Sundays in New York

Sundays here have been some of our busiest and most exciting days.  We got a job teaching Ethiopian Sunday school at the bright hour of 8:30. Luckily the church meets in the building so we don't have much of a commute (as per every day). We were teaching because the Sunday school teacher took a four week vacation.  There were only 4 kids and they were so easy to teach.  The only challenge was that two of them don't speak English very well.  The other two do, so it's hard to keep the playing field even.  The church has delicious tea and home made bread after the service. 

From there, we went to a noon service.  On week 2, we went to Hillsong.  Hillsong is not an MNYBA church, and it is a bit like a concert.  They meet in a theater and you have to wait in line to get in.  The music is of course very good and the speaker is full of charisma.  The message was good- about how storms will come in our lives, but we must be like the man who built his house on the rock.  When the storm comes we should love it, because we have faith that God's plan is perfect.
On week 3, we went to a Korean English speaking church- Compass Church.  It meets in a private school and is starting a second campus in lower Manhattan.  It is a very quite church.  The music had only a keyboard but was good.  The message was about old truths and the timelessness of the Bible.

Sunday afternoon takes me to Father's Love, Indonesian church.  We were supposed to teach the youth for three weeks while Joshua was gone. As it turned out, I only got to teach once because the second week was the anniversary celebration.  This church also eats after the service and everything was yummy except fried fish skin.  The youth are studying how to share their faith and how to study the Bible.  Every week I stop at a book store and talk to Melvin, the owner.  He believes in God but does not like church.  He thinks that God is everywhere so he doesn't need to go to church.  Say a prayer for him right now that the Holy Spirit will show him his need for a personal relationship with God, not just a belief in him.

Ephesians 2:8 and 9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.