“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

I really believe that one of the hallmarks of maturity in a Christian is that they serve. At some point being part of a family means taking more responsibility, shouldering the load and getting involved.

At Liberty Church we always have a bunch of people who are still in the stage of checking out the church. Our hope is that at some point, after weeks or months, many of them will make the pivotal decision to make Liberty Church their home. And when they do they shift from a consumer to a contributor.

We’ve just launched an initiative called “Four Hours For God” to encourage people to volunteer Monday- Friday in helping make church happen. Four hours is a not a magic number, but it’s achievable for lots of people and it’s enough time to do something very substantial. Of course, your whole week is “for God”… But the idea of setting aside four hours dedicated solely to serving God, building the church and helping people is the heart of the idea.

There is no shortage of things to be done! And the goal is simply for every person to bring their gifts and talents to the table, and find a project or ministry to invest themselves into that’s a good fit for them.

So, if you’re part of our local church and you’d like to find out more about setting aside “Four Hours For God” just email info@libertychurchnyc.com and we can get the conversation started.

Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power
Psalm 110:3 NKJV

Chad Rodriguez has been around since almost the very beginning here at Liberty Church. He’s a Connect Group leader, part of our worship team, and now about to lead Liberty Church’s upcoming college ministry. Here’s his story.

1. Hey Chad! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Well for starters, I am a big question-asker. I think I sometimes annoy people because of it. I am always asking “why”. Don’t know why (ironic right). I’ve been inquisitive since I was a child. My journey has been an interesting one. Finding faith in God at 17 but not really having a revelation of my relationship with Him till 20. Working in fields of music, business strategy, and currently fashion. I’m a big believer in doing well with what is in front of me, which is why I think I’ve gotten to do as much as I have at my age. I’ve never been to wrapped up with looking for “what’s next”, more just doing the best I can right now.

I’ve been all over the world visiting some beautiful cities and even spending close to 4 years in Sydney, Australia. I have a crazy obsession with blazers, watches, coffee, and going to the movies (I love hollywood….I love stories). The rest you’ll have to learn over a coffee…

2. How did you get involved with Liberty Church?
It’s kind of crazy. I guess I was one of the first to get involved. I spent almost 4 years in Sydney which is where I met Paul and Andi Andrew. I have always wanted to build a church in NYC but never thought it was the right time. I use to come to NYC a lot before I moved to Australia for either work or play and I knew this was the city you couldn’t just come to without knowing why.

After my time in Sydney I really felt like it was “time” to make the move to NYC. So I did, well actually I moved back home to North Carolina to sort things for the move. I would take monthly trips up to NYC to scope things out, to see what the “temperature” of the city was. I was praying about what to do a lot. I went to event one night while visiting NYC and in walked Paul Andrew. We hadn’t seen each other in well over 2 years so were both in shock to see a familiar face in a rather large city. We got breakfast the next morning (at what is now my local food spot Grey Dog) and that’s where he shared their vision for Liberty and I shared mine. It was one of the more obvious God moments in my life. Basically, God just put up a billboard saying “Here you go, doesn’t get more obvious than this.” From then on I was in. This was back in December of 2009. It’s been a crazy time since and I love it.

“Basically, God just put up a billboard saying ‘Here you go, doesn’t get more obvious than this.’”

3. What’s your role at Liberty? What’s your favorite part about it?
That’s always a funny question especially in regards to a church plant. I feel like my role is like a Swiss Army Knife! I love “the church” to the core of me, so when we started, literally the role was “whatever it takes guy” but then again that was everyone’s role. Now a year later it’s gotten a bit more focused. I am active in our worship team community; leading, playing guitar, sometimes running sound and still keeping the attitude of “whatever it takes.”

My time and energy now however go into our new College Ministry called “The Society Room.” I remember my journey as a college student. It’s such an awkward time, I would argue even more awkward than middle school. It’s this weird period of time where being a kid and adult begins to get blurred. I remember studying and having to process all this information out of books thinking I knew it all. When I got into the “real world” and actually working in my field of study I remember thinking, “Uhm, I didn’t learn any of this.” I wish I had the opportunity to outwork a bit of what I thought were my passions while in college versus being buried under books.

This is where the core vision of The Society Room comes from. It’s my hope that we can create a community for University age students to really explore the “why” behind their study. Giving them opportunities now to start to use those talents and passions. Hopefully along that journey some will discover, “Yes! This is exactly what I want to do” and we can continue to help them grow in that; but for those who go “I don’t like this at all.” they won’t have to feel stuck. They’ll have a community that can partner with them to find their “why.”

4. What advice would you give to someone looking for church or even just community in NYC?
I would say this is a two-sided question. On one hand I would say if you’re trying to find a community in NYC to belong to the only way you can do that is to try them out. You gotta start going. You gotta actually put yourself out there to engage somewhere.

The real issue I believe in finding a church however is not just, “Do I get along with everyone here?” because let’s be honest - you probably won’t get along with everyone. What you really need to ask yourself is, “What do I believe about church? What is my conviction about it?” From there you need to find a place that lines up with that. Most people choose a church because their friends go, or it’s got the best music, or the coolest whatever. That’s a really surface reason to pick a church. I’ve been doing church long enough to know that if you don’t pick a church where you believe in what it’s doing then you’re going to be banging your head against the wall.

It helps to ask, “What part of the body am I called to be?” It’ll save a lot of frustration, because if you’re an “arm” serving or attending a church that is a “mouth” it’s always going to feel a bit like an odd fit. I am convinced that is why we have so many bitter ex-church people. Part of me believes it’s not always the churches fault, it’s also the persons fault for not asking, “What do I believe about church?” If you do that I have no doubt you’ll find yourself right where God wants you to be.

God wants you to flourish in church…not endure it!

I would have to say it’s from Deuteronomy 30:11-14…

¹¹ Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.”

I think life makes us over think a lot. I know when it comes to making decisions especially in a place as crazy as NYC the tendency is to second guess everything you do. This verse really puts me at rest because it reassures me of a simple truth: If you just stay close to God you’ll know what to do. It reminds me that if I can remain in Him then the things I face I’ll respond to appropriately. I won’t have to worry about wondering, “What would God do?” because if I’m close to Him, I’ll choose like Him, think like Him, act like Him. That’s a really comforting thought. It’s a verse I always come come back to and it is one of my favorites.

If you’ve been keeping up with us here at Liberty Church you may have heard the name Sebastian Buffa being used quite often. So, who is Sebastian? And what is his role at Liberty Church? I sat down with Sebastian last Thursday at NYC’s Food Parc to get the low-down on the journey that led him to our church in the concrete jungle.

Let’s start with some of the basics: Where are you from? When and how did you realize you wanted to be in church-based ministry full-time?

Well, I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia where I just recently moved from.

I’ve been in different positions of ministry for 12 years, but growing up I actually wanted to be a rockstar! When I was 19 and working a management job I realized there was a real lack of leadership when it came to the local church, and in my early twenties I had the privilege of being part of a movement called Youth Alive.

Through Youth Alive I had the opportunity to lead worship for thousands in huge stadium events, tour Europe and be mentored by amazing people like Christine Caine, Paul Andrew and Phil Dooley. I eventually reached a point where I felt like I should choose between music or developing myself further in the area of leadership. I really felt that what the church needed more of was good leadership, so that’s the direction I took and as a result I worked in various ministry roles and was the youth director for 9 years in a great movement called called Foursquare in Australia.

Sebastian breaks for a minute to start digging in to the massive cheeseburger and fries he ordered, and notes that his fiance probably won’t be happy upon finding out that piece of information. Sorry, Aimee!

So what led up to you getting involved in Liberty?

Well I met Paul through Youth Alive. He visited our youth ministry once to announce an event. We couldn’t even go to the event, which I think is hilarious, but Paul asked if I’d like to go to lunch that week and the rest is history. Paul became a really good friend who has been there through some amazingly difficult circumstances in my life.

In 2007 I planted a church reaching young adults in Sydney, and in November of 2009 I felt God ask me move to America. I didn’t really know why - there wasn’t a promise of anything specific. So late 2009 I started a business, and the original intent was to move to New York, move the business here as well, help Paul and Andi in whatever way I could, and go from there! I know it wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all I had. Over the last two years I’ve been running my business - a training and consultancy firm. At the beginning of this year I was still in the process of doing all of that, and then the question came up whether I would consider helping spearhead the launch of a second community as a pastor on the team.

So you just moved to the U.S. from Australia. What’s your favorite part about the States so far?

Well I love Hawaii because they have lots of water - I go there a few times every year. I really do love New York, but I’m not a true New Yorker yet because I still love Times Square.

I interrupt to confess that I secretly still love Times Square too. We agree that we don’t want to become jaded New Yorkers who don’t appreciate what a cool attraction it really is!

I love the food - especially the fact that you can get any cuisine out there. I also love how busy it is, the people, and this city itself.

Least favorite?

I hate the cold so I’m terrified of winter.

(I made sure to inform him that he was in for a rude awakening.)

What has been the most rewarding experience for you at Liberty so far?

I believe God put me on planet is to inspire people, and I think that Liberty Church is incredibly inspiring. To see people walk into church lost, no fire in there eyes, shoulders slumped, sometimes going through a hard time…and then watch as they leave completely different with a sense of purpose and expectation that God can do something incredible with their life - it’s an amazing thing to witness.

Does a particular moment stand out to you?

Earlier this year when I came and spoke about having “An Unstoppable Life” I had a really meaningful conversation with someone after the service. It was amazing to be able to talk to someone who was going through something similar to what I had been through. I was able to see someone go from no hope and feeling like it was never going to end to seeing them all of the sudden have the belief that God was doing something good and that the situation could become something really beautiful in their life.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Well, I’ve already been through a lot of ups and downs in my lifetime. After walking through things like divorce, illness and exhaustive medical treatment etc…I found myself at the age of 30 resetting my whole life. So in the process of reinventing and recreating life as I knew it, one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to dedicate my life to inspiring others. There is nothing more inspiring than what Jesus went through and did for us which is why I am so incredibly passionate about ‘The Church’ and the message it has for our incredibly beautiful, yet lost and broken world and that is where you will find me!

At Liberty Church, Rhema Trayner is that someone. A few days ago I got to sit down with Rhema to talk a little bit about her role and experience at Liberty, and I learned even more so, just how blessed we are to have a leader like her as part of our church family.

How did you get involved in Liberty church?

I was living in Southern California and was involved in another church there. On a visit to New York [my husband] Steve and I knew God was calling us here, so we made the move in October 2010. I truly believed I was supposed to be a part of Liberty even though I didn’t know at all what that would look like.

What is your role at Liberty Church?

My role is ”whatever needs to get done.” I manage all church operations - office, volunteers, database, etc. - Monday through Friday.

Did you anticipate having as large of a role as you have?

The role sort of evolved into what it is now. I signed up to build the church, whatever that looked like!

What has been the most rewarding experience for you at Liberty?

The discipleship - to get involved in people’s lives and be able to see how much they can grow and develop over the course of just a short time. I don’t have an administration job; it’s a people job with administrative clothes on.

I don’t have an administration job; it’s a people job with administrative clothes on.

What advice would you give someone interested in working in church ministry?

With ministry, it’s like you think you’re going to save the world, but what’s put in your hand never looks like that. Never throw out what someone gives you to do just because it doesn’t look like what you thought it would. You have to take the opportunity that’s in front of you, commit to it, and do your best. Commit with your heart, not just your hands.

Commit with your heart, not just your hands.

What would your advice be for someone looking for a new church?

Find a church that feels like home, and stay there through the seasons of life! You can’t build community if you follow around “whatever is happening this week.” Community is built over time. If you never stay anywhere long enough, you won’t have the opportunity to experience true depth in your church relationships.

Why do you think that Liberty already has such a strong sense of family?

Everything starts with leadership. That’s what pours out of Paul and Andi’s lives - that’s how they are in “real” life - and the church reflects that. Being around them as leaders rubs off on you as well, and as a result, it becomes the spirit of the church.

Most memorable moment at Liberty so far?

The very first service in January and having a big role in helping it happen logistically - all the effort that led to that and knowing I had such a big hand in it - and it still went well. It made me confident that I was in the right place, doing the right thing, with the right leaders. We worked up to the launch months and then it was effortless. It was like, wow, I can do things I didn’t think I could do!

What are you most excited about for Liberty’s future?

I’m excited for the new community launching in September and to see how God expands the church in NYC. I’m also excited to continue working together with other churches here in the city. We would be crazy to think that we could do this thing on our own! I think one of the main things that keeps us moving forward is the belief that we will actually see measurable change in a city where that could be hard to believe at first glance. I guess the darker the place spiritually, the bigger the difference light can make.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Still doing whatever it takes, whatever it looks like. My goal is not a “career in ministry”; my goal is to see the people of New York saved, and I’ll be here until that happens.

My goal is not a “career in ministry”; my goal is to see the people of New York saved, and I’ll be here until that happens.

Thanks Rhema, we love you!

If you’re interested in becoming part of the Liberty Church Team, find out more by emailing info@libertychurchnyc.com.

As a church we have a vision to influence a city that influences the world. It’s a big vision and some would say it can’t be done. We believe it can… if a courageous group of people step up and determine to make their lives count for something bigger than themselves.

So this Fall we’re launching an Internship program. We’re looking for passionate individuals who would invest a minimum of three days a week for one year into helping us build the community God put in our hearts.

Maybe you’ve always had a dream for New York City. Maybe you want to be in full-time church ministry one day. Maybe you’re already part of Liberty Church and you want to step up.

• Every Intern will be mentored by a pastor or team leader.
• They will carry real responsibility for a significant area of ministry.
• They’ll participate in a weekly leadership development program.
• And we pray they’ll grow more as a believer and leader in that one year than in any other year so far.

It’s going to take commitment to make it work. NYC is an expensive place so you’ll either need significant savings or a well paying part-time job. Sundays will be a big day, plus you’ll give at least two days during the week. But this is a rare opportunity to be part of church planting on the frontier.

Intership opportunities could include:
• Intern to Andi Andrew
• Church Planter Internship
• Video/Photography
• College Ministry
• Graphic Design/Web
• Worship/Production
• Liberty Kids
• Events
• Intern to Sebastian Buffa
• Administration Intern
• Intern to Paul Andrew
If you’re interested in finding out more or receiving an application form, please email info@libertychurchnyc.com