by Nicole Baker

“But what about my list?”

Sometimes we get so busy in ministry, we miss the point. What happens when the Spirit actually shows up in the midst of our worship? Where is your focus: is it on your to-do list or the state of rest God invites for us? How do you function from a state of rest?

Galatians 3:6 — “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

It’s time to rest. Are we human beings or human doings? There are five gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and you. Most people don’t read the first four.

The world will survive 20 minutes without us. It’s time for focused worship. (20 minutes)

Ministry introductions and networking

by Kevin Young

Project Updates

Various

+ Fulton Street Revival (see event notes here) (Kevin)
+ 2020 Vision (coming soon) (Jeremy)
+ Battle Cry event and Double Vision Strategy (Edwin)
+ Reload NYC (Dario)
Record setting attendance: 580 completed registration forms, plus party crashers, instructors, and volunteers
Dynamic keynotes from Rev. Harvey Carey and Dr. A.R. Bernard (see notes here)

Announcements

Various

+ Langston presented two Shane & Shane concert tickets to first-timer Megan
+ Sebastian introduced the YMCA’s involvement in the Fulton Street Prayer revival and requested prayer for the movement to rediscover the “C” in YMCA. Recruiting volunteers to lead Bible studies within YMCA facilities.

Did you shower today?  What’s your smell?  Become a fragrant aroma with your:

Worship — Malachi 1:11
Walk –
Witness — Corinthians
Wealth — Philippians

Introduction of new leadership

Edwin Pacheco
Peter Ong
Nicole Baker
Liana Robinson
Walter Sotelo
Kevin Young
Debbie Seay

Peter Ong Reflection

9/11 helped birth the Coalition.  City youth workers realized we need to come together and became gatekeepers in a sense.

One of the challenges post-911 was when outside groups would come and say: “This is what we want to do to help your city.” They didn’t realize how condescending they were.  We needed their tears and friendship, not just their resources and help.  The honor of Acts 2 will undergird us.  Dr. Dean Trulear said don’t be a spiritual prostitute, which happens when we’re interested only in what a ministry can bring to us.  When that’s all we care about, we miss the point.  The Coalition fosters an opportunity to break bread together.  In the end thousands will unite.

The Coalition: Puerto Rican, Columbian, White, Chinese, African Americans hanging out together, breaking bread and laughing.  From time to time, there will be events and movements where we need to work together, but more importantly, the Coalition exists to care for one another and value relationships.

Walter:  Christ is / was a great friend.  Tomorrow’s 9/11 memorial reminds us that life is valuable.  Over 50 “one another’s” in NT.  He intends for us to come together.  Be relational before functional.

Small Group Intros & Prayer

Business Updates

LPAC Training Update (NB & EP)

+ School Year began last week.  Importance of 20/20 Vision for Schools.  LPAC grant is funding development of 2020 Vision
+ Need to be God dependent, but need to create structure for sustainability.
+ How does the Coalition remain sustainable beyond us?
+ Investing in infrastructure: What’s the foundation?
+ Enhance functionality of website; distribution of resources; marketing of 20/20 Vision
+ Make use of resources we already have (Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Coalition website, UrbanMinistry.org, etc)

Fulton Street Revival
+ 100 scholarships
+ Co-Hosted by Coalition and TeenMania
+ How can prayer and marketplace ministry transform youth?
+ Emphasis on 2 youth marketplaces: schools and youth culture
+ Nominate 5 prayer warriors by email to walter@citivision.org to pray at Concert of Prayer on Saturday night
+ Fax registration to 212-567-6430 by Thursday (write “Coalition Scholarship” in payment info)
+ This is less focused on a “how to” versus how to engage you to engage marketplace: Schools and Culture. Coalition will present on Schools and TeenMania will focus on culture.

UYWI Reload

+ A how-to for Urban Youth Practitioners. The best deal for the price.
+ The event is online and can be download on the Coalition website. There national workshops and some local workshops that will take place in the course of the day. There are a core workshops that has become a national.
+ There is also a teen track to come to this event.
+ Workshop on the personal life of the youth worker.
+ Dr. A.R. Bernard will be speaking at one of the general session.
+ The great thing about this is an opportunity for local practitioners from NYC to share their experiences and to speak from local themes beyond theory but the reality.

20/20 Vision Adopt-a-School Strategy

+ It speaks to two different ideas:
+ Churches need to change our perspective on schools: Recognizing Schools as partners, they are not adversaries. They are not organization to protest but to see them as Allies that God has given us.
+ The first graders this month will be graduating in the year 2020. What is the impact on a single generation if the schools adopting 1400 public schools in the nation. What kind of impact would we have on this generation. It is a question that we are pursuing.
+ Examples: Southern Baptists (Paint the Town); Seekers Clubs
+ To have 7100 churches transform the next generation of students.

Worship — Malachi 1:11
Walk –
Witness — Corinthians
Wealth — Philippians

Introduction of new leadership

Edwin Pacheco
Peter Ong
Nicole Baker
Liana Robinson
Walter Sotelo
Kevin Young
Debbie Seay

Peter Ong Reflection

9/11 helped birth the Coalition.  City youth workers realized we need to come together and became gatekeepers in a sense.

One of the challenges post-911 was when outside groups would come and say: “This is what we want to do to help your city.” They didn’t realize how condescending they were.  We needed their tears and friendship, not just their resources and help.  The honor of Acts 2 will undergird us.  Dr. Dean Trulear said don’t be a spiritual prostitute, which happens when we’re interested only in what a ministry can bring to us.  When that’s all we care about, we miss the point.  The Coalition fosters an opportunity to break bread together.  In the end thousands will unite.

The Coalition: Puerto Rican, Columbian, White, Chinese, African Americans hanging out together, breaking bread and laughing.  From time to time, there will be events and movements where we need to work together, but more importantly, the Coalition exists to care for one another and value relationships.

Walter:  Christ is / was a great friend.  Tomorrow’s 9/11 memorial reminds us that life is valuable.  Over 50 “one another’s” in NT.  He intends for us to come together.  Be relational before functional.

Small Group Intros & Prayer

Business Updates

LPAC Training Update (NB & EP)
+ School Year began last week.  Importance of 20/20 Vision for Schools, which is being funded by LPAC grant.
+ Need to be God dependent, but need to create structure for sustainability.
+ How does the Coalition remain sustainable beyond us?
+ Investing in infrastructure: What’s the foundation?
+ Enhance functionality of website; distribution of resources; marketing of 20/20 Vision
+ Make use of resources we already have (Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Coalition website, UrbanMinistry.org, etc)

Fulton Street Revival
+ 100 scholarships
+ Co-Hosted by Coalition and TeenMania
+ How can prayer and marketplace ministry transform youth?
+ Emphasis on 2 youth marketplaces: schools and youth culture
+ Nominate 5 prayer warriors by email to walter@citivision.org to pray at Concert of Prayer on Saturday night
+ Fax registration to 212-567-6430 by Thursday (write “Coalition Scholarship” in payment info)
+ This is less focused on a “how to” versus how to engage you to engage marketplace: Schools and Culture. Coalition will present on Schools and TeenMania will focus on culture.

UYWI Reload

+ A how-to for Urban Youth Practitioners. The best deal for the price.
+ The event is online and can be download on the Coalition website. There national workshops and some local workshops that will take place in the course of the day. There are a core workshops that has become a national.
+ There is also a teen track to come to this event.
+ Workshop on the personal life of the youth worker.
+ Dr. A.R. Bernard will be speaking at one of the general session.
+ The great thing about this is an opportunity for local practitioners from NYC to share their experiences and to speak from local themes beyond theory but the reality.

20/20 Vision: An Adopt-a-School Strategy

+ Speaks to two different ideas:
+ Churches need to change our perspective on schools: Recognizing Schools as partners, they are not adversaries. They are not organization to protest but to see them as Allies that God has given us.
+ The first graders this month will be graduating in the year 2020. What is the impact on a single generation if the schools adopting 1400 public schools in the nation. What kind of impact would we have on this generation. It is a question that we are pursuing.

• Kevin Young, Student Venture (returning)
• Walter Sotelo, Citivision (returning)
• Liana Robinson, Beauty of the Heart (returning)
• Edwin Pacheco, Bay Ridge Christian Center and Youth Rock (new)
• Peter Ong, Pastoral and Laity Ministries (new)
• Nicole Baker, Boro Pregnancy Counseling Center (new)
• Debbie Say, Student Venture (new)

Officially, their term begins September 2007, and the rest of the summer will be spent in transition with the outgoing team.  (Note: Jeremy Del Rio will no longer serve as part of the team as he has been retained by Latino Pastoral Action Center to serve the Coalition as an organizational development consultant.)

Additional business items resolved today include:

1.  The regular Coalition meeting will be canceled in August, but those who can will be urged to still meet for prayer (same time/place).
2.  Edwin will be available to represent the Coalition at the summer LPAC training along with Peter (if the date remains in July) or Nicole (if it is moved to August).
3.  Both the incoming and outgoing leaders will meet together at least two times before September to resolve the following matters:

• LPAC grant request
• Fulton Street Revival Youth Track
• 2007-2008 Academic year agenda

4.  Dario reported that Reload NYC plans are moving along nicely.  Email blasts, newspaper ads, speaker invitations, and hard mailers are all scheduled to be distributed over the next three months.

DEVOTIONAL
Nehemiah 1

• What makes you weep?
• Jesus wept for Jerusalem
• Does your burden for the city overwhelm you?

COALITION LEADERSHIP NOMINATION PROCESS

Nehemiah doesn’t end in mourning.  Intercession.  Blank check from king of Persia.  Then Nehemiah unites people with a plan.  Each clan rebuilds the part of the wall in front of them.

Coalition attempts to model core value of empowering emerging leaders

Strategic initiatives of next two years:

• Re-imagining Coalition structure to decentralize meetings and engage bi-vocational volunteers
• Enhance communications architecture
• LPAC capacity project
• Adopt-A-School

Candidates

• Walter Sotelo
• Kevin Young
• Liana Robinson
• Nicole Baker
• Peter Ong
• Edwin Pacheco
• Debby Say
• Ruben Austria (Tentative)
• Paul Coty (Tentative)
• Joshua Firor (Tentative)

Election Process

• Ballots distributed by email
• Election effective in July
• Transition period: July-August

COLLABORATION

• UYWI Reload (September 29)
• Fulton Street Revival 150 Anniversary (September 21-23)
• LPAC training events

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Youth Explosion at GA
• Battle Cry Announcement Events
• No Ring No Fling – Thanks to all
• Congratulations DR. Fred Arzola on PhD
• Jubilee Ministries available to sing and dance at outreach events (Sept-Dec tour).  (www.BreatheUSA.com) – Rock, gospel, and contemporary worship
• WCA Leadership Summit – Scholarships available through UYIA.org (Edgard Torres)

SUGGESTIONS

• Create Coalition MySpace and Facebook pages