TSV Spring 2017

Metro NY

inside

EDITION

Impact Paterson’s ‘Shark Tank’ Competition Page 9 The GATE Radio Celebrates Anniversary Page 11 C.S. LEWIS ONSTAGE

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Syrian Refugee Tent Exhibit Page 25

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NEXUS PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE Nexus: The Christian Union Conference for Professionals will be held April 7-9 at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford, CT. Plenary speakers include Gordon College President D. Michael Lindsay and author R.R. Reno. Nexus “brings together influential professionals from across many industries for a life-changing weekend of dynamic worship and compelling ideas about faith and its relevance to our entire lives.” www.nexusprofessional2017.org.

NJ RIGHT TO LIFE DINNER New Jersey Right to Life will host its annual banquet on April 28 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. The dinner features actor Kevin Sorbo and pro-life speaker Star Parker. www.njrtl.org.

TUSCARORA INN MOTHER/DAUGHTER RETREAT Tuscarora Inn presents its Mother/Daughter retreat,May 12-14 with special guest speaker Kris Reece, a popular counselor, coach, and conference speaker. The conference is “designed for mothers with teen/tween daughters, sisters, close friends, or spiritual mentors.” Visit www.tuscarora.org.

MCDONALD’S GOSPELFEST McDonald’s Gospelfest will be held on Saturday, May 13 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Featuring Israel Houghton, Erica Campbell, Donnie McClurkin, and other artists. For tickets, visit www.prucenter.com.

NEWSBOYS AT BRIDGEFEST The Bridge Christian Radio presents Bridgefest on June 23 and 24 in Ocean Grove, NJ. Friday evening concert with Newsboys; Saturday beach activities, music, and speakers. For information and tickets, visit www.bridgefest.org.

CROWDER Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ presents Crowder in concert on Saturday, June 3. Concert is free with park admission. For info, visit www.sixflags.com/greatadventure.

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Pam Tebow: A Voice for the Voiceless FAMOUS MOM SPEAKS AT LIGHTHOUSE PREGNANCY CENTER BANQUET Commentary by Tom Campisi im Tebow is a great teammate.

Despite the media circus and unjust criticism that has often followed him through his journey in the NFL and now with the New York Mets, one constant has emerged for the former Heisman Trophy winner—his teammates are quickly impressed by his work ethic, passion, and humility.

His mom is also a team player when it comes to the pro-life cause.

On March 6, Pam Tebow was the guest speaker at Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center’s annual banquet at The Venetian in Garfield, NJ. In her keynote address, she not only shared a compelling story, but also advocated passionately along with Lighthouse team members at the fundraising event. A capacity crowd of 861 people gathered for an evening of heart-warming testimonies amidst a backdrop of colorful balloons and images of beautiful babies on the large screen.

Earlier that day, Tebow spent a couple hours touring Lighthouse locations in Hackensack and Paterson with Debbie Provencher, the organization’s executive director.

In 2016, Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center, which also has a location in Wayne, NJ, served 1,832 women, men, and teens, and joyfully reported a connection to 441 newborn babies. The ministry reaches out to meet physical, spiritual, and emotional needs among lowincome communities in North Jersey with free ultrasounds, support groups, and post-abortion healing, among other invaluable services.

“I love this ministry,” Pam Tebow said. “God has His hand on it.”

“Pregnancy centers tell the other side of the story. Pray, volunteer, give. We can be part of the solution.”

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“Pam Tebow really has a heart for the work of pregnancy centers and believes in our mission,” said Provencher.

Pam Tebow, a devout Christian, is a believer in the mission because she understands what it’s like to to face a crisis with courage during pregnancy. When she was pregnant with her fifth child, a doctor advised her to abort due to complications and the lack of advanced medical care in the remote village in the Philippines where her family was serving as missionaries. Her life was in danger, but the Tebows trusted in the promises of God. Previously, her husband, Bob Tebow, had been praying and weeping over the babies abort-

ed back in his homeland, the United States. The couple vowed that if they had another son, that baby would one day become a preacher.

“We had to trust the Lord,” she said. “It was a difficult pregnancy.”

On August 14, 1987, Timothy Richard Tebow was born in Makati in the Philippines.

“Timmy was a miracle baby,” Pam Tebow said. “We asked our family and friends in the United States to pray that he would grow big and strong.”

Boy, did that happen. The hulking quarterback won the Heisman Trophy during his sophomore season at the University of FloriContinued on page 4

The Accidental Abolitionist PANZICA, JUSTICE NETWORK FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Victoria Campisi ound in the basement of High Mountain Church in North Haledon, New Jersey on a windy Saturday morning is Justice Network co-founder Susan Panzica, who is surrounded by a group of ten people with a common goal— ending human trafficking.

The Justice Network’s purpose is to “educate, equip, and empower friends and neighbors to become abolitionists.” They seek to support larger organizations and authorities who are fighting human trafficking in the United States and abroad.

“We’re like the people that hold up Moses’ hands, because they’re out there on the front lines; they need financial support, they need people to know about the issue, and that’s where we come in,” said Panzica.

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Susan Panzica

In 2014, Shared Hope International reported that human trafficking was a $9.8 billion industry in the United States. The United Nations reports the amount is $32 billion worldwide. The average age of girls

brought into sex trafficking is 13. The girls are often kidnapped from other countries and taken to the United States.

One huge, catalytic moment in Panzica’s journey to start Justice Network was a dream that she had involving her own daughter, who was studying in Australia at the time.

“While she was there, I had a dream that she was abducted and sold into trafficking and I remember thinking I had to get there,” she recalled. “I felt this urgency to get there. I texted her at two in the morning and I’m sitting there with my phone looking for flights.”

With a look of relief she continued, “When her text came back that she was okay, I immediately had two thoughts. The first was, Continued on page 27

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FROMTHEPUBLISHER Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center Continued from page 1 da. The publicity surrounding the event catapulted the Tebow family into the national spotlight. As a result of ESPN airing the portion of the interview with Pam Tebow that focused on her refusal to abort Tim when she was advised to do so, she has been given a pro-life platform.

At the Lighthouse Banquet, Pam Tebow talked about how her son’s impact has gone way beyond football. As a Florida Gator, he wore eye black for nationally-televised games, first inscribed with Philippians 4:13 and later with John 3:16. The proud mom told the New Jersey crowd how media outlets reported that, following the 2009 national championship game, John 3:16 was Googled 94 million times.

These kinds of viral, public witness events have been commonplace over the years.

A 2010 Super Bowl commercial featuring Pam and Tim Tebow invited viewers to go to the Focus on the Family website to hear the whole story about her mom’s pregnancy.

According to a Barna survey, that commercial resulted in 5.5 million people “having cause to rethink their stand on abortion.”

Pam Tebow recalled meeting one of those viewers after a speaking engagement a couple of years later.

“I didn’t abort my baby because you didn’t abort your baby,” the woman thankfully said.

These kinds of anecdotes reinforced Pam Tebow’s central theme that all life is precious and valuable.

“We need to value all the babies God creates,” she said. “God never makes a mistake.”

She also beamed with pride as she talked about the Tim Tebow Foundation’s “Night to Shine,” a prom night experience, cen-

A CHRISTIAN NEWS & E V E N T S P U B L I C AT I O N

The Tri-State Voice is an independent Christian newspaper, holding forth truth and traditional Judeo-Christian values as found in God’s Word, the Bible. We seek to increase awareness and activism among our readers in regards to biblical, moral, ethical, and political issues which affect the greater New York Christian community. Most of all, we are here to serve you.

How do I list an event?

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by May 18 for the Summer 2017 Edition.

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(left to right) Debbie Provencher, executive director of Lighthouse Pregnancy Center; Pam Tebow; Elainie Gonzalez, Paterson Center assistant; Cindy Castaneda, Paterson Center manager

tered on God’s love, for people with special needs, ages 14 and older.

Locally, Liquid Church in New Jersey was one of the event hosts for 75,000 honored guests across the nation.

“Timmy has a heart for children with special needs,” Pam Tebow said.

Mom recalled a missions trip when her teenage son—long before football fame and “Tebowing”—was preaching the gospel in the Philippines. Tim Tebow made it a point to seek out a boy with clubbed feet, who had been marginalized and hidden from sight.

“He never forgot that little boy,” she said.

Yes, one life can indeed make a difference, make a lasting impact.

The theme of the banquet was Brave— inspired by a Lighthouse mom who chose

life for her baby last year, and then courageously shared her precious son with a couple through adoption.

The Lighthouse banquet not only honored that young mom, but all who believe that each baby is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139). And all were energized and challenged, thanks to the bold witness of Pam Tebow.

“We have the privilege of being a voice for those who have no voice,” she said.

For information on Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center, visit www.lighthouse-PRC.org.

Tom Campisi has served as the editor and publisher of the Tri-State Voice since 1995. He welcomes your comments about this article or anything that is happening in the Metro New York Christian community. E-mail Tom@Tristatevoice.com.

Remembering Norma McCorvey’s Change of Heart HER LATE-LIFE ACTIVISM HELPED FUEL TODAY’S GROWING OPPOSITION TO ABORTION

By Samantha Gobba (WNS)—Norma McCorvey was 22, unmarried, and pregnant with her third child in 1969 when she went to a Dallas pizza parlor and sat down across from two abortion-advocate lawyers.

They urged her to sign paperwork, and not wanting her real name known, she scrawled “Jane Roe.” That signature allowed the lawyers to use her story—an unwed mother of two unable to obtain an abortion—in the case that prompted the 1973 Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion nationwide, Roe v. Wade.

“I didn’t even know what I was signing,” McCorvey later told her friend Janet Morana, director of pro-life group Priests for Life.

McCorvey, who died Feb. 18 at age 69 from pneumonia and an existing heart condition, spent the years of her middle age fighting to overturn the ruling that bore her pseudonym—a decision she came to see as a tragedy.

After working at an abortion center in Dallas in the 1980s and early 1990s, McCorvey converted to Christianity and later to Roman Catholicism. Instrumental in these conversions was her own brutally honest personality and the influence of the pro-life group Operation Rescue, which moved next door to A Choice for Women, the abortion center where she worked, in March 1995.

At first, McCorvey was aghast, she recalled in her book, Won by Love. She saw pro-lifers as “vicious, mean-spirited, fire-breathing, sanctimonious, self-righteous, bigoted hypocrites” who wanted to see her dead.

But she found Operation Rescue’s direc-

tor, Free Methodist pastor Flip Benham, disarming. He once apologized to her for some hasty words. Other times, he offered to buy her lunch. Their friendship softened her stance toward pro-lifers and sparked curiosity for Benham’s faith.

That August, she accepted an invitation to his church, and Benham baptized her in a swimming pool.

Three years later, McCorvey joined the Roman Catholic Church, following directions from “The Big Boss,” she later wrote to Frank Pavone, a priest and pro-life activist she had peppered with questions about God. Morana, who told me she became “very close” to McCorvey in the years following her conversion, said her break-up with the abortion industry began sooner than her conversion to Christianity: McCorvey was feisty and unafraid to tell people what she thought.

“Norma was completely honest with women about abortion,” Morana said. “She would ask them, ‘Why are you having an abortion? Is this really what you want to do?’”

McCorvey often suggested adoption and told women that’s the route she took for her unplanned pregnancies.

“The abortion clinic eventually got rid of her,” Morana said. “They would tell her to say certain things, and she would say, ‘I’m not going to say that. It’s not true.’”

Critics dismissed her transition to the prolife movement as a publicity stunt, but those who heard her speak found her compelling.

Clarke Forsythe, acting president of Americans United for Life, heard her speak in Washington, D.C. more than a decade ago and remembers her being “contrite,

apologetic, and very humble.”

“I think people were moved by that,” he said. “I know I was.”

At age 55, McCorvey filed a 13-page affidavit in an attempt to re-open Roe v. Wade.

“It is my participation in this case that began the tragedy, and it is with great hope that I now seek to end the tragedy I began,” she wrote. “Because the courts allowed my case to proceed without my testimony, without ever explaining to me the reality of abortion, without being cross-examined on my erroneous perception of abortion, a tragic mistake was made—a mistake that this court has the opportunity to remedy.”

On Feb. 22, 2005, the justices refused to reopen the case.

Later that summer, McCorvey testified before Congress that she was “used and abused by the court system in America,” and compared what her lawyers did to the social experimentation favored by Adolf Hitler.

“We can ask the children to forgive us, but the children are dead,” she said. “We must also ask Almighty God to forgive us for what we have done. We must repent of our action as a nation in allowing this holocaust to come to our shores. We have to turn from our wicked ways.”

Though she did not see the overturning of the momentous decision she helped set in motion, her pro-life activism helped foster the ongoing effort to chip away at the 1973 case, Forsythe said.

“I think [Roe v. Wade] is more fragile in 2017 than at any point since 1973, and Norma McCorvey helped to make that true,” he said.

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LGBT Themes Spread in Kids’ Entertainment BEAUTY AND THE BEAST FILM INCLUDES ‘GAY MOMENT’

By Diana Chandler Editor’s note: The following article is reprinted with permission from Baptist Press (www.bpnews.net).

NASHVILLE (BP) — Themes promoting gay, bisexual and transgender lifestyles are becoming more prevalent in entertainment expressly marketed to children, most notably with Disney’s upcoming version of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Disney’s remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” debuted March 17 in theaters, will include a reimagined LeFou, who will express a homosexual, yet conflicted attraction to the brutish and macho Gaston, the movie’s director Bill Condon told Attitude Magazine.

The movie is after Disney already included a scene with several same-gender couples kissing in the Feb. 27 episode of the children’s cartoon “Star vs. the Forces of Evil,” available on the Disney XD network website.

At the Feb. 18-21 New York Toy Fair, Tonner Doll Company unveiled a new doll portraying a boy who perceives himself a girl.

The Jazz doll, named after transgender 16year-old Jazz Jennings, will be available in July, CNN reported. The doll has no specific characteristic that would deem it transgender, but is designed with Jennings’ facial features.

One Million Moms (1MM) has pushed back against the LGBT-friendly themes, opening a campaign against Disney with a petition that had already collected over 21,000 signatures a day after its March 1 posting at onemillionmoms.com.

“This is the last place parents would ex-

pect their children to be confronted with content regarding sexual orientation. Issues of this nature are being introduced too early and too soon, and it is becoming extremely common and unnecessary,” 1MM said in a March 1 press release. “Disney has decided to be politically correct versus providing family-friendly entertainment. Disney should stick to entertaining instead of pushing an agenda.”

The live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast” will include a moment that Condon has described as “exclusively gay.”

“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” Condon is quoted by several news outlets including time.com.

“He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings. And Josh [actor Josh Gad] makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away.

But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”

Regarding the animated Disney XD cartoon featuring homosexual kisses, 14-year-old princess Star, the title character, is attending a concert at which same-sex couples are included in a scene featuring several characters kissing.

“Disney has been under pressure from the gay community to portray openly gay relationships in its TV shows and movies,” 1MM said. “And last fall, the creators of ‘Moana’ mentioned in an interview... that they wouldn’t rule out an LGBT Disney princess. Director Ron Clements said, ’It

seems like the possibilities are pretty open at this point.’”

In his daily podcast “The Briefing” today (March 2), Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. noted Disney’s intention “to be known as the production company that comes out with a movie that has the first major samesex relationship portrayed for children.”

“We also have to note that when we laugh at something, when we find something interesting and not to mention entertaining, effectively, our thinking will become aligned with our hearts,” Mohler said.

“That’s exactly why Hollywood is Ground Zero for so much of the change driving the moral revolution around us.”

The petition by 1MM, a 250,000-strong

group organized by the American Family Association, tells Disney, “I do not agree with the LGBT agenda you are pushing on families and children. You will not have my support as long as you continue to veer away from family-friendly entertainment.”

The Jazz doll debuted with a pink shirt and denim shorts, the outfit Jennings wears on the cover of the memoir, “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen.” But the doll was also featured in New York in a sparkling white ballerina dress.

Jennings posted a photo of the doll at Instagram with the descriptor, “The doll is considered to be the first ’transgender’ doll because it’s based on an individual who is trans. Of course, it is still just a regular girl doll because that’s exactly what I am: a regular girl!”

Jennings began wearing girls’ clothing before the age of 5, when he declared at his birthday party that he was a girl, his parents have told ABC. Jennings has been featured in interviews with Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, and Oprah Winfrey.

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The Fourth Time: A Lesson in Perseverance

By Joe Pellegrino love baseball. There isn’t a better sight than a freshly cut ball field on a warm spring afternoon, and no sound hits the eardrum like the pop of a glove or the crack of a bat. There is just something so magnificent about this sport called America’s Pastime. I’m the kind of guy that falls deeply in love with the things I appreciate. My passion for baseball is how I met Dave Swanson.

My FIRST significant passion is for my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. It took some time for me to understand my need for salvation, but once I became a Christian, in an effort to marry my two great passions, I decided to write a book about Christian baseball players.

Before my real research got started, I had a sort of “if you build it they will come” attitude. I assumed Christian players would be banging down my door to get into this book. No such luck. Fortunately, one of my business associates was a former New York Yankee. He was able to wrangle me the Holy Grail of Major League Baseball: the Major League Baseball Media Guide. There I saw the phone number for Mr. Dave Swanson, executive director of Baseball Chapel.

When I called, he had greeted me with, “Dave Swanson here.” I quickly spilled out my own introduction. “Mr. Swanson, I love the Lord and I love baseball. I was wondering if you could put me in touch with some Christian players.” Silence on the other end.

“Why don’t you go ahead and call me in three months” was his only reply.

I acknowledged his request.

When the calendar finally advanced to date circled in red exclaiming CALL DAVE SWANSON, I dialed him again. To my surprise, he again said, “Call me in another three months.”

I agreed and marked the date down on my calendar. After three more months, I called him again.

To my utter dismay, he told me again to call him in three months.

As confused and perhaps a bit annoyed as I was, no length of time would stop me from getting the information I was seeking. After nine months (try number three), I called Mr. Swanson. After a short time on the phone I hung up. My wife asked what he had said.

“Three more months,” I replied.

A full year after my first phone call to Dave, I looked at the calendar and saw it was time to call and receive my three-month sentence yet again.

“Yes, Mr. Swanson. This is Joe Pellegrino, you asked me to call you back in three months regarding the names of Christian players.”

His response: “Meet me at the Kin-Lon Diner in twenty minutes. “ I’m not sure if I even hung the phone up. Darting up the stairs and into the bedroom, I quickly changed from my gym clothes into a pressed shirt and a tie. With-

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in minutes, I was on my way to the diner. When I arrived just on time I found a tall, imposing, bald man waiting for me at the entrance.

Mr. Swanson?

He nodded.

I stuck out my hand for a shake and instead of his handshake, I received a piece of paper. He then turned toward the dining room to

You must run in such a way that you may be victorious.” Giving up when faced with small obstacles will get a man nowhere, but if we persevere, keep our eyes on the goal and keep running, we can experience that elusive place of convergence where success and purpose become one.

I did not realize it then, but the

Quitting cannot be an option when you truly believe God is driving the vision. Unfortunately, many quit when the fire gets too hot. find a place for us to sit. I glanced down at the piece of paper in my hand. On it were the names of Major League Baseball players who he considered to be strong Christian men. I couldn’t believe it.

Before he could find a seat, I touched his shoulder, “Mr. Swanson. Forgive me, but why now?

Why after a year?”

“Take a seat, Joe,” he said.

I listened intently. Mr. Swanson smiled. “My family owned the Thomas’ English Muffin Company. At one time, I was in charge of purchasing. Whenever a salesman called, I never bought from him the first time. If he came back a second time, I still did not buy from him.

Nor did I do so if he came back a third time.” Mr. Swanson’s eyes were glued on mine. “But if the salesman persisted enough to return a fourth time, then he had a customer for life.”

What a lesson in perseverance I learned that day. It has served well and provided me with many sharing opportunities in the years that followed. I have faced many trials since that eye-opening meeting.

So many times we can be struck down when someone says not now over and over again. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don't you?

lesson Mr. Swanson taught me that day was one I HAD TO LEARN. Believers must recognize that without perseverance, they can never realize the purpose of their mission. This became obvious when I was led to start Legacy Minded Men, whose mission is to “Transform lives by engaging, encouraging, and equipping men to build a Christ-centered legacy.”

I suppose I just expected men to realize quickly just how important it was to be a godly man and how we needed to work together to

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help other men. However, building and managing a team of volunteers presents many challenges that require perseverance if the task is to succeed. But that is nothing compared to those who need to raise monies (support) to make the engine go. This is where perseverance is truly tested and pushed to its limits.

At Legacy Minded Men (LMM), we have found ourselves in this position many times. Often, we received a donation on the last day a payment needed to go out or just when a payroll was due. I won’t lie to you. There have been times over the last six years when I thought about giving up.

But EVERY time I even considered quitting, I would receive a phone call or email or text message from someone who was impacted by LMM. That’s where the rubber meets the road my friend; that’s why we do what we do. Quitting cannot be an option when you truly believe God is driving the vision.

Unfortunately, many quit when the fire gets too hot. They never realize the incredible blessing they could have received if they

only understood that the heat was merely there to refine them. Just like a baseball bat needed to roll through fire to pull out the impurities of the wood to make it stronger, so the flames of life’s trials are there to give us strength in times of need.

I don’t know where you are right now in your journey, but I would urge you to embrace it even if the flames are hot. Persevere and the blessing will be worth the momentary pain!

Joe Pellegrino is an author, speaker, life coach, & consultant. He is the founder of Legacy Minded Men (www.legacymindedmen.org). Email him at joe@legacymindedmen.org.

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Our Escape from Fantasy Island!

By Juan Galloway President, NYC Relief bout 400 years ago, the English poet and cleric, John Donne, wrote, “No man is an island.” His meaning was that we only function healthily when we are connected to others. It’s true that we need one another way more than we could ever imagine. We are created to be intimately connected and, since the fall of man, we have been disconnected, disjointed, and disappointed. Proof that, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).

Recently, I went out on a cold winter day to serve on a Relief Bus outreach on the streets of Harlem. I met many people who were starving for friendship, for intimacy, for oneness. Ricardo told me about the 30 years he spent in prison. After being separated from society all those years, he now lives in a homeless shelter, alone, and trying to make it on his own. Daisy told me how she was abusing crack and was afflicted with HIV. Jim, a Peruvian man, described his deeply dysfunctional family and how it led to his severe alcoholism.

Each one honored me by sharing the most difficult issue in his or her life. The burden was too much to bear alone. They needed a fellow traveler in the journey to help carry the load. Somehow they knew that pain shared is pain not doubled, but halved. That is a lesson that I need to learn.

Maybe that is why we are commanded, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

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One of the greatest human needs is to be connected to others. The more we are connected, the healthier we are. The more disconnected we are, the sicker we are—and we are generally sicker than we think.

Whenever man becomes an island unto himself, he is living on Fantasy Island and is disconnected from reality. I can hear Tattoo shouting, “Da plane! Da plane!” Look it up, Millennials. And no, Fantasy Island was not a reality show where they voted people off the island.

The Relief Bus is designed to become a bridge from these “islands” to family. The Bible calls this spiritual family a body. This body has many parts, but each one needs the other to function properly.

One of the cultural hallmarks that epitomizes what it means to be an American is “rugged individualism.” Unfortunately, we sometimes get lost in our freedom and become so self-focused on our own destiny that we lose our sense of responsibility for our neighbor, our brother, and the community around us.

Just as being born an American citizen allows us to enjoy certain inalienable rights, being “born again” as a Christian requires us to give up those same rights on behalf of others. Loving others isn’t about getting our way. It’s about laying down our lives for others the way that Jesus did for us. “He became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Family, community, and deep relationships are essential to our wellbeing. Our friends challenged with homelessness are

Out of Darkness: New City Kids Host Spring Benefit Concerts

surrounded by people, yet find themselves completely isolated. Cut off from love, they often wither and become shells of their true selves—ghosts who drift through our society, invisible to the masses around them.

One of our core values at New York City Relief is ONENESS, which we define as: Fighting for each other’s hearts to achieve deep relationship and intimate community with our friends on the streets, and each other.

Jesus describes how oneness is the whole point and His recipe for changing the world: The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me… Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you’ve sent me and loved them in the same way you’ve loved me” (John 17:20-23, MSG).

Some of us accept the concept of being one with God…but one with each other?

That’s just asking too much. People are too difficult. This is where we are required to fight, not with each other, but for each other.

That is fighting the good fight of faith. We were designed to be peacemakers.

Mother Teresa described it this way, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

It is going to take a lot of effort to overcome the cultural inertia of “every man for himself.” Many people really believe that “God helps those who help themselves.” If that was true, we would all be doomed. God helps us because He knows we can’t help

ourselves. That is exactly why Jesus came on a mission to rescue us.

Ricardo, Daisy, and Jim each told me their secrets because I pressed in close enough to listen and hear their heart’s cry.

Each one touched me and changed me.

Each one was trusting God for breakthrough in their lives.

They honored me and I honored them with listening ears and a non-judging heart.

We met as equals and our hearts united as one. We “drank of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13) as we prayed together, experiencing Jesus in the midst of us.

We assume that it is the poor who need us, when we equally need the poor. When we see our position accurately, the walls that divide us begin to crumble. Jesus uses the poor to free us from the illusions of being self-made people, trapped by our independence. We are the ones who are isolated. They are the bridge from our Fantasy Island to a life of interdependence with our brothers and sisters. They give us a place to live the love of Jesus and to share the material blessing with which we are entrusted. They free us from narcissism, separation, and indifference. Their lives are the richness for which our heart aches.

When we meet the poor, we meet Jesus himself (Matthew 25). He uses them to feed us the thing for which we are starving. The feast is ONENESS. Dig in!

Rev. Juan Galloway is president of The Relief Bus, a mobile outreach that feeds the homeless and connects them to resources and places where they can find help. Consider making a donation or volunteering at www.newyorkcityrelief.org

C.A.R.E.

Christian Addiction, Recovery, & Education A Biblically-based, 12-step recovery program Confidential-open to anyone over 18 yrs. old

Mondays @ 7:30 pm Maranatha Church of the Nazarene 285 East Midland Ave. Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 385-4396 Joe • (201) 262-3323 Church office

or over 15 years, New City Kids has empowered at-risk urban youth to break cycles of poverty in Jersey City and Paterson. This spring, the ministry invites you to come and hear the incredible stories of youth who face huge obstacles – and overcome. New City Kids’ benefit concert, “Out of Darkness,” is an original musical production supporting New City Kids' dynamic youth programs.

Based on 1 Peter 2:1-10, “Out of Darkness” shares how God uses New City Kids’ ministry to invite young people to learn about the purpose for their lives and the callings God has for them. The performances include powerful music, stories, dance, and spoken word - written and performed by the talented youth of New City Kids.

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There are four opportunities to enjoy this benefit concert: Sunday, March 26, 4 p.m.

Liberty Corner Church 45 Church Street Liberty Corner, NJ Thursday, March 30, 7 p.m.

Emergence Church 930 Riverview Drive, Suite 500 Totowa, NJ Saturday, April 1, 4 & 7 p.m.

New City Kids 240 Fairmount Avenue Jersey City, NJ Tickets available at: newcitykids.org/ outofdarkness.

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The Business of Blessing the City

By Daniel Hubbard eople came with their dreams.

They each had a few minutes to explain why theirs mattered and how it could impact the Greater Paterson area.

In the last quarter of 2016, three applicants received a total of $22,500 through the Bless This City initiative, a “Shark Tank”-like pitch competition in front of 70 people that was sponsored by Impact Paterson, the Center for Transformative Work, Chick Fil-A, and others.

Impact Paterson is a group of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and nonprofit organizations that are seeking to transform the city and help the Paterson business community thrive. Executive Director Bill Roesch and others coach job seekers and entrepreneurs who come through the doors.

Roesch was one of the competition’s judges.

“They were all first-class,” Roesch said of the fifteen applicants and six pitches that were heard. “They presented their mission, their vision, and they talked about their investments and how they would have a tangible impact on their communities. It was incredible.”

Although only three received money, all six finalists received 12 weeks of training and consulting from Roesch’s Elementary Group, a company that provides groundlevel support and business planning for self-starters and entrepreneurs.

Wilfredo Betance and his company, Inspimind, won the $7,500 second-place prize. Inspimind places young motivational speakers, like college kids and young adults, in middle and high schools. They share per-

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IMPACT PATERSON HOSTS PITCH COMPETITION FOR ENTREPRENEURS

sonal stories about their struggles with drugs, alcohol, low self-esteem, resiliency, and perseverance.

Betance and his team have spoken at about 20 schools since October 2014 when the company was founded. Betance often uses students in leadership positions at local colleges.

“It was a great joy to watch these people give their pitches. You see how they are chasing their dreams on a daily basis and work hard.”

“Many of them have gone through leadership experiences and are able to empower others,” Betance said. “They know what to say to these kids because they’ve been through those experiences.”

Betance purchased video equipment with the $7,500 to record and place questionand-answer videos on YouTube.

“We’re keeping it simple for now, but who knows where it could end up going,” Betance said.

Edwin Placeres won first place in the competition and $10,000 for his construction business, Kingdom Builders.

Placeres was a former member of one of the largest gangs in Paterson and helped run the drug trade in and around Eastside High School when he was young. His testimony is powerful and his passion for bringing others to Christ — especially current and recovering drug addicts — is contagious.

Placeres has gone to Paterson every Friday night for weeks and struck up relationships

with some of the worst drug users. It is that longevity and passion for showing them God’s love that makes them trust Placeres and become new creations in Christ. The men then enter Christ-centered drug rehabilitation programs like Teen Challenge.

Placeres and his wife purchased a twofamily house in Paterson and renovated it to accommodate 10 men who come out of drug rehabilitation programs. He is using the $10,000 he won to fix up the house further and help more men.

“I realized there was a huge problem, because there was no after-care set up for these guys,” Placeres said. “Most of the halfway houses are filled with drug use and prostitution.”

Through Kingdom Builders, Placeres employs some of the men who have lived at the house. He helps them get their lives back.

“When these guys would come out of

these rehab programs, they’d go right back to the streets. Now two of the men own their own construction companies,” said Placeres, who purchased the tools and equipment the men needed to get the businesses off the ground. “Other men have full-time jobs now and have dignity again. They can go back and be providers for their families.”

Placeres is quick to deflect the credit off of himself and onto the Lord.

“What a blessing it has been to have been called and chosen to do this,” he said. “It’s just amazing.”

The third place winner Ashley Bazemore, the owner of Endurance Productions, received a cash prize of $5,000. Her company produces gospel-oriented entertainment.

“It was a great joy to watch these people give their pitches,” Roesch said. “You see how they are chasing their dreams on a daily basis and work hard.”

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The GATE Radio Celebrates a Special Milestone

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he GATE Radio celebrated its first anniversary of providing 24/7 music, prayer, and encouragement over the “airwaves” of the Internet.

The station began as a vision of Gary DePasquale, director of the International House of Prayer – Eastern Gate of New Jersey, and George Flores, a Christian radio broadcasting veteran of the New York City Metro area.

On February 12, the GATE held its anniversary with over fifty guests from among the station’s roster of supporters, staff, and family.

“Our live, five hour broadcast celebration featured interviews with artists, sponsors, and listeners, as well as a 30minute worship and prayer set featuring IHOP-EG worship missionaries and Gary,” said Flores.

“What began in 2015 as a vision and a suite of empty rooms has been blessed by God to be filled with equipment, furniture, construction, and resources to broadcast His music and prayer worldwide for year one! We’re grateful to all who let God lead them to build The GATE!” For the last 40 years, Flores has worked on air at WFMU, 970 DJ, WMCA, and Star 99.1. Motivated by his love of The Lord and his love of being a “broadcast messenger boy,” George knew that The GATE was the next step in his career when he was invited to establish a 24/7 streaming station.

As director of The GATE Radio, Flores has taken on connecting listeners to God through prayer focused programming as his mission. “I believe the House of Prayer is so important in this region. It’s all about our prayers; it’s all about His praise. As an outreach of the IHOP-EG, The GATE’s purpose is to broadcast an invitation to people of all nations to enter the “narrow gate” and

follow God, who hears our prayers and cares about each one of us personally.”

The GATE has already acquired listeners from all over the globe, including such countries as Italy, Peru, Trinidad, Korea, Macedonia, Africa, and England, as well as Canada, South America, and Asia! The GATE now has a live call-in number (1-844TheGATE) for prayer requests.

“To free listeners from their computers in order to hear The GATE, we’ve established both Android and Apple apps which can be downloaded to their mobile devices via our website or by visiting the app store,” Flores said.

“You might hear music in other lan-

guages playing on The GATE, as we want to reach out internationally.”

In addition, a nightly broadcast called ‘Night Watch’ (which begins at midnight daily), broadcasts worship music from the IHOP-Kansas City and other cities worldwide. Interview programs such as ‘Gate Keepers’ for leaders, ‘Airplay for Indies’ for new artists and song writers, and ‘Gate Praise’ for worship leaders are currently running or are in the making. Scripture readings are provided by Max McLean’s “The Listener’s Bible.”

“Internet radio is not bound by the locality of a radio tower signal, and can support an audience beyond a local region. The

Greenbrook NJ Store Hours: Mon - Sat 9:30am - 9:00pm SUNDAYS 12:00 noon - 5:00pm 301A Route 22 East (Colonial Shopping Center) Green Brook, NJ (732) 968-5588

GATE serves those who are wanting to worship, or receive prayer or encouragement in any given hour, any given day, in any given location worldwide,” said Flores. “We believe that The GATE and other online Christian broadcasts can be key to reaching the unreached, as well as training and mobilizing the next generation of believers.”

Besides directing The GATE, George Flores is a Prayer Missionary and worship leader at the IHOP-EG. All of the staff are supported by your kind donations. If you would like to support The GATE, George Flores, or IHOP-EG, you can do so by visiting www.theGATEradio.org and clicking on the donation link(s).

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His Everlasting Love

By Rebecca Sliwak fter the Lord blessed us with such success from our first Beauty Project back in September, the Oasis Ministries International Girls’ Ministry was ready to get to work planning our second event. The Beauty Project (take two) was held on Saturday, February 4, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. During this “season of love,” the media, friends, and society overwhelm us with the message that everyone needs a Valentine.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love” (from Jeremiah 31:3) was the theme for the day. It was our mission as team leaders to let these girls know the difference between worldly love and godly love and how we are beautiful, like pure flowers, in God’s eyes.

As Titus 2 women, we offered testimonies and teachings that explored everything from God’s forgiveness and healthy relationships and boundaries in relationships to the spiritual hole in our hearts that can only be filled by God’s love. When looking at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8—“Love is patient, love is kind”—we replaced the word love with God. Through this powerful expe-

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OASIS MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL HOSTS THE BEAUTY PROJECT

rience, each girl was able to realize God is patient, God is kind, and God is love.

As the day progressed, God was doing his work. Table leaders focused on in-depth discussions, conducted personal prayer sessions, and formed relationships through Christ. By the end of the last discussion of the day, girls were laughing together, opening up, and sharing stories. We also had the opportunity to create “story boards” that every attendee was able to take home with them. It was meant to be something they could hang on their walls and be reminded of God’s love.

The girls left knowing the difference between the love from a Valentine versus the love from God. They gained an understanding of boundaries in healthy relationships and that God’s forgiveness trumps all else.

It was an honor to have this opportunity to use the Bible, teachings, and personal testimonies to show these young girls their value and the everlasting love God has for each of them.

Rebecca Sliwak is the director of communications for Oasis Ministries International Girls’ Ministry (www.Oasisministriesintl.com).

Oasis Offers Spring Small Groups, Potluck Dinner

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asis Ministries International will host small group gatherings this spring: Brick, NJ, March 22, April 5 and 19, May 17 and 31, 12 noon; Montclair, NJ, March 22, April 5 and 19, May 17 and 31, 7 p.m.; Emerson Bible Church, Emerson, NJ, March 23, April 6 and 20, May

18 and June 1, 7 p.m. Oasis will also host a potluck dinner on June 15, 7 p.m., at Grace Presbyterian Church, 153 Grove Street, Montclair, NJ. Speaker Joanna Prem will offer a redemptive story of the injustices she witnessed growing up in India.

Conference Offers Biblical Perspective on Leadership for Women

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he SHE Leads Conference will be held at Jacksonville Chapel in Lincoln Park, NJ on Saturday, May 6.

The conference, which starts at 8:15 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m., is designed for women who are seeking to broaden their ministry in the church and marketplace, or start a women’s ministry or small group.

Jenni Catron, a national writer, speaker, and leadership coach, is the keynote speaker.

Catron’s passion is to lead well and inspire, equip, and encourage others to do the same.

Additionally, she consults with individuals and teams on leadership and organizational health. Catron is the author of several books, including Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence and The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership. She blogs at www.jennicatron.com and contributes to a number of other online publications. Outreach Magazine has recognized her as one of

the thirty emerging influencers reshaping church leadership.

During this training event, other seasoned leaders will also help women understand and implement their passions and exemplify a servant leader’s attitude with those they equip to carry out a shared vision. Over fifteen workshops will be offered, including All the Single Ladies, Bridging the Generation Gap, Enjoying Solitude with Jesus, Homiletics, Leading through Change, Overcoming the SuperGal Syndrome, Overcoming “Spiritual” Identity Theft, Resolving Conflict, and Time Management.

The conference is sponsored by More of Him Ministries. Registration is $79.00 (optional boxed lunch is $10.00). For more information on SHE Leads, please visit www.moreofhimministries.org or contact Jessie at jessie@jessiesenca.com or (610) 216-2730.

Short Term Missions with Long Term Impact

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tudents from the NJ/NY Metro area will minister locally and globally with Touch the World this year, engaging in transforming experiences that emphasize service, culture, and social justice (poverty). Students will experience God in fresh ways as they serve in missions and move from apathy to energy in their faith.

Impacting thousands of young people since 1991, Touch The World (TTW) is gearing up for another big spring and summer.

TTW teams will get involved locally in New York City, and internationally in countries like Cuba, India, and Uganda. Not only are students able to engage various cultures, but they also embrace their own “belonging, competence, and worth” in building the Kingdom of God. “Short-term missions are only effective if there is a long-term strategy in place. That is why Touch the World carefully chooses missions locations through long-term partnership,” said Jesse Kroeze, the executive director of Touch the World.

TTW specializes in intensive pre-trip training, on-location discussion, and posttrip debrief to prepare individuals and teams to minister in culturally relevant and effective ways.

“Not only does TTW believe in preparing teams for service, our focus is on building disciples to live out the mission of God every day, everywhere,” said Kroeze. “Students consistently return from their trips with eyes wide open as they see missions not just as a one-time event but as a lifestyle.”

TTW offers trips for students of all ages and works with churches, schools and families. Custom trips are also available. For a complete list of 2017 mission trips, visit www.touchtheworld.org. For more information, call (201) 760-9925 or email: info@touchtheworld.org.

Job Opening: Male Senior High Leader Grace Bible Church in North Haledon, NJ is seeking to fill our part-time position (10 hours/week) of Male Sr. High Leader. Our Sr. High currently consists of 15-20 students.

We are looking for an energetic, passionate individual who is rooted in his faith and has a desire to love well on high school students. The position entails the following requirements: • Serve as the primary leader of our Sr. High (9th-12th grade) ministry which meets weekly on Friday night from 7:00-9:30pm • Work with the other Sr. High leaders and the Director of Visitation, Outreach & Youth to plan events and upcoming schedules • Share the devotional message (when no outings are planned) • Organize and assist with games or activities • Engage with the students at our Sunday services (AM and PM) • Connect with the students throughout the week • Meet weekly with the Director of Visitation, Outreach & Youth for a time of ministry-related discussion and reflection (highlights, struggles, ideas, etc.)

If you'd like more information about our church or the position, please check out our website (gracebiblenj.org) or contact Eric de Leeuwerk, Director of Visitation, Outreach & Youth, at 201-543-7431 or e.deleeuwerk@gmail.com.

To submit your resume, include your educational background and ministry experience and send to e.deleeuwerk@gmail.com.

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Become Fully Alive To Christ With ‘Christ Alive’!

Join Pillar College in an Extraordinary Journey from Easter to Pentecost

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sn’t it curious that after Easter Jesus decided to stick around for a while?

After all, his race was done; the victory was won. Next up: his ascension and coronation as King of kings.

But instead, we read in Acts 1: “After his suffering, he presented himself to [the disciples] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Forty days of walking with Jesus in resurrection glory. Forty days of sitting at his feet as he conducted a class on the Kingdom of God. Forty days for the disciples to discover what it meant for the crucified Savior to be truly alive.

One might say the Master Teacher bridged the time between the empty tomb and the outpouring of the Spirit with an intensive “course on Christology”—what we might call a “Super Seminar on his Supremacy”.

Surprisingly, our Lord postponed his entrance into heaven’s Throne Room because there was so much more about himself that he still had to pour into his followers—even after they’d spent three years in his presence.

Without this additional teaching they would not be ready to take on the grand mission that lay before them (the rest of the book of Acts).

How Many of Us Need This Same Experience?

Is it possible that there are new insights into the wonders of God’s Son waiting for you to explore— making you more fully alive to Christ alive?

Is it possible that even though you have given yourself to Christ, studied the Bible in church for years and can recite the Apostles Creed—still there remains far more for you to discover about the greatness and glory of our King—making you more fully alive to Christ alive?

What if you were given the opportunity to duplicate the thrill of those early disciples?

What if right now, in the spring of 2017, you could spend the weeks between Easter and Pentecost with a cohort of Christians committed (like Paul in Philippians 3) to “...consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings...to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”?

Well, Now You Can! Welcome to Christ Alive!

Experience a study of God’s Son never available anywhere, before now. In a setting that welcomes young and old. In an approach that helps you go deeper with Jesus week by week. In a journey with Christ like Acts 1.

All of this is available as the continuing education outreach of

the Newark campus of Pillar College. The nine-week classroom adventure is called CHRIST ALIVE!—subtitled Explore and Experience the Spectacular Supremacy of God’s Son Today.

First offered last fall, CHRIST ALIVE! won rave reviews from students. Such as the twenty-five year old carpenter who stated that on the job he felt more passionate for Christ than ever before. Such as the pastor who shared that now his preaching and teaching was giving Christ the preeminence in the way his people desperately need to hear.

Now, as a credit or non-credit college course, CHRIST ALIVE! returns. Join us as we focus on the risen, reigning Christ for nine Tuesday evenings, from April 18 to June 12, at the Pillar College Newark campus.

The weekly sessions are based

on David Bryant’s creative, widely respected lectures called The Christ Institutes. The thrust of the teachings can be boiled down to seven simple prepositions.

Together they unpack everything the Bible teaches about the glory and greatness of our Lord Jesus and our life in him: Who Christ is TO us (his personhood, his deity, as the picture of Scripture, by the claims of his names, as our identity and destiny, etc.).

Who Christ is FOR us (the four-fold revolution of his incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension—with a special emphasis on the ascension, which may be the most neglected doctrine of the Bible in evangelical churches).

Who Christ is OVER us (as he reigns over creation, world history, global rulers, earth’s peo-

ples, powers of darkness, the building of the Church).

Who Christ is BEFORE us (going ahead of us--into the future to bring it back to us, into the heavens to bring us there with him, into God’s promises to make them ours as well and into the world to open up the ways for us to serve him).

Who Christ is WITHIN us (living out his victorious, ascended, reigning life in each of us individually and most of all among all of us corporately).

Who Christ is THROUGH us (as he unleashes his power and ministry into the world through us individually but, again, most of all as he works through us together, without limits, right to the ends of the earth) Who Christ is UPON us (as he comes upon us in times of renewal and awakening to

accelerate and intensify and expand on all he is already doing among us and through us, and as he will one day come upon the entire universe as his glorious return, to transform the entire creation into a new Heaven and earth where he will reign supreme forever, to the glory of God the Father and by the saturation of God the Spirit).

So, how will you spend the weeks between Easter and Pentecost?

Would you like to have an Acts 1-type walk Jesus in resurrection glory?

Then, consider becoming fully alive to Christ through CHRIST ALIVE! To enroll today, contact Dr. Wayne Dyer at wdyer@Pillar.Edu; call (800) 234-9305, ext. 1007; or visit www.CE.pillar.edu.

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Eastern Christian High School Student Perseveres, Inspires Despite Cystic Fibrosis Editor’s note: The following story was written

by Zoe Schafer, a student at Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon, NJ.

By Zoe Schafer than Vander Molen has struggled with cystic fibrosis for his entire life, but he has not let the disease stop him from living up to his full potential.

Vander Molen does a lot at Eastern Christian High School. He plays on the varsity baseball team, is on the senior class council, and is involved with the math club. He also leads Man Up, the boys’ Bible study. Ethan said that he has felt called to be a Bible study leader for a while now, but especially more within the last year. He sees people having trouble connecting with God at Eastern Christian High School (EC) and desires to encourage them and grow their relationship with Him. Outside of school, Ethan is very involved in Young Life and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Living with cystic fibrosis (CF) is an everyday struggle. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, only 30,000 people in America are diagnosed with this hereditary disease, characterized by the production of abnormally thick mucus that leads to the blockage of the pancreatic ducts, intestines, and bronchi.

“It’s something people don’t notice, but it’s something I deal with every day,” he said.

Ethan takes over 30 pills every day and twice a day receives treatment to help his breathing. Twice a year, he undergoes three to four weeks of heavy medication. He recently went in for surgery due to complica-

“One of the biggest blessings is that I have been able to help others who have cystic fibrosis.”

— Ethan Vander Molen

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Ethan Vander Molen, a senior at Eastern Christian High School, is using his platform to bring hope to others.

tions from CF. Even digestion is a struggle, but he feels blessed that he is able to accomplish what he can.

His involvement in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has helped to raise awareness and aid people who have or are expecting children with CF. Ethan promotes the Great Strides Walk, supports awareness through his own events, such as Corn Hole for a Cure, and does interviews on CF. Most recently, he spoke about CF at the Shawn O’hara Foundation Dinner. However, Ethan

had to Skype in with three other people due to the fact that people with CF cannot be in the same room as they could possibly infect one another.

God has been an incredible support to Ethan throughout his struggle with CF. As with anyone, he has had his ups and downs in his Christian walk, but the disease has caused Ethan draw closer to God and to minister to others, as well.

“One of the biggest blessings is that I have been able to help others who have CF,” he said.

Ethan finds joy in spreading the love that God has provided to him. Young Life and his youth group at the Plant Church in Mahwah have both been very supportive and understanding of Ethan, and they are always encouraging him to pursue his faith.

Ethan is very grateful to EC and the staff and students that are so understanding of his condition: “I don’t think I would have been able to have as easy a time with CF without EC.”

Churches Respond to Scouts’ Transgender Policy (WNS)—When the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced in January a policy to allow transgender children into its programs, it said church affiliated troops could claim a religious exemption from the change. But it might not be that simple in practice. For more than 100 years, BSA enrolled boys into its programs based on the gender listed on their birth certificates. But now the Scouts will allow any child to become a member as long as he or she identifies as male, regardless of biology. In a video message, BSA’s chief executive Michael Surbaugh said birth certificates are no longer “a sufficient reference point” as more and more states interpret gender identity differently.

6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

TriStateVoice.com Metro New York’s Blog/News/ Events Site!

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HOME TEAM REPORT

Summer Camps; Darryl Strawberry at Celebration Dinner

By Drew van Esselstyn FCA Area director, North Jersey ne of the questions asked more than any other is, “What does FCA look like?”

That’s not always an easy one to answer.

In some cases, the answer is, “It depends on the time of the year.”

There are certain non-negotiables about how the Fellowship of Christian Athletes conducts ministry. For more than 60 years, FCA has desired to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. And one of the biggest thrusts of our ministry is presenting the Gospel in a way that transforms lives, as well as sport.

The places where that ministry is applied, however, isn’t always the same. Often, it happens during Bible studies on the campuses of local middle schools, high schools, and colleges. It can happen in coaches’ small group meetings. It can play out with travel teams as they impact the community beyond our campuses.

In the summer, it happens most amazingly at FCA camps. That’s where you will get the greatest crash course on many of the different components of FCA. We value integrity, and young men and women will see that modeled for them by their camp coaches and small group leaders.

We value teamwork, and campers probably will have a much richer team experience than they have much of the year. We value serving, and your student-athlete

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will see that our camps just wouldn’t happen without an army of volunteers.

And we value excellence. FCA is fully aware that the summer camp market is a competitive place. We wouldn’t be in that space if we didn’t feel completely capable of providing a top-notch athletic experience, as well as a remarkable spiritual component.

Here are the key camps for this upcoming summer: Mid-Atlantic College Conference, May 26-29, Sandy Hill Retreat & Conference Center, North East, MD.: College athletes from the Northeast will gather to be encouraged, equipped, and empowered in their own personal walk with Jesus. This weekend will teach college athletes how to lead themselves better and, by extension, their teammates.

Leadership Camp, June 2-4, North Bay Adventure Camp, North East, MD.: Want to learn how to lead the Bible study at your weekly FCA meeting, or how to magnify your capacity as a team captain? Leadership Camp is for you.

Sports Camp, June 26-30, Kutztown (PA) University: Campers have been converging on Kutztown’s campus for more than 20 years. The dawn-to-past-dusk schedule will make athletes better and, more importantly, introduce or deepen relationships with Jesus Christ.

Lacrosse camp, July 9-13, Gettysburg (PA) College: FCA Lacrosse pulls players from across the country for its annual pil-

Hawthorne Christian Academy Competes in NNJCA Bible Contest

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he Northern New Jersey Christian Association hosted it’s Annual Bible Contest on February 7, 2017, at Hawthorne Christian Academy. Selected student contestants from member schools participated in this competition on the Old Testament book of 1st Samuel using sword drills, verbal questions, and a written examination.

Hawthorne Christian Academy’s grades 3-5 came in second place out of nine competing schools. HCA students Abigail Camacho, Anna Rypkema, and Conor Smith each took second place in their division, and Caleb Mathew finished in third place.

HCA Banquet and Silent Auction Hawthorne Christian Academy will host its annual Banquet and Silent Auction on Thursday, March 16, at the Rockleigh Country Club in Rockleigh, New Jersey. The

keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel Egeler, the president of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and author of Mentoring Millennials: Shaping the Next Generation.

For more information, contact Hawthorne Christian Academy at (973) 423-3331, ext. 225, or visit www.hca.org/banquet to preview silent auction items.

Vendor and Craft Expo Hawthorne Christian Academy will host its Vendor and Craft Expo on March 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, features food trucks, local entertainment, and door prizes. For more information or to reserve a vendor table, please send an email to hcaevent2017@gmail.com. All proceeds will benefit the HCA PTF student scholarship fund.

grimage to Gettysburg. More than 500 campers maxed out the facilities at Gettysburg last year. Space will be limited.

Surf Camps, Ocean City, NJ: From late June through mid-August, FCA Surf instructs the beginner to the expert.

Every single one of these camps will sell out. Registration is open, and more information can be found at midatlanticfcacamps.org.

CELEBRATION DINNER WITH DARRYL STRAWBERRY Darryl Strawberry is the featured speaker, and student-athletes from across the state will be honored when FCA hosts its annual State Celebration Dinner in Long Branch on Saturday, April 22.

Drafted first overall in the 1980 MLB draft by the New York Mets, Strawberry built an illustrious baseball career earning, among many other achievements, National League Rookie of the Year in 1983, eight National League All-Star hon-

ors, the National League Homerun Leader spot in 1988, culminating in 4 World Series titles. Strawberry’s other highlights include: ten seasons hitting 20+ homeruns, and three seasons slugging 30+ homeruns along with 100+ RBIs. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2010 and is a beloved figure among baseball fans. Today, as an ordained minister, the “Straw Man” has a new passion and purpose— serving the Lord Jesus Christ by speaking a message of hope and by helping others transform their lives through the power of the gospel. Strawberry has proclaimed, “I was once very lost and tormented, but now I am found and free in Christ Jesus.”

SAVE THE DATES Monday, June 12: Our FCA Celebrity Golf Outing will be held at Neshanic Valley Golf Couse in Branchburg. All proceeds benefit camp scholarships.

Saturday, Nov. 18: The second FCA North Jersey Victory Dinner will be held in Morristown. Thank you to all who joined us for the first event last fall. The relational, educational, and financial momentum from that night continues to be a great gift, and we at FCA North Jersey are working to develop the breadth and depth of our ministry reach throughout the region.

For more information about FCA or FCA events, visit www.fcanj.org or contact Drew van Esselstyn (973-943-9780, dvanesselstyn@fca.org) or state director Harry Flaherty (732-219-5797, hflaherty@fca.org).

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Nyack College School of Music Headlines Concert at Lincoln Center

T

he Nyack College School of Music will present a concert of classical, contemporary, gospel, and sacred music on the stage of David Geffen Hall (formerly Avery Fisher Hall), Columbus Avenue and 65th Street in New York City on Friday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature students, faculty, staff, and alumni from its Rockland County and New York City campuses.

Nyack’s School of Music performances are a tradition that span more than seven decades. In addition to their regional travels in North America, international tours have included performances in Paris, Poland, Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, Moscow, and Puerto Rico. The more than 100-voice group has also performed at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

The program will feature program conductors including Nyack School of Music faculty, Dr. Sue Talley (assistant dean of Ny-

School District Asks Court to Delay Transgender Case

By Lynde Langdon (WNS)—A school district involved in a lawsuit with a transgender student has asked the Supreme Court to delay arguments in the case until the Trump administration issues new guidance on restroom and locker room use in schools.

Oral arguments in Gloucester County v.

G.G. were scheduled for March 28, but President Donald Trump’s revocation of the Obama administration’s transgender directive to schools makes the case’s future uncertain.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Gloucester County, Va. schools had to allow a student who identifies as male to access the boys restroom and locker room, but the court based its ruling on the now-defunct White House policy. That policy threatened to revoke federal funding from school districts that kept boys and girls separated by biological sex in traditionally single-sex facilities.

The new administration called the policy confusing and promised to implement a replacement order soon. In light of the changes, the Supreme Court asked both sides in the Gloucester case how they wanted to move forward.

In a letter dated March 1, an attorney for the Gloucester County School Board asked the court to wait for the Trump administration to make its policy clear. But that could take time since the White House is still in transition mode, the letter noted.

Ultimately, both sides want the case to move forward. The school board said in its letter that Trump’s actions give it even more confidence in its stance.

“The reasons given for rescinding the [transgender directive] only reinforce the school board’s points,” the letter stated.

Attorneys for the student, Gavin Grimm, said they, too, want the question of whether federal laws against sex discrimination apply to transgender people resolved— sooner rather than later.

“Delaying resolution of that question will only lead to further harm, confusion, and protracted litigation for transgender students and school districts across the country,” wrote Joshua Block, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.

ack’s New York City School of Music), Prof.

Joel Jameson, Dr. Elizabeth Swanson, Prof.

Darryl Jordan, Prof. Willana Mack and Ms. Stephanie Fisher. Ms. Fisher, a current stu-

dent, is an accomplished conductor and composer, who made Nyack College her school of choice to earn her music degree.

One of her original works will be per-

formed.

Another program highlight is Dr. Victoria Bond, acclaimed conductor and composer, who will perform a new work commissioned by Nyack. Her compositions have been praised by The New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied, and technically demanding," and her conducting has been called “impassioned” by The Wall Street Journal.

Nyack College President Dr. Michael G. Scales says, “Not only will the audience be fascinated by our gifted music students, but this opportunity to perform on the stage of a world famous cultural arts center is an experience of a lifetime for many of these young men and women.”

More information about the concert can be found on the college’s website at nyack.edu/april7concert. Orchestra, first, second, and third tier tickets are available now for purchase online at lincolncenter.org.

Advance ticket purchases are recommended.

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Where No One Has Heard

By Ken Wilson hristy Wilson’s first contact with missions came even before his first words, his first steps, or his first friendships. His childhood home in Persia (now known as Iran) was a perpetual showcase displaying God’s heart for missions. His parents served as missionaries in Tabriz for two decades, and Wilson’s heart for God and for missions quickly grew.

When he was just five years old, Rev. Stefan Huviar, a beloved Nestorian evangelical pastor who labored alongside Christy’s father in Tabriz, asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. Wilson had frequently heard his parents praying for Afghanistan, an unreached country to the east. He knew that this country, approximately the size of Texas, didn’t have even one Christian.

“I want to be a missionary to Afghanistan,” he informed Pastor Huviar.

“Well,” the pastor responded, “missionaries aren’t allowed in Afghanistan.”

“That’s why I want to be one there,” the boy immediately replied. And that is exactly what he did for more than two decades.

Billy Graham once noted, “J. Christy Wilson will go down in history as one of the great and courageous missionaries for the gospel in the twentieth century.” Among many other things, he helped launch what became the triennial Urbana missions conference; pioneered Christian work in Afghanistan when others thought it impossible (entering the country as one of only a few Christians in a nation of approximately twelve million Muslims); taught private English lessons to the crown prince of Afghanistan; founded a mission that remains fruitful to this day; reintroduced the biblical idea of leveraging one’s profession for the kingdom of God with the term “tentmaking;” and faced danger on numerous occasions.

The Princeton Years When he was fourteen years old, his mother and three siblings returned to the United States while his father remained in Persia for three more years. Wilson enrolled at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, graduating as valedictorian. He then began his studies at Princeton University, where he was captain of the varsity track team, and then graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, as well.

During Wilson’s first weeks at Princeton, a classmate invited him to a prayer meeting of the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship (PEF), held in one of the dormitory rooms. Donald Fullerton, an alumnus from the class of 1912, taught the PEF Bible class on Sunday afternoons and invested greatly in Wilson’s life.

The men in PEF recruited him to help distribute copies of the Gospel of John to the entire freshman class. Wilson was embarrassed at first, since the recipients were his own classmates. However, he would later be grateful that he had persisted in the work. Twenty-six of his classmates were to die in World War II. Also during his freshman year at Princeton, he was introduced to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). Stacey Woods, the first secretary-general of InterVarsity/USA, went to great lengths to share his vision for student evangelism with Christy, recognizing his Christian maturity and potential.

The First Urbana Missions’ Conference An influential IVCF board member had been urging Woods to find someone from an Ivy League college to serve on staff. In September 1943, Wilson became that person. He initially joined staff on a part-time basis, working with InterVarsity on weekends while still a student at Princeton. During his initial years with the ministry, he was responsible for visiting college campuses throughout New York and New England. His task was

C

J. CHRISTY WILSON, JR. AND HIS IMPACT ON WORLD EVANGELIZATION

simply to pass along his passion for missions to other college students.

In 1944, Wilson attended a Student Volunteer Movement (SVM) convention in Wooster, Ohio. John R. Mott’s address at the convention left a lasting imprint on young Wilson.

Mott concluded his talk by saying, “Young people, to find Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord is the most important thing you can do.”

After listening to Mott share his story and watching as his heart was breaking over the lack of spiritual vitality in SVM, seeds for a new missions’ conference germinated within Wilson’s mind.

Wilson traveled throughout the United States and Canada for two years, planting his

“J. Christy Wilson will go down in history as one of the great and courageous missionaries for the gospel in the twentieth century.”

– Billy Graham passion for missions within other college students. Finally, on Friday, December 27, 1946, the first IVCF missions’ conference began.

Approximately 52 denominations were represented by 576 students from 151 colleges, universities, and seminaries. Long after the conference concluded on January 2, Woods observed that over half of the participants had actually gone to the foreign mission field (including Jim Elliot, David Howard, and Ralph Winter), with the other half actively supporting missions from home.

The triennial Urbana missions’ conference continues to this day. It has grown to become the largest student missions’ conference in the world, and through it, God has challenged more than 250,000 participants with the responsibility and privilege of taking part in world missions.

Entering a Forbidden Land Throughout Wilson’s four years with IVCF, his passion to find a way into Afghanistan never diminished or wavered. Shortly after the first IVCF missions’ conference, Christy learned of a posting on the bulletin board at Columbia Teachers College in New York stating that teachers were wanted in Afghanistan.

Although his friends tried to dissuade him, saying that going to such a closed country would be foolish, he applied for the position.

Hearing no reply for several months, Wilson made alternate plans to study at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

The very day he boarded the Queen Elizabeth to sail for Scotland, a letter arrived at his home asking him to come to Washington, D.C., for an interview. The letter was forwarded to Wilson in Scotland, and he promptly replied, “I am now working on a doctorate, but would be more than willing to interrupt my studies if you want me to go to Afghanistan.”

The reply stated, “There is no need for you to return to the States for an interview. We have had enough applications. Continue your studies and reapply after you have earned your degree.”

Wilson was disappointed. However, that first delay allowed him to earn his doctorate in Islamic studies, and the knowledge he gained during his two years in Edinburgh proved valuable during the twenty-two years he would spend ministering in Afghanistan.

Eventually, after four more years beset by several more setbacks, Wilson and his new bride, Betty, first set foot on Afghan soil in the summer of 1951, having been invited by the

Afghan minister of education to teach English in Kabul. No businessman, no explorer, no tourist, and certainly no missionary was allowed in Afghanistan. The country was a noman’s-land with a strict “no trespassing” policy. But now Wilson found himself standing on soil where few Christian witnesses had ever stood before.

As the years passed, Wilson soon found himself in several new roles, including serving as personal tutor to Afghanistan’s crown prince and pastoring the international community in Kabul.

Pastoring Afghanistan’s Only Church While Wilson taught English to Afghans, they in turn taught him some of their treasured proverbs. One of them was Du tarbuz da yak dest gerefta na mesha. An English translation might read, “Two watermelons can’t be held in one hand,” meaning that if you have too many preoccupations, you will succeed at none of them. Wilson experienced this pearl of wisdom firsthand as he sought to balance his teaching assignment and additional pastoral roles.

Wilson sensed the Lord guiding him to devote his full-time energies to pastoring, and in late 1952, he and other teachers planted the Community Christian Church of Kabul (CCCK) for the foreign community. He was formally chosen as their first pastor, and they initially met in the Wilsons’ home before a building could be constructed many years later.

Wilson and the people of CCCK ministered to ambassadors and their families, to hippies traveling through Kabul, and to many students. One day, after several hippies had become Christ-followers, a very diverse group of believers lined the edge of a nearby lake, standing in wonderment, many crying softly, and all sensing a powerful unity of God’s Spirit. Suddenly, one of the CCCK members broke the silence, noting to the person standing next to him, “Do you realize that this is the first public baptism to have been held in Afghanistan for over one thousand years?”

On another occasion, after a travelling musical group had completed a triumphant tour in Afghanistan, Wilson drove the young musicians to an unconventional tour site: the only cemetery in Afghanistan where “infidels” could be buried. Stopping at the first gravestone, one that was worn with age, Wilson explained, “This man worked here thirty years translating the Bible into the Afghan language. Not a single convert. And in this grave next to him lies the man who replaced him, along with his children who died here.”

Strolling among the gravestones, Wilson told story after story about the early Christian workers in Afghanistan. The group leader later recalled, “It was one of the great moments of my life. I watched their faces as it suddenly

dawned on these exuberant American teenagers that the amazing spiritual awakening they had witnessed was but the last step in a long line of faithful service stretching back over many decades.”

A Church Building Destroyed, A Government Overthrown Finally, after Wilson had been ministering in Afghanistan for 18 years, CCCK was permitted to build the only Christian church building on neutral soil in Afghanistan, constructed following a personal assist from President Eisenhower. The Afghan government permitted this place of worship only for use among the foreign community; it was never to be used by the Afghan people.

One Sunday morning, only three years after the sanctuary’s dedication, soldiers arrived and began to hack away at the wall between the street and the church building.

One gentleman in the congregation went to Kabul’s mayor and prophetically warned, “If your government touches that house of God, God will overthrow your government!”

The mayor responded by ordering the congregation to turn over their church for destruction, thereby eliminating the need for the Afghan government to pay compensation.

“This building does not belong to us, but to God,” the people of the church replied. “We can’t turn it over for destruction.” And they proceeded to serve tea and cookies to the soldiers who were destroying their place of worship.

Rumors had reached the Afghan secret police that an “underground church” existed in Afghanistan. Therefore, while the workers demolished the church building, they carefully dug twelve feet below its foundation in search of this secret subsurface sanctuary— but to no avail.

Before long, Wilson was declared persona non grata by the Afghan government. Students were becoming followers of Christ, and certain Afghan officials were determined to rid themselves of the corrupting influence who was behind all of this. Eventually, on March 24, 1973, Christy and Betty Wilson departed Afghanistan, each carrying only a suitcase of personal belongings. They were leaving the land in which they had lived and ministered for twenty-two years. As they made their way to the airplane, Christy shook the dust from his feet.

Just four months later, on Tuesday, July 17, 1973, the Afghan soldiers completed their destruction of the church building. That very night, King Mohammed Zahir Shah, who had ruled for forty years, was overthrown in a coup, and the 227-year-old monarchy in Afghanistan came to an end forever. When Wilson heard the news, he fell to the floor and wept.

Wilson spent the following two decades serving as professor of world evangelization at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. His former students’ remembrances of Wilson are remarkably consistent: he would pray with you anytime and anyplace; he knew your name long before you knew his; he loved to tell stories of what God is doing throughout the world; he had a contagious smile and an infectious laugh; and he gave us a picture of what it looks like to be a lover of Christ.

The ripple effect of his life continues to spread to people, ethnic groups, and nations throughout the world. His life continues to grow God’s kingdom and to reveal the splendor of the God he loved so much and served so well.

This article is adapted from a new biography of Christy Wilson entitled Where No One Has Heard, written by Ken Wilson (no relation) and published by William Carey Library. The book is available at www.missionbooks.org.

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Cedar Hill Church Will Highlight the Plight of Syrian Refugees

By Wendy Hammond hen Brandie Vande Werken heard about the situation faced by Syrian refugees, she knew that she had to take action.

“I have been educated and desire to respond,” Vande Werken said. “Sadly, I live too far from any major population center to host a refugee family (I've made the phone calls). There is advocacy work that can be done.”

Wilson is advocating for displaced people with a unique project that was started at her home congregation, Sussex Christian Reformed Church. In February, when the church was a satellite host for a national women’s conference, she helped construct and display a tent that highlighted the plight of many Syrian refugees.

On May 20-21, that tent will be on display at Cedar Hill Reformed Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

That weekend, Sussex Christian Reformed Church, Cedar Hill Reformed Church, and other local churches will host Ken Little, World Renew’s senior project manager of International Disaster Response. World Renew, a ministry of the Christian Reformed

W

Church, is doing remarkable work in Syria and other locations where disaster relief, community development, and social justice are needed most.

The Syrian refugee tent that will be on display at Cedar Hill CRC includes supplies in the center with placards on the walls such as: "You are fleeing for your life—what do you grab?” “How much do you try to carry?" In the back corner were a couple of buckets with some lumber and ropes to encourage people to consider how one would make life work with few supplies.

They also made a poster with a few details related to the crisis and information of the work of World Renew in Syria.

“My husband and I are giving to World Renew's projects in Syria and I'm searching for ways to engage more people in that opportunity,” Vande Werken said.

The horrific war in Syria is now in its sixth year. Over 400,000 people have been killed. More than half of all Syrians have been forced to leave their homes – over 11.4 million people. Currently an estimated 13.5 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance, including 6 million children.

The situation of food shortage in Syria has become increasingly desperate, and people caught in the middle of the conflict are struggling to buy food with the skyrocketing prices of food. For mothers and young children, proper nutrition is a significant concern.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said that Syria’s development situation has regressed by four decades. Before the war started, Syria was a middle-income country with roughly 30% of people living below the poverty line. Today, an estimated four in every five Syrians live in poverty.

Thousands of refugees flee Syria every day. A total of 4.8 million have fled, becoming refugees in the neighboring countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.

Many refugees live in simple tents that do not have heat. The cold winter months are especially difficult for these displaced families.

World Renew has not forgotten the people of Syria, and remains committed to responding to the needs of Syrian families in Syria and Lebanon that have been affected by this war, as long as fund-

Ancient Assyrian Palace Found in Mosul Ruins BOMBED SHRINE MAY HAVE CONTAINED JONAH’S TOMB

By Julie Borg (WNS)—In 2014, Islamic State militants captured the Iraqi city of Mosul and bombed an ancient shrine that many believe contained the burial place of the Old Testament prophet Jonah. The tomb was located within a Sunni mosque near the site of the ancient city of Nineveh.

After Iraqi troops liberated Mosul in January, archaeologists were dismayed to see the extent of tomb’s damage—but then they discovered a priceless treasure.

Buried beneath the shrine they found the 2,600-year-old palace of King Sennacherib of Assyria.

After the Islamic militants demolished the shrine with dynamite, they dug deep tunnels into Sennacherib’s palace and presumably looted hundreds of artifacts to sell on the black market. Experts assume the militants destroyed the shrine because they believe worship at such places violates the teachings of Islam.

“I can only imagine how much Daesh discovered down there before we got here,” archaeologist Layla Salih told The Telegraph, using the Arabic term for Islamic State. “We believe they took many of the artifacts, such as pottery and smaller pieces, away to sell. But what they left will be studied and

will add a lot to our knowledge of the period.”

The archaeologists found a marble inscription of Sennacherib’s son, Esarhaddon, that they believe dates to 672 B.C., when the palace was part of the city of Nineveh.

They also found a stone sculpture of an Assyrian demi-goddess depicted as sprinkling the water of life to protect humans in her care, The Telegraph reported.

Since the1800s, experts have known Assyrian royal buildings existed beneath the shrine.

“Iraqi excavations in the 1950s revealed an entrance to an Assyrian royal arsenal, and in 1990 a large Assyrian building to the east of the mosque, guarded by colossal human-headed winged bulls, was excavated, but this work came to an end with the Iraq/Kuwait war,” Paul Collins, chair of The British Institute for the Study of Iraq, told Fox News.

Sennacherib was the king of Assyria from 705 to 681 B.C. According 2 Kings, Sennacherib’s army captured many cities in Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah and in 700 B.C., during the reign of King Hezekiah, unsuccessfully attempted to overtake Jerusalem.

The Medes partially destroyed Sennacherib’s palace when they attacked Nineveh in 612 B.C.

In the days of the prophet Jonah, Assyria’s capital in Nineveh was one of the richest cities in the world. God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn the people of coming judgement. When Jonah refused and tried to run away, God commanded a big fish to swallow him and vomit him onto a beach three days later. After that, Jonah went to Nineveh, where the people repented after hearing his message.

According to some Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions, Jonah was buried in Nineveh.

Eventually, a church called the Monastery of Jonah was built over the tomb. Muslims constructed the current shrine on the ruins of the church in the fourth century.

They closed the shrine to Christians in 1902.

Archaeologists now exploring the site fear the new tunnels dug by militants are in imminent danger of collapsing.

“If this happens, the result will be even more destruction at a site that had already been devastated by the explosions that destroyed the ancient Shrine of Jonah, in effect we will lose a place where Iraq’s ancient, medieval, and modern cultural heritage rests one above the other,” Collins told Fox News.

ing permits.

In Syria, World Renew is working with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD) and the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC), to provide hygiene kits to 1,900 families, and food assistance to an additional 1,400 families.

In response to the outpouring of generosity from people in North America, World Renew has also been able to respond directly in Aleppo, providing food assistance to 500 of the most vulnerable families. These families are also receiving a winterization kit, filled with supplies to help them make it through the cold Syrian winter.

In Lebanon, World Renew is

working closely with its local partner, the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD) to provide food assistance to 650 Syrian refugee families each month. In addition, 281 families with young children are receiving milk and diapers.

Prayers and financial support are still greatly needed for those affected by this conflict. As the conflict continues, and food prices remain incredibly high, many Syrian families still struggle to afford enough food each day.

“I'm just looking to move hearts and encourage people to give,” said Vande Werken.

For more information on the tent display at Cedar Hill Church, visit the church’s Facebook page or www.cedarhillchurch.org.

Iraqi lawmaker asks U.S. for more help fighting ISIS (WNS)—While accepting a human rights award at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 8, the lone Yazidi member of Iraqi Parliament called on the United States and the world to do more to help her still-suffering people. “This is our tragedy that continues until now,” Vian Dakhil said. “It didn’t end.” Dakhil was in Washing-

ton to receive the Lantos Human Rights Prize for her work on behalf of Yazidis, a religious people group indigenous to northern Iraq. Her frantic plea for help more than two years ago on the Iraqi Parliament floor captured the world’s attention and led Islamic State (ISIS) to name her its “most wanted” woman.

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C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert

F

ellowship for Performing Arts recently extended the New York City run of C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert. Adapted for the stage by and starring award-winning actor Max McLean, The Most Reluctant Convert will play through May 21 at The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street).

“We’re thrilled this production has found its audience in New York,” said executive producer and co-director Ken Denison. “The Most Reluctant Convert did so well in extended runs in D.C. and Chicago, and we’re happy with how New York theatergoers have embraced it."

The Most Reluctant Convert offers an engaging and humorous look at Lewis’ early life, presented in the famous writer’s own words, as he recalls his remarkable journey from atheist to Christian and what he learned about himself along the way. McLean, who also co-directs, inhabits Lewis from the death of his mother, his estranged relationship with his father, and the experiences that led him from vigorous debunker to one of the most vibrant and influential Christian intellectuals of the 20th Century.

Max McLean as C.S. Lewis

“Max conducts talk-back sessions with audiences after almost every performance because the show captures their imagination.

They want to talk about it,” Denison said. “The most common thing we hear is how moving and entertaining The Most Reluctant Convert is.”

The Most Reluctant Convert is

the third and final show of Fellowship for Performing Arts 2016/17 season, which also included the return of the acclaimed play and nationwide hit, C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters and a new production of FPA’s first wholly original play, Martin Luther On Trial.

Tickets are on sale at www.FPAtheatre.com.

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Susan Panzica

Continued from page 1 steering committee.

There are a few different ways that Justice Network reaches survivors of human trafficking. The group collects clothes that they deliver to a few different locations. “We package them in nice shopping bags, so it looks like they went shopping, and give those to different shelters,” explained Panzica.

The initiative started when she noticed a

“You can choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you did not know.”

– William Wilberforce Justice Network team members at a recent event.

‘thank God it’s not my daughter’; and the second was, ‘but it is somebody’s daughter’.”

The self-proclaimed “accidental abolitionist” was also inspired to act by a number of posts that were brought to her attention through social media. One was a quote by the great British abolitionist William Wilberforce: “You can choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you did not know.”

As she did more research on fighting trafficking, Panzica came across a social media post that listed places where you can buy items that are made without slave labor.

“I left a comment that said, ‘I always wanted to do something about this;’ which led someone else commenting, ‘If you do something, let me know.’ That was a motivating moment for me.”

Panzica then reached out to the person who originally posted on Facebook about slavery-free items. The woman was Tanya Dennis, who soon became the other cofounder of Justice Network.

The two women decided to host a showing of Trade of Innocents, a movie that depicts the

rescue of young girls from sex traffickers in Southeast Asia. Subsequently, the fledgling group grew to 22 and the Justice Network was formed, meeting once a month since.

THE #HT CHALLENGE Each February, the Super Bowl host city sees a large amount of human trafficking and prostitution. This fact inspired Panzica and Justice Network to start a movement called the HT Challenge. HT stands for halftime as well as human trafficking.

During the Super Bowl, the Justice Network encourages people to raise awareness about human trafficking on social media through graphics, tweets, and posts. The idea is to hashtag the posts with #HTchallenge, as well as #superbowl, so they are in the same stream as tweets about the game.

At halftime, the goal is to talk about it.

“We’re having this (halftime) show go on and we’re comfortable, and at this very moment there are women being exploited in hotel rooms across the country,” said Panzica.

The challenge was also presented to the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking, where Panzica also serves on the

pile of clothing in the store Chico’s.

“I had heard a woman from the FBI saying how (trafficking) survivors are barely dressed (when they are rescued). I asked the people at Chico’s if I could use them... The manager of that store said, ‘we can do something better.’ So, we had several clothing drives where they would send out an email to their customers, (and offered 10% off) if they brought in gently worn or new items,” she said.

More recently, the Justice Network has started to work with the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking by collecting gift cards to give to survivors. When the survivors are liberated, their most immediate need is food, since they are kept hungry.

Another way the Justice Network is ad-

vancing the cause is through its “Justice Rocks” concerts. During the events, there is a band playing upstairs at High Mountain Church, which is decorated like a coffeehouse. Downstairs, the room is transformed into a fair-trader market, where over ten different vendors share their stories and offer merchandise.

Panzica’s research in human trafficking has affected her daily life. “I changed the way I buy things, knowing that they could be products of slave labor. I have a more cautious eye on things I buy,” she said, “particularly, coffee, chocolate, certain items like that.”

And this abolitionist has hope.

“I believe that we can end [human trafficking],” she said. “This is something I felt very strongly about right in the beginning.”

Recalling all the positive steps we’ve taken as a society, she said, “We’ve changed the culture and I believe that because of our conversation today and getting the word out, 50 years from now, the idea of buying a girl for the Super Bowl will be unheard of.”

Georgia Settles with Doctor in Religious Freedom Case (WNS)—The state of Georgia settled a discrimination lawsuit brought against it by a physician-preacher who accused the state of firing him for his religious speech outside the workplace. The state, which had demanded Eric Walsh turn over his sermons as evidence, awarded the former employee $225,000 in damages. Walsh, a public health physician and former lay pastor at a Seventh Day Adventist church, was fired in 2014 from his new job as district health director of northwest Georgia. He sued the

Department of Public Health (DPH) for unlawful termination. His employers requested copies of his sermons right after he was hired, and the Georgia attorney general asked for them again during the lawsuit.

Walsh refused, and the state withdrew the demand and requested mediation. “This is a clear and resounding victory for religious freedom,” said Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for First Liberty and one of Walsh's attorneys. “The state of Georgia was right to settle this case .

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Pastor Anthony & Sister Pat Ventola

2 8 / T R I - S TAT E V O I C E / S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

Pediatricians Warn Parents: Pot is not Benign Washington Florist Loses (WNS)—America’s largest association of pediatricians is pushing back against a growing perception that marijuana is safe for teens. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Feb. 27 pub-

lished a clinical report in the journal Pediatrics warning that nationwide marijuana legalization efforts have led to more access, stronger drugs, and lower perceived risks. More teens and

adults think marijuana is harmless, even healthful. But it is a problem, argues the report. Several recent studies show significant marijuana use in adolescents can lead to impaired shortterm memory; decreased concentration, attention span, and problem-solving skills; and alterations in motor control, coordination, judgment, reaction time, and tracking ability. Lung health is also negatively affected. Some studies link marijuana use with long-term psychiatric effects, including higher rates of depression and psychosis.

Discrimination Case ( W N S ) — T h e Wa s h i n g t o n Supreme Court on Feb. 16 ruled unanimously that florist Barronelle Stutzman violated a state anti-discrimination law in 2013 when she declined to create floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding. The ruling also upholds the lower court decision making Stutzman personally liable, putting the 72-year-old grandmother in jeopardy of losing all business and personal assets, except her home. Stutzman’s attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom

(ADF) said they will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In both trials of Ingersoll v. Arlene’s Flowers, they argued the Washington Law Against Discrimination compelled Stutzman to create floral arrangements in violation of her religious liberty, freedom of association, and free speech rights. But the state high court, in upholding the lower court decision, said her creative efforts constituted “conduct,” not “speech,” and the law “protects patrons, not business owners.”

S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 / T R I - S TAT E V O I C E 2 9

The following businesses and organizations support Tri-State Voice.

Please support them and connect with them. To advertise on Tom’s List, call (201) 644-7062 or email: Tom@TriStateVoice.com.

BUSINESS Abma’s Farm Market, Greenhouse, and Petting Zoo 700 Lawlins Rd. Wyckoff, NJ 07481 (201) 891-0278 www.abmasfarm.com The Cliffs at Eagle Rock Assisted Living Community 707 Eagle Rock Ave. West Orange, NJ 07052 (973) 669-0011 www.thecliffsateaglerock.org

Yee Medical Group Comprehensive Medical Care Englewood, NJ Wyckoff, NJ (201) 569-9005 www.yeegroupmedical.com

Leadership Fellows Program NYC Leadership Center PO Box 9157 Long Island City, NY 11103 (347) 382-9237 www.nycleadership.com

Gerry Cantalupo/ Northwest Mutual Financial Representative Serving Metro New York (973) 531-2222 www.gerardcantalupo.nm.com

Solid Foundation Skate Park Skateboard Ministry Skate park: 445 Godwin Ave. Midland Park, NJ 07432 (973) 650-5412 www.sfnj.com

Rodan+Fields Life-Changing Skincare Dawn Massa, Consultant (201) 843-0047 www.dmassa.myrandf.com

Ditto Upscale Resale Clothing, Furniture, Appliances...

965 Belmont Ave. North Haledon, NJ 07508 (973) 423-4886 www.dittonj.com

Lightly Salted Graphics Art Direction & Design Saddle Brook, NJ (201) 843-0047 www.lightlysaltedgraphics.com

Paramus Chevrolet New and Used Cars 194 Route 17 North Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 261-7100 www.paramuschevrolet.com

Wellsprings Counseling Christian Counseling Fair Lawn, Manhattan & Washingtonville (201) 956-6363 www.wellsprings.org

Roy Heerema/ Northwest Mutual Financial Advisor Serving NJ, NY, CT, PA (201) 505-4180 www.royheerema.nm.com

Young Living Essential Oils Miriam Cariglia, Distributor (973) 229-7110 miriamcariglia@yahoo.com www.MiriamsOils.marketingscents.com

Jacobsen Landscape Landscape Design and Construction 413 Godwin Ave. Midland Park, NJ 07432 (201) 891-1199 www.jacobsenlandscape.com

Glass Gardens Florist 180 Central Ave. East Orange, NJ 07018 (973) 674-5114 www.flowersbymarlo.com

Master Your Guitar Music Academy Group and Private Guitar Lessons Serving North and Central NJ (973) 245-1941 marcus@masteryourguitar.net www.masteryourguitar.net

Mari Media Services, LLC Personal and Business Computer Repair; Networking Entire Metro NJ/NY Area (973) 699-7781 www.marimediaservicesllc.wix.com/home

Sal Poliandro/Remax Real Estate Consultant Serving NJ & New York Wyckoff, NJ (201) 632-3001 www.bchometeam.com

Victory Restorations, Inc. Custom Remodeling Contractor Serving Northern NJ and Surrounding Area (201) 843-1340 vicinhim@gmail.com www.victoryrestorationsinc.com

Bossart/Barden Builders Churches, Housing, & Commercial Construction Mgmt.

Flanders, NJ Serving Entire Tri-State Area (201) 404-2264 www.bossartbuilders.com

Antoine Lee, MC, MEd Individual Psychotherapy, Pastoral & Marriage Counseling Bronx, NY (646) 831-2618 www.pamnantione.com

Catherine M. Warnet, Realtor Turning your dream into an address Terrie O’Connor Realtors Wyckoff, NJ (201) 248-1340 http://cwarnet.tocr.com

MINISTRY

Bug Doctor, Inc. Pest, Animal Control 585 Winters Ave. Paramus, NJ 07652 (800) 825-1151 www.bugdoctorinc.com Email: info@bugdoctorinc.com TNTMAX (technology) IT Services 253 Madison Ave. Wyckoff, NJ 07481 (201) 891-8686 www.tntmax.com Kayal Orthopaedic Center Medical Group Ridgewood, NJ Franklin Lakes, NJ (201) 560-0711 www.kayalortho.com

The Truth@Work Roundtable Groups Network for Business Owners, CEOs, & Executives Contact Steve Vorrius (732) 680-1054 steve@victoryexecutivegroup.com www.christianroundtablegroups.com

Bethany Christian Services Adoption Fair Lawn, NJ New York City (201) 444-7775 www.bethany.org New Jersey FCA Sports Ministry 6 Drummond Place Red Bank, NJ 07701 (732) 219-5797 www.fcanj.org Concerts of Prayer Prayer Network PO Box 9157 Long Island City, NY 11103 (718) 721-2626 www.copgny.org Touch the World Missions 1 Maple St. Allendale, NJ 07401 (201) 760-9925 www.touchtheworld.org

Hawthorne Christian Academy Preschool through Grade 12 2000 Route 208 N. Hawthorne, NJ 07506 (973) 423-3331 www.hca.org Nyack College Christian College Nyack, NY NYC (Manhattan) (845) 358-1710 www.nyack.edu Alliance Theo. Seminary Seminary Nyack, NY NYC (Manhattan) (845) 358-1710 www.nyack.edu Pillar College Christian College Newark, Zarephath, & Somerset, NJ (973) 803-5000 www.pillar.edu Happy Day Learning Center Serving children 6 weeks Through Kindergarten 1111 Preakness Ave. Wayne, NJ 07470 (973) 694-3584 www.hdlcnj.com Little Dreamers Learning Center “Launching Children Into the Life God Dreams for Them” 747 Northfield Ave. West Orange, NJ (973) 731-7744, ext. 124 www.littledreamerslearningcenter.com

Street 2 Street Youth Outreach Ministry 555 Goffle Road Suite 212 Ridgewood, NJ 07450 (201) 445-8555 www.street2street.com

MEDIA

CARE Ministry Drug/Alcohol Abuse Recovery Christian Community Church River Edge, NJ 07661 Joe Brennan (201) 385-4396 www.joeybrennan.com

CirclesofFaith.org Where Faith, Life, and Community Intersect Montclair, NJ circlesoffaith@gmail.com www.circlesoffaith.org

Market Street Mission Meals-Shelter-Hope 9 Market St. Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 538-0431 www.marketstreet.org

The Bridge Christian Radio 127 White Oak Lane Old Bridge, NJ 08857 (888) 861-6100 www.bridgefm.org

Metro World Child Children’s Ministry P.O. Box 409 Brooklyn, NY 11237 (718) 453-3352 www.metroworldchild.org

Star 99.1 FM Christian Radio P.O. Box 9058 Zarephath, NJ 08890 (732) 469-0991 www.star991.com

EDUCATION Eastern Christian Schools Preschool - High School Campuses: Midland Park, Wyckoff, & North Haledon, NJ (973) 427-4729 www.easternchristian.org

CONFERENCES/ RETREATS Eddy Farm 100 Eddy Farm Rd. Sparrowbush, NY 12780 (845) 858-4300 www.eddyfarm.com Spruce Lake Christian Retreat Center 5389 Route 447 Canadensis, PA 18325 (570) 595-7505 www.sprucelake.org Pinebrook Bible Conference & Retreat Center “Where God’s People Meet” 5339 Pinebrook Rd. East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 (570) 424-1212 www.pinebrook.org Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center 3300 River Rd. Mt. Bethel, PA 18343 (570) 897-6000 www.tuscarora.org Blue Mountain Retreat & Conference Center 1 Christian Lane New Ringgold, Pa. (570) 386-2154 www.bmcr.org

WORSHIP Armenian Pres. Church 140 Forest Ave. Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 265-8585 www.apcparmus.com Trinity Evangelical Free Church 390 Teaneck Rd. Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 566-8396 www.trinityteaneck.org Abundant Life Worship Center of Lincoln Park 103 Jacksonville Rd. Lincoln Park, NJ 07035 (973) 694-9998 www.alwclp.org Hope Community Bible Church 50 Flanders-Bartley Rd. Flanders, NJ 07836 (973) 927-5066 www.hcbchurch.net MetroChurch 136 Wyckoff Avenue Wladwick, NJ (201) 797-3336 www.metrochurchnj.com

ARE YOU ON THE TSV LIST? Tom’s List is a great place to promote your business, ministry, or school to the loyal readers of Tri-State Voice.

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Assoc.

54 Pitman Ave. Ocean Grove, NJ 07756 (732) 775-0035 www.oceangrove.org

Hackensack Christian School Preschool through Grade 12 15 Conklin Place Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 487-7212 www.hcsinfo.org

The Tri-State Voice recently launched Tom’s List as another way to connect businesses and ministries with our readers. Tom’s List, launched in celebration of Tom Campisi’s 20th anniversary as publisher of Tri-State Voice, appears in each issue of our quarterly print edition and online at Tristatevoice.com.

Next Level Coaching NYC Leadership Center P.O. Box 9157 Long Island City, NY 11103 (347) 382-9237 www.nycleadership.com

New York School of the Bible Bible Courses 123 W. 57th St. New York, NY 10019 (212) 975-0170, ext. 123 www.cbcnyc.org/nysb

INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL:

American Bible Society 101 No. Independence Mall Eas,t Floor 8 Philadelphia, Pa. (888) 688-1720 www.americanbible.org

Abundant Life Academy K-3 through Grade 12 390 Washington Ave. Nutley, NJ 07110 (973) 667-9700 www.abundantlifeacademy.net

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