[USA] The Beautiful Steps of Faith

[USA] The Beautiful Steps of Faith

Preparation for the Bible Crusade in New York City.

All of the congregation in the USA is pouring their heart for the Bible Crusade which will be held in New York City from the 24th to the 26th. Pastor Yeong Kook Park shared the word and said, “Let us prepare this conference with a heart to learn faith. No matter what kind of work you wish to do, just try it.” With this new heart, the pastors and missionaries are going to many different places that they have never been before and are inviting people in new ways.

-Mind Education at the Police Department

With Nilda Hoffman, Chief of Community Affairs at the NYPD

After meeting police officials at the Bronx Supreme Court in March, we went to an event that the NYPD were hosting for the Jewish community of NYC. There, we were able to meet the Nilda Hoffman who was the NYPD Chief of Community Affairs. She was amazed by the Mind Education program and she wanted to invite Pastor Ock Soo Park and the Gracias Choir to the police department. She introduced us to the officials in charge of different boroughs, such as Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, and we made an appointment to demonstrate a sample of a Mind Lecture. We plan to start a program for the police academy as well. Recently, the rate of suicide has been increasing steadily for people that work inside of law enforcement so the department senses the need for anti-suicide education. The police officials show much interest in the Mind Lectures including the other Mind programs.

Police Cadets of the Explorer Program participating in a Mind Recreational activity

Also, we held a Mind education session which included Mind Recreation and a Mind Lecture at the 46th precinct police station. The students actively participated in the program and had a great time. We have much hope of how Mind Education will grow in the police department.

-Senior Program

A participant of the arts and crafts activity

Our footsteps continue on to our senior program. We held two programs on the same day at two different senior centers in Brooklyn. At the first center, 15 elderly folks and at the second, 7, participated in “healthy clapping” exercises and “healthy memory making” arts and crafts. After the program, we were able to share about God and invite people to the Bible Crusade.

A picture with the administrators of the senior center

They allowed us to continue the program into the future and we felt how much they had opened up their hearts to us as they took our flyers to be given to the residents of the senior apartment.

-Mind Education at Homeless Shelters

Story telling time about the world of the Heart

We started a Mind Education series at a center for the homeless and runaway youth. 11 new students came to attend the event at the Bronx center. The program included “Heart-based” dancing, origami, storytelling and other various programs along with a mind lecture. We hope for a steady relationship through continual events.

We also had a Mind Education session in Staten Island with 10 students. After the director of the center, Laura Teresa, heard the lecture, she opened her heart completely and expressed her new hope that the young people at the center will change. We made plans to have weekly Mind Lectures and the director of the Richmond university medical center, who was in attendance, requested for us to hold Mind Education sessions at his center for 15-20 of his students as well. When we think about how we can gain the hearts of the youth through Mind Education, we are so thankful in our heart.

-Regional Bible Seminars

A Bible Seminar in Brooklyn

Also, we are running mini-Bible-Seminars constantly in different parts of the New York area. The congregation members look for a venue for the seminar, visit house-to-house to invite people, and pass out flyers to promote.

70 participants of the local Bible Seminar

Pastor Sang Yul Kim preaching about “Sin and Repentance”

Especially, 70 people gathered at a church in New Jersey and the church was filled with the hymns of the short-term missionaries. Pastor Sang Yul Kim, from Washington D.C., preached the word with the theme of “Sin and Repentance”. Afterwards, the host pastor told us that this is the type of sermon that his church needs to hear and wanted to maintain a connection with us. He also promised to have all of his church members attend the Easter Cantata that will be held during the Bible Crusade. We are so excited in how the word of God is being planted into the hearts of the people and we bear great expectations for the future.

Conclusion

According to the word of the servant of God, we can feel very strongly God working in whatever direction we take a step in. When we think about how many people will hear the gospel through the Bible Crusade, we have much hope; also, we have hope in how the faith of the brothers and sisters of the USA will grow.

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