Pastor Ron's Blog

In September 2011, Morning Star New York marked its 10-year anniversary as a Christian congregation in New York City.  Founded by Pastors Ron Lewis & Rice Broocks in the immediate aftermath of the 911 tragedy, MSNY today is a thriving church that meets in four locations each week, each site hosted by excellent site pastors who are teaching and ministering to a diverse body of believers from all walks of life.

Since its inception, MSNY has been used by God to reach the residents of one of the most unchurched cities in the country.  Over the past 10 years, more than a thousand New Yorkers have made decisions to come to Christ through the ministry of MSNY. In addition, several hundred have been baptized and become formal, committed members of the church.

As a member of the Every Nation family of churches, MSNY is committed to reaching the younger generation for Christ. Our campus ministry, led by ENCM Director Bryan Scott, has reached students in over one dozen local colleges and universities.  Our youth ministry, led by former NYC model Josh Goodwin, has reached several hundred young people from local public schools, many who come from backgrounds of significant poverty and brokenness.  Our children’s ministry, led by Pastors Marlon & Vilma Santos, has grown into one of the healthiest and liveliest parts of the church.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the past ten years at MSNY has been the individual stories of those reached by the church.  In short, this is what the church is focused on – individual lives.  Whether it is a successful Park Avenue businessman struggling to find purpose in his life, a Japanese executive estranged from his family back home, a teenager from the inner city who has experienced heartbreaking abuse at home, or a homeless woman with HIV, so many people have seen God do miraculous, transformative works in their hearts upon coming into contact with the church.

For a link to some of these testimonies, click here.

MSNY has also been blessed to put down physical roots in the city, and has moved from being a new church plant to becoming part of the NYC fabric.  Our headquarters building, located at 414 West 51^st St., was purchased through miraculous means in 2005.  Since then, this 7 day per week facility has been used for countless purposes to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the city.  Particularly notable is our “Cleansing Stream” ministry, which is focused on emotional healing, and has seen more than 500 NewYorkers receive healing for past hurts and deliverance from sinful bondages through this 8 week course.

MSNY has also been instrumental in advancing God’s kingdom around the world.  In 2003, MSNY planted a new congregation in Philadelphia through the faith of three bold single women from MSNY, a few community people and 2 NFL football players from the Philadelphia Eagles who longed to see a new church for their city.  Since 2009 MSNY has sent teams to assist in the planting and strengthening of a new church in Taipei, Taiwan.

Recognizing that New York City cannot be reached by one church alone, MSNY has set up strategic partnerships with other fruitful churches and ministries.  MSNY helped launch Stop Child Trafficking Now (SCTNOW.ORG), a humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting the sex trafficking pandemic.  Our PureLife Women’s Conference has blessed hundreds of women from inside and outside the city.  We have cared for, served, and supported Beth Shalom, a church in Brooklyn that has lead thousands of Russians to Christ. Along with Pastor Adam Burt, we have worked with the New York Jets and a church in suburban New Jersey to help reach that area of our community.  Other organizations we have partnered with include the Nomi Network (anti-child trafficking), Gifted Hands (ministering to women in transitional housing) and Active Compassion Transforms (ministering to disadvantaged young people in South Africa).

Looking ahead, MSNY is excited about what God will do for us in the next 10 years.  Our 2020 strategy is centered on planting 20 worship sites in the greater New York City area over the next decade.  We are particularly focused on bringing about cultural transformation, as we live in the most strategic city in the world.  Areas we are targeting include the education sector, Wall Street, arts & entertainment, government, the United Nations, and the media, just to name a few.  On our near horizon, we are working toward the establishment of the Every Nation School of Campus and Urban Leadership, which will contribute toward this end.  Above all else, we are incredibly thankful and grateful to God for what He has accomplished through MSNY over the past 10 years.  We recognize that all things have been made possible through Him, and are humbled to have been a small yet growingpart of His great work to reach New York City for the Gospel.

I took a couple of hours today to think about God’s faithfulness this past year. Here’s a few of my personal highlights from 2010 based on five key areas of ministry and calling: The Gospel, KPIC, MSNY, EveryNation, and SCTNow.

1. For the Gospel

Appeared on TBN show twice with my friend and partner Rice Broocks. One time during filming I had to “take the wheel” because of a funny accident that happened in between sets. Enough said.

Served Mike & Yvette Kell in Chicago as they were planning a new church plant in Wilmington, NC. While in Chicago, Rollan Fisher wore an Eskimo coat while Mike Kell was wearing a Hawaiian Tommy Bahama style shirt. 

 Spoke at a pastor’s conference in PA. Drove from there to NYC in a blizzard with our MSNY pastors and my wife who nearly lost it as we experienced hwy spin outs.

Went to Hawaii Harrison Increase event and did several services in Honolulu for the funniest crude pastor I know- Norman, sorry it’s you with Laffoon in a close second. On a serious note, Norman has made a difference in the world. I really respect him. While in Hawaii, I met and befriended Danny Cahill (winner of The Biggest Loser a year or two ago). I was totally inspired by his journey in Christ.

Visited One Hope and was deeply impacted by Bob and Rob Hoskins. Did their chapel service. We are now in a key partnership with One Hope and SCI with efforts to evangelize millions of children in Ch*na. It’s so big it keeps me awake at night.

Along with key ministry meetings in South Africa, I spent a great day getting mentored under Pastor Alan Platt of Doxa Deo. That was a real treasure of a day; thanks to Rob Hoskins arranging that for me!

In Boston had key meeting with Chai Ling, and her team with AllGirlsAllowed. She was remarkable!

Served Haiti after the Quake and helped raise significant funds for relief. Reconnected with KPIC and Duke grad Junior Bataille in the process. His team and the three ladies from KPIC who were stranded while there during the EQ are my heros of the year: Go Kelle, Lisa, Linda, Val, Junior and countless others.

Through a series of changed seats and her wrong flight, I was assigned a seat in first class beside a 28 year old lady in the adult entertainment world. Evidently she was a very well known film “star.” It was my privilege to spend an hour with her in iphone bible study as she desperately wanted to know Jesus and have a change of life. In 2011, may the Lord put me wherever his light is dim, his voice is heard small and power is not known.

2. KPIC (Kings Park International Church)

Hosted our first MLKing event at KPIC for the city of Durham. It was amazing, holy and more exciting than a UFC fight.

Launched friends from Nigeria, Ebere and Abel to Shanghai. Not too uncommon at the remarkably diverse KPIC: Nigerian couple moving to do marketplace ministry in Shanghai,  Ch*na. That’s KPIC for sure!

Worked with Indian Christians developing outreach ideas/strategies and a tract. Reaching Hindus is a new field of opportunity for us.

Hosted Stephen Curtis Chapman concert at KPIC causing us to think more about orphans. The event raised greatly needed funds for the Chapman orphanage.

Brought the Pure Life Women’s Conference to RDU and nearly 1,000 were there and many women met Jesus for the first time!

Hosted Integrity Worship event and were moved by God, some met Jesus, some healed.

Key meetings with Duke Prof., Dr. Petters, now working together on a church plant in his home country Belize.

Ministered with KPIC’s Celebracion Hispana 3 times. I love them and our Chinese church as well.

Met with Mighty Rollan Fisher and Quinn Fung working on a church plant and outreach in Surinam.  This is going to be great.

Working with partner Taylor Stewart in the Raleigh Belt line where there’s a clear need for a site church and a clear word that Taylor and Elizabeth are God’s choice.

Key moments all year long where lives were changed at services and in the community.  More than 100 were baptized at the Campus Harvest conference.

On Christmas day the front page of the Raleigh News & Observer was a beautiful article on the Tucker family, their precious adopted children and some wonderful mentions of KPIC. That was a great way to start off Christmas Morning!

I love KPIC and love my job

 

3. MSNY (Morning Star New York)

Shared the 2020 Vision with MSNY leaders. Completed and documented so “those who read it may RUN (Hab. 2:2).  Simply put it’s 20 sites in NYC by 2020.

Helped Pastor Adam Mabry launch his Boston Church plant Alethia out of MSNY. 

Visited and ministered at Beth Shalom many times. They meet on Saturday so it’s easier. I met MANY young Russian Jewish people who met Jesus at Beth Shalom. I really love that team. They are resilient and have baptized more than a thousand Russians/E. Europeans in the past few years! 

Launched UE side service with the amazing Pst. George and Latondra Gregory. Church has grown at least 20% since it was launched. Even the security guard met Jesus at the first service!

Worked with friend Bob Fu in the salvation and baptism of two key Ch*nese leaders. Bob and I baptized one in NYC and the other at the Residence Inn Swimming pool in Durham, NC. Both Chinese leaders are making an impact for Jesus.

My son Nathan got engaged to Ailsa Cameron while in NYC! Nothing to do with MSNY, but hey… wishing is free!

I love MSNY and love the amazing team of pastors there who are leading the charge, feeding the flock and making disciples. It’s amazing: a former NHL player, an African American Duke U. grad, an articulate model, a brilliant Hawaiian-Chinese smiley man, a former corporate genius we affectionately call “Google,” and one of the finest campus pastors in the USA. All are eclipsed by their amazing wives and mine especially who can out-preach us all!

4. SCTNow

2^nd Annual SCTNow event nationwide. 40 plus cities, 10 to 20,000 Walkers raised lots of Money for Ops teams who are starting to make a dent in this heinous crime.

Spent much time with murdered child victim Shaniya Davis’ father in Fayetteville, NC.

Met with Joe Gibbs who through Jim Laffoon is now serving SCTNOW.

5. EveryNation Ministries

We had remarkable meetings with the President of Oral Roberts University, Dr. Mark Rutland. This is leading to an EN/ORU Connection. More to come!

After a year of connecting, The African Children’s Choir and EN made a formal relationship this past year.

I met key political leaders in CAR (not a car, but Central African Republic) through One Hope and we are now working on a major nation building effort there.

Served at the Manila World Conference with my wife Lynette. We had rich fellowship while visiting our key pastors and friends from Asia, my son Nathan, Iranian Pastor Mark whom I interviewed on stage, Mark and Darlene Zschech, Sam and Grace Ayedogbon, Yesupadam and Monica, Kevin and Lynette Menenez and all of the amazing Pilipino Pastors where we served and spoke.

 

For the past 2,000 years, every so often the expansion of Christianity and global missions takes a dramatic turn.  Many factors contribute to these shifts, and since I am no expert, I will just focus on observations as it pertains to my recent participation in the Every Nation World Conference, called EN 2010. 

Nearly 20,000 were in attendance at this year’s conference, hosted in Manila, Philippines, and well attended and supported by the Filipino delegates.  An estimated 3,000 were from other countries, representing around 60 different nations.

It is interesting to note that 100 years prior to EN 2010, a similar event took place in Edinburgh, Scotland called the 1910 World Missionary Conference.  This event defined much of what has happened for global missions over the past 100 years. According to historians it was significant beyond measure. Of the 1,200 dedicated delegates, nearly 1,000 were from Britain or the US.

Something happened at Edinburgh that could have been the start of the present day Geo-Ethnic Church shift. They changed the old motto of missions from “West to the Rest” to “Everyone to Everywhere.” They saw what was coming which is exactly what I experienced at EN 2010. It is a radical shift in who we are as a people and what our future is going to look like.  It is as if the world has turned.

Our Keynote speakers at EN 2010, with the exception of two of our founders (Pastors Rice and Steve) were not American or white. They were Indian, Filipino, Chinese, Iranian, African and Australian (okay, Darlene is white too, but definitely not American).

This really is a new world for us. And no one is complaining.  Actually, many of us can say, it is a relief to feel the force of faith rising from the Southern Hemisphere and I expect this is only the beginning.

Recently I have been riveted reading a book called, The Future Church: How Ten Trends are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church, by John Allen.  Although it is a book written for Catholics, I really think the trends are very similar to what the Protestant churches are facing as well.

In essence, one of the key trends is how the demographics of the church have gone through a significant change from vastly Northern Hemisphere (Europe and N. America) to mostly Southern. Allen anticipates the real possibility of a “third world Pope” on the near horizon.

The Southern Hemisphere is on the rise in Christ while Europe is having a “crisis of faith” (p.60).  In one sentence it’s summed up like this:  “The center of gravity shifted from the North to the South.” (p.17)

Also of note is the 2002 Pew Global Attitudes Project which surveyed people around the world regarding the importance of their faith. Indonesia, Nigeria, India and the Philippines ranked highest, while the Czech Republic, France, Russia and Germany ranked lowest.  The USA was somewhere in the middle, sort of in the balance right now. European nations, once the cradle of the Reformation and Renewal, have gone astray. Scholars have called this trend in Great Britain “radioactive decay.” (p. 61). Fortunately, Asians, N. Americans and Africans are sending missionaries there.

So what are the key takeaways from all of this?
1. Southern Hemisphere, this is your hour. It is your destiny to have and spread revival. It is your hour to provide much needed leadership for much of the world ripened unto harvest. Your outward focus is critical to help the global church get our eyes off ourselves. Your commitment to preach, teach and live the Gospel in a biblical framework has brought about so much good fruit for the Lord. Your expansion in the world will continue to grow brighter and brighter so that all may hear and we may go where the light is seen dim and His voice is heard small.

2. Northern Hemisphere/Global North, God is not finished with us yet. As we return to the basics of prayer, preaching the Gospel, and faithfulness to the Bible we can be restored to our rightful place of massive kingdom expansion. With a renewed faithfulness to the Word of God, we will reject the prevalent theology of self-helps, “church-lite”, and bogus emergent church stuff that has spread like kudzu. Let us simply pick up our cross and follow Him into spreading the Gospel and planting churches.  It is this simple.  Less attachment to this world and our “parish” and more attachment and affection for the world to come, will make all the difference.

3.  Finally, let us keep learning from each other. In the spirit of helping one another, living in a global learning lab and “flat world” as Friedman calls it, let’s provoke one another to love and good deeds. We have all been so blessed by the excellence of the South Africans, the passion of Asia, the fire from Africa and South America, the prayers of the Koreans, the music from Australia, the supernatural faith from China, and in fairness, the support from the West.  Not to leave out any nationalities, but the point is we all learn from each other as our many cultures unavoidably bring forth different aspects of the glory of God.

For many of us at EN 2010, we saw the world turn in Manila. It was awesome to observe the favor and delight of God evident on so many humble heroes. At the same time, we are all standing together “shoulder to shoulder” (Zephaniah 3:9) pursuing God and reaching for the Harvest as never before. As a result we all rejoice together, praise together and honor Him together knowing our best days for the Gospel are still ahead.

“Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. Zeph. 3:9