Author: Tolivar

January 31st, 2011

A Year In-Review
&Into the Future….

Christ Presbyterian Church in the Hill….

A Year in review & beyond

How does one sum up all that has occurred in a year? It feels impossible! How do I avoid the verbal vomit and then not say anything at all? What a quandary!
Well, let me begin by stating that Our God has been at work. Understanding, knowledge, faith, community and love, service to the community, growing ownership, humility, patience, new ministries and outreaches, and new people are but a few of the manifestations of the Spirit’s work. For sure, there are other adjectives, which have been left out of the description, but space does not permit such eloquence.
And yet, despite the positive steps forward, our activity and worship have only served to further our understanding of the depth of our need for the gospel of Jesus. So, as is often the case, we have taken two steps forward, only to take one step back. Thus, we are at the same place we were when we started worshipping in Septerber of 2009; completely dependent upon the redeeming and sanctifying work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is this never ending reality that gives us great hope for tomorrow and the year to come. We have come a long way, seen amazing things occur in and through us, and know that we have only seen the beginning if we continue to walk in step with Him. In the meantime, rejoice with us in the Lord’s gracious dealings with his people.

Roller Coaster Ride of Experience

The best description of our experience in the Hill is a roller coaster ride. There are definitely periods of great anticipation, as we have moved out in mission to reach our neighborhood with the love of the gospel.
And with the anticipation, has come the exhilaration of experiencing the power of the Lord Jesus to draw His people into the joyous twists-and-turns of a relationship with the living and mysterious God. Folks, such as the Rodriguez’s and our newest addition Allie, are perfect examples of this reality.
And yet, despite these exciting adventures and encounters, there have been some who have stepped up to the ‘ride of life’ in Christ, sat in the seat for a while, and then decided to not continue with us on the journey. Unfortunately, the majority are truly making life-or-death decisions; choosing between Jesus or drug addiction, homelessness, crime, prison, abuse, depression, and in many ways despair. Please pray that the Lord will give the citizens of the Hill the courage and strength to Trust Jesus for His promise of Abundant life.

A Year In-Review
&Into the Future….

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Men’s & Women’s Ministry’s Initiated

As we headed into the Fall season, we sensed that a major need of the church was a place for men and women to be able to process life and faith amongst their own gender. It is amazing to me of the level of red flags that spring up when the opposite sex comes into a room or sits at a table.
Thus, we started two groups, one for each gender, and were completely astounded by how this move addressed some crucial needs for many in our congregation. This positive response was most definitely picked up by the women of the church. They began to invite everyone that they knew and began to quickly jell as a group. They have absolutely loved learning about the bible, how to read it, and to apply it to one’s life.
As well, the men’s group started off with a bang, but as since fizzled a little. Even so, we have a strong core group of men who are eager to grow and challenge one another towards living out a faithful expression of biblical manhood. Please pray for Earl, Pauly, Marlan, and Thelbert, who attended the group for a while but have since struggled. The state of the male in the inner city is in drastic need of God’s redemptive work to establish the next generation of church leaders within the Hill community.

Back-To-School Kick-Off Party!!!

Do you ever wish you could take credit for some amazing event? If you know me at all, you can imagine that I am somewhat of a ham/glory hound; so you can also imagine how humbling it was to see the Lord use somebody else’s idea to bring glory to his name!
I was meeting up with my good friend and fellow church planter, Dan Rogers, who is also planting an inner city work, and he mentioned one of the outreaches they had planned for the back-to-school time: A BACK-TO-SCHOOL FESTIVAL! I thought to myself, that is a fantastic idea; we have to do this!
Our little church kicked in to high gear, and with the help of many of our congregants connections, we were able to partner with two other ministries, a drumming crew, and the Yale Security Department to pull off a fantastic event, which helped us to connect with over 300 new people in the Hill. One of our new members are a family from that event! Please pray for ongoing exposure & blessing to the city for the glory of Jesus!

This past August, we were able to complete our first leadership class with many of our parishoners. These men and women worked very hard, over a year time span, to study the entire Westminster Confession of Faith together. In addition to learning about our faith, we saw the Lord continue to solidify our core group in love and support for one another and the mission of the overall church work. Our hope is to finish this class sometime this Spring with some of those who could not go the entire year with us ! Please pray for the growth of the 3-5 women who will finish up the 2nd half of the class this spring!
Perhaps our greatest highlight is our being ready to have our first membership joining this upcoming February. God has saw fit to bless us with 11 adults ready for membership and approximately 12 children for baptism. Please pray that this service would have a profound positive impact on the mindset of the church and those considering joining the church.

Training & Joining !!!

January 31st, 2011

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1st Annual Movement-wide Ascension Service

As many of you may remember, CPC in the Hill is a part of a larger church planting movement, which seeks to help plant churches throughout the Greater New Haven area with the gospel of God’s grace at the center.
The unique feature of our vision for planting churches, however, is that although we are seeking to plant churches with their own pastor’s and elder boards, we still are seeking to maintain an organic and ecclesial union within the movement. One of the ways this is fleshed out is via an annual Ascension Service.
In line with the principle of Christ’s ascension ministry, in behalf of His Church, wherein He continually applies the redeeming power of the gospel to His people, makes unending prayers for them, and sanctifies them by the power of His Spirit; our Ascension Service is meant to be a celebration of how this reality has taken place throughout Greater New Haven, despite socio-economic, ethnic, or cultural differences. In fact, it is this very ministry of Christ, which causes all of our differences to be swallowed up into the transcending glory and identity of Christ Jesus.
Therefore, this past April, we held our first movement-wide celebration at Cedar Crest Campgrounds in Orange, CT. The two CPC congregations of Whitney Ave. and the Hill came together for a wonderful time of fellowshipping, eating, and celebrating what the Lord had done in our lives this past year. As you can see by some of the pictures, God truly was at work creating a new creation in Christ, with all its beautiful features. Please pray for the ongoing manifestation Christ’s work in now our 3rd site.

Enrolling Covenant Children

As our little church has grown, the glaring blank spot was the absence of a Sunday School program for the youth. (4th-8th gr.) By God’s grace, the Lord raised up a key leader to teach this wide array of kids. Please pray for Greg as he seeks to teach them the gospel.
It has been a treat to hear the Youth share lessons from class; topics such as Covenant of Grace and all the relevant passages. Just this past week I heard a parent mention how their children are starting to identify our building as their church, not just being the Boys and Girls Club building.
In many ways, the kids are some of our best inviters to our worship service. Phil Cooke shares this insight to encourage all of us: “The greatest shame of the church today is that as church members, we don’t bring our non-believing friends. Evangelical churches in the third world are exploding – all without marketing, hip pastors, video screens, or multilevel parking. They’re growing because people are bringing their friends. We have to remember that we’re telling the greatest story ever told, but if no one’s listening, we’ve failed.”
Please pray that we would be a congregation who loves their neighbors well and invites them to come see Jesus at Church!!!

3rd Annual Hill Christmas Store

I Want to take this time to thank all who participated with the Hill Christmas store. Roger S., Joanne D., Gary C., Jeannette R., Joe and Nancy S., Lei and Hannah C., Patty G., Arnie,Georgia, Jocelyn M., Capriese J., Maxine H., Charlie Z. Once again, the store was a great success.
In addition, we’d like to thank Bill Iadiloa, and many of the co-workers with the GNHWPCA, for giving us the opportunity to give back to our community with their Coats—4– Tots drive. Through their gathering efforts, we were able to partner with them to give out over 75 coats, hats, and accessories at no charge.
The amount of joy, love, and fellowship that was shared by all was simply supernatural. It was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. The level of commitment and hard work by both CPC sites, both from those who shared this time with us, to many more who were working behind the scenes. So, if you did not find your name in our list, please know that we realize that there were many more who made this fantastic event happen. As a result of your efforts, we by far had the most presents to offer the community and have walked away with many new relationships and supporters. Thank you all from CPC in the Hill!!!!
Yours truly, Maxine Harris

Christ Presbyterian Church in the Hill….

'that Christ might have first place in all things'

“Fundraising and Our Third World Reality”

So let me finish by stating our deepest thanks for your prayers and support for the work that the Lord is doing in the Hill community. Without you, there is simply no way that this work would be possible. The financial, vocational, and social realities of our community make having a fully self-sustaining ministry very challenging. In many ways, our needs reflect much of what ministry in the 3rd world be like; a place that needs long, consistent, and sustained support.
Looking at our church plant as the typical 3-year commitment is simply not a paradigm that is workable, apart from some supernatural act of God. At the current rate, we would need to be a congregation of nearly 450 people to be able to provide the funds to meet our minimal budget. Even so, this is not a reason to plant churches in our poorest communities; in fact, in the spirit of I Corinthians 8 & 9, this is an opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ ‘to bring praises and thanks to the glory of God’ through the commitment to ‘the least of these.’ Paul states here that it is through the support of the poor that ‘thanks’ and ‘praise to God’ are given; in his mind, this act of giving glory and honor to God is a worthy and glorious pursuit. Please know that we are praising and thanking God for you often, knowing that together we shine the spotlight of glory upon our Father together.
With all that said, would you prayerfully consider how the Lord might lead you to be a long-term supporter of our ministry; provided that are able and are led by the Holy Spirit? At the same time, we will and are continually working diligently to seek the Lord’s lead and provision through our fundraising efforts, so that we might reach a place of self-sufficiency and free up the Lord’s resources for further kingdom building .
Yours for the Kingdom,
Tolivar & the CPC in the Hill Church

158 Davenport Ave.
New Haven, CT. 06519

Phone: 203-787-9457
Fax: 203-777-5332
E-mail:twills02@gmail.com

Email: twills02@gmail.com
Website: www.cpcinthehill.weebly.com