A Pastor's Thoughts

Six Month Mark

2009-11-03T20:30:00.004-05:00

Sunday, November 1st was my six month anniversary at Trinity as the Lead Pastor and what a day it was. With extravagant worship marked by God's presence, we are making progress as a church and I know that the best is yet to come. On Sunday, we recorded the highest attendance and highest offering given this year. Spiritual progress is not measurable, however, attendance and giving is. That is an expression of what is happening in the spiritual realm at Trinity. Lives are being touched and people are being changed as the Spirit of God is released to move in their lives.

I am continuing in a series entitled, "Conquering Financial Problems." This series has been life changing and I know has helped many of you as multiple people have shared testimonies and positive words of encouragement about how the series has impacted them. Talking money in church is not an easy thing to do. I have been criticized for talking about money in the past, but that doesn't stop me. It just tells me that I'm doing the right thing. After all, Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic in the Bible. There are 500 verses on money and 500 verses on faith, yet there are over 2000 on money and possessions. Jesus spoke alot about money because He had alot to say about it.

If you are facing a financial crisis of any kind, I encourage you to enroll in Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey beginning in January. I know that you will benefit from Dave's teachings. Don't allow the bad decisions of the past, or the problems of the present keep you from fulfilling your divine purpose for the future.

God has been so good to my wife and I and so have you. We are so privileged to be the Pastors of this great church. Thank you everyone for such a generous gift for Pastor Appreciation. Ruth and I love you all. You all have been so loving, encouraging, supportive and open to the changes that God is bringing to our church. We know in our hearts that greater days and greater things are still to be done! Have a great week and Go Yankees!!!

What I'm Reading

2009-11-03T20:17:00.004-05:00

Thought you all might be interested in what I'm reading. Well, I'm just about done with the Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. Incredible book that has inspired me to pursue everything that God has for me. I refuse to be caged but am passionately pursuing God's destiny in my life. No limits, no boundaries, new heights, and new places. I am learning total dependence upon the Holy Spirit and His plan for my life and for God's Church.

I recently started reading The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. A book about reactivating the missional church. Amazing book that I am looking forward to completing.

Sunday Highlights

2009-10-13T09:57:00.002-04:00

What a great day at Trinity on Sunday! Many new faces and some old ones too. I know what the Psalmist meant when it said how wonderful it is when people come together in unity. We are a united church moving forward into everything that God has for us.

This Sunday, I launched a new sermon series that I believe everyone needs, "Conquering Financial Problems." It is a series that I believe can transform your life and transform our church as we discuss the biblical principles of handling money God's way. We left service full of hope and faith.

Our monthly family fellowship dinner continues to be a big part of our church. We are running out of room in our fellowship hall as more and more people are staying and enjoying great food and great friends. I believe that we must be a church that is built on relationships.

Our Youth had an awesome time at youth retreat this year. I'm real proud of Joel & Lynnette our Youth Leaders for making this happen. With only 3 weeks notice, they got a great group of teens together to go on retreat. Great job guys!

Thanks to everyone that makes Trinity tick. Our worship team, kitchen crew, ushers, children's workers, audio and video people, and others. We can't do it without all of you. You are all great to serve with and I know in my heart we are just beginning to see all the great things that God has in store for us as a church.

Ruth and I love you all very much. Thank you for all your prayers and support. This past week, we have sensed increased spiritual warfare. We know that as we move forward, we are not going to move forward without some kind of resistance. Thanks for praying for us, believing in us and letting us be your pastors! We love you all, have a great week!

Would-be cop back home as pastor | recordonline.com

2009-10-08T09:51:00.001-04:00

Would-be cop back home as pastor | recordonline.com

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A Day to Remember

2009-09-20T13:50:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, September 20th, I was officially installed as the new Pastor of Trinity Assembly of God. It was a day I will cherish for a very long time. People from every stage of my life were in attendance, including my 93 year old Children's Church director! She drove up all the way from NYC to be a part of this wonderful event. I will never forget her and the impact she had on my life. There were so many others that I cannot even begin to mention names at the fear of missing someone. In total, over 3oo people came to celebrate a new beginning for Trinity. Our Trinity family did an amazing job hosting the event and cooking for 300 people. I'm proud of our church. I have never worked with such a great group of people just willing to serve and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Our main sanctuary refurbishing project was also completed and we held our first Sunday service there on Sunday, September 20th. We had record attendance on that day since I have been here. There were many new faces and people are coming out to see what God is doing at Trinity. It truly is a new beginning for me and my family and a new beginning for Trinity Assembly of God. We all are coming through a difficult season in our lives. We are all now entering a great season of blessing, growth and increase. I know without a doubt that God has great things in store for this great church. I believe that the Lord is calling Trinity to be a place of healing and restoration. The restoration of the physical building is only a picture of the spiritual restoration that God is doing and that He is going to do. He is a God of restoration. He restores our soul. He restores the years that the locusts have eaten. He is a Great God!

The Bible says in Isaiah 58:12, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called the Repairer of the Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with dwellings.” This is God's vision for our church. God is calling us to be repairers and restorers. He is calling us to repair His house and restore people back to God. I truly believe that this is the work that the Holy Spirit is doing. A deep work of healing and restoration.

I can't wait for each Sunday to see what God is going to do next. This past week we had Ground Zero Master's Commission. They were sent by God to continue the deep work of healing and restoration that God is doing. This weekend we host Evangelist Greg Hubbard and his wife Robyn. They are great friends of ours and we love them and appreciate them very much. I know that they are going to be a blessing.

Trinity, Ruth and I love you very much. We are so happy to be home and so overwhelmed by your love and support. Thank you for letting me be your Pastor and lead you into everything that God has for you. Thank you for supporting the vision that God has given to me. A BIG THANK YOU for that incredible cake made by the Cake Boss himself. I could not believe it when I saw it. It was the most beautiful cake I had ever received, and to think that the Cake Boss made it. Unbelievable! Because of your love and support and unity, we were able to see God's wonderful blessing upon our lives and church. The best is yet to come!!!

Raise the Level of Your Expectations!

2009-09-09T12:04:00.002-04:00

Do you know that what you expect tends to be realized? You must not underestimate the power of your expectations. What is expected tends to be realized. If we always expect the worse, the worse tends to be realized. While you may not always get what you want, you usually get what you expect. You become what you believe. Our thoughts and expectations wield tremendous power and influence in our lives for both the positive and the negative. Proverbs tells us “As a man thinks so he is.”

In the New Testament, we read a story about two blind men who heard that Jesus was passing by, and faith began to rise up in their hearts. We read in Matthew 9:27, that they began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us and heal us.” When Jesus heard their cries, He stopped and walked over to them and asked them this question, ”Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Jesus knew what they wanted. He wanted to know what they believed. The blind men answered back with great confidence and expectation, “Yes, Lord.” The Bible says that when Jesus heard their faith, “He touched their eyes and said to them, ‘According to your faith be it done unto you.’”Matthew 9:29 And their eyes immediately opened. In the modern-day biblical paraphrase, The Message, it says, “Jesus touched their eyes and said, ‘Become what you believe.’”

Trinity is becoming a great church because we are believing that we are a great church. I am expecting and believing God for great things for my life and for Trinity. I know we will become what God wants us to become because of what we believe. We need to raise the level of our expectations and believe God for bigger, for greater, and for more. God has more in store for us. We need to expect great things from a great God. We need to expect increase, favor and supernatural blessing. I know that the moment I arrived at Trinity, I expected great things.

We are moving into our lower sanctuary on September 20th because we are believing for greater things. We are expecting growth and we are expecting God to do things beyond our understanding and comprehension. Sunday service was just a glimpse of what God is going to do in our church. There was such a supernatural presence of God on Sunday that I know overwhelmed all of us. God interrupted my sermon half way through with His presence, Praise God! I know lives were changed, people set free, and strongholds broken. I pray God's richest blessing upon you as you move forward into your God given destiny and as you trust God for more in 2009.

God bless you all. Ruth and I love you and are praying for you. Thank you for all the love, prayers and support. We couldn't do it without you!

Project Continues!

2009-09-01T07:38:00.005-04:00

The refurbishing of the lower sanctuary continues and we are on track for having our first service on September 20th! We can't wait! Things are coming together, people are coming together, the funds are coming together and we are all excited to worship in our newly renovated sanctuary. We have freshly painted the entire room, we have expanded the stage, installing new carpets, buying new chairs, updating our audio and video equipment, doing new landscaping, and getting a new church sign. Trinity is a church on the move. We have increased attendance already by almost 50% over the summer! We are expecting our attendance to double this fall. God is doing new things and I am excited for the great things He is doing.

Sunday service was incredible. The anointing of God was so rich and heavy as Any led us into the throne room. All of us were overwhelmed by the presence of God has we had an extended time of worship. Our pianist could not continue playing as he sat weeping in the presence of God. Lives were changed. People touched. We will not be the same. Any led us for the last time and what a job she did. All I can say is "We won't stop till the whole world knows that He's a great God! Great God! Oh, Oh!" I love that song. We also sang, "Hosanna", and "It's Your Love." The worship is moving to a whole new level!

I preached on, "Is There Anything Too Hard For The Lord!" God was in the house and there was a great anointing on the message. I know this that we experience a huge breakthrough as the altars were filled with people believing God for a miracle in their lives and in their circumstances. I know this that at the appointed time, breakthrough will come. Let's keep believing, let's keep trusting, let's keep pressing, and like we learned in the great movie "Finding Nemo" let's keep swimming! We are about to press through into our breakthrough.

Thank you everyone who has helped make this project a reality. We have had so many volunteers and people helping. We are not done, there's still much to do. I could not have done it without you all. You are all a blessing to work with and I am the luckiest Pastor in America to be Pastoring this wonderful church. You guys are great. I could not be in a better place. Thanks for your love, your support and holding my hands up as together we move forward into everything that God has for us. We love you!

The Refurbishing Has Begun!

2009-08-18T17:54:00.009-04:00

We have begun the refurbishing of the lower sanctuary! This past year the upper sanctuary was refurbished to seat about 200 people. Now we have begun the refurbishing of the lower sanctuary which will seat 400. We are so excited to see the transformation begin. We know that this physical transformation is a picture of the spiritual transformation that will soon take place in the lives of many, many people. Our upper sanctuary will be used for our Kingdom Kids on Sunday mornings, Youth Services on Friday nights, Wednesday evening Bible Studies, prayer meetings and more. Our first service in the lower Sanctuary will be September 20th.

In II Chronicles 24: 1-15 we read the story of King Joash. He became king of Judah at the age of seven. Shortly after he became king, he became aware of the fact that the temple in Jerusalem was in bad need of repair. So the king simply instructed the people of Israel to bring an offering of their possessions in order to gain sufficient money so that the house of the Lord could be repaired. It says in verse two of II Chronicles 24 that "Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord". He was a young godly man of integrity. It says in verse eight, "at the king's commandment they made a chest and they set it outside of the gate of the house of the Lord." Verse nine indicates that they made a proclamation to bring a collection to place in the chest. In verse ten, the people rejoiced and brought their offerings and placed the offerings in the chest. Verse eleven indicates that "there was much money" that had been placed in the chest. And then it says in the last part of verse eleven that they "gathered money in abundance! The remainder of the story indicates that the work was done to repair the house of the Lord. And verse thirteen indicates that the house of the Lord was put in order and strengthened. “The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it.” 2 Chronicles 24:13

This is the vision God has given me. A vision to restore, rebuild, and refurbish the Temple to its original design, a House of Worship. We are moving forward with the full support of our Church Board. Thank you for your prayers, your support and your help in making the vision become a reality! Ruth and I love you all very much. We are so blessed and privileged to be your Pastors. You are amazing people. We could not do it without you. Thank you for all of the support. Together with God's help, the impossible will become possible!

Sunday Highlights!

2009-08-11T09:16:00.007-04:00

Sunday is the highlight of my week. I just love Sundays! This past Sunday at Trinity, God did some amazing things. People continue to come and the church continues to grow. This past Sunday we had to put out three additional rows of metal chairs out Praise God! It's a matter of time before we have to move downstairs. I love meeting new people and connecting with others. We had a great time on Sunday morning.
I preached on the "Five Habits of the Highly Effective Church." Although I love to see the crowds, what is more important than crowds is effectiveness. As a church we must be effective in fulfilling the mandate God has given to us. The goal of every church must be to fulfill its kingdom call and walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Churches that fulfill its kingdom call and walk in step with the Holy Spirit will be productive and effective churches. Churches must develop habits that will result in spiritual effectiveness and productivity.
Ineffective churches fall short of their kingdom calling. There are numerous ineffective Churches that are not fulfilling their kingdom calling. There are plenty of Churches that have settled for the status quo, business as usual, mediocrity and old traditions. I can tell you right now that there are more churches concerned about living in the past than fulfilling their kingdom calling. They get more excited about Christmas Cantatas than fulfilling the great commission which says that we are to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.
God has not called us to mediocrity or ineffectivenss. He has called us to greatness and effectiveness. He has called us to identifiable and reproducible God-honoring, life-changing, soul-saving, mission-minded and disciple making practices. He has not called us to reproduce the past but to impact the present and change the future. In order to do that, as a church we must develop and maintain healthy spiritual habits that are going to lead to productivity and effectiveness.

We ended our Sunday with our Church Picnic at Circleville Park. What a great time we had. It was a blast. All kinds of people showed up. The food was incredible, and those ribs... they were out of this world. Good job Glenn! But of course, Glenn's ribs were no match for the Grillmaster. I took first place with my famous BBQ Ribs!!! I also wanted to thank Keith and Tina for all their help with the picnic. You guys did an amazing job. Maybe next year Glenn!

I also want to congratulate Rob Segarra and the Trinity softball team who won the OCCCSL Championship!!! Good job guys. On Sunday morning I presented them with the trophy. I'm real proud of our team and real proud of our church. You all have made me a very proud Pastor. Let's get em' again next year!
Ruth and I love you all very much. We are so thankful to God for all of you. We are privileged to be called your Pastors. We are anxious to continue getting to know all of you. God is doing great things. Thank you for partnering with us and thank you for supporting us and loving us.

Sunday Highlights

2009-07-28T08:46:00.002-04:00

Change is in the air! Praise God for change. Things are progressing and things are changing for the glory of God. Change is hard for many. People get uncomfortable with change. The uncertainty of change leads to fear. People are quite comfortable with things that are familiar to them. However, if we are going to move forward, we are going to have to embrace change. God wants to birth new things in us and through Trinity. We must be open to the new things that God is doing and going to do. I know that God has incredible things planned for this great church. We are just getting started. Things are coming together and I know that greatness is store for us. Let's keep pressing, let's keep changing! Listen to Sunday's sermon "Responding to Change."
With your help we were able to order 50 new chairs last week! We had another great crowd on Sunday and we continue to grow even during the summer months. It's been great to get to meet the many new people. I was talking with a member last week and she said that she did not know half of the people that were at church this past Sunday. God is bringing new people in and I'm excited. The chairs will be coming in September. Keep inviting and telling everyone about the new things God is doing at Trinity!
I was very encouraged with our missions giving. We only have 5 more missionaries that need our support. Thank you for your willingness to give to God's kingdom. Missions is the heart of Trinity. We must continue to support missions and pray for our missionaries as they take the message of Jesus around the world. Trinity currently supports over 30 missionaries and para-missions organizations around the world! Let's see that number double by next year. I know we can do it. Thanks Any! I appreciate everything you did!
Mega Sports camp was a huge success this year. Many kids came out. We doubled our attendance from last year. Any Torres and her team did an amazing job! We will continue with Mega Sports Camp every Wednesday night throughout the rest of the summer.
Pow-Wow last week was great as well. This was my first Pow-Wow and it was great! Our Senior Commander Jim Vizethann did a great job. We have the best! The boys loved it and God did great things. The best part was our times at the altars. God touched and filled many of our boys and I know that they are not the same. Thanks Jim! You did a great job!
Sunday we also said good-bye to Pastor Frank. He served with his heart and we appreciate his hard work and ministry at Trinity. We praise God for him and know that God has great things in store for this young man. Let's keep Pastor Frank in prayer.
We had a great day on Sunday. God continues to meet us each week. Ruth and I love you all very much. We are excited to be here and excited for everything that God is doing at Trinity. Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support. You guys are the best!

Sunday Highlights

2009-07-20T15:00:00.003-04:00

"Just Give Me Jesus" was the new song Any led us in yesterday and let me tell you that it summed up the entire service. GOD was in the house and Jesus was lifted up. When it all comes down to it, just give me JESUS!
We had an extended time of worship that was powerful as God moved by His Spirit. There was energy and life as we worshiped Jesus in Spirit and in truth. A first time guest came to me afterwards and said, "There's a lot of energy here, I love it!" That was such blessing to hear. Many came to the altars to experience a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. God poured out His Spirit with visible power and anointing.
As we continue to press forward, we will go deeper in our worship experience. I recently read in "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson that too often churches do to people what zoos do to animals. They cage them up and keep them tame instead of allowing them to be free. Too often we take people out of their natural habitat and try to tame them in the name of Christ. We end up with caged Christians. Part of going deeper in worship is being able to express yourself freely. Trinity is not a zoo, and there are no cages here. We will be free to worship God in spirit and in truth! No holding back!
I preached on "Fatal Distractions." It's easy to become distracted with the things of this world. We allow worry, fear, the lack of finances to distract us when all we need to do is focus on Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. We must remain focused on the vision that He has for our lives and for our church and not allow distractions to pull us away from that focus.
I love how the Message puts it, “Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!” Philippians 3:13-15 (Message).
I am so encouraged by what God is doing each week at Trinity. Ruth and I feel free to serve and minister to you as God would have us to. We love each of you deeply and pray for you often. Thank you for your continued love and support. We could not do it without you all!

Sunday Highlights

2009-07-13T14:30:00.004-04:00

The Lord never ceases to amaze me. He continues to visit us with His power and with His presence every week. Thanking God for another wonderful Sunday service. We are continuing to build momentum forward.
I want to again thank the worship team for a great job. I want to give a special shout out to Leticia. With both of our piano players out, she stepped up to the plate with her acoustic guitar. You were great! Glenn, was also outstanding as he played lead guitar. Any led us into the presence of God with the "Revelation Song." The worship team is really coming together.
I preached a message entitled, "Who Do You Think You Are?" using Proverbs 23:6-7 as my text. Each week I am getting more and more comfortable preaching. There is a freedom that I have preaching that I have not experienced before. There seems to be many that are hungry for God's Word and receiving the message with gladness. Remember that you are PRICELESS!!!
We concluded our day with a potluck dinner. The food was amazing. We had arroz con gandules, chicken, African rice, plantains, pastelon and someone made me mofongo! It was great. Many people stayed and we had a great time. Thank you everyone for making such great food.
God continues to send us new people each week. It has been great meeting the many new families. I pray that you will consider making Trinity your home.
Ruth and I have been so blessed being here at Trinity. Thank you all for you love, prayers and support. We are enjoying being your pastors and count it a privilege to serve you. You guys are an incredible group of people. Let's keep moving forward, together!
Have a blessed week!

Finally Home!

2009-07-13T09:10:00.003-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NLT)

This is the passage of Scripture the Lord gave us which confirmed to our hearts that we were to go to Trinity. After 15 years, Ruth and I are back home! God has brought us full circle. We are so excited to be living back again in New York.

On Saturday we moved into our new place. It's a nice little townhouse .3 miles from the church. Ruth and I were overwhelmed by the help and support we received from our Trinity family. A bus load of people came up to Pittsfield to help us move. We loaded the truck in 2 hours. You guys were great. We also had a welcome crew to help us unload. That took us 1 hr. and 15 min.! The food that people brought was great and we had a great moving day. Thanks for everyone that was able to come out and help us. We really appreciate it.

Leaving our home in Pittsfield was very hard for us. We loved our home and we love the city. There are alot of wonderful people there. However, we know that when God calls us, He calls us to leave everything behind to follow His plan for our lives. When God asks us to do this, He doesn't do it to move us backwards, He does it to move us forward. We know that God has great things in store for us here in this new season of our lives. We know that our best years of ministry are still ahead and not behind.

Thank you everyone for your love, prayers and support. Please continue to pray for us as we lead this congregation into all that God has. Pray that our home in Pittsfield would sell. Pray for God's blessing and favor rest upon our lives. We love you all.

Sunday Highlights

2009-07-06T09:36:00.003-04:00

Great service Sunday! Once again we were able to touch the heart of God and experience breakthrough in our service. The presence of God was rich and tangible as we offered our worship to Him. I believe that our pre-service prayer has been preparing our hearts and the atmosphere for us to go to a deeper level in our worship. The music is really beginning to take off. I'm so thankful for the hard work of our worship team and musicians now 10 members strong. You guys are doing an awesome job!

We went from worship to communion and prayer at the altars. Communion always adds to our worship experience. The blood will never lose its power! Worship, prayer and communion always prepares our hearts to receive the Word.

I preached on "Spiritual Warfare" Much of what we experience in the natural is really a manifestation of the battle in the spiritual. We need to understand how important spiritual warfare is going to be as we advance God's kingdom. Remember, we have the authority and the power over all the works of the enemy and no weapon formed against us will prosper! As we move forward we will face resistance. However, let's use the authority and the power given to us to come against all of the weapons and schemes of the enemy.

We are a church on the move. We are moving forward! We are expecting and believing for God to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think. I sense an excitement and anticipation in each and every service. I know that we are breaking through to heights and places that we have never been before. Like the children of Israel, we are moving forward to places we have never been to do things we have never done.

Ruth and I are so excited to be here. Your love and support has been so amazing. We can't wait to move down to Middletown. We may be losing a house, but we know we are gaining a family! We know that what God is doing and going to do will far exceed any and all of our expectations. Let's continue to expect and believe God together to do greater things than He has done in times past. Let us continue to work together in a spirit of unity to move forward and take back all that the enemy has stolen!

Lastly, Pastor Frank resigned Sunday as our Youth Pastor. In his words, he is resigning because he feels God calling him away. We appreciate Pastor Frank and all he did as our youth pastor. God used him and he was very instrumental throughout the transition. We will miss Pastor Frank very much. I know that he has a bright future ahead. We will be holding a special farewell service at the end of the month for Pastor Frank. Stay tuned for more details.

Sunday Highlights

2009-06-29T08:13:00.004-04:00

What a struggle I had all week. I see now how the enemy was at work trying to discourage, distract, and hinder what God was going to do on Sunday. All week it has been a struggle for me. I wrestled with God trying to get his mind and heart for Sunday. Usually it comes very easy, but this week I had to press. Late Saturday night I found myself crying out to God for breakthrough. When Sunday morning came, I continued to sense a struggle in the spirit, but by the end of the service we had tremendous breakthrough at the altars. I believe that God brought breakthrough and we are a church on the move.
The message was "Moving Forward." I believe that the enemy wants to keep us stuck in our past and keep us from moving forward. I know that our future is going to be greater than our past. I know that great things are in store for Trinity. We must continue to look forward in order to move forward. We must be able to stop dwelling on the hurts and pains of the past in order to move into our divine destiny. Isaiah 43:18, "Forget about what has happened before. Do not think about the past. Instead, look at the new thing that I'm going to do."
Sunday was also Missions Sunday. Over the past year our missions giving has dropped dramatically. My challenge was for everyone to be involved in missions. I was overwhelmed to see how everyone responded to the challenge to get involved in missions. We were able to see about two thirds of our missionary budget raised in a matter of minutes because of your giving! Praise God! I know that there was great breakthrough as we sacrificed and took on the responsibility of supporting our missionaries.
It was great meeting many new people and first time visitors also. I can sense how God is beginning to bring new people to our church. Our attendance has been strong and I know that this is just the beginning of what God is going to do here at Trinity. Let's continue to make room for God to do what He wants to do.
I know that we are on the verge of great things. Sunday was an important step in that direction as we surrendered our hearts and lives to allow God to have His way. I know that as we continue to live surrendered lives, fully committed and devoted to Him, there is no telling what God will do.
Thank you all for your love, encouragement and prayers. You all have been so great to us. I must have gained 10lbs since arriving here at Trinity. We had such a great weekend visiting with people and getting to know you all better. Thank you for all of your love and support. Ruth and I know that we are at the center of God's will. We are planning to move in July. Please continue to keep us in prayer as we get ready to make the big move. We can't wait to get to New York. We are so excited to begin this new chapter in our lives.

Sunday Highlights

2009-06-21T19:44:00.002-04:00

What a powerful Father's Day service today. God presence was so strong during the entire service. I preached on the characteristics of "The Godlyfather," Fervency, Availability, Tender-heartedness, Humility, Encouragement, and Righteousness. The altar time was meaningful and heartfelt as we prayed over our dads. Thank you dads!
The worship was so exciting and dynamic today as we kicked off the service with "Faith." Eli Navas began playing the keyboard and leading the music ministry today. Everyone did such a great job. It was so great to have Mike playing Congas and Glenn playing lead guitar. You guys were great. Any led us into God's presence with great passion and sensitivity. The Revelation Song propelled us into God's presence. Our worship team rocks and I am so thankful for all of your commitment to this ministry. Thanks Eli, Laticia, Glenn, Little Glenn, Tay Tay, Jim, Suzy, Faith, Phyllis, Tina, and of course our sound guy Nick!
We had another great crowd today. It seems like there are more and more people coming each week. I am grateful for those that are visiting and checking us out. Give us a shot, I know that you are going to be amazed at the things God is doing.
A special Thank You to everyone for surprising us with a reception after service for our anniversary. We have such a great time hanging, laughing and talking with all of you. All I can say is that Trinity knows how to throw down on cake. I think I have gained 10lbs since becoming the Pastor! You guys are such a blessing. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
Congratulations to our Grads: Taylor, Sergio, Dierdra, and Any. You guys have done a great job and should be real proud of your accomplishments. Looking forward to hearing what God is going to do in you and through you.
Thank you for all of your prayers for our move and transition to Middletown. We will be moving into our new home by the end of July. We will let you know the date of our "moving in party" if you know what I mean soon. We are very close to selling our home here in Pittsfield. We know that God is working out all of those details.
Looking forward to next Sunday already! Can't wait to get back to church. I know that God has more in store for us. Ruth and I love you and we are praying for you this week.

12 Years of Marriage

2009-06-21T19:27:00.002-04:00

Today Ruth and I celebrate our 12 year wedding anniversary. Praise God! He is faithful. He continues to bless us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Ruth and I met in September, 1990 at Orange County Community College. I can still see her standing where I first noticed her for the first time. Little did I know that the beautiful young lady standing on the hill would be my wife.

Our wedding day was so great. We were married at First Assembly of God, Port Jervis, NY. It was a hot summer day temperature about 93 degrees. I can remember standing at the altar with very weak knees waiting for my bride to be. She was so beautiful as she walked down the aisle. Our reception was off the hook as we had Marisol Soto and her orquesta come and play. We had a great time singing, dancing and praising God. God is so good.

Here we are about to embark on a new chapter in our journey together in Middletown. We are looking forward to many more great years of marriage together. It hasn't been easy, but through it all we have learned to trust in Jesus and learned to stand upon His Word. He is the glue that has kept our marriage together.

Sunday Highlights

2009-06-16T14:15:00.000-04:00

We had a encouraging, uplifting and dynamic service on Sunday! The worship was great. Thanks worship team for doing an awesome job. "Say So" was really good. You guys are doing a great job leading us into God's presence. The time at the altar was also powerful and encouraging as we pray for one another and believe God for the impossible.
We had another great crowd at church on Sunday. Meeting new people every week. Really excited to see the growth and progress we have made in only 6 weeks! It looks like we are going to outgrow this upstairs sanctuary pretty quick.
The parade of babies was so cute. Jen De'Espesito is doing a great job with our Little Lambs nursery. She needs your help so please sign-up to serve on a Sunday. A new curriculum is going to be implemented and we are going to make nursery a fun and learning time for our Little Lambs.
Also, don't forget to support Any Torres with this years "Mega-Sports Camp." We are expecting tons of kids. Please make yourself available for her.
A special congratulations to Bill and Marta Wolfe celebrating 40 years of marriage! WOW! You guys are amazing and so inspirational to Ruth and I. We love you both very much!
Sunday's message was "The Power of Your Words." I hope you were challenged and encouraged, but most importantly transformed by the message. There is power in the tongue, power to build up and power to tear down. Let's be a people and a church that builds up and refuses to allow any form of gossip to pervade in our church.
Trinity family, Ruth and I love you all very much. We are thrilled to be here and know that we are in the center of God's will. The expectations and excitement that we feel for what God is going to do in Middletown is overwhelming at times. We know that God has tremendous things in store for you and in store for Trinity. Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support. You guys are the best!!!!

One Month Later

2009-06-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

Trinity family, thank you so much for accepting us and loving us as your new Pastors. Ruth and I are so blessed to be here at Trinity. You all have been so great and we love you all very much. God is truly moving powerfully in our services by His Spirit. In one month we have seen God do some amazing things. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation for what God is doing but most importantly what He is going to do in our church. It's exciting to seem some familiar faces but also the many new faces who are now attending. We are growing quickly! At this rate we are going to have to move back downstairs into our larger sanctuary pretty soon!

Today's sermon dealt with forgiveness. Let's remember to forgive as God has forgiven us. Let's not allow resentment or bitterness or the hurts and pains of the past to hinder us from moving forward into all that God wants for us as a church. God has great things in store and we must let go of the past and embrace what He has for us in the future. I know forgiveness is tough, but it's necessary. Let us be a church that practices forgiveness. Let us be a church that chooses to forgive and forget.

Transitioning

2009-06-06T14:11:00.000-04:00

Ruth and I have spent the last few weeks getting our house ready for sale and house hunting. There are so many houses to look at that it's a little bit overwhelming. With the market the way it is, we might be forced to rent an apartment for now until we are able to sell our home. We know that nothing is impossible with God. We are trusting God for His best for our lives and for our family. As of today, we have not found anything yet, but we are trusting God. Keep us in your prayers as we together move forward into everything that God has for us!

A New Beginning

2009-05-03T19:29:00.002-04:00

Today marks a new beginning for us. Today we were elected to be the Pastors of Trinity Assembly of God in Middletown, New York. We are so overwhelmed with what God has done. We have come full circle and we believe that we are on the verge of greatness.

I was born and raised in the Bronx. In 1985, my parents moved us out of the Bronx to Bloomingburg, NY. Growing up Baptist, they looked for a Baptist church to attend, but did not find one they felt comfortable in. God eventually led my parents to Trinity Assembly of God, Middletown, NY, in 1985. It is remarkable to come full circle and become the Pastor of a church I attended as a youth. This is also the church that Ruth accepted Christ in and was filled with the Holy Spirit in 1990.

We serve a great big God! Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed that I would Pastor Trinity. Only God can make the impossible possible. We believe that God has great things in store for this great church. I intend to build on the foundation laid down by Pastor Bricker and by Pastor Giordano. They both have left me a church with incredible potential. I am grateful for their hard work and years of service. I believe that the fruit I will reap will be a direct result of their ministries.

So, here we are at a new beginning and a new chapter in our lives. We have lots to do. We have to prepare to sell our house, find a new place to live, pack and move back to a city we once lived in. I can't believe how much the Middletown area has grown. It is a fast growing area with many relocating from NYC like my family did. We love the area, we love the culture and the diversity. We are truly believing to build a large, vibrant, multi-cultural church in Middletown, NY. All the experiences we have gone through have prepared us for this moment. Like Joseph, we have been prepared for greatness.

The Scripture I leave you is, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love God and for those that have been called according to His purpose!"

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

A Time of Transition

2009-04-06T22:30:00.005-04:00

After 5 1/2 years, Ruth and I have resigned as Senior Pastors of Christian Assembly. It was a very difficult decision. After several months of praying and seeking God for wisdom and direction, through many tears and counsel from close friends, fellow pastors and mentors in my life, it has become clear to us that our ministry at Christian Assembly is finished.

We are very proud of what God did through us throughout our time at Christian Assembly. When we first became the Pastors, the church was experiencing the pain of a sudden loss of their previous Pastor, finances were in the tank, the pre-school was on the verge of closing, attendance had plateaued and morale was low. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we saw a huge turnaround. The church began to grow and finances grew by 35%. We went from a deficit to a very comfortable positive balance in our general fund, the pre-school turned around and enrollment went up, and the church experienced a great move of God's spirit. We birthed multiple outreach ministries in the community which include adopt-a-block, back to school blessing, box of love, revival ride and car show, mentorship for unwed mothers at Redfield House, missions trips to Costa Rica, Jamaica, and LA, coats for kids, Kings Kids and mega sports camp. Our worship style changed to reach a younger audience and people began to come, grow and get excited about Jesus again.

In addition to what God did at Christian Assembly, I also co-founded Berkshire Revival Fires, bringing a dozen churches and pastors together from different denominations. We held two revival meetings in Pittsfield as well as regular prayer meetings and other outreaches. I also served on the board of directors for Berkshire Christian School and assited them in their vision of seeing children in Berkshire County grow in knowledge and Christlikeness. I also served our District serving on the Christian Ed committee working on events, trainings and conferences to assist our district churches with discipleship.

We had a great experience here and we did a whole lot in a short time. God is faithful and we are at peace. We know that God has great things in store for Christian Assembly. My prayer is that people would recognize what God wants to do and move out of the way and make room for Him to do it. The biggest hindrance to any move of God are people who refuse to change or refuse to recognize the new things that God is doing and get in the way of Him doing it.

We thank God for our time at Christian Assembly. We now look forward to the greater things that God wants to do in Ruth and I. We are entering our best years of our ministry and we know without a doubt that we are going to explode at our next ministry assignment. We know that God has propelled us to a whole new level of anointing and ministry and we are about to enter into a season of incredible enlargement and growth.

Ruth and I just want to thank everyone that supported us, loved us, encouraged us and prayed for us. You have been a great source of strength and encouragement. Continue serving Jesus and fulfilling the vision that He has for your life. Leaders will come and leaders will go, but God's plan for you and God's plan for Christian Assembly will not change. The Great Commission will continue be the Great Commandment for every person and every church until Jesus comes! We love you all very deeply.

How Great is Our God!

2009-03-11T18:09:00.003-04:00

I saw this video today in it's entirety and it literally blew me away. With all the stuff going on in our world today, I was reminded of how great my God really is. Sometimes we get all worked up over small things and don't realize that there is nothing to big for God. He is in complete control. Please take a few minutes and allow God to minister to your heart through Louie Giglio. I guarantee that you will be blown away as I was!

The Church in a Rapidly Changing World

2009-01-31T08:13:00.005-05:00

I came across this youtube video and it has blown me away. I don't know if many of you realize how rapidly our world is changing. This video proves that we must reach this new world and a whole new generation of people with 21st century methods. Church has become irrelevant for so many, yet we continue to believe we are successful because the same people come back every week and hear the same message packaged in a different way. To some, success is repeating the past. I don't believe success is repeating the past. Success is reaching the present. As a pastor, I cannot, nor will not continue to lead a church using 19th or 20th century methods.

What is confusing for so many is that when we talk about changing methods, we start thinking about a changing message. Let me be clear, the message of the Gospel will never change. However, how we present it must change and must be relevant to our culture. Some churches are stuck in the 50's and the 60's. When I walked into Christian Assembly I would say it was stuck in the 70's and 80's. Although we have not arrived into the 21st century we are alot closer than we were just 3 years ago. If we expect to be relevant, if we expect to impact people and reach new people, we must continue to change and continue to rediscover new methods and creative ideas that are going to meet people where they are at. I am not an advocate for change for the sake of change. I am an advocate of change when things aren't working. Let me be real honest with you. Church as usual is no longer working.

My question for you is are you willing to change? Are you willing to try new things? Are you willing to get out of the boat, think outside of the box? or are you quite comfortable where you are at and what you are doing. If you are, just remember, the pain of change is a lot less painful than the pain of remaining the same in an everchanging world. The only thing constant is change. A generation of people are hungry for our message, but will they hear it if they do not walk into our Sunday morning church service. Will they hear it if we refuse to give up our hymns and give up our ties. Will they hear it if we refuse to be creative and innovative and stick to the status quo. They won't, because they aren't. Let's be real, when was the last time an unchurched person found Christ in your church. Now compare that number to how many people live in your city and you will soon realize, it aint working. We need to change.

A New Chapter in American History

2009-01-22T10:02:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, January 20th, a new chapter in American History began. Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. What is remarkable and historic about this inauguration is that President Obama is the first black president of the United States. That is amazing and truly a historic moment for our country.

Recently I watched Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech on youtube. It's not the first time I watched it, but this time it has taken on new meaning. As I watched Dr. King preach, I could not help but think that 45 years later, on January 20th, his dream was fulfilled. I am so thankful and proud that our nation has embraced its first African American President. Being Hispanic, my dream would be to have a Hispanic President with a Hispanic name like Lopez or Nieves. I do believe that I will see a Hispanic President in my lifetime.

What concerns me more than anything is how people are almost deifying President Obama as if he is some messiah or savior. People are placing so much hope and expectation on this one man that it concerns me. Although I am thrilled that we have an African American President, I am reminded that our hope is not in a man, whatever color or race he may be. Our hope can only be found in Christ. Let me remind everyone that President Obama's reign will be for four, maybe eight years. The Bible says that Christ will rule and reign forever and ever and his kindgom will never end.

When we place our hope in man we will always be disappointed. Man will always disappoint us in some way or another. When we place high expectations upon people, they rarely if ever will meet those expectations, and we will soon find ourselves more discouraged and disappointed than before. But when we place our hope, our confidence in Christ, we will never be disappointed, we will never be let down. Christ always exceeds our expecations. He will always do above and beyone what we expect.

In the Old Testament, God's people cried out for a king. The problem was that God wanted to be their king. In asking for a king, they rejected God's authority over their lives. God soon gave them the king they wanted, only to be disappointed. I have a feeling that many are going to be disappointed because they have placed their hope in a man, rather than in God.

I pray for President Obama. I pray for his success, however, my hope for revival, for renewal, for world peace, for freedom, is not in a man but in Christ. The hope of America is not found in a political leader, a Pastor or a President. The hope of America is found in Jesus Christ. He is our hope, our King, our Savior, our redeemer, our Lord. He is my President.