for involvement in New York
___ Enroll yourself. Loukia Tsouratakis could use some help in her new role as Baptist campus minister at St. John's University in Queens. She lists several ways volunteers
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| LOUKIA TSOURATAKIS |
could help, but what would be most helpful is if some committed Baptist students from Texas would enroll at St. John's. Enrolled students could "become part of the fabric" of school life and help Baptist ministries get established at the campus, she said. St. John's offers a broad undergraduate curriculum. Tsouratakis also suggests other ways for Texans to get involved, including sending music groups to perform "popular sounds," like those from Christian bands Burlap To Cashmere and Jars Of Clay; providing training for student leaders of the campus ministry workshops on daily Bible reading. Most importantly, she said, "pray, pray, pray."
___ Swing a hammer. A small but valuable portion of real estate on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is about to be transformed, and volunteer construction workers will be needed to finish the project in months to come. The lot once housed an abandoned Jewish synagogue. Soon it will provide more space for the ministries of East 7th Street Baptist Church, better known as Graffiti Church. The neighborhood around Graffiti Church has changed in recent years, said Pastor Taylor Field. The streets are much safer now as the church has helped convert the community through its ministries at eight sites.
___ Pray as they play. Mike McQuitty, Baptist campus minister at Syracuse University, suggests that Texas Baptists pray for student ministry on that campus every
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NORTHSIDE Associate Pastor Jeff O'Brien and Pastor Bruce Aubrey.
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time they hear news of the school's renowned basketball team or watch a Syracuse game on television. Pray specifically, he said, for more college students to come to faith in Christ and become involved in campus ministry. Also, pray for God to raise up a young woman to provide leadership to female students.
___ If you build it, they will come. Northside Baptist Church of Liverpool, N.Y., has people, parking and land. What it now needs is a larger building. Church members pledged $423,000 for the project and gave $64,000 on a recent "First Fruits Sunday," said Pastor Bruce Aubrey. The church hopes to break ground in May or June. But volunteer labor would significantly reduce the cost of the project.
___ Become a partner church. Cicero Baptist Church of Cicero, N.Y., meets in a dance studio with plate glass walls, but the church is striving to reflect Christ more than itself. The mission started last summer with support from various Baptist churches, said Pastor Karl Novak. Some of that support will begin to drop after one year; and the congregation needs new partners. The church also seeks volunteer teams to work with children next summer.
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