Last week Liberty Church kicked off our new model connect groups for 2012 - Connect Groups 2.0. We were so excited to learn that this season of connect groups saw a monumental increase in people wanting to get plugged in to our church community. As last year there was an average of 70 people in connect groups each week, for the Connect Group 2.0 re-launch we’ve already had 185 sign-ups, and that number is still growing!

Our connect groups gather at locations all across New York City and last for 8-12 weeks. Each group now has its own unique focus and topic, ranging in everything from “Basics of Christianity” to “Busy Young Professionals.” No matter what your interests are or season of life you’re in, we think you’ll be able to find a connect group that is the perfect fit for you to get plugged into our church community.

We’re hopeful to see Connect Groups 2.0 lead to an even stronger community and discipleship opportunities in Liberty Church. It as always been our vision as a church to cultivate a sense of community and family here in New York City, and it’s exciting to already be seeing that growth from the outset of 2012.

If you’re interested in getting involved in a connect group, it’s not too late! There are still openings to sign up for a number of our current connect groups. We’re also already planning for the launch of our Summer connect groups, where we’ll have some of the same groups running, as well as introducing groups with new leaders and areas of interest. If you’d like to sign up or have any questions, email [email protected]

A few weeks ago on Liberty Church’s one-year anniversary, it was announced that a third community will be launched in Brooklyn in 2013. Yesterday I sat down with lead pastor Paul Andrew to get some more details on the exciting news.

When was the idea for a Brooklyn community born?
Well, Andi and I live in Brooklyn. When we first moved to New York we fell in love with Brooklyn, and for a while we thought first community might be there. When we launched Tribeca I figured our second community would be in Brooklyn. So, the truth is that Brooklyn has always been in our heart for Liberty Church. I walk around our neighborhood every week and see the need for more local churches to be pioneered. We’re meeting people all the time that we’d love to invite to a neighborhood church, and we’re excited for the Brooklyn community to be just that.

What is the vision for the Brooklyn community?
If Brooklyn were a city on its own, it would be the fourth largest city in America ahead of Houston, TX. It was also once called “The City of Churches,” but sadly today in my neighborhood many of those beautiful churches have been converted to apartments or office buildings. From the outset, our dream has always been to reach this diverse city by planting church communities in different neighborhoods and that each could reflect the people who call it home.

I do think that the Brooklyn community will wind up looking and feeling different than our communities in Tribeca and Union Square. Right now we’re one church in two communities. Even though they have the same DNA, the Tribeca and Union Square communities already reach different types of people, have a different style and personality - like two siblings that are part of the same family. I have no doubt that when the time comes to launch Brooklyn it will be a unique expression of the vision of our church in the context of the new community.

Who would have thought that in such a short time - by the grace of God and the generosity of our volunteers - we’d be in a place where we can begin preparation for our third community?

So, what now?
On our first anniversary celebration in January we announced our hope to launch the Brooklyn community in 2013 (click here to watch the video). We asked the church to pray with us for God’s wisdom and direction in terms of the timing, leadership, and exact location of the future Brooklyn community. Beyond that, right now we don’t have a lot of specifics. I do know we’ll have to continue to grow our volunteer base and to believe God for both the financial resource and the pastoral leadership we’ll need to see this new community launch in strength.

What can Brooklynites do now to connect with Liberty Church while preparations are being made?
First of all, they can of course get connected with either of our current communities. Secondly, we have Connect Groups that meet in Brooklyn so it’s already possible to get connected and be part of the family even before we have Sunday services in Brooklyn. Thirdly, sometime later this year, it’s likely that we’ll begin to gather a launch team who will pray and plan together. If you’d like to be part of that team when it forms, you can email [email protected] and we’ll make sure to contact you when we’re getting ready to build our volunteer team.

At Liberty Church, we highly value the importance of the family and believe that the family unit is what the church itself is modeled after.

Strong families are built out of strong marriages, and that’s why we now have a Marriage & Family Ministry that focuses specifically on growing and strengthening these relationships.

Bob and Mavis Green, parents of lead pastor Andi Andrew, lead this new ministry that offers counseling for married and pre-married couples among other things. These one-on-one meetings conversations are aimed at helping lay the foundations of a healthy marriage, and draw on resources such as the Love and Respect series by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.

Mavis Green, who has always had a heart for family and marriage, believes that “Love and Respect” can change the concept of what we often consider marriage to be. The series reveals how couples can go from having the “what can I get?” to the “what can I give?” mindset of marriage; that’s what motive of the heart should look like, and it’s what God actually tells us to do.

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” Ephesians 5:33 ESV

The counseling includes about five sessions that last for a few hours each. In addition to going through the Love & Respect workbook, Bob and Mavis make it a point to cover all the bases - including asking questions about all major areas of life.

If you think this is something you’d be interested in participating in or would like to learn more, email [email protected]

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than one week away! Since Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on Sundays, please remember take note of the following schedule changes for Liberty Church.

Saturday, December 24th - we’ll be holding a special one-hour Christmas Eve service at Brittany Hall (NYU building - 55 East 10th Street). The guest lounge opens at 8:30pm with a 9pm service start. Join us for Christmas carols a message from Lead Pastor Paul Andrew.

**There will be no services held on Sunday, December 25th, Christmas Day.**

Sunday, January 1st - we’ll be ringing in 2012 with a great 7pm evening service at Tribeca Cinemas on 54 Varick Street (*not* New York Film Academy like our normal evening services). We’ll be praying for your year and for God’s grace & favor. There will be no morning service on this day.

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate Christmas and the beginning of a new year! Feel free to email [email protected] for more info.

With the launch our second community in Union Square also came the launch of a new segment of our Connections Team - the Outreach Team. Organized by team leader Jessi Marquez, the Outreach Team meets a few hours before church every Sunday evening and steps out into the Union Square area for the sole purpose of sharing God’s love with others.

Outreach isn’t about handing out tracks or arguing theology; it’s an opportunity to practice being sent out and setting aside time to be intentional about sharing God with people.

• It’s challenging yourself to move beyond awkwardness or fear and to surrender the natural sense of pride or rejection that can come with witnessing to others.
• It’s a chance to see God’s heart for people - for the lost - and to see how much He loves the people of this world.
• It’s about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and loving people for who they are.

There’s something special about being part of the moment that changes lives forever by simply being in the right place at the right time. Whether it’s a deep and meaningful interaction or simply passing along an invitation to church, outreach provides provides a safe setting that can help to make it easier to share God’s love when we step out into the world around us be it at our workplace, the grocery store, or on the subway. It helps to break bounderies - to make loving strangers become more normal, just as it should be.

If you’re interested in being a part of the Outreach Team, email [email protected] Or to find out about volunteering in general, feel free to email [email protected]

On Saturday November 26, Liberty Church will be taking a day trip to Upstate NY for a Christmas Tree Adventure to cut down our own Christmas trees!

We’ll be heading to the Hurd’s Family Farm to pick trees & wreaths plus enjoy some S’mores & hot chocolates by the fire!

Meeting time is still to be determined, but please RSVP by emailing [email protected] so we can get an idea of how many cars we’ll need to take. Also, if you have a car, please let us know if you are willing to drive and how much space you have.

It will be a fun day… hope you can join us.

The Location.
Union Square is a transportation hub - a subway stop for 7 different lines that lead to most of Manhattan and into Brooklyn, which makes it one of the easiest destinations to get to in the city. And, well, that can be pretty helpful when you don’t have a car - take it from us.

On Thursday September 29, a host women of all different ages and backgrounds gathered for what would be the first of many Liberty Sisterhood gatherings.

The gathering was at Tribeca Cinemas in NYC, and after almost three hours of preparing and decorating the venue, guests arrived to what looked more like a glamorous lounge than a movie theater.

From 7:30 to 8pm the ladies mingled over cookies, brownies, and little pink lemonade “mocktails,” which were served by some of the men on our team (Ed: and yes, the men dressed up for it!).

There was also a photoshoot area set up for the ladies to take some fun pictures with friends.

One of the most exciting parts of the evening was that we were able to collect donations to sent to WIN - Women in Need. WIN is an organization that rehibilitates homeless mothers, and we were thrilled to contribute new products to aid these mothers and their children.

When 8pm rolled around, it was time to head to our seats to start the evening with worship. With barely any men in the building, Tribeca Cinemas was filled with the sound of just us women collectively lifting our praise up to God.

After an introduction from her husband Paul, Andi Andrew took the stage to begin the night’s message. Andi shared her heart about what Liberty Sisterhood means to her and why she felt called to lead what is most-certainly not “just another womens’ ministry.”

Tonight is a “seed in the ground” sort of night, a night where a story begins to unfold and you are a part of it…

Andi’s message focused on the theme, “now it’s your turn.” She encouraged us as women to come together as one to show this city what the love of God looks like and to bring that freedom through our lives.

Countless women have gone before us…they have paved a way…carved out a path…they have stood for salvation, truth, justice and freedom. Women who have fed the poor and loved the unlovable…now it’s your turn.

To Andi, the way to do this is quite simple, but not always easy: it’s by saying YES to God. Whether it’s reaching out to someone who seems like they need a shoulder to cry on or bringing a homeless women to a shelter, “the love of God can move through each of our lives when we are wholly and completely submitted and yielded to Him.”

The message left each and every person in the building feeling inspired, blessed, and excited to see the amazing ways God is going to use the Liberty Sisterhood to impact NYC.

So many people are going without a meal, shelter, freedom or love…and we can extend our hand with all of those things and bring justice and Gods love into their world.

The evening was closed by the worship team playing Leeland’s “Love Is On The Move” while a video with photos of the Liberty Sisters played in the background. It was the pefect ending to a night that was only the beginning of things to come.

Liberty Sisterhood is going to meet 4 times a year; gatherings that will continue to build new friendships, provide the Word of God, and further the vision of going out into this city to spread God’s love and help those in need. For more info or any questions email [email protected]