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What does God have to say about coming together in fellowship and community?
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"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Proverbs 27:17
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them." Matthew 18:20
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It's important to God that we come together and build great relationships with each other and our communities. We believe in providing an inclusive and encouraging setting for our congregation and our guests, while giving praise to our Lord.
We welcome you to join us!!
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This column contains national and international information of interest to Churches
This column contains information about the local activities of the Church of Christ.
Churches of Christ are patterned after the actual congregations found in the New Testament. We have no "earthly" headquarters, but getting our Spiritual direction from following only the Word of God.
The Church of Christ was established by Christ Himself, Matthew 16:18, we honor His name, realizing that He is the only "Head" of The Church. Colossians 1:18. Christ's Church was introduced to the world in Acts Chapter 2 approximately 33 AD. When repentive sinners were baptized by immersion for the remission of their sins. Each receiving the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide them/us in all truth. John 16:13
If you have been looking for a "BIBLE BASED" Church, then come visit us.
This weeks focus is on A Congregations Success Stories
God has a plan for our Salvation!!! God is not willing that anyone perish!!! God wants you to be Saved!!! 2 Peter 3:8-10
GODS PLAN IS: "JESUS" ACTS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S PLAN:
Believe Jesus is the Son of God Acts 4:12
Confess Jesus To Others Matt 10:32
Repent Of Our Sins Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38
Be Immersed (baptized) in the likeness of His Death, Burial, and Resurrection Acts 2:38, Rom 6:5 for the remission of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
LINDENHURST, N.Y. — Prayer kneelers and organ pipes aren’t typical in a Church of Christ.
Then again, the Long Island Church of Christ — a diverse body with members representing roughly two dozen nationalities — isn’t an ordinary congregation.
Far from the Bible Belt, the growing church meets for now in space rented from St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, about 45 miles east of New York City. Thus, the aforementioned kneelers and pipes.
More than four decades after its founding, the Long Island church recently appointed its first five elders — all first-generation Christians, just like the majority of the congregation — along with 11 deacons.
“We always longed for having elders and deacons, but because of the nature of the congregation, we had to grow into that,” said evangelist Pedro Gelabert, a former atheist who grew up in Puerto Rico.
The church, which each Sunday draws about 250 worshipers to its English assembly and 100 to its Spanish service, launched in 1980 in Kent Field’s basement. Field returned to his native Long Island to plant the church after studying preaching at Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, Texas.
Later, the congregation met in a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall, two YMCA facilities and a rented chapel before leasing the Lutheran church about five years ago.
By now, church members had intended to move into their own building, but the pandemic delayed construction in Hauppauge, N.Y., about 20 miles from Lindenhurst.
“We took out a loan in 2019 to start building the church,” elder Steve Aponte Sr. said. “COVID hit and halted everything, which caused inflation and the rising cost of materials. This left us $500,000 short.”
Rather than take out a second mortgage, the church is asking the congregation and fellow Christians across the nation to contribute to the building fund, Aponte said.
The total cost of construction is estimated at $3.6 million. Long Island is not an inexpensive place to build.
“We’re not going to build just for the sake of building,” Aponte said. “We’re going to do it right. We’re going to put it in a neighborhood where we can grow and evangelize.”
Even after the relocation, leaders pray the church will maintain its original DNA — an outreach-focused approach emphasizing door knocking and personal Bible studies.
Tyrone Shaw, 40, was working at a Home Depot store when he first encountered Rob Young, now one of the Long Island elders.
“He happened to be preaching the Gospel to one of my co-workers,” said Shaw, who was searching for spiritual answers. “I was actually interested in studying the Bible, so I asked Rob how much he charged. He kind of laughed it off and said, ‘There’s no fee. It’s free.’ So I jumped on that.”
Nearly two decades after his baptism, the African American father of four said he relishes the Long Island church’s diversity.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Shaw said, “to have people from all walks of life come together for one common goal, and that’s to share a life in Christ here on Earth and then afterward when we’re living in heaven. I love that everyone can come together in peace and harmony.”
God’s point of view
One Friday night a month, Long Island members gather for a trilingual devotional — in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.
At a recent devo, the congregation sang hymns such as “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less” (“Mi Esperanza Firme Está”), “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder” (“Cuando Allá Se Pase Lista”) and “I’ll Fly Away” (“Yo Volaré”).
Charlie Gomez, the congregation’s Spanish-language minister and one of its elders, preached in English and Spanish. Gelabert, whose wife, Clary, is deaf, provided the sign language interpretation.
In his sermon, Gomez showed a picture of the Empire State Building, the camera gazing up from the bottom.
“It just looks overwhelming,” he told the church. “That’s the view from below.”
But peer down from the top of the 102-story skyscraper, and the people and buildings of New York City shrink, he noted as he switched images.
That’s the difference, the minister suggested, between how humans experience the world and how God sees it.
“Every situation in life, every trial, whatever it is, you have been invited — you have been given the privilege — to look at it from God’s point of view,” he said.
To Gomez, the heavenly point of view seemed unimaginable three decades ago.
“They used to call me Saul,” he told The Christian Chronicle, referring to the future apostle who persecuted Jesus’ disciples.
Now 50, Gomez was a 19-year-old “militant atheist” when Christians eager to share the Gospel first knocked on his dorm room door at Stony Brook University.
“Sometimes I would slam the door in their faces,” he recalled. “Sometimes I would cuss them out. And sometimes I would just let them in and give them a piece of my mind and make fun of them.”
But a health scare that required a kidney biopsy softened his heart. He suddenly accepted an invitation to the Long Island church.
When he first showed up, he recognized the faces of Christians who had tried to tell him about Jesus.
“I was super embarrassed,” he said. “I felt so ashamed about the way that I treated them.”
But his presence did not discourage his former targets.
It gave them hope.
“There was so much rejection that they faced every single day. I wasn’t the only one; I was just the nastiest,” Gomez said. “But to see someone like me come to Christ, it had to inspire them and really motivate them.”
‘A multiplying, thriving ministry’
Baptized in 1981, Bob Carr was one of the first college students converted by the fledgling Long Island church.
He later served as the congregation’s minister for 22 years.
“The church in the book of Acts was a multiplying, thriving ministry that went beyond taking the Lord’s Supper and singing a cappella,” said Carr, who remains active in personal Bible studies.
Another influential convert was Rebecca Aponte Young, who attended Stony Brook University with Charlie Gomez.
Unlike Gomez, Young wanted to learn more about Jesus. She tells how she chased after the Christians who knocked on his door and became a disciple herself.
She later taught the Gospel to her parents, Steve and Laura Aponte, as well as her future husband, Rob Young.
Little did she know that both her father and her husband would become church elders.
“The fact that God used me … in their coming to Christ is miraculous in and of itself,” Rebecca Young said. “I was the worst of sinners.”
Her father recalls that she started bringing groups of Christians to the family’s Staten Island home — more than 60 miles from the church — for barbecues.
“They came, and they were encouraging, loving people,” Steve said. “And there were a lot of them. One day, Laura said, ‘What are we going to do? We don’t have enough hamburgers and hot dogs.’ I said, ‘I’ll put on a pot of pasta and spaghetti sauce.’”
Despite enjoying the fellowship, the Apontes, who were culturally Catholic, resisted their daughter’s evangelistic efforts.
For a while, anyway.
“We gave God a good laugh for a couple of years,” Steve said, “until 1995 when Laura and I got baptized the same day. So we’re twins.”
‘We all have stories’
In the Long Island church, powerful stories of conversion abound.
Transformed lives fuel new Christians’ passion to share their hope.
“Because we all come from darkness, we all have stories,” said Bernadette Gomez, Charlie’s wife of 25 years.
The daughter of Italian immigrants, she was baptized after studying with Deborah Tomengo, a Long Island member and fellow student at Suffolk County Community College.
“We’ve all been healed from so much,” Bernadette said, “and the church is such a safe place for us.”
There’s no place she’d rather be than in the house of the Lord.
“And it’s hard for us to understand,” she said, “when we visit another congregation, and everyone is at a football game or a baseball game instead of the devo.”
At the Long Island church, hugging fellow Christians is a deeply ingrained part of the culture — a way to greet one another and convey love.
“It’s a place where you can feel at home,” Bernadette said. “It’s a place where you’re going to be loved. We do hold each other accountable. It’s just a very special place.”
With about 100 boys and girls in the children’s program, the adult Christians face a new challenge: imparting their zealous faith to the next generation.
That’s definitely the congregation’s goal, said elder Ray Gomez, an immigrant from Costa Rica and the father of two daughters. (He is not related to fellow elder Charlie Gomez.)
“We have to train our kids … because we’re not getting any younger,” Ray Gomez said. “We have to see that God is going to take care of the church going forward.”
BOBBY ROSS JR. is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle. Reach him at bobby@christianchronicle.org.
It'S our Event Of The week!!!
Thank God for His Blessings
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Sunday 09/24/2023
10:30 AM Lesson Will Be:
"As Good As Gold"
Presented by Mike Mazzalongo
Matt 5:16; Matt 7:12
Our Order Of Worship
The Bible Is Our Guide in Worship
(Google These songs and sing along)
1 Corinthians 14:40 (Decently and in Order)
Sing: Sweet, Sweet Spirit(Eph 5:19;1 Cor 14:15)
Sing: Take Time To Be Holy (Eph 5:19;1 Cor 14:15)
Prayer (1 Thes 5:16-17)
Sing: When We Meet In Sweet Communion (Eph 5:19;1 Cor 14:15)
Communion Served (Acts 20:7;1 Cor 16:2)
Sing: Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen (Eph 5:19;1 Cor 14:15)
Prayer (Giving) (1 Thes 5:16-17)
Contribution (1 Cor 16:2)
Scripture Reading Matt 5:16; Matt 7:12
Sing: Passs It On (Eph 5:19; 1 Cor 14:15)
Sermon "As Good As Gold" (2 Tim 4:1-2)
Sing: Where He Leads I Will Follow (Eph 5:19;1 Cor 14:15)
Sing: There's A Royal Banner (Eph 5:19)
Closing Prayer (1 Thes 5:16-17)
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Announcements
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Dismissal
We Love Visitors
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This Sunday is a fellowship meal after services followed by a Mens Meeting along with a Ladies Meeting.
Potter Children Home
Established in 1914, the Potter Children's Home & Family Ministries works to be a tool in the hands of supporting churches of Christ and individual Christians to deliver God's justice and mercy to children and families in need. Our Residential Group Care program is at the core of our ministries. This program is for children ages 6-18 years old who are in need of a loving, stable, structured home environment. Our Single Parent Alliance for Raising Kids (SPARK) program allows families to stay together during their recovery from a divorce, desertion or death. The Transitional Living ministry is designed to serve young people ages 18-23 who have little or no support from their families. We also offer foster care and Christian counseling.
What Is Going On?
Tuesday’s Treasures
Our resale shop is open on Tuesdays in an on-campus facility to provide reasonably priced goods for families on a budget and to raise funds for our mission. Come check our massive selection of thrift and second hand items.
Ministers, Elders, and Wives Appreciation Dinner
The daily hard work that many of our congregation leaders do to support our mission deserves more recognition than we give in one annual dinner, but a good meal seems like the best start.
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Check Us Out In Person This Sunday
@ 7165 Cloverdale Rd, NW Roanoke, Va
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ON-LINE ACCESS: Please join us from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
To Join us Online:
Type or copy/paste the following on your search line: GoToMeet.me/DaleRidgeChurchofChrist
Use Access Code 345-551-253
To Join by Phone (listen only)
Call +1-571-317-3116; Use Access Code 345-551-253
Tuning in "virtually" was never intended to take the place of gathering together, enjoying fellowship, receiving and giving each other encouragement. Christians should love to gather on the first day of the week just as the early Church did. (Acts 20:7)
Sunday: Bible Class: 9:30 - 10:15
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Subject: 1st & 2nd Timothy and Titus Presented by: James S.
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Come Worship Our God @ 10:30am
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It's A Golden Opportunity
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We Are Honored To Serve "Communion This Sunday, Just As Jesus instructed and the Disciples practiced. (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 11:26)​
Wednesday Bible Study: 6:00 PM
In depth review of previous Sundays sermon presented by Blaine C.
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Ladies Bible Class: Thursday 10 AM
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The Men will meet Sept 24 after Worship and a fellowship meal. Submit topics for discussion to Bob C.
The ladies will meet after worship and Fellowship meal on Sept 24 to discuss plans for Ladies Day 2024 and other topics
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God's Word is Our Only Guide For Truth.
SHOULDN'T IT ALSO BE YOURS?
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The Church of Christ has a HISTORY, Prophesied by Jesus in Matt 16:18 Established on Pentecost in 33 AD. (Acts 2:38). Heaven is our ultimate goal. Only with Jesus, is this possible. (Acts 4:12)
Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
Don't Forget To Re-Examine Your Goals
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Are you Looking for an ACTIVE Church that has "purpose and enthusiasm"
A Church that you can feel like part of a FAMILY? Come join us in our journey with Christ.
HIS Church is a movement, NOT Just a building.
THE FIVE BEST CHOICES YOU'LL EVER MAKE
1. Listen to the Right People
2. Keep Good Company
3. Make the Right Kind of Friends
4. Find Joy in What God Approves
5. Spend Time in God's Word
Mike Mazzalongo
Seriously Now ARE YOU BEING FED SPIRITUALLY?
John 6:35 Jesus said: "I am the bread of life".
Are you burdened with anxiety?
Matt 11:28 Jesus said: "come to me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest"
LOOKING FORWARD
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Mens Breakfast TBA
NEED A COORDINATOR
(Suggestions: Dennys 460; Pete's Town Center near Sam's; I-Hop Valley View)
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Exciting News
Dale Ridge Plans To Support Ebenezar Amable from Kenya to attend the Memphis School of Preaching This Fall. See
the bulletin board in the foyer for info.
Ebenezer will be at Dale Ridge IN OCTOBER
School begins Nov 6th
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Dale Ridge "Ladies Day" has been rescheduled for Spring 2024
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There will be a Ladie's Planning meeting on Sunday Sept 24th following services & fellowship meal. Please bring your ideas.
Worshipping God as the Church of Christ in Jerusalem did long ago.
THE BIBLE IS OUR GUIDE
The Way To Escape Sin
Jer 29:13-14 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity."
IF YOU ARE A PARENT, YOU ALREADY KNOW YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUR CHILDREN.
Bring Them To Church!!
Again in 2023 the Dale Ridge Church is getting exposure to thousands of homes in the Roanoke Valley and Botetourt County via Valpak.