Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
December 2011
A CALL TO PRAYER AND ACTION
FOR NEW YORK CITY CHURCHES
Dear Colleagues,
This month the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear the case regarding churches renting from public schools, and thus the prior decision of the lower-court that banned houses of worship from renting NYC public schools still stands.
The impact of this decision is the eviction of more than sixty (60) local congregations from public schools in New York City. All of these congregations need to find new worship space by February 12, 2012.
See below for ways you can help these churches!
We believe that God can do a "new thing" in New York City as we pray, network, and "share all things in common."
Fighting the Good Fight Together,
Mac Pier
President, The NYC Leadership Center
Founder, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York
Gary Frost
President, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York
Help Churches Find Meeting Space
Please help us in connecting those churches that need meeting space with churches that have potential meeting spaces. We will share the rosters of those who can share space with those who need space.
Please let us know which churches you are aware of that are losing their meeting space. We would like to have an accurate roster of churches and their current locations.
Please complete this online form if you need meeting space.
If you have potential meeting space or you know of space, please provide those details to us and we will forward available sites to churches needing space.
Please complete this online form if you have potential meeting space.
Join Us for United Prayer!
Join us in praying that the bill submitted would pass and overturn the Appellate Court's ruling to ban churches from renting NYC public schools for worship services.
Come to one of these Pastors' Prayer meetings in Manhattan:
- Wednesdays from 12 Noon - 1:00 p.m. at Forefront Church (21st Street and Broadway)
- First Thursday of the month from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church (57th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues)
The Pastors' Prayer Summit on January 23-25, 2012 at Tuscarora Inn, is a powerful time of prayer and networking with pastors and ministry leaders, from Greater New York across ethnic, economic and denominational boundaries. We will devote some time at the Summit for prayer about this and other relevant issues facing churches.Click here to register for the Summit
The Lord's Watch Daily Prayer Vigil -Since 1995, more than 100 churches across Greater New York have adopted a day a month to pray for the needs of our region, nation and world. Click here to download the Lord's Watch monthly newsletter and sign up for prayer. Click here to sign up and download the Lord's Watch
We will also be emailing more information to invite pastors and leaders to fast/pray together in the New Year - more details to follow soon.
Concerts of Prayer Greater New York
The New York City Leadership Center
You need to be a member of The Reimagine Network to add comments!
>>>KEEP SCROLLING for RELATED CONTENT & COMMENTARY, RESOURCES & REPLIES
This is spurring great prayer in NYC.
Last month the Supreme Court let stand a decision by the New York City School District to kick out all of the churches who were renting space in schools for their meetings on the weekends. This effects over 60 churches. Emboldened by this decision the New York Housing authority kicked out churches who were renting space in its buildings. This month many pastors and a prominent city council member stood outside a government building to stage a public protest and were arrested!
I believe God moved my family to New York City to be a part of the front lines of this culture battle. Shifting the college population is critical to shifting this city that shapes our nation's culture. In addition to the work among students, this Fall a friend of mine and I started to call NYC pastors to gather weekly to pray. The group grew quickly in the fall to over 50 pastors and leaders involved. My friend encouraged this group of praying pastors to respond to the city's actions. This group responded to this unprecedented action of the city by convening other pastors for special day long sessions of prayer and fasting this past week. They also hosted a citywide gathering of the members of their congregations for a citywide prayer service this week. Please be in prayer for this very real unprecedented move by the NYC Church and the city.
Hostility towards Christians in NYC
Pastors and Ministers are getting arrested in NYC in prayer demonstrations against NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg who plans to secularize the city by ousting 17,000 Christians from their meeting spaces as renters in public schools. Mayor Bloomberg dissolved the Board of Education and launched the Dept of Education which has been aggressively pursuing the elimination of Christian groups from using public space on weekends. You can rent under any other name but if you mention Jesus during your rental time your contracts will be terminated.
The NYC Law Department recently informed NYC churches renting from NYCHA (NYC Housing Authority) that they too (along with other churches already facing eviction out of public schools) will be put out at the end of February. The Law Department is seeking to set a national precedent forbidding religious institutions from renting public space. Pastor Dimas Salaberrios, City Councilmen Fernando Cabrera, Pastor Bill Devlin and Pastor Michael Carrion and three young men prayed in front of the NYC Law Dept and where arrested but they won the victory and the NYC Law Dept backed down from their agenda.
On January 12, 41 Pastors and Church leaders followed the lead of the NY 7 and got arrested at the Mayors State of the City address. The City Council has the super majority in favor of churches using the space. The NYS Education Committee is in favor of churches keeping their space but the battle goes on.
Please pray for NYC as Pastors and Leaders continue to stand up for their right to worship. The Deadline for churches is February 12, 2012 to be out of public schools. NYC is the only location doing this but we know that what happens in NYC spreads across the country and this must end now in NYC before the flood pours out stronger and wider across America.
A temporary restraining order stays the eviction for 10 days while the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York considers constitutional arguments about the ban on churches renting school facilities.
read more