ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES

The Women's Ministry here at Christian Tabernacle has been in "work-mode" since the start of this year.  They are ready to roll up their sleeves and get their hands in the work.  If these women need to put gloves on and clean the church, they are ready to go.  If they need to put their aprons on and work in the kitchen, they will do it without thinking about it twice.  And if they need to get their knees dirty in prayer at the altar, they will pray and intercede for the church until there is a breakthrough. The "Women with Purpose" have three objectives: unity, evangelism, and spiritual growth.  The women have grown together in unity and have learned to work as a team.

During the summer, we focused on evangelism and reaching the lost.  All the women joined together in teams and began to walk the streets of Freeport and Roosevelt witnessing to people in need.  Many opened their hearts to the Word of God.  One lady in particular, asked for prayer outside of a supermarket.  Sis. Olinda Sorto began to pray for her and this lady felt the presence of God so strongly.  She invited us to her house that evening and attended service the following Sunday.  These women have grown in a boldness to preach the gospel.  They want to do greater things for the kingdom of God. 

Sis. Emma Batres is the women's president.  She has only been baptized for about three years and yet she is passionate to minister and be used by God.  She will tell me, "Sis. Christine, I wish I could do more.  I feel like I don't do enough. Please tell me the areas I'm lacking in."  I'm curious to what she means by her comments because I see her doing so much already.  My goal is to continue to pour myself into these women and grow along-side them.  I want to keep them involved, excited, and motivated to use their talents and abilities in the church.  I want to keep that spirit of unity with our women.  In Jesus Name it will be done! 

  How does exponential growth begin anyway?  That is a question that we at CTNY have asked ourselves.  We know that theoretically, a church can grow at an accelerated rate if the correct ingredients are in place.  You start with a small group of people, disciple them, then, when the time is right, the group multiplies.  If the discipleship went according to plan, the group will then multiply again and again causing a chain reaction of exponential growth.  It will grow something like this; a small group of about 10 people wins 10 others; then the two groups win 10 each, and so forth.  The growth experienced goes from 10 to 20 to 40 to 80 to 160 to 320 to 640 to 1280 in a matter of just a few months.  The answer really is about having the right ingredients. 

On our quest to find the right ingredients to make our Home Friendship Groups successful, we decided to take a plunge into preparing ourselves for that success. Benjamin Franklin once said, "A failure to prepare, is preparing to fail."  Consequently we developed what we now call CT school of Ministry in which we disciple our leaders and assistants by providing them with the tools necessary for success.  We then formed 5 Home Friendship Groups and placed them in 5 strategic locations throughout Long Island.  Now that the foundation has been laid, we are experiencing unprecedented momentum in the growth of our Home Friendship Groups.  Our group in Roosevelt, New York led by Brother Baltazar Franco who is eager to see the lost saved, went out into the streets and multiplied from 4 to 8.  This in just one week!  Imagine growing by 100% in just one week.  The group led by Minister Santos Guevara in Freeport, NY was experiencing turbulence when the Lord took over and took the group from a struggling 2 to 20 in less than 2 months.  Three weeks ago I visited our group in Central Islip, NY led by Brother Jose Orellana where we had an attendance of 8.  Last week we had an attendance of 19.  It's not all about the numbers, however.  The power of God is moving in such a powerful way that people are desperate to meet and encounter God.  Brother Salvador bikes for 20 minutes to Central Islip to receive something from God. I will tell you one thing, the presence of God was so intense last week in Central Islip that we were all speaking in tongues in less than 30 seconds. 

Our purpose is simple:  grow closer to God, grow in our relationships with each other, and allow God to lead us to those that will be saved.  I believe that these are the key ingredients to exponential growth.  Jesus Christ is the one and true leader of every group.  When He is control, the extraordinary happens - people receive His Spirit, and commit their lives to Him.  It's not simply about small group meetings.  It's about a new breed of apostolics embracing our true apostolic culture. 

By Ephraín Gaxiola, Associate Pastor

School of Worship 2007

Wouldn't you wish to have access to training from wonderful, down to earth musicians and singers at an affordable price? Well, CTNY has created a program that caters to the needs of aspiring musicians and singers from local churches. The School of Worship (SOW) completed its third session on October 6^th. There were five classes provided with full curriculum planning. Bass, taught by Moises Ceniceros from Chicago; Guitar, taught by the CT Worship Pastor, Eliud Gaxiola; Drums, by David Jimenez, a 15 year old taking classes at Julliard; Keys, by Pastor Jason Aguilar and Santy Jimenez; and Vocal classes by the CT Praise Team Director, Christine Aguilar. Before everyone was split up into their classes, Pastor Aguilar teaches the students about Music Theory. "What took me thirty two years to learn, you guys will learn in three days," said Pastor Jason Aguilar at the first SOW meeting. Many throughout the tri-state area took advantage of this great opportunity.  We had over twenty in attendance at each session.  The excitement and eagerness to learn was palpable throughout the building.  Bayron Mendez from Mount Kisco, NY played imaginary drumsticks in the air as he watched David Jimenez teach the class drum rolls.  In the voice class, students laid flat on their backs to practice appropriate breathing techniques.  No one was too shy or proud.  Everyone wanted to learn.  After studying fundamental tenets in music theory and practicing new techniques, the group of aspiring musicians joined in the main sanctuary to step into a higher level of worship.  God moved tremendously as teachers and students alike remembered why worship is much more than instruments and noise.   

By Natalie Gaxiola, Youth Pastor / Music Director