Ministry Day in Brooklyn

God yet again blessed us with beautiful weather today!  We worked with Evergreen Baptist Church in Brooklyn by doing several ministry projects.  We started out the day by splitting into 9 groups to prayer walk and talk to people on the street.  It was really neat to go house to house and pray for the salvation and/or spiritual growth of the people who lived there.  Each group had such different experiences talking to people today.  We offered to pray for each person if they wanted prayer and invited them to our concert and also to the church.  One group was even able to lead someone to Christ!

After lunch, everyone got to work on projects around the church.  Some people shined the brass and vacuumed the floors in the sanctuary, others swept the the sidewalk outside the church, while others did some light garden work.  Everyone worked really hard to make the church look really nice.

Dinner was held at Junior's in Brooklyn.  We dined on salads, veggies, meats and cheesecake (or ice cream if you preferred that).  It was a whole lot of food and I'm pretty sure most of us ate WAY more than we should have.

Tonight was our final concert in NY and what a concert it was!  Someone mentioned to me tonight that Wednesday night always seems to be our best concert.  I can honestly say tonight's concert was one of the best we have ever had.   It was a small church with people that were so incredibly into the concert!  God really worked in the hearts of not only those watching the concert, but also the hearts of the students as they sang.  Each one of them praised God and sang their hearts out tonight.  It's weird to say, but there truly are no words to describe the way tonight was.  It was just an incredible night of worship.

After the concert, the church gave Matt a painting and a love gift in appreciation for what our group did.  Evergreen was a wonderful church to work with!

A Day of Refreshing

It was so wonderful to wake up this morning and see the sun shining!  This was especially a big deal since our concert was to be held in Central Park.  It was such a nice day in the park.  There were so many people milling about as we were setting up.  The Stomp team set up and began playing.  This instantly drew a crowd.  Then another student pulled out his juggling items and more people came.  The next thing you know, sound check just became the actual concert!  The kids performed their hearts out for probably 2 hours.  They did an incredible job!  We saw several people come to know Jesus during the concert.  It was really neat to see how music could really bridge the gap between languages and nationalities.  Several of the people that were watching the concerts even video taped the concert.  The realization came that those videos may even be found on You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and other venues of social media.  Seeds could be planted EVERYWHERE!  Isn't that awesome???  The kids (and sponsors) left this concert so refreshed!

After this concert, we had lunch at John's Pizza in Times Square.  They served us a delicious buffet of pizza, calzones, salad, garlic bread and cannoli's.  I think we all ate too much there! :)  As we left, the kids sang "Just As I Am" for the restaurant and got quite the applause!

We took the kids to the World Trade Center Memorial.  It was a nice time of reflection of the things that our country has been through.  I think they all learned a little more about our country and the events of 9-11.

The final thing we did of the evening was go to Brooklyn Tabernacle for their prayer service.  I don't think anyone knew what to expect from that.  It was so incredible to sing and lift people up in prayer and enjoy a short message from the pastor.  It was refreshing to be a part of such a neat & different worship service!

MONDAY!!!! :)

Monday we had the opportunity to get a little extra sleep, which is always nice after a long bus ride and a busy first day of concerts!  We loaded up the bus this morning and headed to Harlem for a concert for the senior citizens at Second Canaan Baptist Church.  The kids did a FANTASTIC job (as usual) and everyone there really enjoyed it.  I think the places we have been to here are astounded by the fact that a church from Alabama has such a fantastic choir.
The weather today was very cold and wet!  We braved through it and took the kids to 5th Avenue for a little shopping.  Some of them just walked around the area and checked out landmarks like cathedrals, the Plaza & the Trump Tower and others headed to stores such as Tiffany's, FAO Schwarz, Armani Exchange & the Apple Store.
We all loaded up on the subway again and headed to Cathedral of St. John Divine to sing.  The choir sang a song (a video has been loaded to my Facebook page- I am having trouble loading it on here) and then the ensemble sang a few as well. It was such a neat experience!  They sounded wonderful as usual.  We gave them some time to tour the cathedral.  Every thing about that cathedral is so beautifully intricate!
Our dinner tonight was at Grand Central Station.  Grand Central is so full of hustle and bustle.  It's so neat to see different kinds of people there.  One group even met a World War II Vet that they were able to share a meal and Jesus with.  The opportunity to share Jesus with people is everywhere.  You just gotta look for it!

We have another busy day tomorrow including a concert in Central Park.  Please pray for good weather!

Ministry Day- 3 Concerts!

Today was a busy concert day for us!  We had 3 concerts in 3 different areas of NYC.  Our first concert was a short one at Way 2 Life Ministries in Harlem.  Everyone did such a great job!  The congregation really enjoyed the music and the "True Love" drama.  We are looking forward to working with their pastor again tomorrow as we sing for the senior citizens at another church.

The second concert of the day was at the Bowery Mission in Lower Manhattan.  We had a full audience as the students were able to do a full concert for them.  During the invitation, it blessed my heart to hear a man repeat the prayer of salvation- out loud for all in the room to hear.

Our final concert of the day was another short one at Crossroads Church in Staten Island.  Despite being exhausted, the kids did another fantastic job with both their singing and their drama.  The congregation was clapping right along with them and then later wiping away tears during "True Love".  We will get to work with this church again later in the week with some things in Staten Island.

It was pretty awesome to watch each of our kids today as they all jumped in to help unload and reload at each concert venue.  Anything that needed to be done, they were willing to help.

We ate dinner at fabulous little pizza place in Staten Island.  They were so kind and generous to us.  After eating, we sang a chorus for them.  I think they really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow, we will be singing in the morning then we'll be visiting a few sites.  We will sing at St. John the Divine Cathedral and then end the evening eating at Grand Central Station and doing a little shopping and heading out on the Staten Island Ferry.  Keep us in your prayers as it will be another busy day!

We're Here!

***THIS IS SATURDAY'S POST (only a day late)***

It took us approximately 22 hours, but we finally made it to NYC!!!!  As usual, we had a little adventure on the way up. :)
We made it just past Scottsboro to Hollywood, AL, when Bus #2 had a tire blow out.  We were hopeful it would just be as simple as a replacement tire, but it turns out the blow out was so bad, it put a hole in the radiator as well, making a replacement bus necessary.  We are praising God that He protected everyone in and around the bus from harm.  The kids all cheerfully sat outside playing games, talking and singing while waiting the 3+ hours for the new bus to get there.  We are so thankful that in times like those, the kids make the best of the situation and make it fun.  Everyone pitched in to help in whatever way they could too.
After that, it was back on the road and time for sleep on the bus.  I'm not sure anyone got a whole lot of sleep, but I know they sure tried!  We made one overnight stop at a gas station before stopping for breakfast.  For a group that had such little sleep, everyone's attitudes were fantastic!  Our bus was pretty quiet for the rest of the day until the cheers when NYC was finally in view!  Many of the kids on Bus #1 hadn't been to NYC before so seeing the excitement on their faces was pretty awesome.
We had our first adventure riding the Subway.  It was pretty interesting to take 90 people.  Thankfully, it wasn't super busy, so it was easy to get on and off.  We ate dinner at the famous Katz Delicatessen.  The sandwich options were Pastrami or Turkey.  Most had the Pastrami sandwich.  It was FANTASTIC!!!!  They served that to us with French Fries and some of the most delicious pickles I have ever had (and no I'm not just saying that because I'm pregnant).  I would highly recommend stopping there if any of you are ever in NYC.

Tomorrow is a full day of concerts in the city!

Opening Thoughts

This year we have a unique opportunity to minister in one of the largest cities and most ethnically diverse places in the world. There are over 22 million people in the NYC metro area, many of them without Christ.

This year the theme is “Revelation.” We chose that theme because our country is desperately in need of a revival and a fresh revelation about God’s love and power. God uses students and adults to share the revelation of his Son, the story of his suffering and death to save humanity from their sins. The music, drama, and other artistic expressions this year talk about the story of Christ and the glories that await those who trust in Him.

My desire for the team this year is that they would consider every moment of every day a ministry opportunity on tour. Our lives should be a vibrant example of discipleship and passion for our Savior! We will be ministering in a wide variety of concert venues, including a rescue mission, churches, a public park, and a senior citizen home. People everywhere need the Lord.

Our students will be exposed to the realities of a fallen world: people that have been neglected, who are hungry, and who have no one that loves and cares for them on this earth. It will be difficult. It won’t always be pretty. But that’s reality. The experiences that students often have on these kinds of mission trips can impact them for a lifetime. It can break down the walls of selfishness and expose the compassion that Christ-followers are to display.

Just a quick word about our adult sponsors. The adult sponsors accompanying the students on this mission are all gifted, trusted individuals who have a heart for students and evangelism. They each pay financially to be servant leaders on this mission trip. Please be in prayer for them as they teach and exhibit the attributes of Christ during our time in New York City.

In closing, please know that I will do my best to provide the leadership you expect on this mission trip to New York City. This is my 15th choir mission trip at WBC and I have learned that there are always unpredictable situations and difficult decisions that have to be made. Please pray that I will have divine wisdom in making those decisions. If you have any questions, feel free to call me (256-881-0952, ext 236) or email me anytime: matthew.sloma@wbccares.org

Love,


Rev. Matthew D. Sloma