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Okay, since moving to NY we have found a church, and the Pastor is great. The kids love their classes, too, so we are happy. We have visited one other church, Calvary Chapel of the Finger Lakes, which is the kind we attended in Florida. We plan to visit again and may switch.

Having said all that, there is nothing like the church, Calvary Chapel of West Melbourne, that we attended in Florida for over 8 years. When we began, it was a LARGE church at 1500 attendees. But we watched God work and change it so much; today there are over 8,000 attendees (over 3 services), a children's ministry with over 1,000 every weekend, and a christian school that has gone from just Pre-k to grade 8 since 1999.

Today, we cannot attend church here in NY because all of the kids are in various stages of sickness. So, I logged on to www.calvaryccm.com/teachings/livestreaming/wmphigh.aspx for today's message. If you want to just visit the site, log on to www.calvaryccm.com. Also, the church has a satellite campus in Viera, a town about 20 minutes away, where about 1,000 people attend during the weekend. Itis such an awesome ministry, and I miss it so much. God really worked in our lives there and I am so thankful for our time there, and that I can listen now if I want or need to.

I know most of you here are Christian ladies anyway, but I wanted to share. If there's ever a time when you can't attend your church, listen to Pastor Mark, he's AWESOME! God is using him mightily! Also, for anyone who may not know Christ, He wants to know you. Visit the web site, listen to some teachings, heed God's call on your life. He has a wonderful plan for you, let Him work in your life. And if you have any questions, I'm sure you could email the staff at the church, or even we ladies here could try to answer you. We love the Lord, want to serve Him, and help others to know Him. Hopefully, this information will help someone. Check it out. I'll be praying that the person who needs this information will find it.

how cool!!
My church has podcasts of the sermon every week. I love to have the chance to listen to a message I missed, or listen to a particularly powerful message over and over again.
My church is considered a "mega" church...but Lester and I are founding members and when we chartered our organization there was about 100 families.
Now we have over 8000 members!! The children's ministry has over 800 kids and during VBS we had something like 5000 kid!! It's is not humanly possibly;e to explain these numbers except that God is growing us for something! It's all His fault! We jut built a new sanctuary and moved into it this weekend-for the first time ever we had a few empty seats! I bet they will be filled before too long!

Anyway, I'm sorry to hijack your thread!! I'm glad God could use your former church to reach so many people!

Isn't it awesome to see all those kids in action at VBS?! Ours was so great last summer...

I do want to say, though, that there's something to be said for smaller churches, too. It's funny to say that, because now when I say "smaller" church I'm thinking 200-300 people, but growing up that was a LARGE church to me, because our church had about 30 members! The church we are attending here is somewhere between 200-300 people, and the kids' classes are very small compared to CCM in Florida. They used the Gym for the older ones-1st-5th. At the church here, each age range has a 'real classroom', they know their teacher, there are definitely less than 20 (probably more like 10) kids in their classes, and they LOVE it. So, I know it's not about size, but what God is doing in each church. If the BODY and Pastor are directed by the Lord, then He will work through them to see His plan come to fruition. It's just been amazing to see the changes that have taken place at CCM, and I am confident that no matter where we go, God has a plan for us and we will see His work if we keep Him in 1st place!

HEY! We are Calvary Chapel'er's We have attended Calvary for 11 years now. I LOVE IT!

Did you go to Ft. Lauderdale?

No, although I DID go to their facility for a Women of Faith Conference in 2002. And, of course, we took a detour through Sawgrass Mills Mall for some shopping before heading home. Very nice campus!

We lived in Palm Bay, in Brevard County, just south of West Melbourne, which is about 1 hour east of Orlando. I absolutely LOVE the way the services are set up and how the Word is taught verse by vers. I've learned so much in the last 8.5 years; more than I learned about the Bible and applying it in all of the approx. 25 years before that!! Where exactly in Florida are you? If we end up moving back there (big possibility but we won't know for a while) we should meet! I was wishing I could attend that meeting the FPEA is promoting that you spoke about in one of these threads lately! Homesick, can ya tell?

InHISTiming, I am in Pinellas County. That would be so awesome to "meet" if you move back. Granolamom lives here too!

its kinda interesting down here in the south there are mega churches
Where in Rochester area its very different.
CCFL (not be confused with the college in that same area) is one of the largest Calvery's in upstate NY. Up in that area you will find plenty of calvery's at one time there were like 20! (when a calvary got to be a certain size another would spring up). I do know the old pastor of CCFL just handed over the leadership to his son so I wonder how that will change the churches dynamic. Did you know I used to roller skate in that church as a child! (it was once a roller rink)

If your fairly close to East Rochester check out Koinonia Fellowship its a very homie church and Pastor Ray is right on!
http://www.koinoniafellowship.com/

That Said CCFL has a great quilting ministry last time I was there. They taught me a lot.

You are right in my old stomping grounds.. So if your stuck for where to get something holler! I may still know. And be sure to go to Gorhams parade of bands this summer, and don't miss out on picking fresh asparagus at phelps farm. And if you see "Chiavetta's Barbeque" tonight pack up the kids and go to that fund raiser! it will be "THE best Barbeque Chicken You have ever had".... oo I know what we are having this week for dinner but I'm down to half a bottle time to send a check to Mom for more sauce...

Ahh old home week in my mind..

I'm so happy to say that our church has just recently put their sermons online too. They started in January. My hubby suffers from depression and the work week tires him out so much that sometimes he sleeps away most of the weekend. I'm glad he can at least listen later online if he misses church. Looking forward to spring when the sunshine will perk him up.

Tansy! Oh my goodness. Pastor Ray is great! We are attending Koinonia currently. We've been in the Rochester area since July b/c hubby is on a temporary, year-long assignment. The kids love the church! That's so funny that you were here...did you grow up here? And how did you end up in Texas. It's a small, small world!

OO what fun! when I was in college I went to Urbana a huge missions conference And basically said "Here I am If you want me Lord" (years pass) Then at a CC worship Conference My hubby and I Both really felt Gods Call to serve India (the speaker had to rush to India due to an emergancy so we got a 5 min Video tape of this guy* packing his briefcase talking to us.) So we got involved in the India Ministry at Koinonia. (years pass) Adopted a little one and then My best friend sent me a magazine "Send" thinking we would like it cause it was all about India. They had a free book offer. "Revolution in World Missions" So hubby sent a way for it and read it made me read it and I was floored. It really called to my heart so we began the process of getting on staff. We interviewed went back home and prayed a lot. An deceided God was calling us to do this.

We raised our support well some of it.. were still short but God provides. And I sold 1/2 a house worth of stuff and packed up the other 1/2. Put my house back on the market (it had been on the market before and 60 viewings not one nibble) the next day we sold it. So we moved to TX and have been happy in the heat ever since and My Mom is very happy we didn't move to India to set up and orphanage, taking her grandchild with us.

I grew up in the finger lakes and went to college in Rochester.

* guess who the guy rushing off to India was... yup the author of Revolution and the head of GFA.
So if you want to read a life changing book you can get yours here.
https://www.gfa.org/freebook?motiv=WA67-CUB1
But I warn you it may cause you to sell most of your stuff and move your life.
Tansy

So Tansy what do you and your dh do in Texas? I hope you don't mind me asking but with your post I thought for sure you were going to say you went to India. Which is a very interesting country. I went there in college for a summer missions trip. Got to see one of Mother Teresa's Orphanages.

Sarah

Warning Thread highjack...

GFA is a Native missions movement
Cause it takes a lot to send a western family of 4 overseas, they can't drink the water, have to learn to eat the food and have huge cultural shock. They also look foreign.

So big "revolution" is we train up native people who love the Lord and want to be evangelist and pastors. Since they speak fluently and the culture shock is minimal. They are very effective. The students go though a training time 2-4 years depending on whether they can read or not. (education is very very different outside of the USA).

So I get to stay in my beloved states and help out the home office. We hook up people like you an Me to support one of these missionaries for $ a month. You get to pray for them and you get letters about once a year (were working on more often is just very hard and we are very understaffed). My hubby works in the web department and keeps the web up and running. I use to work at feeding the staff till I got sick and some one else took my job. Now I just do odd jobs for the art department and Missions department., and homeschool our lovely dd and keep my man healthy to send him off to do his job.

But mainly we pray and pray and pray... I actually would love to live in India but I have seen first hand how incredibly inept I can be in India. So I'm glad to be part of the support team. And leave the church planting to those who can actually stay to water and harvest.

*I am by no means belittling westerners going on mission trips! But I see the effectiveness and the integrity of our missionaries. It works well and cost a lot less than traditional mission work. I personally think every person in the USA should go to another culture so they learn to appreciate a hot shower.*