I Could Really Use A Wish Right Now

Young Life Chelsea kicked off a weekly club meeting four weeks ago and it has been amazing to see God up to some pretty cool stuff! A month in and we have established a weekly connection with a core group of teens and a great group of volunteer leaders. I am overwhelmed to be a part of this journey.

Tonight we met and had an incredible club! We had cheeseburgers and shakes, played the game "Apples to Apples", and talked about Jesus teaching us how to pray.

We played the song "Airplanes" by B.O.B. and Haley Williams while they wrote down three wishes they would want to wish for. We then shared with them that Christ wants to meet their needs and told them that prayer is an opportunity to bring those to Him. It was incredible as a few of the kids knew the "Lord's Prayer" and even recited it for us!

God is moving, and I am so thankful that you are a part of this journey. Please continue to pray for us and support this ministry. You rock! Young Life Chelsea is rocking! Jesus rocks! Can you tell I am excited?!

Young Life: New York City

Birthday Gift!

If you are thinking about getting me something for my birthday then make a one-time donation to Young Life Chelsea! Ministry needs that your gift would go to:

- bibles for teens in NYC
- resources for our weekly evangelistic meetings
- space rental for our weekly meetings
- a new laptop for ministry purposes (mine is dying)
- sending teens to Young Life camp

Make checks to: Young Life Chelsea
Memo line: YL128
Mailing Address: Young Life Chelsea - Gallery Church
1160 Broadway 5th Floor
New York City, NY 10001

If you are interested in providing an ongoing donation then e-mail me for more information: [nycmills@gmail.com].

Thanks for a great birthday!

It's Time!

I have put off blogging for a bit as I have been rocking a few things. However, I am jumping back into the blogging world. I'm going to be more regular with you - so be excited! So, let me update you on the big things that have happened in my life since I last blogged.

I have been working as the worship director of Gallery Church since August and I love it! I am blessed to have some talented and committed people around me as I lead the music, media, and sound teams. Pray for continued direction and leadership with these teams and the worship at Gallery Church!

I have also been working for City Uprising since the beginning of the year. It has been a privilege to give direction to and lead the worship experiences thus far and I look forward to those upcoming with City Uprising.

Lastly, I and my team officially launched Young Life Chelsea two weeks ago! It started with a bang as we had a good core group of neighborhood kids attend with strong adult volunteer leadership from Gallery Church. This was only able to happen as several of you have been praying, and supporting this ministry financially. Your continued prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated.

I am just overwhelmed at what God has been up to in my life! It is crazy to think that over a year ago I moved here without much direction but to get up and "Go." I quickly found a job serving tables, and slowly but surely God opened doors for me to drop the apron and step into full-time ministry. It is great to be serving Christ and His church here in NYC. I look forward to sharing the journey with you.

Young Life: New York City

I’m writing with great excitement and humility about what God has been doing in my life! At the same time, I am asking that you also support me as we together work to impact the lives and families of those who live in New York City for the Gospel!

The Calling
As many of you already know, God gave me a passion for ministry in NYC more than a year ago. In November 2009, after several months of both prayer and seeking the wisdom of godly people in my life, I left Nashville, TN and moved to NYC. I didn’t have a clear understanding of what I would be doing specifically, but I had a clear understanding of the most important part: God was calling me to take the Gospel to the people of NYC.

After living in the city for a year, the “what” has finally become clear. I would like to share this “what” with you and ask for you to prayerfully partner with me in a significant way. In doing so, I am asking you to stretch yourself with me for the sake of the Gospel.

The Mission
The mission that God has called me to serve is two-fold. First of all, I have recently transitioned into a part-time role as worship director at the Gallery Church. This is the church that encouraged me to come to NYC and with whom I have been training for ministry in the city. I’m enjoying this great and humbling new responsibility, and I ask that you pray for me as I serve the Gallery Church in this role.

Second of all, Young Life has asked me to serve on their staff and start a new club for teens that will be connected with the Gallery Church. Young Life is a Christian student ministry that seeks to act as a bridge between the “secular” and the “sacred.” In other words, some students might not readily come to a church service, but through Young Life, they can hear the Gospel through an outreach ministry designed with them in mind. Young Life truly seeks to meet students where they are and build relationships with them at their schools and on their turf. Through this ministry, the church is strategically mobilized to take the message of Christ into the community. Even though this ministry focuses on teenagers, it does not end with teens as entire families are often won to Christ!

Critical Part You Can Play
I need you to prayerfully consider helping me in the following important two ways:

1. Please volunteer to be part of my critical prayer team.

2. Become a financial partner with me today! In addition to the part-time salary that I’m making at Gallery Church, I still need to raise $36,000 a year to effectively run a Young Life club in the Chelsea area of Manhattan as well as cover my living expenses. It is very expensive to live and minister in Chelsea — the average rent for a studio apartment is $2,000 a month. Both my living expenses and Young Life’s ministry budget are included in this goal of $36,000.

On its own, $36,000 seems like a large number, but if broken down and shared, it immediately becomes manageable. If 20 people receiving this letter commit to sending me $150 per month for the next year (through next Oct.), I will accomplish this goal! I have listed some additional contributory scenarios below:

• 20 people giving $150 per month for the next year
• 200 people (every person reading this letter) giving $15 per month for the next year
• 1 person giving $1,000 per month, 10 people giving $100 a month, and 100 people giving $10 per month for the next year

Please understand that if you’re unable to make such a long-term commitment, I’d be grateful to receive any type of financial support that you are able to give, whether it’s a one-time gift or a lesser amount each month. Many times, the smallest of gifts is the most sacrificial. Also note that your financial sacrifice will be completely tax deductible.

There are well over 2 million teenagers that live in New York City. However, there are very few churches providing them with relevant and strategic evangelical ministry. Would you consider helping — through prayer, your finances or a combination of the two — to reach teens and their families for the gospel in NYC? By doing this, you can greatly impact our world. NYC youth are the future of this city, and this city shapes the future of our country.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and prayerfully consider how you may support this ministry. If you are going to support me please email me and let me know of your support. If you are planning to support me financially I will respond to your email and let you know how to do so. You are truly needed in this work. Be sure to also let me know how I may be praying for you as well.

Chris Mills
nycmills@gmail.com
www.nycmills.blogspot.com

Young Life Chelsea + Gallery Church

931 0391 from Freddy T. Wyatt on Vimeo.

I am excited about this new partnership of ministry! Let me know if you want to help out. nycmills@gmail.com

Junerrific!

June was extremely busy and totally amazing! I barely had time to breathe, but the ride was out of this world! I usually take the time to try and make my blogs sound more professional, but because of all that has happened I will only be able to hit you "headline style."

SBC: ORLANDO AND NYC
I began June by going to the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando. I was asked to be one of nine delegates our church took this year. While at the convention two really big things happened. First we had the official launch of sendnyc. Many of the people who attended were able to catch the vision we have of planting 100 churches over the next ten years in NYC. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what God has in store for this ministry as we work toward that goal. Secondly, the convention passed the Great Commission Resurgance's proposal. If you don't know much about this particular proposal let me sum it up by saying it should translate into several wins for us here in NYC. The SBC will now be in the postion to send us more funds and resources to do ministry here in the Big Apple!

PARENTS IN THE CITY
Once I got home from the convention I was greeted by my parents who were already in the city! We spent the next few days hanging out with some friends - enjoying one another and the city. I even put mom and dad
to work as they helped with a prayer walk for an upcoming ministry event I was leading. A few days later my sister joined us in NYC and it was good to have the whole family in town at the same time.

OVER 50 KIDS COME TO TOURNEY
Kim was able to stay several more days after mom and dad left and helped me and City Uprising with a mission project. We had several events during the week that were designed to propel the church and prosper the city. One of these events was a 3 on 3 basketball tournament that I put together to jumpstart my Young Life ministry. We had over 50 neighborhood kids to show up at this event. It was a great start to our Young Life ministry in the Chelsea area of Manhattan!

God is moving, and it is good. I hope July allows me a little more time to breathe. None-the-less, June was junerrific!