 70,000 people in the Bay Ridge area. That area encompasses about 2 square miles. That is a lot of people!
After our orientation and mini-tour, Nathan guided us to Coney Island via the NYC Subway system. Riding the train was pretty cool. We ventured across the street from the train station to Nathan's Famous Frankfurters to eat a hotdog. Nathan's is known for being the home of the annual 4th of July Hotdog Eating Contest. I had a chili & cheese hotdog. It was very, very, very good. We finished our hotdogs and hopped back on the train to the hotel. We met for a time of prayer and instruction then retired to our rooms. I couldn't wait to grab a hot shower and get in the bed. It has definitely been a LONG day.
In our devotion and prayer time, Bro. David encouraged us by sharing a passage from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. It reads, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Bro. David told us that no doubt tomorrow we will grow tired. We will probably wonder why in the world we paid all this money to come to Brooklyn, NY to pick up trash and trim trees. When that happens we must remember that in our weakness Christ is made strong. We must remember, we are doing this for the sake of the Gospel, so that others may come to a personal relationship with Christ. May God use us over the next couple of days for His Glory!
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