Wow, what a month!
I usually try to send out an update at the beginning of the month, but to be honest, this is the first opportunity we have had to catch our breath. The past month has been a whirlwind, but in the midst of changes (or even in times of upheaval), our God remains a Rock and a Fortress (Ps. 46). We have been immensely blessed over the past month to have moved out of our apartment in Birmingham, the first apartment Traci and I ever lived in together, and to have moved into our new place in Astoria. Our belongings made it to Astoria mostly intact (a story in itself), and the majority of it is out of boxes. In sum, our apartment is beginning to look less like a storage unit and more like an actual place of residence. Traci has been chronicling our journey to NYC on her blog and has posted some videos to give you a glimpse of what moving day looked like here at the Stahley household. You can view the videos and keep up with her insights throughout this journey at:
newnormal-newyork.blogspot.com
We were also greatly encouraged and blessed to have four of Traci's long-time friends, all members of a small group from The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, with us for a few days. These ladies jumped in and served in whatever way they could as we got acclimated to our new life here. Their servant hearts are a testimony to the gospel. In a place like NYC, where people tend to live terribly isolated lives, there is something strangely beautiful and radically counter-cultural about the love that brothers and sisters in Christ show for one another.
How can you pray for us over the next month?
We continue to feel more and more in need of God's grace each and every day. And yet, we are confident that our God is All-Powerful, and All-Wise, and All-Good. So, here are some ways that you can confidently pray to our loving Father on our behalf this month:
- Pray that we can develop deep, meaningful relationships with our neighbors. We have met nearly all of the residents of our building, but we are asking the Lord to give us real friendships with them and open doors for the gospel. Pray that God would open our eyes to ways that we can tangibly love and serve our neighbors.
- Pray that we would continue to develop relationships...and possibly partnerships...with other churches and church planters in NYC. One of the things that we love about NYC is the ethos of unity and Kingdom-mindedness that pervades the gospel-preaching churches in this city. We realize that in a metro area of over 20 million people, where we are a tiny minority, we need to work together for the advancement of the gospel. Pray that God would create more and more opportunities for us to work with these other churches for the advancement of the gospel.
- Pray for "persons of peace." In Luke 10, Jesus sends his disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of God. If a "son of peace" received them, they were to stay and invest in that person, but if not, they were to move on (Lk. 10:6-7). When Paul proclaimed the gospel in Philippi (Acts 16), we find that the the Holy Spirit led him to both a "daughter of peace" (Lydia) and a "son of peace" (the Philippian jailer). Both Lydia and the jailer not only became converts, but immediately used their networks of relationships to spread the gospel to others. Likewise, we are asking the Lord to lead us to men and women of peace, to "open their hearts" to the gospel (Acts 16:14), to use us to invest in them, and to send them out into their spheres of influence for the advancement of the gospel.
In addition, please remember to pray for these ongoing requests:
- Pray for our personal holiness and faithfulness to the gospel
- Pray that God would assemble the church planting team that He wants to send to NYC to advance the gospel
- Pray that God would provide jobs and other necessary resources to enable our team members to relocate to Astoria
- Pray that God would grant wisdom to those who are considering moving to NYC. Pray that they would know whether this is, in fact, where God is leading them.
- Pray that we would have wisdom to know how to lead well
- Pray that God might open door for the gospel and that we might proclaim it boldly, as we ought (Col. 4:2-4)
- Pray that God would provide the necessary financial resources for our ministry expenses
Some of you have already given generously, and others have asked about how you can partner with us financially. Currently, our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, is handling all financial donations. If God is leading you to give, you can do so by mailing your tax-deductible gift to:
The Church at Brook Hills
Attn: Jean Adams
3145 Brook Highland Parkway
Birmingham, AL 35242
Please make checks payable to The Church at Brook Hills and designate your gifts by writing“Northeast Church Plant” in the memo line. If you would like to see our prospective budget, please contact us.
Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail. We cannot express to you how valuable your prayers are to us.
Blessings in Christ,
josh and traci
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21) |
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