Coalition co-founder and original co-chair, a/k/a “Happy Daddy” Dimas Salaberrios, is this month’s cover boy for Outreach magazine. Even more wonderful for the emerging leaders Dimas has ably represented for the last decade, the article speaks of him as both a protege and peer of one of the great pastors/theologians/urbanists of our time, Dr. Tim Keller. CCDA also gets an appropriate shout-out in the article.

Although they are different New York City churches with very different audiences, Redeemer Presbyterian and Infinity Church are part of the same multiplication equation with a product of continuous Kingdom growth. …

Church, culture, relevancy and contextualization—Salaberrios and Keller were speaking the same language, even though their target groups were unmistakably different.

In 2000, Salaberrios heard Keller speak on church planting at a Christian Community Development Association conference. As Keller shared his desire to plant 100 churches in New York City, Salaberrios became intrigued. The two met, and Salaberrios asked Keller if he was interested in planting a church focused on ministering to young people.

Salaberrios knew his background made him relevant to the Bronx’s youth, but forming a spiritual community wouldn’t be possible without training and financial backing—above and beyond what he was receiving as YFC’s New York City director, a position he still holds. Keller said he’d gladly provide for these needs.

Related

]]> http://coalitionnyc.com/2007/07/10/cover-boy/feed/ 0 http://coalitionnyc.com/2007/05/14/battle-cry-va/ http://coalitionnyc.com/2007/05/14/battle-cry-va/#comments Mon, 14 May 2007 13:45:41 +0000 coalitionnyc http://coalitionnyc.com/2007/05/14/battle-cry-va/ Battle Cry 2007

Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA


In an ongoing effort to keep youth workers informed as they decide whether to engage Battle Cry in New York/New Jersey in 2008, a contingent of NYC youth workers attended Battle Cry in Bristow, Virginia, this weekend: Adam Durso, Jack Redmond, Dimas Saleberrios, Rafael Fernandez, and Jeremy Del Rio. Jeremy will post reflections later, but for now, photos.

September 2007 – Present Coalition Leadership Team:

• Peter Ong, PaLM (Pastoral and Laity Ministries)
  
• Edwin Pacheco, Bay Ridge Christian Center (Co-Chair)
  
• Liana Robinson, Beauty of the Heart Charm School
• Debby Say, Student Venture NY
• Nicole Baker, Boro Pregnancy Counseling Center
• Walter Sotelo, Citivision (Co-Chair)
• Kevin Young, Student Venture

Past Leadership Team Members:

• Enid Almanzar, American Bible Society (2004-05)
• Jeremy Del Rio, Esq., Generation Xcel (2004-2007) (Co-Chair)
• Sonya Denyse, Dream Development Advisory Services (2004-05)
• Tracy Ellis-Ward, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (2006-07)
• Rahsaan Graham, World Vision New York (2004-05)
• Dario Lariosa, New Life of New York (2004-05)
• Esteban Rivera, Latino Pastoral Action Center (2006-07)
• Liana Robinson, Beauty of the Heart Charm School (2006 – present)
• Dimas Salaberrios, Infinity New York Church & City Director, Youth for Christ (2004-05) (C0-Chair)
• Walter Sotelo, Citivision (2006 – present) (Co-Chair)
• Kevin Young, Student Venture (2004-present)

Crusade chairman Dr. A. R. Bernard introducing
Dimas Salaberrios and Jeremy Del Rio to Dr. Graham

Kneeling to pray with Dr. Graham

(L-R) Jeremy, Dimas, Rev. Richard Del Rio, Rev. Bob Johannsen, and Dr. Bernard

This was one of those God moments that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

For more on the Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade, check out my crusade diary.

There are 298 public high schools and alternative high school programs in the five boroughs. Hmm. 800 youth leaders. 300 high schools. Those schools are still in session until three days after Billy Graham’s “Get Real” youth campaign is over. You do the math.

Coalition co-chairs Dimas Salaberrios and Jeremy Del Rio hosted the morning. As Jeremy prayed about how best to begin the program, he was reminded of how God stretched the prophet Ezekiel’s faith by taking him to the Valley of Dry Bones and asking, “Can these bones live?” But that wasn’t the message for the Committee. Nor was the passage from Isaiah that speaks about the “new thing” God is doing to bring rivers to the desert and pathways in the wasteland.

Instead God directed Jeremy to Elijah’s 40-day funk. You know the story: 24 hours after the pinacle of his ministry, when he literally called fire down from heaven, Elijah was ready to end everything. He moped around the desert for 40 days asking God to take his life until finally God led him to a mountain. The earth shook, lightning flashed, but God’s voice was not in the physical manifestations of his power. God’s voice spoke softly, in the stillness of a whisper. And as he spoke, God surprised him.”Elijah, you’re not alone. I have reserved 7,000 just like you.”

For those of us who have felt like solitary voices in the spiritual wildernesses of our communities, Square One was one of those moments where God spoke softly and said: “You are not alone. I am with you, and so are 786 others, at least. Those are just the few (a tithe perhaps?) that made the sacrifice to be here at 9:30 am on a Saturday morning.”

According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Saturday’s breakfast was the largest gathering of youth leaders for a crusade in the ministry’s nearly 60-year history. Ron Hutchcraft, the keynote speaker and a youth evangelist in his own right for over 30 years, said it’s the largest gathering of youth leaders he’s ever addressed.The energy in the room was electric, and the commitment was to a common cause.

There are 2 million young people ages 18 and under in the five boroughs (25% of the city’s overall population of 8 million). 1.1 million of them are enrolled in the city’s public schools. (FYI, 1.1 million represents, by itself, the 10th largest city in America!)Extending those numbers to the greater NY region, where 20 million people reside within a 20 mile radius of the city, there are approximately 5 million youth 18 and under.

So what’s our takeaway from the breakfast?

The cause we have embraced is simple. (Not easy, but simple.) Give every one of those 5 million kids a credible opportunity to come and hear a real man present real answers to real life issues. And stay connected to one another beyond the event so we can properly preserve and expand the harvest.

At 86, recovering from hip and pelvis surgeries and battling Parkinson’s disease, Billy Graham is physically weaker than he’s ever been before. But spiritually, he’s stronger than ever, because in our weakness we experience God’s strength. We want every young person in the region to have a legitimate opportunity to experience God’s anointing through the world’s foremost evangelist. In God’s providence, he has brought Dr. Graham to our city one last time, for what might possibly be the final crusade of his distinguished career. As the Psalmist wrote: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” (Ps. 71:18)

Read the Mobilization Strategy for next step instructions on how to stay engaged.

The Coalition is facilitated by a Leadership Team comprised of nine representatives.

January 2005-June 2006 Coalition Leadership Team:

• Ralph Castillo, Youth Explosion
• Jeremy Del Rio, Generation Xcel
• Tracy Ellis-Ward, Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Liana Robinson, Beauty of the Heart Charm School
• Esteban Rivera, Latino Pastoral Action Center
• Marcus Smalls, World Vision New York
• Walter Sotelo, Citivision
• Julio Vasquez, DJ Who Ministries
• Kevin Young, Student Venture

Past Leadership Team Members:

• Jeremy Del Rio, Esq., Generation Xcel (2004-present)
• Dimas Saleberrios, Infinity New York Church & City Director, Youth for Christ (2004-05)
• Enid Almanzar, American Bible Society (2004-05)
• Rahsaan Graham, World Vision New York (2004-05)
• Dario Lariosa, New Life of New York (2004-05)
• Sonya Denyse, Dream Development Advisory Services (2004-05)
• Kevin Young, Student Venture (2004-present)