Matt Keller will be joining us in all services onSunday June 23rd. He, along with his wife Sarah, are the lead pastors of Next Level Church in Fort Myers, Florida. Matt is the author of The ‘Up The Middle’ Church and the forthcoming book God of The Underdogs, which is set to be published by Thomas Nelson publishing. His experiences in launching and building a local church for over 10 years have given him a wealth of knowledge and a depth of wisdom. With a philosophy that encourages personal leadership, fulfilling one’s destiny and overcoming excuses of this world, Keller’s message is bound to ignite hearts and inspire greatness in us. Can’t wait to see you there!

This Sunday, we’ll be celebrating dads, both naturally and spiritually. In anticipation of this day, we asked long-standing member, Heath Kirkendoll, who is a father of two young boys to talk about what he has learned about a Father’s love:

When I became a parent, I instantly knew my own son’s cry apart from anyone else’s. In a room of crying babies and kids (shudder), I know whether any of the cries are one of mine. And my kid’s cry moves me to action. My oldest is three and a half now, and most of the time when he cries it is because he hurt himself doing something we warned him not to do or because he is blocked from doing something he is not supposed to do. But that does not keep me from running to his side and consoling him. A lesson afterward, yes, but in that moment, he needs comforting, and my love. My love.

It still blows my mind that there is someone out there who wants me before anyone else (except for Mom, of course). Knowing that he wants me uniquely is shaping me into the Dad I am becoming. He wants me uniquely, because I know him uniquely. I know how to talk to him; I know how to console him. He knows he will not be disappointed when he comes to me. I’m his Dad. And when he has a question or needs help, he comes to Dad. When he wants to play with his trains or his Legos, he comes to Dad. When something is broken, he comes to Dad. When he wants to feel proud of a feat, he comes to Dad. I can’t put into words the feeling I have when he comes to me. Nor can I describe how it feels when he leaves satisfied.

Being a Dad has taught me so much about relationships, both with other people (especially my wife) and with God. A dad is meant to be someone we can go to (or run to) to get help, advice, to spend time with, to comfort us, to cheer for us. And why our dads? Because they know us intimately, which is why God is the ultimate Dad.  No one knows me better. When I mess up being a dad, I am put at ease because I know I have the best teacher on how to be a dad, my own ultimate Dad.

But there are real challenges to being a dad as well. As one of my own spiritual dads at Liberty Church, Bob Green, has said: “Being around children, especially your own, brings out who you are”. Since becoming a dad, I’ve had to deal with my own impatience, anger, and superficiality—things I thought I had rid myself of since suppressing them a long time ago. But it’s been great to have Bob around to teach and model how to go to my own ultimate Dad to deal with these things, which are not being suppressed but redeemed now. Fatherhood is allowing me to really understand and live Psalm 23. I am comforted and guided by my own Dad, and he helps me to comfort and lead my sons. I love this!

Community Groups | Kick off this week
It’s not too late to sign up for a Community Group, the discipleship community of our church. They’re a great way to build relationships and get plugged in. We have a group for everyone at every stage of life. Sign up online or in the Guest Lounge on Sundays.

Prayer Meeting | Thursday, June 6th 
Open to anyone who loves to pray and wants to join to pray for each other, our church, our city and beyond. 7:00pm, 359 Broadway, Floor #2 (Between Franklin & Leonard)

Visionaries | Friday, June 14th 
Visionaries is the business community of Liberty Church and we gather regularly to equip, encourage and enable each other to see our personal visions and the vision of our church come to pass. RSVP via: http://libertychurchnyc.eventbrite.com. 7:30pm, 359 Broadway, Floor #2 (Between Franklin & Leonard)

Father’s Day Service | Sunday, June 16th  
This is the day when we get to celebrate dads, both naturally and spiritually. Join us at both communities and bring your father, grandfather and friends who are dads or about to become one.

Guest Speaker: Matt Keller | Sunday, June 23rd
Matt Keller of Next Level Church in Fort Myers, FL will be speaking at both communities on June 23rd. We know he will have a timely word that will impact our lives. Bring a friend! 11:00am in Lower Manhattan at Scholastic, 7:00pm in Union Square at the Ballroom

Worship Open Night | Wednesday, June 26th
Sing or play an instrument? Come to open worship night and begin the process of getting plugged into the team. You’ll hear our vision and get to know the rest of the team. Ultrasound Studios, 251 W. 30th Street

All Team meeting | Friday, June 28th
If you are currently volunteering or would like to start, we encourage you to join us for our upcoming All Team Meeting. This is a special time where we come together to hear at a leadership level the vision that God has given our church and rally together as a team. RSVP via:  http://libertychurchnyc.eventbrite.com. 7:30pm, 359 Broadway, Floor #2 (Between Franklin & Leonard)

Liberty City
Liberty City was honored to be recognized at the Covenant House Volunteer Appreciation Dinner last month! Thanks to all members who attended!

• Wednesday June 26th 7:00pm – 9:00pm: Covenant House: Etsy Workshop We’re taking a team of creatives, and entrepreneurs to teach teens about using Etsy effectively to market their own creative endeavors. Join us! [email protected]
• Sunday June 30th 2:00pm-4:00pm: Neighborly Bag Packing Party Spend social time together as we pack bags to give away at Neighborly.
• Saturday July 6th 10:30am-12:30pm: Neighborly Join us downtown for community outreach meeting practical needs of people in challenging circumstances. [email protected]
• Our team is growing! We’re looking to fill a couple key roles:
  • Photographer: Join our creative team and help share our stories!
  • Member Relations: Love people?! Have some free time mid-week?
  • Email [email protected] for more details

Standard Podcast Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Andi Andrew preached this message called “Rites Of Passage” at our services in Lower Manhattan and Union Square on June 2, 2013.

Subscribe in iTunes to the LibertyChurchNYC podcast to receive new teaching automatically.

Sunday Services-
Lower Manhattan – Scholastic Auditorium 11am
Union Square – New York Film Academy 7pm

If you have a heart for prayer, join us this Thursday as we meet collectively to pray for each other, our church, our city and beyond.

Unsure or haven’t been to a prayer gathering before? Below is a snippet on “How God Answers Prayers” by Shilvy Yee, our Union Square Prayer Team Leader:

“Think back to New Year’s Eve 2012. All throughout the world, feelings of excitement and hope filled the air as the countdown to the new year began. At the stroke of midnight, we greeted 2013 confidently with shouts of joy as we embraced our loved ones. Now, five months later, the halfway mark of the year approaches. How has this year lived up to the hope and expectation you had at the beginning of the year? How have your prayers for this year been answered? So often with our prayers, particularly during waiting seasons, we wonder how God will answer.

“Simply put, He answers with the best. He answers you with an eternal, omniscient perspective saturated in His immense love for you. Sometimes His answers are yes, other times no; or yes but in His timing or way. However He chooses to answer, we can take comfort in knowing that His way is the best, for He tells us in Isaiah 55:9 (NIV), “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

“If you’ve received a no or are waiting for an answer to prayer, humbly ask God to give you insight; He’s a loving, trustworthy God who generously gives wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5) and works out all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

“If the peace and joy of hope is becoming a distant memory, give yourself a spiritual checkup and ask yourself, “Have I stopped trusting God?” In Romans 15:13 (NLT), the apostle Paul wrote, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” When we trust God, we fling open the door for abundant hope, joy, peace–and answered prayers. Verses like 1 Chronicles 5:20 reveal that God answers the prayers of those who trust Him.

“Prayer is a beautiful, incredible gift that God has given His children to partner with Him to effect change in this world and to develop an intimate relationship with Him. This Thursday, our church will be gathering in a spirit of unity to pray. We hope you’ll join us in this powerful time of prayer!”

Prayer Meeting Details:

- Thursday, June 6th at 7:00pm
- 359 Broadway, Floor #2 (Between Franklin & Leonard)

Have you been thinking of making Liberty Church your home?

Then join us for Grow! The course is structured in a series of four 45 minute classes that take place the first 4 Sundays of each month right after our services at both communities. Through Grow you can find out how Liberty Church began, meet our pastors, understand what we believe and find your place in our church.

Our hope is that as you grow in your understanding of what Liberty Church is all about, it will spark a desire for action in you to find where you can best serve. We even have a whole session devoted to finding out your unique gifts and talents so that you can be released to serve and build the house of God as well as your own personal sphere of influence.

You may have been coming to Liberty since it began. You may have visited for the first time last Sunday. Either way, Grow is the way to find your place at Liberty Church. Join us for our next session starting Sunday, June 2nd just after the service you attend. A light meal will be provided. You can RSVP right now by clicking the link of your Community below:

LOWER MANHATTAN – 12:45-1:30pm at Scholastic, 557 Broadway, NY

OR

UNION SQUARE – 8:45-9:30pm at NY Film Academy, 100 17th Street, NY

Email info@libertychurchnyc.com with any questions.

Four more days until the night when all ladies in the NYC area can come together to attend Liberty Sisterhood Girls Night In on Thursday, May 23rd. We asked Shawna Kaszer, who co-leads Liberty City, on how this vital women’s ministry has impacted her life:

“Liberty Sisterhood is a family of covenant friendships with women I respect and admire. Older, younger, at different walks and in different seasons, there is always a sister nearby to offer advice, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and a good laugh to share.

“My beautiful Mom passed a few years ago, but God has not left me without many spiritual Mothers in my life thanks to Sisterhood. Having women I can turn to that pass down wisdom, prayer, and encouragement has been such a reminder of God’s love for me. In turn, I have the honor of passing down wisdom, prayer, and encouragement to younger women I call sisters as well.

“Through good times and bad, joy and sorrow, I know that I will always have this group of women by my side. Countless phone calls, texts, dance parties, tears and laughter have already been shared between us all, and I’m honored I get to be a part of a family of such real, genuine, capable and remarkable women.

“When we come together and bring all of our life experience into one room, I feel empowered and supported to take on whatever is waiting for me in the world. Recently, I found a passage in a book called “Spiritual Java” that says it well:

“Best of all, covenant friendships, when they are built on knowing each other after the Spirit, have the effect of calling us back to our true identity in Christ. They refresh our connection to our purpose and to who we are in Christ, and when our vision for those things is renewed, usually our strength is renewed, too.”

Community Group sign-ups begin this Sunday, May 19th and launch the week of June 3rd. These groups are the primary way that we disciple and care for the people in our church. There’s guaranteed to be something for everyone at every stage of life. The groups are also a great way to build relationships and get plugged into our community. Just ask Kara Branch, one of our Liberty Church members who recently shared on how Community Groups impacted her life:

“I have been involved in several community groups since attending Liberty. My initial purpose for signing up for them was not only to study the word of God on a more personalized level during the week but also to meet people, find connections and feel more welcome in this vast metropolis. I have lived in several major cities around the U.S. and abroad but found that moving to NYC was the most difficult move emotionally, financially and spiritually. Within my first few months of moving here, I seriously questioned whether I was following God’s path in my life. Although I was succeeding professionally and slowly meeting people, I had an overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

“In October of 2011, I was involved in my first community group hosted by Steve and Rhema Trayner. Even though I was new and didn’t really know anyone, I was always received with open arms and kind words. I started looking forward to attending church on Sundays and my community group because those were the days that I felt the most uplifted and connected to this city. Through my first community group experience almost two years ago to my most recent community group, “The Art Story”, I have been able to look back on everything and realize that each group, whether socially-based or more spiritually-based, shared the same things in common:

• I have been able to grow personally in my relationship with God and have honestly wanted to seek daily time with him throughout the week and not just Sunday.
• Each group has introduced me to some of the most amazing, talented, compassionate and spirit-filled people whom I love and am so proud to call my friends
• Community groups have deeply impacted my investment, my connection and involvement at Liberty in many ways.

“I am proud to serve and proud to be able to see our church family grow into the vision Paul and Andi have for this church. I look back on the person I was two years ago that saw community groups as a means to escape from the trials and loneliness that NYC can bring to the person that I am today. I know that the guidance, love and prayer that I have received in my community groups has allowed me to conquer the fear this city can bring and grow exponentially in my walk with God.”

Thank you Kara Branch for sharing your experience with us!

Sign up online or in the Guest Lounge on Sundays.