Word on the Street

by Ernie Scalabrin

Hi Everyone! Well, what is going on in the NYC Metro Mission? Well, first of all, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that the Yankees winning their 27th World Series Championship was definitely a highlight!

Of course, the things that God is doing are the “true highlights”. We are seeing God work in magnificent ways here. Due to its international scope, NYC is called “The Center of the World”. In our ministries, God is touching the lives of Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Muslim, Buddhist, New Age, Wicca, Jews, Albanians, African and Hispanic Americans, Ecuadorians, Mexicans, Cubans, Bosnians, Serbians, Greeks, Armenians, Italians, Guatemalans, Brazilians, Indians, just to name a few.

We meet yearly with the Metro Teams from Boston and Philadelphia. This past fall, we had a great conference in New Jersey with our new Metro Director Bob Adgate and his wife, Ronda. It was a warm time of ministry and story sharing. Bob and Ronda introduced themselves, encouraged us, and shared with us the direction and heart of the national leadership of The Navigators as we move forward into the future to advance Jesus’ Kingdom and make disciples together.

NYC staff and associates meet regularly in Greenwich Village for encouragement and sharing led by our NYC leader, Andy Puleo. These times are a blessing and allow us to see what is going on across our ministry venues – neighborhood, inner-city, youth, collegiate, church discipleship, Korean and more. We have an area wide metro rally planned for February 6th. We would appreciate your prayers for this time as we have invited staff, associates and stakeholders in the region to join us! We are working on more of these rallies to extend our calling, values and movement to the region and beyond.

Andy and Donna Puleo have been ministering to the poor in Roosevelt, NY. Charles, a friend of theirs, offers to help them out at times and they are relating with him about life issues. He is in the process of getting a job and new place to live. Billy, another man they are working with, is doing well and they see and minister to him often. He has enrolled in school to study for his GED. They look forward to be able to partner more through Minister Reginald Benjamin (of ABBA ministries) networking in the Roosevelt area. Abba ministries regularly distribute food, school packs and other relief to distressed residents of Hempstead. Most of Pastor Benjamin’s contacts come from ex-cons and their families. He is very well received by hundreds at each event. Andy and Donna also have great ministry contacts with many African American pastors in the NYC area.

We, (Ernie and Judy Scalabrin) are seeing God work in great ways on the New Jersey side of the NYC Metro Area. We are seeing relationships grow from our multi-ethnic contacts with people in our surrounding neighborhoods. Our dear Korean Buddhist friend expressed her admiration for our family even though our material standard of living differs from hers. She wanted to know more about Christianity because our family life seemed more real and purposeful to her. Her husband is a nice man who works for LG, and though he provides well, he is hardly at home for family time. This is common for many lost families here. Due to the intense competition involving wealth and materialism. Most families lack real life and they know it.

With the economic issues facing our nation, we are seeing God use us more with the business community. Ernie has led two businessmen to Christ and is discipling them. We are in growing relationships with them and their families and helping them to “Navigate through life spiritually.”

Our public school Bible club is in its 8th year. We continue to see children come to Christ each year and be discipled impacting families. The Board of Education allowed us this year to expand to a second day during the week to accommodate the older 6, 7, and 8th grade students. This children’s Bible club is international with many backgrounds. We are given complete freedom, by the school (with parental permission) to share the Gospel and the Scriptures with the children. Our first students are now in college! Ernie also goes to the nearby high school and teaches at the Christian “Harvesters” club. We have been asked by Christian families of other towns to have such clubs. Although the clubs are legal, it can often be intimidating to get started.

Our other ministries in New York City are also thriving. Finances are the biggest challenge and prayer request for our team. Since this is an extremely strategic area of the world for missions, ministry opportunities are abundant here! However, there is a cost of living that is one of the highest in the nation. Pray for us! Although, God has been very gracious in His provisions, finances are an ongoing challenge for all of us. Finances can threaten and hinder the work of all our ministries more than anything. But we praise God for His abundant fruit and work in our midst! Hallelujah!

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Donate to the New York City Metro
Donate to Andy and Donna Puleo
Donate to Ernie and Judy Scalabrin
Read more about the New York City Metro Mission
at new-york-city.navigators.org

From Laura Jenkins

I recently looked around the room at my Albuquerque Metro Team and realized that every single one of them is regularly influencing my ministry and my family life.

My main role in ministry is to coordinate a large kids program in my neighborhood called Juntos and to mentor young leaders there. At home, my role is as a wife to my school teacher husband and mom to two toddlers. My Metro team influences me significantly in all of those roles!

There are the Collegiate staff who have led worship at Juntos in a pinch, who love our college-aged Juntos leaders and who sacrifice some of their best students (who could be leading studies on campus) as volunteers at Juntos every Monday night. Then there are the Catholic staff. They have lent us some of their young people as volunteers, too, and have been a part of almost every Juntos Family Christmas party we have had. And, of course, the Business and Professional (B&P) staff. They meet with me to help keep me organized on my funding, help with computer issues, and pray with me to determine God’s vision for the urban ministry here in Albuquerque. There is another Urban staff couple who mentored me when I first came to Albuquerque and now pray with me and offer wise counsel. Our Native American stakeholders help me understand the nuances of Navajo culture and provide some important relational connections. Another stakeholder couple in B&P (whose home many of us have also called “home” at some point in our Albuquerque journey) is gracious to baby-sit my kids at the drop of a hat. All are family to my husband and me.

And that complex web of relationships only includes the ones that I am directly involved in. It does not even begin to include the number of people from all of our ministries who are influenced by Faith@ Work lunches, the staff children being ministered to by Collegiate staff, our Catholic/Protestant partnerships, and the support of Collegiate and 20-somethings activities by B&P staff. Nor does it include the tears, laughter and prayers, the dinners, the vacations and the game nights that we share with one another – simply because we are blessed to call one another “brother” and “sister.”

Prayer Requests

• Many on our Metro team are facing health-related issues either personally or in close family members. Pray for strength, grace and wisdom.
• Almost everybody on our team is facing funding challenges. We recognize God as our Provider and fully trust Him based on His faithfulness. Pray for many more generous friends to walk alongside us.
• The harvest continues to be plentiful in our city! Pray for more laborers in the urban ministry, the Catholic ministry, on the military base and to focus specifically on 20-somethings.

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To read more about the Albuquerque Metro Area – visit http://albuquerque.navigators.org

by Charlie Sparkman

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know.
In paths they do not know I will guide them.” ~ Isaiah 42:16

Our persevering prayer is for laborers and leaders to emerge from the 1.6 million people who live and work in the 8 major cities of Tidewater, Virginia (Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg).

“Only someone who has experienced the transforming power of the Spirit can be used to help bring transformation to people, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. … To be a lifetime laborer does not take arriving, it just takes a willingness to be among the lost and broken and to live like Jesus among them.” ~ Alan Andrews

Mike and Kim fit this description of a laborer. They mentor and equip African American young adults through Urban Discovery Ministries. Their work of faith – transforming inner city evangelism. This past year they joined our Metro network.

Mike with four young adults from the Urban Community Church of Norfolk joined seven Jamaican young men in a ministry trip to the village of Skibo, Jamaica.

Here are Mike’s words:

“The course of the evening changed direction when Shamaul confessed to me his addiction to marijuana and asked for help. Two days before, Shamaul and his baby’s mother had given their lives to Christ. Like we had done for some addicts in Norfolk’s inner city, I put a chair in the center of the room for Shamaul. Gathering around, we all placed hands on him and took turns praying. We soon began singing praise songs and hymns while being led mostly by the Jamaican young men as they raised their voices.

“A few quoted scriptures. I did not pray out loud but called out to God silently for Shamaul, asking the Holy Spirit what to do or say. I confessed that I did not know what to ask except for God to also cleanse me because my own heart was not prepared for this intercession. After a while, I helped Shamaul to his feet but he stood limp and motionless and we continued on. I suddenly became spiritually aware that the forces of darkness were moving to retake Shamaul. It seemed like everything spiritual about me reacted and wanted to prevent them. My muscles flexed and tears flowed as I vigorously mouthed passionate prayers and cried out in resistance. Then everyone became calm. With my arm around Shamaul, I admonished the Jamaicans to minister to him after our team’s return to the States. I asked out loud, ‘Has the Holy Spirit dismissed us?’ One of our young team members said, ‘That’s a good question!’

“The focus of our prayers shifted from praying for Shamaul to praying against the forces of evil in Skibo, Jamaica. I focused on Skibo and could picture its bridge. It crossed a river beside the village bar, where we had ministered the night before. I sensed that the forces of evil had been displaced from there but they were ready at this moment to retake this location. God was restraining their intended assault and was including us in His warfare by giving us grace to pray against them. The spiritual warfare praying continued while I was bent over weeping. I sensed the forces of darkness attacking, and I felt a great spiritual surge with me … so much so that as I resisted the enemy’s onslaught I had to cry out with a voice distorted by weeping. With eyes closed I listened to Valerie as she vehemently presented our case to the Heavenly father as she prayed against the evil forces. My desire for this spiritual conflict intensified as we prayed. After sixteen years of seeing spiritual defeat there, I wanted victory and my contempt for the enemy and all his destruction intensified. For a while I prayed under orders to hold a line of defense by staying in this place that I envisioned in Skibo. I could not leave there in my heart and my mind and I heard Valerie faithfully praying with me the entire time.

“Later, I testified how this same unexpected experience had occurred with me 16 years before during my prayer for the salvation of men in Skibo. In an earlier message to the church in Skibo I had boldly stated that I would prepare a message for men and I would ask God to bring them to hear it. No men came and so I again found myself weeping as I prayed calling on God to raise up men from Skibo to declare the Gospel in this village, in Jamaica and throughout the world.”

Prayer Requests:

• Pray with Mike and Kim for the men of Skibo, Jamaica.
• Mike and Kim are assisting a church plant in the East End of Newport News EENN. Pray for fathers from EENN to glorify their Father in heaven through anointed and intervening prayer for their neighbors and community. “The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” (1 Samuel 2:7-8)
• The African American Congress on Discipleship, March 4-6, 2010 will be held in Norfolk, Virginia. The timing is God’s and the opportunity is ours. Conley White, Ed Haywood, and Rich Berry are our primary point men on this event. The vision is to bring spiritual resources and support to the African American communities here in Tidewater. Pray 2 Corinthians 8:5 “not as we expected … but they first gave themselves to the Lord and then unto us by His will.”

Donate to the Tidewater Metro Area.

by Roger Matthews

There are 231 distinct cultural groupings of people in the city of Chicago. There are 190 suburban communities. One of the exciting things we are seeing in Chicago is God connecting us with folks who do not yet know Him. In the past months, we have seen friends from at least four different realms within Chicagoland come to Christ.

First are the elementary school mothers who heard the good news from other elementary school moms in a northwest suburb. We have one staff working with three different groups of mothers at three different elementary schools.

In a nearby suburban community, a blue-collar husband heard the good news from a neighbor who happens to be one of our Navigator Associate Staff.

Twenty miles east, near the north border of Chicago, a single mother of two was drawn into a conversation with a group of 20-someones at a bar. This group included a stakeholder in our b2g stream who shared the good news about Jesus and how only He could meet her deepest needs. She came to Christ and is getting connected to this group who have demonstrated their authenticity by engaging with her in helping her in practical ways including finding a safe place to live and becoming friends with her children.

Over on the west side of the city, another team of Navigators which works with the urban poor and ex-offenders has the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with young men and women on an almost daily basis. Many recognize the good news and respond, and our team is committed to helping them with not just growing their relationship with Jesus, but with learning the skills and discipline it takes to live as a disciple of Jesus in a city like Chicago.

We are seeing God work through each of us. Our car mechanic, Steve, a God fearer – but not yet believer, and I recently had a conversation about how much God loves him. His wife of 18 years had moved out of their home because “he was not there for her.” Steve did not understand what she meant. He is trying to love his wife, but not communicating love well. But God was at work. He has not experienced the fullness of God’s love and we talked about loving our wives like Christ loves us. When his wife moved back in, he called me and said thanks! Steve is moving toward Christ!

Jesus said, “I am the road, also the truth, also the life … no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) People are looking for truth, for life, for more than the world can offer, and we know the way!

One part of our vision that excites me is the part that says, “Laborers for the Kingdom are next door to everywhere.” To me, this means that we have a culturally, economically, and ethnically relevant team of 10-12 laborers in every one of those 421 places. However, we have no one focused on the 68 college communities or on the marketplace and business community. We have stakeholders and partners in many local churches, but no staff focused on this critical part of our mission.

Please pray with us for God to send laborers, workers, and disciples – people with a heart for Him and the world around us to join us in our great calling to bring the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom to the hidden peoples of Chicagoland.

You may donate to the ministry of Roger Matthews or the Chicagoland Metro Area, by clicking on their name.

by Mark Johnson

The most exciting development in Denver is gaining new staff to partner in b2g, our 20 and early 30-something mission. Dave and Hannah Umphress finished two years of EDGE Corps at University of Northern Colorado in May. They transferred to b2g and are now living in Denver. Dave is working part time at Starbucks, and working on funding this summer. Their role on the b2g team will primarily be to link with students in the Nav campus ministries in the region, and to help graduates as they land in the city to make meaningful connections in the b2g community.

In addition, we are looking forward to the arrival of Jay and Melisa Cull and their three children in August. Jay and Melisa are transferring from CDM in Pennsylvania to join the b2g team in Denver. We look forward to the contribution of their energy and visionary thinking. Already on the team in Denver are Mark and Trish Johnson and Harry and Robin Durgin. We welcome the infusion of youth and enthusiasm to the team!

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for God’s blessing on the funding efforts of both Umphresses and Culls.
• Please pray for God’s provision of the right house for Culls.
• Please pray that God would orchestrate the blending of gifts and strengths on the team, and that we will partner in truly collaborative ways.
• That we’d see the Gospel advance among the 20-somethings of Denver.