On February 20, teen disciples from New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut converged on the Hartford church building to plan the first-ever "Teen Conference" event set for Oct. 16-17, 2010.
Cecil Espejo is a single dad in the Greater Hartford Church of Christ. His son, Jaden, just turned five years old. That special day called for a memorable celebration. However, in a spirit far beyond most fathers – Cecil went all out and prepared a shark cake. Check out the pictures below and consider yourself challenged to top that dangerous combination of eggs, flour and sugar.
Each year brings a new set of plans to enliven our hearts and actions following the holiday season. This year’s series, “The Me I Want To Be,” has taken hold, and many new faces have been flowing into our services in January. However, January 24th was one of those “unbelievable God” Sundays as our congregation rented out Hall High School in West Hartford for a service and a potluck meal. Over 550 people checked out God on this Sunday as we talked about the important role of relationships in our lives. West Hartford is really the town where our church began. The early days of our history were mostly spent at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford, so heading back for a special neighbor day event made sense. Around 8:30 AM, many disciples were already flooding into Hall High to set up sound, practice the songs, arrange kid’s kingdom rooms, open up the cafeteria, prepare communion and more. The crowd began to roll in at 9:30 and just kept coming. There was an eclectic mix of songs, starting at 10 AM, with about half sung acapella and half accompanied by the band. Tim and Sam Blake welcomed the audience following three, more lively ones. Daniel Gifford, Hall Senior, and Susan Parra, Hall graduate and present girls’ freshman volleyball coach, had special thoughts about their school and their church as well. Teen leader, Julius Ferrer, later led our minds in a communion thought which centered on Jesus being the bread of life.
On Valentine’s Day, February 14, the teen ministry took over the leadership of the 9 AM worship service in our church. Teen leader Julius Ferrer preached and, in the first part of the sermon, he quoted John chapters 13-17. It was amazing, convicting and inspiring. But even with all of that, the mountaintop experience of that service was the immersion of Sarah Allen. Before a largest ever crowd (at one service) of 310, the teens welcomed, shared, sang, prayed and preached. Dillon Woodley and Taylor Heath gave the opening greetings and announcements. Daniel Gifford shared from I Peter 1:24-25 prior to communion. He spoke about how the world can become less alluring as we draw closer to Jesus, realizing that it doesn’t fulfill or last. Drew Cline focused our minds prior to contribution by sharing personally about giving from conviction and not just emotion or peer pressure. Following the passing of trays, Sarah Allen and a host of family and friends moved to the stage. Sarah’s two older sisters had come back from Boston, where they are in college, for this special day. They asked her the two questions prior to her spiritual rebirth. Heather Ferrer read a favorite passage. Jimmy & Anita Allen both talked of Sarah’s heart, progress and life and their love for their youngest. Then Sarah read a statement of thanks to God and the many who have helped her to this point in life. She concluded with “I have decided to follow Jesus - no turning back; no turning back.”
Julius and Heather Ferrer moved to Connecticut in 2005. They moved in with Heather’s family in Killingworth. Though it is about 45 minutes away from our New Britain building, the Ferrers have been dedicated in every way imaginable. Just this past September, Julius began working full time in the ministry, focusing on the teenagers, as Heather continues to work as a teacher and lead teens too.
Near the end of January, the Ferrers closed on a new house in West Hartford. They will be moving in on February 6. However, this was not to be the most dramatic event of the new year for this courageous couple. Even greater than a new home, on January 31, Heather’s mother – Connie Bombaci – was baptized.
Connie stands as an incredible example in humility and heart as she has overcome numerous health challenges and listened to some new teachings for her life regarding real Christianity. On and off for 18 months, primarily Barbara Oberle and Anita Allen (Inga, Irene, Heather and others too) have headed off to Killingworth for Bible studies. Those studies culminated with Connie – surrounded by family and friends on stage – being immersed at our 9 AM service.
Connie’s heart re-inspires us all as we interact with our families. It shows us that no one is too far away geographically. No one is too ill or intrenched in doctrine. No one is beyond the call. Connie shared how her life-long spiritual journey had been lonely for several years. Now, we travel together and stand amazed again about how God determines the times and places – the Ferrers moved in and are just now moving out as Connie makes this incredible step of faith.
Only God knows exactly what the future holds, but we are convinced that it will be fantastic as we walk with him and each other – never alone.
Our teen ministry got an opportunity to spend time with the homeless on Saturday, January 23. These individuals have taken up residency in the Friendship Service Center of New Britain. Playing games, decorating frames with arts & crafts, and taking photographs were some of the activities our teens were involved in during this time. One woman commented that prior to our arrival, she had been feeling depressed. After we came, her spirits were up again and asked, "When are you guys coming again?"
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