As I write this I am getting ready to head to Mexico to do the wedding of Bethany Snyder and Jonas Cortes. My wife is coming with me and I am elated. The only problem is she has been watching documentary programs on parasites and is worried. I am sure the Lord will protect us and we will not be foolish in what we eat or drink. Jonas and Bethany are great people and really reflect our heart for missions as a church. For years we have sent missionaries overseas and now are reaping a beautiful couple to come and lead our youth ministry this January. I cannot help but think of the scripture “cast your bread upon the water and after many days it will return to you.” We have sown to the mission field for years and now a beautiful couple from the field is coming to us. Bethany’s parents are missionaries in Mexico and she grew up there. Jonas father is a pastor in Acapulco and is very musical. Now this couple is coming to us from the field for two years. Praise the Lord!!
I also really enjoyed the testimony of Neil Monteiro last Sunday. During our season of prayer and fasting in January, Neil had asked for prayer for a job in Rochester. He and his family live here in Rochester and Neil was commuting to Manhattan every week and trying to come home on weekends. He asked for prayer in January and praise the Lord he has a job now in Rochester. We will be doing a three day corporate time of prayer and fasting starting Tuesday July 6, 7 and 8. We will be letting you know more and you can submit your prayer requests.
In closing take some time to enjoy the summer, winter comes only too quickly. God bless,
Pastor Phil

I was speaking with one of our members after our Sunday service last week and he mentioned how much “life” he could see at Word of Life. We have members witnessing in local parks. We have members going overseas for short term missions opportunities. Harry Vellekoop is heading to South America to minister to churches he is related to there. The Chapman’s and Case’s are returning for a few weeks this summer from the mission field and will be with us to share. James Blake is with us this month but returns to the road to minister throughout the Northeast in churches for another year. I am in the process of planning to go to Mexico to officiate at the Wedding of Jonas Cortez and Bet Snyder. I am also trying to go to Brazil with my daughter Elizabeth this August to do medical clinics and visit some missionaries there. We have a marriage retreat this weekend with 16 couples signed up. Our outreach task force is setting up opportunities to serve local ministries. The appliances arrive this week for the kitchen just in time for our annual members meeting potluck on May 2nd. Also on May 2nd there will be an opportunity for water baptism. The mission’s task force is reaching out to our missionaries monthly.

All these things are great and they are not even a full list of all the life that is happening here at Word of Life. God is inhabiting everything that is going on. His blessing, grace and favor at times are tangible in all these things. I am thanking the Lord for his presence as we are Loving God, Loving People and Loving the Nations.

Pastor Phil

Those of you who know me understand that warm weather is my favorite. Therefore as we head into spring, I say, “Praise God.” Of course we are also coming to the Easter Season. Jesus is alive, risen and ascended. Many saw him as we read in Acts 1:3, ” After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Also referenced in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”

One of the things we can rejoice in is that Jesus came and was real flesh. Many saw him and he did not hide out. His resurrection was not a rumor or a story, at one time over 500 of the brethren saw him. Our faith is based on a fact not a tradition or a nice story. Many saw him and rejoiced. He is risen indeed.

Pastor Phil

I was just walking through the building and thinking about what a good season it is in the church right now. It seems like everything we put our hands to is blossoming. I cannot help but think that it ties back to our season of prayer and fasting at the beginning of the year. We have more outreach than we have ever had as a church. For the last couple of years our prayer team has been praying for this and it is coming to pass. We have outreach to the international students on the campuses. We are starting a BASIC group at the University of Rochester this fall. (For those of you who do not know BASIC stands for, “Brothers and Sisters in Christ.” It is a nationally based college ministry out of Elim Fellowship that ministers on many campuses throughout the Northeast.) BASIC will be helping us with some of their staff start a weekly Bible study on the campus tied directly to Word of Life.

Our first men’s group meeting in February had 4 men. After the teaching time we all went to our knees in prayer crying out in repentance for our own lives and our nation. It was powerful. Last Saturday our missions committee hosted a 5 hour seminar on how to minister better to our missionaries. Approximately 15 adults were there and 10 from our own church. On January 24th we had the largest attendance on a Sunday morning since we moved into the gym that I am aware of.

Many of you continue to give to our Phase 1 remodeling project. The kitchen keeps rolling along and soon you will see new appliances and flooring throughout the café area. Now we are in the process of a new chair drive to match the chairs we have for Sunday morning. The chairs are $62 each and as soon as we get enough for 200 we will order them. That will give us 300 matching chairs. Last time I bought 4 in faith for 4 good son-in-laws. This time I am buying 4 in faith for salvations this year. In faith, I am believing that at the altar or wherever, that I can lead people to the Lord. Buy a chair in faith that God will give you a desire of your heart in the future. Let each chair be an act of faith.

Thank you all for your faithfulness,
Pastor Phil

I am today on day 24 of a Daniel fast. I am so blessed by the participation of the congregation in our 21 days of payer and fasting which ended just this last Sunday evening. In all my years as pastor here at Word of Life, I have never seen anything more effective than this season. I have never seen anything that has had more anticipation from a vast majority of our congregation. On behalf of the elders and personally, thank you all so much. Many of you have shared personal testimonies of how you were blessed during this season. There has been everything from a deeper personal sense of the Lords presence, to breakthroughs in your lives. We have had financial blessings and a marriage restored. Praise the Lord!!

Personally I am going to keep going trying to make it to 40 days. I woke up this morning burdened for Haiti and that will be my prayer for the day. Specifically I will be praying for God to bring healing to that land and for one of our own, Ken Trezise who is there today. I just got a total form our accountant and a little over $1500 has come in.

I want you all to know that I love Word of Life and all of you. Your kindness and generosity are a testimony of you love for Jesus.

Have a great day.

Pastor Phil

Here we are near the end of Day 5. This has been a grueling day for my wife and I physically. I woke up this morning feeling like my tongue had become a deposit for toxic waste. Physically feeling week but somehow having this tinge of energy also.

I was joking with my wife that since she started fasting, several chocolate milk plants had shut down and Reese’s peanut butter cup production had ground to a halt. (I asked her permission before sharing this.)

Personally today the Holy Spirit has been highlighting sin. Not that I am not aware of sin or that there is some gross sin in my life. It is more that I have become tolerant to sin or desensitized to it as it flaunts itself everyday in our culture. It is not that I am angry about it but broken to the fact that it is so commonly flaunted at us in our media and culture. Things that would have been appalling even when I was a teenager are accepted as common place, live and let live tolerance. My heart again was not angry but broken as I prayed a prayer of repentance for myself and our world around us. “Lord let me not become comfortable with sin and may I not allow it to become commonplace around me because the result of it is pain and suffering. Help me Lord.” I was burdened for the lost in a fresh way. This verse came to me, Mark 6:34, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd; he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them.” They are like sheep without a shepherd.

I spoke with one of the young men in our church today he and his wife are fasting. His children are fasting candy and television which was their decision. As I spoke with him I could hear revival in his own life. He
mentioned reading scripture and praying at night. He said to me, “Pastor this is only day 5 I cannot wait until near the end.” He shared with me for at least 30 minutes what the Lord was doing during this season of prayer and fasting. I was deeply moved.

My prayer request for today has been for Harry Vellekoop and Nancy Clark’s request for financial provision for Elim Bible Institute. Although the Lord had done amazing things the school is still not out of the woods.

Again, it’s not too late if you have not jumped into this. Come on in, the water is fine.

Pastor Phil

Here we are three days into the season of prayer and fasting.  Day 1, I like to call this day “sticker shock.” That day was like the feeling you get after you buy a new car. You are caught up in the excitement and then after you own it you realize how much you paid or how much you will pay for 21 days. Day 2, rejoicing in the time you spent in prayer during day 1 with your wife and children. Day 3, first report of a breakthrough comes in from a family in the church. Hallelujah!!

Remember as we read in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly realms.” Also, as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Let me encourage you keep fasting and praying. Maybe you haven’t started yet you can jump in right now. Just fast a meal and pray. Take the list from our family here in the church and lift them before the Lord. Or just cry out to him for more of his presence in your life and all our lives.

My personal prayer request from the list for today is for Bill Juba to find a good paying job. Can we all make that, along with the others, our prayer request of the day?

Remember we are all in this together for eternity.

Pastor Phil

It’s hard to believe that another year has flown by. As I write this article Christmas is just a few days away and our Christmas program a couple of days away. The church is full of activity as the play is being rehearsed and work is continuing on the kitchen. Special thanks to Rob Taylor and Ben Clark for their hard work. What is nice is that after the Christmas play things are usually very quiet here at the church. It gives me a chance to catch up on some things before the New Year kicks in.

The Lord has laid on my heart for this New Year to call the church to a time of prayer and fasting. It will start on Monday January 4th until Sunday January 24th. This may be new or overwhelming to you but I believe if you will bear with me I can make it possible for all of us.

First of all, let’s examine the issue of prayer. I will be asking all of us to place on a sheet of paper two needs you have in your life right now where you would like to see change this year. These will be collected and made into a master list. Then I am asking that everyone take this list and pray for as much of it as you can everyday for 21 days. (Now if you miss a day just pick it up the next day and keep going.) Some days you may only have 10 minutes other days more but let’s all covenant to pray for these items during the 21 days. As we read in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Secondly, let’s look at fasting. To be honest, I used to fast quite a lot when I was first in the Lord. Over the years I have continued to do so at times but not as often. (I hope you still respect me.) Fasting can take many forms. You can fast one meal a day. You can fast TV. It is important that we do not fast with a “works mentality” but with an understanding it helps us to hear more clearly from the Lord and also scripture commends it. During the time of fasting from food or something else, take the time to pray through the list of needs of your church family and for your own situation.

I do not want this time of Prayer and Fasting to feel like works or a burden. It should be joyful because we are expecting “God to arise and our enemies scattered.” I believe the Lord to move “suddenly” on our behalf this New Year. Praise God!!!

Pastor Phil

The birth of Jesus was prophesied hundreds of years before his eventual coming. As we read in Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Make no mistake about it, Jesus came to bring “government” to our world and to our lives. When we hear the word government as Americans we hopefully feel that the less the better. We are proud of our freedoms as a nation and want to make sure that they remain in place. We recognize we are to pray for our countries government but do not want to be overburdened or oppressed by them. Thank God for the freedoms we do have; may they always remain.

Jesus’ government in our lives is meant to bring us perfect peace. His government is not meant to oppress us but to bring us true freedom. At this time of year Jesus is almost in everything from carols to Christmas cards. However, some who are close to us fear his government in their lives. They do not understand that he did not come to oppress them but to give them true freedom and wisdom. May God give you wisdom to share with various family members graciously the love of Christ.

In closing, we are about to start another year also. There will be a 1 hour prayer meeting on New Years Ever from 6:30-7:30pm. Come join others in our church as we pray for the New Year.

Pastor Phil

Not too long ago I was watching the movie Pollyanna. I have to admit the ending always is sad but there are some classic scenes throughout the movie.

I love the scene of the minister coming into the service to preach. He climbs up a flight of stairs into the pulpit and then hammers the congregation with a sermon entitled, “Death comes unexpectedly.” The message is full of hell fire and brimstone. Then he comes back down the stairs and walks out. Latter in the movie, Pollyanna tells him that there is an abundance of verses on the goodness of God and we are encouraged to be thankful as well as reverent of God.

This is the time of year we celebrate Thanksgiving. We may be going through various things but scripture encourages us to be thankful. As we read in 1Thes 5:18, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We also read in Heb 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Thankfulness is worship. We can worship the Lord by having an attitude of thankfulness. Pollyanna was not denying that scripture speaks of judgment but she was reminding the pastor in the movie that it also speaks of the goodness of God and we are encouraged to praise him. We cannot deny that life has challenges and some of them unfair. But God still deserves our praise and thanksgiving.

During this thanksgiving season make choices to be grateful. Make the choice to be thankful. Have a great thanksgiving!