We're #veryexcited to announce that FaithStreet has released 3 new plans for churches, including a new "Growth Plan" specifically designed to ensure that your church is reaching new people every day.  Current FaithStreet members can keep their existing plans, or they can upgrade to one of our new plans.

• To sign-up for a plan, find your church's profile on FaithStreet and click the green "claim this profile" button. If you're church is already a FaithStreet member and you'd like to upgrade, then do the following: log-in to your FaithStreet profile, click 'Edit this Profile' and then click 'Upgrade'

Have feedback or questions about signing-up? Email us at "founders at faithstreet.com"

Now, here's a little more background and information about our new services:

What We've Learned

For more than a year the FaithStreet team has been working very hard to build a company that helps churches use the internet to reach new people online.  Looking back, we realize that this has been, and continues to be, a learning experience, and a continuous process of learning, building, measuring...and learning some more.

In response to feedback from over 50 pastors here in NYC, we're focusing on the problem of helping churches do simple, local, and effective online advertising to reach people near them who are specifically looking for a church. 

We've received great support from the Christian community here in NYC, and almost 10% of the churches in NYC (+330) have signed up for a FaithStreet profile.  We've heard amazing feedback from many people who have used FaithStreet to find and connect with a church that they would not have otherwise found.  And we've heard from many pastors who have thanked us for helping them reach these people.

How We Can Help Your Church 

Until now, we haven't offered any paid plans, but now we have implemented a tiered pricing structure, and are starting by offering 3 different plans: 

1) "Free plan": which we will always continue to offer.  Our goal is to help every church in the country get online and in a place where people can find them, and we will always offer a free plan for churches.  

2) "Starter Plan": This plan offers churches more features, such as social media integration and the ability to allow church members to "join" the church and leave testimonials.  The plan also gives a church more visibility on FaithStreet, including placement on borough, neighborhood, and denomination pages.  We are testing this plan at some very reasonable price points, and we think it's a great value.

3) "Growth Plan": We are #veryyexcited about the launch of the "Growth Plan." The Growth Plan gives churches all of the features of the Starter Plan, but also comes with a guaranteed number of targeted monthly visitors to the church's profile page, and monthly analytics reports that show who visited and where they came from.  

How The Plans Work

Advertising on search engines is an extremely effective way for churches to reach new people, but very few churches actually have the resources, human or financial, to do it effectively.  To generate the targeted traffic for Growth Plan customers, FaithStreet runs targeted online advertisements on places like Google, Bing, Facebook and brings people who are looking for a church to the profiles of those churches.  We do this much more efficiently and cost-effectively than any single church could ever do it for itself, and we do all of the work.

We're looking forward to working with our first customers (like Church-in-the-Gardens!) to help make the Growth Plans as effective as it can be.  Have feedback or questions about signing-up? Email us at "founders at faithstreet.com"

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FaithStreet is sponsoring a Meetup Group called "NYC Faith+Tech," which is focused on the intersection of faith and technology.

We helped start the group along with Ainsley O'Connell, and the group is really taking on a life of it's own.  We meet the 2nd Monday of every month at Grace Church NYC at 10th & Broadway in Manhattan.  Grace Church has been an awesome supporter of the group and what we're trying to do.

This month we had a great presentation by FaithStreet advisor John Doherty.  Here's a link to the slide deck from John's SEO 101 Presentation.  We had about 40 people at the meetup, and John put on a great presentation. 

This is a great way to meet other people who share an interest in the intersection of Faith + Technology, to learn, and to network.  Come out next month and meet us!

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Grace Church NYC, located at Broadway and East 10th St. in Manhattan, is a National Historic Landmark and is one of the most famous structures in the New York City.  The historic Episcopal church was initially organized in 1808, and the current church structure was consecrated in 1846.

After more than 160 years, the beautiful structure was in need of major repairs.  Over the past several years the current Rector of Grace Church, The Rev. Donald Waring, has been leading a major restoration of the church in order to make the required structural and architectural repairs.  

Rev. Waring has been keeping his church community and the public updated on the progress of the restoration by posting updates and even videos on his church's website.  Here is a video of Rev. Waring explaining the installation of massive pieces of limestone "tracery" for the restoration of the beautiful "Te Deum" window, which rises above the church alter.  Other videos can be seen here.

The extent of the restoration is truly impressive.  Grace Church's stained glass windows were installed in the 1870’s and 1880’s, and many, such as the "Te Deum Window," are highly intricate and irreplaceable works of art.  Some of them consist of thousands of individual pieces of glass held together by lead strips known as "tracery."  Nine of these windows have been removed so that the stained glass can be cleaned and restored, and so that the marble tracery can be replaced with limestone, which will last longer than marble.

As part of the restoration initiative, Grace is also installing a new pipe organ.  The pipe organ is being constructed by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders of Staunton, Virginia.  Rev. Waring has said that the new organ will be not only "a majestic musical instrument, but also a mechanical marvel and a work of art."  Rev. Waring says that Taylor and Boody "use the time honored methods of the craft that have allowed the life spans of organs in Europe to be measured in centuries, not decades."

This view towards investing for the long-term is expensive, but Rev. Waring and the Grace Church leadership have been sucessful at developing a plan to restore the important and historic church, mobilizing the church community behind the plan, and then (most imporantly) successfully executing on the plan.  This is a great case-study for other historic churches facing similar structural issues. 

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Today we implemented a few new design updates and features on FaithStreet.com

Here are some highlights:

1) Made changes to the look and feel of the site header and home page

-These include adding new icons to the header for the "Blog," "About Us," and "Explore" links

2) Implemented design changes to the church profile pages

-Added Social Sharing buttons (Facebook, Twitter, Google+)

-Re-prioritized information on the profile page

3) Increased the number of NYC churches in our database to 2,000 churches, which is now by far the most comprehensive resource for information about churches in NYC--but we still have a long way to go.

We are constantly working on improvements and refinements to both the functionality and design of FaithStreet, and you can expect many more improvements and updates over the coming months.  If you have any comments or suggestions we would love to hear them.

FaithStreet

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Here's a list of the 51 new churches who've joined FaithStreet in the last 30 days. We're honored to work with them and all of the 166 New York Churches on FaithStreet. Click on their name to see their FaithStreet profile.

Christ Church Bay Ridge

First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn

St. James Church

Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church

St. John's Episcopal Church

Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew

Gospel Faith Mission International

Glorious Morning Star Cherubim & Seraphim Church

The Church of the Revelation

Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture

St. Anthony's Church

Metro Baptist Church

Grace NYC

St. Stanislaus Kostka

Chinatown Outreach Ministry

Chelsea Community Church

Immanuel & First Spanish United Methodist Church

Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church

Greenpoint Reformed Church

Hipster Church

Trinity Grace - East Village

Church of the Good Shepherd

St. Mark's Church in the Bowery

Justice House of Prayer

The Church of the Good Shepherd

Urban Harvest Church 

United Bengali Church of America

St. Stephen of Hungary Parish 

New Life Christian Center

Christ the Savior Church 

Emanuel Presbyterian Church 

Old First Reformed Church

Astoria Community Church 

Movement NYC

Christ Church Clinton Hill

Sion Iglesia Luterana (Zion Lutheran Church)

Grace Fellowship Church

Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan

Bethany Reformed Memorial Church 

Liberty Church - Union Square

St. George Coptic Orthodox Church

Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene

Restoration Community Church

Antioch Baptist Church Jamaica

Mount Neboh Baptist Church

Trinity Grace Brooklyn

Grace Baptist Church 

Bellerose Baptist Church 

The ROCK Brooklyn

Times Square Church 

Advent-Gravescend Church 

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 Quick Progress Report:

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Bethany Jenkins, President and Founder of The Park Forum (@theParkForum), reflects on her journey to New York City and how Timothy and Kathy Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage" speaks to both married people and singles.

By Bethany Jenkins, FaithStreet Guest Contributor

On July 5, 2004, ten months after a broken engagement, I got on a train with all my bags in tow and moved from Washington, D.C., to New York City. As the skyline of the city came into view, I remember wondering whether I’d ever feel at home here. Although I had a few friends here already, only one of them was a Christian – and I barely knew her. In contrast, I had left a rich and loving community in DC. Through my broken engagement and the death of a close friend a few months prior to that (who passed away on her one-month wedding anniversary), our small church community had become my family. I was convinced that my community in DC was unique and that I would never be able to replicate it in NYC.

Today, eight years later, I am thankful to say that I was wrong – my community in NYC has, in fact, eclipsed my community in DC. When I got to New York, I immediately started attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church and, having received a strong biblical foundation from my church in DC, I jumped into co-leading a woman’s fellowship group. For the past two years, since starting The Park Forum, I’ve been meeting with Kathy Keller nearly every Monday for lunch to talk about theology and life. Of course, as a single woman, we’ve talked about marriage and dating. So, when Tim and Kathy were preparing to launch their book, The Meaning of Marriage, they asked me to co-moderate the discussion from “the single perspective.”

After I read the book, I put it down and thought, “This is the most beautiful and thoughtful and wonderful picture of marriage that I have ever seen.” Then, however, I remembered that I was still single. Now what? Unfortunately, the typical church answer is about serving the church, which usually takes the form of passing out programs or putting out chairs. Yes, these are great ways to serve. Yet, I knew that marriage was more than mopping floors and paying bills – no matter how necessary those things are. So, I took the different chapters and considered what the shadow of each aspect of marriage in the book may look like in the single life.

“Loving the Stranger” is about confronting our own self-centeredness by relating to someone totally different from us. I thought, “I can do that now.” I can love the unlovable and the annoying and the disagreeable right now – the world (especially New York!) is full of people like that. “Embracing the Other” is about recognizing gender differences and submitting to the Lord’s design. I can do that now. I can pursue a godly femininity that loves my brothers in Christ. “The Essence of Marriage” is about keeping the covenant of marriage even when it’s tough or when the feelings aren’t there. I can do that now. I can choose people in my life – my parents, my brothers, my sister-in-law, my small group – and I can choose to love them forever no matter what – even when they hurt me and when I know they’ll hurt me again. And when all of these relationships get tough and I don’t know how I’ll make it through, I can turn to “The Power of Marriage,” which is the Holy Spirit. It’s not like there is a special Holy Spirit for marriage. I already have Him in my heart. He has the power to change the relationships that I am in right now. So whether or not I ever get married, “The Mission of Marriage” is my mission as well – that is, to set my sights on Jesus and head toward the throne and lift up my family and friends up to holiness and righteousness, as we worship the Lord together. After all, as I discovered, marriage is no different in kind from the rest of the Christian life; it’s just different in intensity.

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In this Leaders Speak installment, FaithStreet superstar intern Anna Wilhelm (@AnnaBee8) interviews Pastor Chris Travis (@ChrisTravisNYC) of Everyday Christian Church, a new church plant in Upper Manhattan.  Pastor Travis talks about being called to NYC, the struggles and rewards of church planting, and much more.  

You used to pastor a church in Cincinnati. How and when did God call you to NYC? How did you, your family, and your church respond?

God's been talking to my wife Lindsay and I for years and years about moving to NYC, in a dozen different ways. My family is from this part of the country. Lindsay is an actress in musical theater, so this is the place to be. About four years ago, after a lot of prayer and advice-seeking, we felt like it was the right time. My first impulse was to find a position on staff with a church (I worked in ministry in Cincinnati at the time), but we began to feel that we needed to get here first and put a finger on the pulse of the city before we decided what type of ministry would be appropriate. For the first two years we lived here I taught math at a public school in Harlem. Our church family in Cincinnati was sad to see us go, and it was painful to leave, but they were also incredibly supportive and have become one of Everyday Church's biggest partners.

You've also written a book titled Unnamed: Unsuspecting Heroes Singled Out By God. What inspired you to write it?

Standard Publishing was crafting a Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum with a super hero theme, based on a few stories in the Bible about unnamed heroes. The fact that there were stories in the Bible about people who did significant things for God, but who aren't named in the Scripture, just fascinated me. It haunted me. Why would God include so many of these stories, but not mention their names? I slowly began to realize it was because their stories are our stories. Most of us will never be famous, but we can be significantly used by God nonetheless.

Incidentally, I didn't say everything I have to say about significance in that book. My second book, Insignificant: Why You Matter in the Surprising Way God is Changing the World, explores significance from a biblical perspective, and shares some of my bizarre, frightening, and exhilarating experiences teaching in Harlem. Insignificant is expected to released in August 2012 by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing.

In what ways do you approach ministry differently here in NYC than you did in Ohio?

Our approach is intensely relational. At the moment, we do not meet to worship, in the typical sense, every Sunday. We meet in Home Groups, where we share life, a meal, communion, discussion about the Bible, and prayers for one another. We currently meet to worship once per month and we are planning to increase that to every other week in January. As we read the Bible, relationships are so critical to God's plan for our renewal that as leaders, we feel a burden to shepherd people into strong, loving, faith-based circles of relationships, where we can practice the Bible and live all the "one anothers" we find in Scripture.

What is the greatest struggle of church planting? What is the greatest reward?

The greatest struggle is staying dependent on God. The tempation to trust in our own understanding--to simply think things through--or to work in our own strength, rather than depend upon God to come through is very strong. We have to constantly and vigilantly remind ourselves about Whose church this is, Who's in charge, and Who it's all for.

The greatest reward is  to see God move. Whether that's been drawing Spanish-speakers into our community (in spite of the fact we have none on staff), giving us favor with local leaders, prompting people to make big decisions for Jesus, or providing more than enough resources, the story of Everyday Church is a story about God. Our story is a story about how God started something that I don't even fully understand, how he knit together our team and our core participants, how He continues to open doors and prompts people to act. I don't really care what else happens along the way-- if I get to be a partner with God, that's as good as it gets.

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FaithStreet Intern Jake Dinsmore moved to New York City this Fall from the Great Northwest to attend The King's College.  Jake has embarked on a journey that FaithStreet is trying to help others with: Finding a church to call home in NYC.  Here, Jake shares his thoughts on a few of the churches that he has visited.

By: Jacob Dinsmore

St. John’s Church

In a quiet corner of Greenwich Village, near Perry St. and 7^th Ave, St. John’s Episcopal Church holds a Healing Liturgy on Wednesday nights at 6:15 pm.

Coming from a more charismatic background, I’ve had little personal experience with liturgical services. But I was also unfamiliar with the idea of a “healing liturgy” and thought it might be an interesting way to get acquainted with the more conservative side of the Body of Christ.

The service was small (maybe 5-6 members), reverent and traditional.  The handful of people there (who seemed to be regulars) were warm and welcoming.

Prayers and scriptures were read from prayer books in the Episcopalian tradition, focusing specifically on comfort and healing and provision for the sick and suffering in the church. The minister also gave a short message, in this case commemorating the recently deceased Apple CEO Steve Jobs and encouraging his audience to pursue careers that engaged their interests and passions in life.

After the short sermon some of those in attendance came to the altar and received prayer for healing and comfort from the minister.  We were then invited to take communion, led through more scripture and prayer and dismissed to go in the Lord’s peace.

Whether you’re looking specifically for liturgical services on weeknights in the city, or just interested to explore more traditional formats of church services, I would highly recommend St. John’s Healing Liturgy.  It happens on Wednesday nights at 6:15pm (224 Waverly PL near Perry St. and 7^th Ave.).

Trinity Grace: Upper West Side

735 West End Ave at 96th St, 11 a.m.

I am a regular member of the Trinity Grace Chelsea congregation, which is a wonderful community of young people devoted to seeing Christ move in our lives.  I thought it would be interesting to explore another Trinity Grace service at a different location, and so I visited the Upper West Side location.

By comparison to the Chelsea location, the Upper West Side service was a more family-oriented community, and it’s worship band had a little more gospel/soulful flavor to its music.

The worship was dynamic and genuine and led by skilled musicians and singers.  It was evident that the members have succeeded in creating a loving, relational community.

One of the pastors commented on their fellowship by saying, “Our church does not seek to oppress and control, it seeks to release and empower.” John Tyson, the head pastor of Trinity Grace Church, preached a sermon very consistent with this vision, empowering the audience to demonstrate their love for Christ in their everyday lives and occupations.

The upper-west side service is held in a small school auditorium (Emily Dickinson School) at 735 West End Ave at 96th St, 11 a.m.

City Grace Church

219 Sullivan St, 11 a.m.

One of my favorite parts of exploring churches in New York City is seeing how a church's neighborhood affects the personality of the church and the worship experience. With that in mind, I’ve been excited to start exploring more churches and weekday events in the West Village. There’s just something sentimental about walking to church down West 4^th St. on a bright and crisp Sunday morning when the streets are quiet and the locals are walking their dogs down the sidewalk.

City Grace is a small congregation of young people who, in their own words, “share a common desire to learn more about Jesus Christ.” They, like many churches in the city, hold their service in a school auditorium. But even if you’re like me and aren’t used to this type of venue, you’ll quickly forget the fact that you're in a school when you start to enjoy a small group of friends (maybe 40-50 people) who clearly love and care about each other.

While the worship was led by a contemporary style worship team, playing traditional and well-known songs and hymns that were easy to follow, the pastor gave a sermon based on a passage in 1 John 4, encouraging us to a life of radical love. To love, he said, is “to decrease that others might increase.” He encouraged us to understand Christ’s sacrificial love for us (demonstrated on the cross) and extend the same sacrificial love towards the people in our lives.

If you’re looking for a smaller, younger community in the West Village and this kind of message sounds interesting to you, I’d recommend checking out City Grace Church at 219 Sullivan St near West 3^rd and Bleeker St, 11 a.m.

God is moving in New York City

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FaithStreet is proud to welcome Glenn Ericksen (@glennericksen) to the team as our new Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO).  The addition of Glenn to our team is a major step for FaithStreet, and we're very excited about what Glenn means for FaithStreet's future.

Glenn is a self-taught Rails hacker who also possesses great all around design skills.  Glenn is passionate about social entrepreneurship, and he has worked closely with a number of churches and other social enterprises to help them create value in their communities and to further their missions through design and technology.    

Glenn graduated from Valley Forge Christian College with a degree in Church Planting.  Following graduation Glenn helped plant a church in the Manhattan neighborhood of Union Square and has worked closely with a number of other churches in NYC and elsewhere.  

Glenn is currently leading FaithStreet's efforts to redesign and rebuild the FaithStreet platform in order to further FaithStreet's mission of helping to connect people with churches in New York City. Look out for big changes--coming soon!

Glenn likes to play the guitar, snowboard, and he's also single, ladies.  At 6' 3" tall, Glenn increases the average height of the FaithStreet team to just a tad over 6' 2".  Most importantly, Glenn is an awesome dude with the perfect creative vision and technical skills to help lead FaithStreet.

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FaithStreet intern Carly Calhoun captures the energy and enthusiasm at Liberty Church NYC's first-ever Sisterhood event.

For more about the event, read Carly's post here.

Watch the video on Vimeo here.

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FaithStreet guest writer Caleb Galaraga sat down with Pastor Adam Burt of Morning Star New York to talk about MSNY's goals, the challenges churches face in reaching New Yorkers, the influence of 9-11-01 on his life, and much more.  

Interview by Caleb Galaraga (@calebgalaraga):

Pastor Adam Burt (adam.burt at msny.org) is a former NHL player and the Senior Associate Pastor of Morning Star New York (MSNY). MSNY is a Bible-based, full gospel church and is a member of Every Nation Churches. It holds services in locations on both the East Side and West Side of Manhattan.

MSNY was born right after 9/11. How did the events of that day influence your faith and perspective as a Christian and Pastor?

The events of that day strongly reminded me that the Kingdom of God is beyond words. But it is also reflected in our deeds and that the gospel penetrates the heart and life of people, regardless of the circumstance. Our church was born out of that foundation, that God’s work  involves responding to people’s needs and carrying out the Word. We believe that the gospel can change men and women through the hands and help of God’s people. The picture that the gospel, out of brokenness and death, can bring life and hope stands out in my mind during the 9/11 tragedy. God’s word is a testament to the fact that there is always hope and power in what the Lord wants His people to do.

As a former athlete and Pastor, you know that the Apostle Paul loves using sports metaphors to explain the faith. He calls it "running the race." How does your church encourage fellow believers to run the race? How does it encourage the skeptics and the curious to pursue the faith?

I’ve always believed that inside the heart of every man and woman is the desire to know their purpose, their meaning, and their source of significance. We do our best, as a church, to show people what their purpose is by studying the Word together and sharing it in a way people can understand. We try to show people the reason why God made them and His plan for their life. In my experience, I’ve seen that when people recognize their purpose in God, with encouragement and guidance, they run after that purpose.

When it comes to reaching out to those who do not yet believe in the Word, we have a two-pronged approach. One would be that we attempt to preach the gospel in a way that is very conversational. We talk about it in a way people can relate to it. As Paul said, “I have become all things to all men that by all possible means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).” The same way when we do church, we want people who have been in church forever and those who just came for the first time to understand whatever is being preached.

The second way we encourage new churchgoers is through our people. We believe in the incarnational ministry, which is basically the idea that God has made us fishers of men. I think we do well in worship and in our message, but it’s people and family that makes our church a place for those seeking the faith. Our best net is our people. 

In your years of being a Pastor and from your experience discipling and counseling New Yorkers, what are some of the most significant challenges that a New Yorker faces when it comes to his or her walk with Christ?

It might strike you as funny, but I’ve ministered to churches historically known as the Bible Belt, and it has been easier to minister to people in NYC than in such locations. The reason is, and you know and can relate to this, is the fact that the city breaks people down. In their brokenness, their soul have become wide and open, ready to receive the gospel.

The city makes people draw a line on the sand when it comes to God. It’s either they see him as someone who would help them become the best professional they can be or they allow themselves to be used by God in whatever they’re pursuing. In a city like this, it’s the heart of people that is transformed and knowing the purity of their intentions (to honor God or to use God) is usually their biggest challenge.

What is one thing that you want people to think when they visit or attend MSNY?

It’s very basic, I like them to know that “God loves you, knows you, and He has a great plan for your life.” When people get that, it becomes the motivation for who they are and what they do.

What’s the core focus of MSNY as a church?

Our mission statement is transforming the city one life at a time, making disciples one life at a time. We allow ourselves to be used by God to change people’s lives by making disciples.

What is MSNY’s goal in the next five years?

Our faith and goal is for MSNY to plan 20 churches by the year 2020 in the greater Manhattan area. We believe the best way to impact the culture and spiritual landscape of the city is to plant and grow churches and make as many disciples as we can.

What discourages you about NYC?

The big factor that sometimes discourages me about New York CIty is how expensive it is. We have one full-time campus minister. I might be wrong in my figures, but according to some statistics, there is an estimated 1,000,000 (yes, 1 MILLION) students in the greater New York area. It’s so expensive to bring in campus ministers to work here. The cost of doing ministry and the difficulty in doing ministry - the permits, locations, logistics, etc. - is very challenging.

What gives you hope for NYC?

The gospel gives me hope. I know that God still saves, God still sees. I get to see the impact of the gospel in the lives of people everyday. What makes me excited is I get to see the gospel impacting the lives of future world changers - kids from the top schools in the country, players in Wall Street and professional athletes. I see God’s Word working everywhere in NYC and amongst New Yorkers.

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FaithStreet welcomed our first interns this Fall, and we are really excited to have Anna, Jake, and Carly join the team.

All three of our interns are students at The King's College here in NYC, and they have been doing great work on behalf of the FaithStreet mission: Helping to Connect Churches and People in New York City. They are helping us cover Christian events in the city, interview pastors and other Christian leaders, and generally help spread the word about FaithStreet. These guys are smart, ambitious, and a pleasure to be around. We'd like to let you get to know them.

Anna Wilhelm:

Where are you from and why did you come to NYC?
I was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH and I came to NYC to attend The King's College. Surprisingly enough, I really did come JUST for the school and ended up falling in love with the city along the way.

What's your favorite place to be in NYC when you're not at school or working with FaithStreet?
If you were looking for me in NYC, you'd find me within a few blocks of Union Square. If I'm not there, I'll be ordering macaroons and an Americano at a local bakery.

What would be your advice to a person new to NYC who is looking for a church?
I've realized in my time here that church isn't as much about what's right for me as it is about finding a place where I can participate in the body of Christ. In other words, because the Church is a body, it's more about giving than receiving. Find a place where you can serve instead of one that serves you. So skip the church-hopping, because it's exhausting! Find a church, commit, and serve.

If you had to pick a new city for FaithStreet to expand to where would it be and why?
Nashville, TN. Before coming to The King's College, I attended a Christian university in Nashville, and as they say there, “Nashville is the buckle of the Bible belt!” There is such a variety of churches for people to discover, but unity was lacking. I think FaithStreet could be a great help to the church culture of Nashville.

Jake Dinsmore:

Where are you from and why did you come to NYC?
I'm from Seattle, Washington and I came to New York City to attend The King's College and to gain experience and credibility in journalism.

What's the best part about working with FaithStreet so far?
The best part about working with FaithStreet so far has been exploring the different churches in the city. It's amazing to see the Body of Christ at work in the most influential city on the planet.

What's your favorite place to be in NYC when you're not at school or working with FaithStreet?
My favorite place to be when I'm not working or at school is either Central Park or in the garden at the Little Church Around the Corner near 29th and 5th Ave.

What are your long-term goals?
I want to graduate from The King's College with a major in politics, philosophy and economics and a minor in journalism while pursuing any job and internship opportunities I can in the city. After that I want to return home to Seattle and find a job in news journalism. Even further down the road, I dream of being a professor at a Christian institute for journalism and launching a social media/news website that would explore what God is doing through His people in the world.

Carly Calhoun:

Where are you from and why did you come to NYC?
I am from Marion NC, a small town between Asheville and Hickory. I came to New York for many reasons, with a few of the main reasons being: 1) The King's College: the amazing school where I am studying, and 2) all of the incredible opportunities the city has for journalism-related careers.

What's the best part about working with FaithStreet so far?
The best part about working with FaithStreet is the opportunity to go to so many wonderful events and then write stories about them. I've been able to learn more about God and grow in my relationship with Him, while doing something that I love and that is beneficial for my chosen career.

What's your favorite place to be in NYC when you're not at school or working with FaithStreet?
My favorite place to go in NYC when I am not at school or working is Bryant Park! It is a perfect study environment: it's beautiful, they have free yoga classes, and its right around the corner from a $0.99 pizza joint!

Where do you see FaithStreet in 2 years?
Hopefully, FaithStreet will have developed strong relationships with many churches and individuals in New York City, and people will have come to know that they can use it as a resource to connect with spiritual leaders and to learn more about what God is doing in NYC. Also, it would be wonderful if FaithStreet has launched in a second city as well!

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The Rev. Scott Black Johnston, pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, has a great post on his blog titled  "The Kardashians Go To Church":

Last week, a producer of the reality television show, “Kourtney & Kim Take New York” called the church.  Really!...

The producer of their new, New-York-based show wanted to know if they could set up a bunch of cameras and lights, and film Kourtney and Kim attending church at FAPC...

I said, “No.”  I said it nicely.  I said, “They are welcome to come to worship here, but no filming during our services...."

The producer called back.  “Listen, we really want to do this, and I’m not Christian, so I don’t know how to phrase this, but couldn’t we just film the two of them walking down to the front and lighting a candle or something?”

You'll have to check out the full post to find out what happened.  What would you have said?

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Liberty Church of Tribeca launched the beginning of their new women’s group, Liberty Sisterhood on Thursday September 29th. The evening consisted of fellowship, food, fun and a message from Pastor Andi Andrew.
Inspired by Micah 5:1, the Liberty Sisterhood is an opportunity to be “grateful that countless women have gone before us and paved some serious ground so that we can rise up and take our place now in this great city,” according to Liberty’s website.
The sisterhood has plans to meet four times a year, although the official meeting dates have not yet been coordinated. In addition to empowering the women in their church community, the sisterhood is also seeking to reach out to other women. One way they’re doing that is by accepting donations for a local women’s charity called Women in Need or “WIN.”
According to Pastor Andi the goal for Liberty Sisterhood is to “gather the women and really encourage them and minister to them, as well as to reach out to the city and strive to make a difference.”
The events of the evening proved a success with a great turnout, lots of laughter, worship and many donations for WIN. Liberty Sisterhood member, Sarah Doyal said she loves that “it isn’t like a typical women’s meeting, Andi is a great speaker and it was really a blessing to be there.”
Liberty church is New York Church located at 54 Varick Street in New York and more information about the sisterhood, and many other Liberty Church events, can be found at http://libertychurchnyc.com/.

Check out Liberty Church on FaithStreet here.

Carly Calhoun is a FaithStreet intern. She's originally from a small town in North Carolina, and is currently a student at the Kings College.

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FaithStreet was riding the L Train yesterday and spotted this subway ad sponsored by "The Collegiate Churches of New York."  Due to someone's head being in the way, this is the best shot that we could get of the ad...and this wasn't easy!

The ad asks "How are you doing?" in a large font.  The Collegiate Churches of New York include four unique congregations: Fort Washington Church, Marble Church, Middle Church, and West End Church.   

This is a slick branding effort, and we think the ad works really well.  The "logo" at the bottom right is comprised of a white "bracketed" "plus sign," with the words "positive and inclusive" underneath.  

The ad also says "The Collegiate Churches of New York: A welcoming supportive community for spiritual growth. Come."

Nice Work!  We'd love to know who was responsible for coming up with this...

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Citywide Worship is this Friday night (9/23) at Rustin HS (West 18th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.) Worship will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Come for a night of worship, praise, storytelling and encourgement by and for believers from all NY churches to worship in unity.

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Bay Ridge, Brooklyn has a new church.  Cornerstone Church is a new church plant led by Pastor Nathan Tubbs (@sciencenate).  Cornerstone held its first worship service as a church on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011, and has held monthly services throughout the summer.  But Sunday September 11, 2011 marked the beginning of weekly worship gatherings for the new church.  

Cornerstone meets each week at 10:30am at the Gregory Hotel (8315 4th Ave) in Bay Ridge (Childcare is provided for children from 0 to 5 years old).

Pastor Nathan has been a science teacher in the NYC public school for three years, and previously served as an elder at the Gallery Church of Manhattan, which is led by Pastor Freddy Wyatt.

According to Cornerstone's website, Pastor Nathan and Cornerstone Church are supported by a team of leaders from partnering churches and church organizations who will serve as an advisory team.  This team includes Freddy Wyatt (The Gallery Church of Manhattan), Steve Allen (NYC Church Starting Team), Jim Hines (Vision New York), and Aaron Coe (sendNYC).

The mission of Cornerstone Church is bold.  According to the church's "About Us" page, Cornerstone seeks to "initiate a global movement of people displaying the greatness of God by making disciples and planting churches, so that every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to hear the gospel."

Check out this video of Pastor Nathan below:

<p>Introducing Cornerstone Church from Cornerstone Bay Ridge on Vimeo.</p>

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Liberty Church NYC launched in New York City in 2010 and is led by Australian Paul Andrew and his American wife Andi Andrew.  According to the church website, the couple met in bible school at Hillsong College in Sydney, Australia.

Liberty Church calls itself a "Christian community in NYC with the audacity to believe that by His grace we could influence a city that influences the world."

Liberty Church has been meeting in Tribeca at Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick St.), but is launching a second location in Union Square this Sunday September 18, 2011.  Liberty Church Union Square will meet at the New York Film Academy (100 East 17th St.).  

The guest lounge opens at 6:30pm and the service starts at 7:00pm.  According to Liberty Church NYC, this Sunday's service is "a chance to take a stand together for faith, for hope and for the future of Union Square."

Check out Pastor Paul Andrew talking about the new location below:

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