The city-wide church is gathering to engage the heart of God in worship and prayer and out of His presence to go forth and engage our culture with acts of love and the proclamation of gospel truth. Love New York is an opportunity for the church to experience the book of Acts and to grow in hunger to live a lifestyle of intimacy and mission. To do what we were made to do – to know God and make Him known throughout the New York City area.
VISION
The vision for Love New York is to create a space where the church can encounter God (like the book of Acts) and be awakened to the Great Commandments (to love God and love people) and the Great Commission (to preach the gospel and make disciples).
This is an opportunity for the citywide church to join together in unity to create resting places for the Lord (worship and prayer) and from that place of holy encounter go out where lost people are and love them into the Kingdom (outreach). We believe God is moving in our generation in a significant way. This is not an exhaustive list of what He will be doing through Love New York, but we are confident that these things are on God’s heart.
A RESTING PLACE FOR GOD
We need God to transform our cities. Nothing attracts the manifest presence of God like worship and nothing releases the Kingdom of God like prayer. We want to create a dwelling place for God in the New York City area by establishing 24/7 citywide altars of worship and prayer, staffed by ministries from throughout the New York City area (and even laborers from around the country). Each ministry that carries a set will bring their offering of praise before the Lord on behalf of the city.
THE CHURCH WALKING IN IDENTITY
Jesus knew who He was and we need to also. When we know who we are we will fulfill our destiny and our destiny is to know God and to make Him known in our families, neighborhoods and workplaces. True sons and daughters live to reveal the Father. We were made to love God and to be fruitful and multiply. We are messengers of the gospel and disciple makers.
THE CHURCH WALKING IN INTIMACY
We believe God is awakening His Church to first-love intimacy. Even as darkness is increasing, the Holy Spirit is preparing a spotless bride for the return of Christ. Our ability to complete the Great Commission is directly related to our life in the Secret Place. Jesus modeled this pattern of spending time with the Father, and then going forth and doing the works of the Kingdom. The atmosphere of 24/7 worship and prayer is charged with the life-giving presence of God and releases people into personal revival.
THE CHURCH AS FAMILY
While it’s eternally significant that people encounter the Lord and experience salvation, it’s also important what they get saved into. It’s not an organization, programming or religion that people are longing for. They are longing for healthy family. The lost are waiting to see people in the church really loving each other and coming together to love God and love people. The church as family means we actually know each other authentically and work together in practical ways to establish the Kingdom of God in the New York City area.
THE CHURCH ON MISSION
The harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. God wants to thrust people into the harvest and Love New York is a great context for believers to see effective Spirit-led evangelism as well as life on life discipleship modeled and to be equipped to enter into the Great Commission as a lifestyle.
24/7 CHURCH
We believe the Lord wants to release vision for a church that is advancing the Kingdom of God night and day until Jesus returns – fully ablaze, fully alive – walking in holiness, transparency and humility, in full view of a world that is desperate to know the truth. We believe that Love New York will eventually never stop (24/7/365) with the potential to reach 500,000 people annually with the gospel.
