This past Baptism Sunday was held on Father’s Day and that made it even more special than usual. Each person who gets baptized has their own reasons for taking the step and with that comes an array of emotions that accompany the process. Sometimes the step can even be a gift for the friends and family who have been supporting and praying for us on the journey. That was the case this past Sunday, as a mother/daughter duo took the step together as a surprise Father’s Day gift for dad! 

We saw three people take the step of baptism on Sunday and we spoke to all three of them to hear about their story and what made them decide to get baptized. 

_**Susan- 9:30 Service Baptism**_

**Story Team: What was the feeling like after you were baptized?**

**Susan:** After my baptism I was so excited to begin my new journey in my faith. I was forming a closer relationship with Jesus. 

**Story Team:** **Who was up there with you?**

**Susan:** I was joined by my daughter Erin, her husband James, my grandchildren, and my dinner group

**Story Team: What made you take the step of baptism?**

**Susan:** Pastor Chris had talked about faith. He said something to the effect that no one is sure about their faith journey but by making the commitment first, it only helps your faith get stronger. 

**Story Team: For another Hoboken Grace community member who may be thinking about taking this step, what would you say to them?**

**Susan:** I would say “go for it”. If you believe in Jesus why not just take the step? You might have doubts but this helps remove those doubts and make you feel even closer to Him.

**Story Team: Anything else you’d like to share?** 

**Susan:** I feel that Hoboken Grace has truly been a gift from God for me. Since I joined, I realized how God and Jesus have been instrumental in my life all along. My eyes have been opened to the blessings I receive every day!

_**Margarita and Leah- Mother & Daughter 11:00 am Service Baptisms**_ 

**Story Team: What was the feeling like after you were baptized?** 

**Margarita:** I felt so much love and freedom! I was in a state of pure contentment and peace like nothing I can ever describe. When I came up from being under the water, everything was glowing and I felt God’s and Jesus’ presence in a very real way.

**Leah:** After I was baptized, I felt an ethereal feeling consume me, a feeling of security, happiness, and bliss as I knew that I was now fully devoted to the Lord. I felt secure in my faith and future. I know God has plans to prosper me and this was the first step in a journey full of thousands of steps to reach a plentiful and massive goal. 

**Story Team: Who was up there with you?** 

**Margarita:** My husband, daughter Leah, son, my mom and my mother-in-law. One of my dear friends Betsy, and my first couple’s dinner group members; Nancy, Kelvin, Fernanda and Justin, as well as my new dinner group members (women’s group) Eli and Bonita.

**Leah:** My mother Margarita, my father, my grandmothers, Diana, Elizabeth, Karen, and Cristina- my friends from the Mexico mission trip. 

**Story Team: How was it as mother/daughter being baptized together and how did you pull off the Father’s Day surprise?!**

**Margarita:** It was an added blessing, being baptized alongside my daughter. Once again God gave me a small glimpse of His glory and on Father’s Day! Once I shared the news of my baptism with Leah, she was eager and ready to take this journey, at that moment we decided how amazing it would be for Leah to surprise her father. We had to be a little tricky and plan around him, but it worked! Carmelo was so surprised and emotional; we were all emotional!

**Leah:** Being a mother/daughter baptism was amazing because I felt safe and solidarity taking this step with my mom as she influenced me to take this step to change for the better. In response to pulling this off, it was super difficult as I had to be surreptitious, secretive, and stealthy showing me that I’d make a pretty good actress or CIA agent!

**Story Team** **: What made you take the step of baptism?**

**Margarita:** I felt that Jesus wanted my obedience and I submitted to His will and got baptized. I was ready to make a public declaration of my faith. All the internal stuff has been in place for a long time, and in my heart, I knew it was time to take the next step. 

**Leah:** I took the step as a renewal and I wanted to establish a rapport with God and get out of my comfort zone in order to feel comfortable in getting to know Him better. 

**Story Team: For another Hoboken Grace community member who may be thinking about taking this step, what would you say to them?** 

**Margarita:** Everyone’s experience is different of course and it is not always the same for everyone but regardless, you won’t regret it! Taking the next step to me seals the commitment that you are ready to grow, learn, and love Jesus. For me, it will be one of the most memorable spiritual experiences ever.

**Leah:** I would say that this step, although it may feel like a leap, is a beautiful thing. It will make you feel secure and have reassurance by reminding you how great He is and what He is doing in your life. 

**Story Team: Anything else you’d like to share?** 

**Margarita:** I truly believe that God granted just a sliver of His glory that day. Of course, I missed Pastor High that day, but being there with Anthony was so special having him present next to me, meant so much. Hoboken Grace has helped me grow in this journey and the feeling of family warms my heart when I think about all that Hoboken Grace Church means to me. The consistent support is immeasurable.

**Leah:** I’d like to share that this was probably the best Father’s Day gift ever, so my apologies to my siblings for making this pretty hard to top haha!

Click [here](http://Hobokengrace.com/nextsteps) to learn more about how you can take the step of baptism!


The Feeling of Baptism


This Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day at Hoboken Grace. It was wonderful to honor our fathers, grandfathers, and the father-figures who have been instrumental in making us who we are today. As a gift to all fathers who attended, we had a special churro bar and we gave out Hoboken Grace aprons for dad to use when he’s being master of the grill!

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51259827326_346530b1d3_w.jpg)

There were also 3 baptisms, 2 of them being a moving surprise Father’s Day present for one of the dads!

Father’s Day was also the first time Pastor Anthony gave the message since his surgery. It was a great conversation for the second week of the Learning to Love Roller Coasters series. Pastor Anthony knows better than most how life can be like a roller coaster, having had many ups and downs with his cancer battle these last few months.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51259098752_0b39a65f15_w.jpg)

He spoke about how he struggled to find God’s peace in the midst of the hard times but he worked on trusting Him and letting God control the ride and once he relinquished control, he felt peace again. It was a poignant and inspiring message and a great continuation of this relevant series. Pastor Anthony said that we can have confidence riding the roller coaster of life because of who we know, where we’ll go, and what He’ll show. When we know God, we know the creator of the ride and He knows where we’re going, and He will show us the way.

It was such an awesome day celebrating our earthly fathers and our Father in heaven who loves us as His own!

If you missed any of it, you can catch up [here](https://hobokengrace.com/podcast/) and be sure to join us next week as we continue the conversation!


Father’s Day at Hoboken Grace

In Grace Kids we seek to help people find their way back to God by creating environments where kids can experience, learn about, respond to, and grow in the truth and love of Jesus while their parents have the opportunity to experience God through the message downstairs.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51246283111_581442a038_o-1.jpg)

One of our favorite Sundays of the year in Grace Kids is Graduation Sunday! Graduation in Grace Kids is a special Sunday where we celebrate all that the kids have learned and accomplished throughout the last year! Our preschool kids make the move to Clubhouse and all of our Clubhouse kids move into their new classes based on the grade they’ll be in in the fall. This includes our 5th graders who are moving to our Middle School Groups! 

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51246326814_fdb25b2ecf_o-1.jpg)

We participate in lots of fun activities, decorate graduation caps, have some yummy treats and take lots of pictures to commemorate the day!! I think the treats are probably a crowd favorite with the kids and the parents usually cherish the pictures the most.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51246622770_986f99dde9_o.jpg)

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51246339374_723b0d6b36_o.jpg)

“My favorite thing about graduation is welcoming the rising kindergartners into Clubhouse and seeing their excitement joining in with the older kids in the new activities!” – Said Diane, the Clubhouse Leader. 

We are so thankful that we get to be a part of this incredibly special day each year!


Grace Kids Graduation

This past Sunday we held Team Link as an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the teams at Hoboken Grace and how to make an impact in the community.

For those who do not attend in person or who do not live in the area, it’s also important to talk about remote serving opportunities! We recently sat down with Alex from the communications team and learned about his remote serving experience and how it has impacted his feeling of community and his faith.

Story Team: What team do you serve on and what is your role?

_Alex: I serve as part of the Story team within Communications. My main role is to write what we call “blurbs,” which appear in our social media, email newsletters, and other places. I also conduct written interviews to help tell the stories of people in our community._

Story Team: What is the reason you joined and how has it impacted your faith?

_Alex: Before COVID-19 shut the world down, my wife and I were both serving as part of Grace Kids. She was a teacher and I helped families check their kids in. We both felt called to serve, but I was certainly hesitant about taking this step since I had only recently started attending church again after a decade-long break. But I took the step of faith with my wife and grew a lot because of it. When the world stopped doing anything in-person, my wife and I packed a small suitcase and drove down to her parents’ house in Georgia. We thought we would have a nice 2 week vacation, but we’re still here 15 months later (and still with the same 5 t-shirts that we both packed)._ 

_We had both fallen into a rhythm of serving with Grace Kids, so we immediately felt like something was missing from our lives. I brought this up once in Dinner Group and Jolene (one of our dinner group leaders) mentioned that I should consider joining the Story team because they needed some help and it was easy to do remotely. I resisted the idea greatly because I am totally uncomfortable writing for an audience, but I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was missing from my life._ 

_A few months went by, and Pastor Chris gave a message saying you are supposed to take steps of faith before you are ready and grow because of it, not wait until you are ready to do so. Like Anthony likes to say, this was a pretty clear “nudge” to me from God. At the same time, we were also doing something in dinner group called “soul support,” where a different person would share something uplifting each week. For my week, we were in the middle of the Making Love series, so I wrote something about what it means to me to love your neighbor. People in dinner group really liked it, and Jolene didn’t hesitate to say that the Story team still needed help. So, despite my fears and anxiety and never having written social media content before, I said “yes” to join the Story team and haven’t looked back._

Story Team: What is it like to serve remotely and how do you like to make an impact?

_Alex: Serving remotely is great for me, because I can answer God’s call to impact my community despite living 800 miles away from the physical building where we hold services. It’s a bit strange that I haven’t met most of the team in person, but this is totally insignificant compared to the opportunity to serve. We’ve all gotten used to Zoom meetings by now, so it isn’t a challenge at all to coordinate remotely._ 

_I always prefer to make an impact in the background, and serving remotely is a great way to do this. I was initially scared about writing for hundreds of people, but it’s nowhere near as bad as I was making it out to be._ 

Story Team: Even though it is remote, has serving on a team helped to deepen relationships and friendships?

_Alex: Yes! I’ve met new people and worked with a few people on Hoboken Grace staff for the first time. Like I said above, I still consider myself new to “this whole church thing,” so I was a little intimidated by this in the beginning. But getting to know the team has opened new connections, deepen existing friendships, and helped me grow my faith by saying “yes” before I was ready. The team is completely invested not only in building each other up, but also producing the best possible content to help people find their way back to God, myself included._ 

Story Team: What would you say to someone who is unsure about serving remotely?

_Alex: Dive in! Give it a shot. Worst case, it might not be the best fit and you can pivot to something else that fits your strengths better. But you don’t know until you try. I’ve grown a lot in my faith by trusting God’s plan for me and saying yes before I felt ready. I plan to remember this in the future and continue to take new steps. That’s not to say that I won’t be afraid of stepping into the unknown or resist these steps a little, but I will have this experience that I can look back on and remember that it was worth the small amount of “growing pains” in the end._

Ready to join a team? Click [here](https://hobokengrace.com/serve/) to learn more!


Serving from Home

To many, Memorial Day weekend is the “official” kick-off to summer. A blocked off time to remember and honor those who have served in our armed forces and lost life in the fight to preserve our freedom and how we live in this country. While it opens up the opportunity to travel out of town, for those who choose to stick around the Mile Square, Hoboken Grace has its annual Memorial Day picnic as a means of bringing our community together on this day for some fellowship, good food and fun games.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51218314529_75f38c0b93_c.jpg)

This was the first picnic we were able to have in our very own space after having access to the lawn after the holiday weekend last year. We at Hoboken Grace love a good park! But having our space allows it to feel more intimate and safe for those still not feeling up for being among a crowd of strangers. Fortunately, the rain held off, which meant the many hours of cornhole, Oreo stacking and general chit-chat were on and full of competitive spirits (except for the chit-chat. I’m not sure that could be a competition…yet!)

The fun of events like this is getting to spend time with families and individuals of all ages.

There aren’t too many events where you can witness kids interacting with adults, kids interacting with other kids, and adults interacting with high stakes, sweat inducing lawn games. Some folks are still seeing each other for the first time since last year, and what better way to bring everyone together?

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51218622855_b023c0c737_c.jpg)

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51216837617_1171055806_c.jpg)

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/06/51218314799_bbb49a637a_c.jpg)


Memorial Day at Hoboken Grace

At Hoboken Grace, so much of what we do wouldn’t be possible without the countless volunteers who give tirelessly to lead our groups and teams. Each leader is a vital part of the mission and helps us spread the love of God to those around us. 

This past weekend we honored those who give of their time and talents to lead well with our annual Leadership Weekend. It was especially important this year as we had to cancel last year during the pandemic. There are many new leaders this year as the pandemic has brought new people in as others left the area for good. So being able to come together and celebrate our leaders and allow them to meet each other face-to-face, was essential. 

It was so great to be able to support each other and celebrate together as we were encouraged and got prepared for the great things God will do this year within our church and community. There were three main tenets that came out of the weekend; Loving Well, Helping People, and Leading People. By supporting and helping our leaders and loving them well it makes it possible for them to love and help those they lead. 

The weekend started on Saturday with a 2-session leadership development seminar to help our leaders talk to each other, get ideas, and ask the hard questions. Small groups and breakout sessions helped the leaders connect with each other and offer each other support and encouragement. 

 After that, the day ended with an awesome BBQ. Previously planned for the Lawn, the BBQ was moved inside 301 Garden due to rain, but that didn’t stop the fun! Two food trucks pulled up to 301 Garden serving up an all-we-could-eat delicious spread. There was cornhole, giant Jenga, and a ton of other fun games, as well an awesome kids area with movies, toys, and video games. It was such a fun time and so special to have everyone together after a year of being apart. 

Sunday was supposed to be a day at Six Flags, but the rain once again altered plans. Tickets were distributed and leaders will go with their families as they please at a later date. 

Equipping our leaders to lead well is one of the most important things we do at Hoboken Grace and without our leaders we wouldn’t be able to complete our mission of helping people find their way back to God. We are so grateful for all of our leaders and we were thrilled to be able to honor and celebrate them again this year. 

Great leaders are always needed, if you’ve been feeling called to lead a Dinner Group, a team or want to learn more check out [Next Steps here](https://hobokengrace.com/nextsteps/), and maybe you can join us at next year’s Leadership Weekend and we will be celebrating your contribution! 


Leading Well- Leadership Weekend 2021

We Believe was held last Sunday and is‌ ‌designed‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌kids‌ ‌learn‌ ‌what‌ ‌it‌ ‌means‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌personal‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌with‌ ‌Jesus‌ ‌and‌ ‌what‌ ‌it‌ ‌means‌ ‌to‌ ‌take‌ ‌the‌ ‌step‌ ‌of‌ ‌baptism.‌ ‌The‌ ‌class‌ ‌provides a welcoming space to engage‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌ conversation with‌ ‌your‌ ‌child‌ and‌ ‌give‌s parents the‌ ‌tools‌ ‌to‌ ‌answer‌ ‌their‌ ‌questions‌ ‌as‌ ‌you‌ ‌continue‌ the conversation‌‌ ‌at‌ ‌home.‌ ‌ ‌  
‌  
We sat down with one of the parents who attended this weekend.

**1.Why‌ ‌did‌ ‌you‌ ‌attend‌ ‌the‌ ‌class‌ ‌and‌ ‌what‌ ‌were‌ ‌you‌ ‌hoping‌ ‌to‌ ‌learn?‌ ‌**

I’ve‌ ‌been‌ ‌attending‌ ‌HG‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌couple‌ ‌years‌ ‌now,‌ ‌and‌ ‌as‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌taking‌ ‌the‌ ‌step‌ ‌of‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌myself‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌next‌ ‌couple‌ ‌of‌ ‌weeks,‌ ‌I‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌my‌ ‌son‌ ‌who‌ ‌is‌ ‌8‌ ‌years‌ ‌old‌ ‌to‌ ‌share‌ ‌this‌ ‌class‌ ‌with‌ ‌me‌, be‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌ask‌ ‌questions‌ ‌and‌ ‌talk‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌means.‌I‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌this‌ ‌time‌ ‌together‌ ‌and‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌engage‌ ‌these‌ ‌doubts‌ ‌and‌ ‌questions‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌Grace‌ ‌Kids‌ ‌teachers.‌ ‌Also‌ ‌just‌ ‌being‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌attend‌ ‌the‌ ‌class‌ ‌and‌ ‌to‌ ‌know‌ ‌our‌ ‌church‌ ‌family‌ ‌is‌ ‌there‌ ‌to‌ ‌guide‌ ‌us‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌process‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌great.‌

**2.How‌ ‌do‌ ‌you‌ ‌feel‌ ‌about‌ ‌your‌ ‌son‌ ‌taking‌ ‌the‌ ‌step‌ ‌of‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌after‌ ‌attending‌ ‌“We‌ ‌Believe”?‌ ‌‌**

I‌ ‌am‌ ‌not‌ ‌sure‌ ‌if‌ ‌we‌ ‌are‌ ‌getting‌ ‌baptized‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌day,‌ ‌but‌ ‌I‌ ‌was‌ ‌really‌ ‌happy‌ ‌when‌ ‌my‌ ‌son‌ ‌said‌ ‌“I‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌love‌ ‌God‌ ‌forever!”‌ ‌and‌ ‌being‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌explain‌ ‌to‌ ‌him‌ ‌that‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌is‌ ‌just‌ ‌that!‌ ‌Loving‌ ‌God‌ ‌forever‌ ‌and‌ ‌making‌ ‌that‌ ‌statement‌ ‌public‌ ‌as‌ ‌we‌ ‌answer‌ ‌this‌ ‌question‌ ‌on‌ ‌stage‌ ‌the‌ ‌day‌ ‌of‌ ‌baptism.‌ ‌I‌ ‌think‌ ‌the‌ ‌class‌ ‌helped‌ ‌him‌ ‌get‌ ‌clarity‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌sin‌ ‌is,‌ ‌why‌ ‌we‌ ‌get‌ ‌baptized,‌ ‌and‌ ‌how to‌ ‌explain‌ ‌these‌ ‌concepts‌ ‌to‌ ‌an‌ ‌8‌ ‌year‌ ‌old.‌ ‌Regardless‌ ‌of‌ ‌him‌ ‌making‌ ‌the‌ ‌decision‌ ‌now,‌ ‌I‌ ‌know‌ ‌God‌ ‌is‌ ‌working‌ ‌on‌ ‌his‌ ‌heart‌ ‌and‌ ‌giving‌ ‌him‌ ‌clarity.‌ ‌  
‌  
**3.What‌ ‌is‌ ‌your‌ ‌advice‌ ‌to‌ ‌other‌ ‌parents‌ ‌that‌ ‌are‌ ‌struggling‌ ‌with‌ ‌questions‌ ‌about‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌encourage‌ ‌their‌ ‌kids‌ ‌to‌ ‌take‌ ‌this‌ ‌step?‌ ‌‌**

I‌ ‌think‌ ‌as‌ ‌adults‌ ‌we‌ ‌are‌ ‌all‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌different‌ ‌stage‌ ‌on‌ ‌our‌ ‌faith‌ ‌journey,‌ ‌and‌ ‌our‌ ‌kids‌ ‌are the same.‌ ‌I‌ ‌would‌ ‌just‌ ‌say‌ ‌to‌ ‌embrace‌ ‌where‌ ‌they‌ ‌are‌ ‌and‌ ‌guide‌ ‌by‌ ‌example!‌ You can‌ ‌rely‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌support‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌ ‌find‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌church‌ ‌family.‌ ‌ ‌Also‌ ‌do not‌ ‌be‌ ‌afraid‌ ‌to‌ ‌tell‌ ‌our‌ ‌kids‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌have‌ ‌the‌ ‌answer‌ ‌if‌ ‌we‌ ‌don’t!‌ ‌It’s‌ ‌ok‌ ‌to‌ ‌not‌ ‌know,‌ ‌and‌ ‌to seek‌ ‌the‌ ‌right‌ ‌answers.‌ ‌I‌ ‌think‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌important‌ ‌to‌ ‌guide‌ ‌them‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌best‌ ‌way‌ ‌possible,‌ ‌so‌ ‌reach‌ ‌out‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌staff‌ ‌member‌ ‌at‌ ‌HG‌ ‌with‌ ‌any‌ ‌questions‌ ‌they‌ ‌might‌ ‌have.‌ ‌

**4.What‌ ‌was‌ ‌the‌ ‌biggest‌ ‌take‌ ‌away‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌class?‌ ‌And for‌ ‌your‌ ‌son?‌ ‌‌**

I‌ ‌think‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌just‌ ‌the‌ ‌fact‌ ‌that ‌I‌ ‌can‌ ‌take‌ ‌a‌ ‌class‌ ‌alongside‌ ‌my‌ ‌son,‌ ‌being‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌read‌ ‌and‌ ‌answer‌ ‌these‌ ‌questions‌ ‌together‌ ‌and‌ ‌be‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌continue‌ ‌at‌ ‌home.‌ ‌I‌ ‌think‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌also‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌share‌ ‌his‌ ‌thoughts‌ ‌in‌ ‌an‌ ‌environment‌ ‌where‌ ‌he‌ ‌feels‌ ‌comfortable,‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌know‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌because‌ ‌he‌ ‌didn’t‌ ‌stop‌ ‌talking!‌ ‌

 **‌5.What‌ ‌is‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌for‌ ‌you?‌ ‌Did‌ ‌your‌ ‌idea‌ ‌of‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌change‌ ‌after‌ ‌the‌ ‌class?‌ ‌**

I‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌think‌ ‌it‌ ‌changed‌ ‌but‌ ‌it‌ ‌was‌ ‌definitely‌ ‌reinforced.‌ ‌I‌ ‌know‌ ‌this‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌step‌ ‌God‌ ‌calls‌ ‌us‌ ‌to,‌ ‌and‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌an‌ ‌important‌ ‌affirmation‌ ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌love‌ ‌for‌ ‌Him, and‌ ‌acceptance‌ ‌of‌ ‌God‌ ‌as‌ ‌our‌ ‌savior.‌ ‌I‌ ‌think‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌no‌ ‌reason‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌hesitant!‌ ‌If‌ ‌you‌ ‌trust‌ ‌what‌ ‌God‌ ‌is‌ ‌doing‌ ‌in‌ ‌your‌ ‌life,‌ ‌and‌ ‌what‌ ‌He‌ ‌did‌ ‌for‌ ‌us,‌ ‌the‌ ‌step‌ ‌of‌ ‌baptism‌ ‌to‌ ‌me,‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌just‌ ‌like‌ ‌saying‌ ‌it‌ ‌out‌ ‌loud‌ ‌how‌ ‌much‌ ‌we‌ ‌love‌ ‌Him!‌ ‌


We Believe!

Taking the step of baptism is an emotional and exciting event. At Hoboken Grace, we believe no one should take the step alone. We are all on this journey together as a church family and we love to celebrate these things as a family! That’s why when someone is baptized, they do so surrounded by their friends and family to support and encourage them as they take the step. The feeling and experience is different for everyone so we checked in with Athina who was baptized last week to ask her about her experience and who was with her as she publicly declared her faith in Jesus. 

**Story Team:** What was the feeling like after you were baptized?

**Athina**: I felt invigorated. I was shaking and genuinely excited. If I think about it too much I’ll cry. Even now, a couple days later, I feel new.

**Story Team:** Who was up there with you?

**Athina:** My parents, maternal grandparents, and boyfriend. They’ve all been instrumental in my spiritual journey, never judging me for having questions and loving me every step of the way. My grandparents have especially been role models in faith to me, their optimism and love for God is so prevalent in their everyday lives. I hope to have a faith as strong as theirs when I’m in my 80s!

**Story Team:** For another Hoboken Grace community member who may be thinking about taking this step, what would you say to them?

**Athina:** To be a little punny – dive in! I waited a long time until I felt like I was “ready,” but the reality is that it didn’t matter. I wasn’t any more “ready” yesterday than I was months ago when I returned to faith. The only thing that made me ready is believing in Jesus’ resurrection and what it means.

**Story Team:** What made you take the step of baptism?

**Athina:** I felt called to it. I came to the realization that I didn’t have to be good enough or do enough, Jesus showed me that I am saved through faith and all else will follow. I saw two paths ahead of me, one where I try and fail to hold myself to an impossible standard and constantly wonder when I’ll be good enough or another, where I accept that I am flawed and that the only recourse is accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I wanted to make the commitment to live by faith and love as He does, knowing that it is a lifelong journey and not the finish line

**Story Team:** Anything else you’d like to share? 

**Athina:** My grandma loved the way Hoboken Grace does baptisms so much (inviting up the family to pray and support together) that she said she’s going to recommend it at her church too! Also, getting involved in the Hoboken Grace community was very helpful. I joined a dinner group – speaking to other women of faith, listening to their stories, and realizing that there are others who have had similar journeys to me has been more impactful than I can put into words.

Ready to take this step yourself? [Click here to learn more!](https://hobokengrace.com/baptism/)


Dive in! Taking the Step of Baptism

Are you expecting or the parent of a newborn? Our [NINE class](https://hobokengrace.churchcenter.com/groups/dinner-groups/nine-summer-2021) is designed to help you start this journey and build into your child from day one. The class is back this summer and starts in just one week. Here are nine reasons to sign up:

**1). It’s hard to prepare for what’s about to happen.**

We spend years training for our career. We take pre-marital classes before marriage. But parenthood? It’s one of life’s biggest steps – and one of the hardest things we’ll ever do – yet we assume (hope) it will come naturally.

**2). Making disciples should be our greatest priority.**

As parents, we’ve been called to create disciples of the little ones entrusted to us. Our greatest priority should be ensuring that our children grow up knowing the one who loves them most! This doesn’t happen automatically, and we have to be intentional about it.

**3). A faith-based understanding of truth will shape the way you parent.** 

“We have a couple of months before our baby arrives, but the class has already been an enormous blessing to us, filling some huge holes in awareness and knowledge that we didn’t even realize we had,” said Ben and Adrienne. “NINE gave us some awesome tools to start thinking about how we will raise our child, our need for grace, and how parents can reflect a nuanced understanding of God to their children from day one.”

**4). Because you need a plan.**

“The NINE class has been essential in helping us thoughtfully prepare for the arrival of our first child,” said Eric and Kristen. “Learning the principles that support practical parenting decisions has allowed us to confidently establish our strategies regarding sleep training, discipline and discipleship.”

**5). It’s a necessary conversation starter.**

“We continue to have challenging conversations based on the material and are so thankful for what we learned as we discuss things,” said Ben and Adrienne. “The class really brought us face to face with some of the deep naivety and false confidence with which we were approaching parenthood.”

**6). You’ll work through tough topics – like discipline – early on.**

“What I think I’ll remember most was the challenge to protect my relationship with my child and make sure I never use that relationship as a bargaining tool,” said Erika, who took the spring class with her husband, Nick. “Because of human nature, it can be tempting to default to respond in unhealthy ways when our kid does not do what we want them to. Instead, focusing on disciplining my child the way God does with me — with love, endless second chances and not with shame — will make such a difference.”

**7). It’s a great opportunity to meet other expecting parents.**

You’re not alone in this. Learn from others who are also preparing to become parents and share the journey with them.

**8). It’s just four hours.**

The class meets for one hour on Tuesdays (from 7 to 8 p.m.) for four weeks. Classes start June 1st and wrap up June 22nd.

**9). There’s no time to wait!**

Registration fills up fast, and NINE only offered a few times a year. If you’re expecting, start your conversation about parenthood today. You can register for the class [here](https://hobokengrace.churchcenter.com/groups/dinner-groups/nine-summer-2021).


Nine reasons to take NINE

Greetings!

There are several things that really bother those of us who are natural rule followers. People who ride on the left side of an escalator while blocking others from walking past them, for example, or driving slow in the left lane. We are the jerks who use our horns too much, call you out for cutting in line and leave notes on office microwaves. I know what you’re thinking: “Ugh, you’re those people?!”

I can’t help it, it’s in my genes. From a very young age I have always tried my best to stay within the bounds of the rules. A lot of that came from never wanting to lose the respect of my parents. I benefited from being the youngest in that I got to learn a ton from my three older brothers’ mistakes.

This way of thinking follows me wherever I go. I’m constantly trying to make sure I’m following the rules. When my wife and I took a trip to another country one summer, I’m pretty sure I annoyed her with how much time I spent trying to figure out the proper customs. The last thing I wanted to do was feel like an idiot, not greet someone properly, or not tip enough. Bah! I’m getting stressed just thinking about it.

On good days, we somehow manage to find the grace, compassion and kindness for others who fall out of line, but the bigger problem comes when we break the rules ourselves. When I break a rule, it sends me down an ugly path. I start to hate myself. I can’t stand the thought of myself being disrespectful or selfish. If I set the rule, I feel like a hypocrite.

Recently, I’ve been on a strict diet. I get pumped by the number of days I can go without having a cheat day. I managed to start the year on a 20-day streak, until it came to a big anniversary meal with my wife to celebrate our sixth year of marriage. I tried my hardest to follow the rules of the diet, but the restaurant had a hard time staying within my guidelines. My streak ended and although the meal was delicious and tasty, it got to my head and I started to beat myself up. My mind robbed me of the joy that meal and time with my wife was meant to be. It happened again recently during a connection event. I ordered a meal that was within the rules of my diet, but then the waitress brought out the wrong order. I didn’t have it in me to tell her I had the wrong meal. After eating it, I hated myself for what I did. I wanted to quit and ignore all the progress I had made. I wanted to throw it all away because I couldn’t be perfect, and it’s easier to be on a plan that has no rules at all.

Why is it so easy for us to have grace and compassion for others but not ourselves?

Thankfully there is hope for us!

As Romans 20 says, “The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” This should be comforting, not demoralizing. It shows us how much we need a savior. The writer Paul continues…

> 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 **We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.**
> 
> 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
> 
> 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because **our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith**. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Is it a sin to be a rule follower? No, but it is if we think that following the rules is what is going to save us. Only Jesus can do that. Don’t put your faith in how good you can be. Don’t put your faith in being right. Put your faith in the one who paid the price for us all. He doesn’t see you as a failure, and neither should you.

Your Fellow Rule Follower,

Nick


A Letter to My Fellow Rule Followers


Let’s be honest. When speaking about times in which we honor mothers, it should be every day. It’s the least we could do for them living us the gift of life and raising us to be the people we are today. But it is special that a day is set aside to remember, honor and uplift the mothers and motherly figures in all of our lives.![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/05/51169184805_c6b2c131e3_c.jpg)

With Mother’s Day always falling on a Sunday, it has become a tradition in many households to spend Mother’s Day morning at church. Tons of them would be there anyway, but there’s just something different in the air on Mother’s Day, spending it with other mothers and the kids who turned them into mothers. Like a handful of other holidays, Mother’s Day was an unfortunate casualty of the pandemic in that we, as a church body, had to spend it separately in our own homes.

Some were in lock down with their mothers, others lived far away and couldn’t see them, but coming back together for it this year felt like no time had passed. Seeing the smiling faces of the Hoboken Grace moms and their families as they entered the doors reminding us how important this type of communal experience is and how we’ll always find a way to celebrate.

If you attended in-person service this past Sunday, you might have noticed the special coffee station we had set up just for this occasion, as well a photo station for family pictures and a gift of Hoboken Grace mugs given out to all the mothers. So many mothers and motherly figures showed up that more were given out than anticipated, showing how eager everyone was to get out of the house and be with family and friends during this wonderful day.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/05/51168088801_051238ce49_c.jpg)

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![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/05/51167415172_986b188b01_c.jpg)

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Mother’s Day at Hoboken Grace

The decision to get baptized is an awesome one. It represents one of the most important steps of faith we can make. But how does the process start?

To help answer questions people may have about it, our story team recently sat down with Roman. He’s one of our online care pastors who supports and guides people who are thinking about baptism.

We were also able to hear from Cristina who was recently baptized about why she wanted to take the step and what it meant to her.

Check out their stories below!

**Roman Talks ‘What is Baptism’**

Being baptized is an incredible picture that symbolizes the spiritual rebirth that has happened to a person who has decided to follow Jesus and Him only. It’s beautiful and very much a joyful moment that we get to share with God and with those around us.

For those who have decided to trust in Jesus and to follow Him with their whole lives, being baptized is one of the next steps of faith! This can sometimes seem intimidating at first for a variety of reasons. If you are wanting to get baptized, we highly encourage you to take our What is Baptism class that will greatly inform you about what being baptized means.

You may still have specific questions about baptism! There is no shame in asking questions because many people have questions about baptism. We encourage you to ask those questions at [What is Baptism!](https://hobokengrace.com/baptism/) We host this class every 1st Sunday night of the month. Currently, this class is being done over zoom at 8pm.

During the class you can expect to hear in-depth knowledge concerning baptism that is found in the Bible. This is important because we want to better equip you with the biblical understanding of baptism! If we have a quick conversation, it’d be nearly impossible to talk about without missing crucial aspects, so our goal is to be intentional by providing class.

One question that is often asked is “Can anyone attend the class?”. Absolutely! Whether you have placed your faith in Christ yesterday or years ago, it doesn’t matter! We’d love for you to attend because if you haven’t considered getting baptized yet, there is no reason to wait! If you have placed your faith in Chris, you are ready to be baptized! That is amazing news because you don’t have to reach some level or acquire any other prerequisite.

Often, people ask or think things like, “Well… I think I need to mature in my faith or grow in my relationship with God just a little bit more… And then I’ll get baptized. Does that seem right?” My answer to that is no. God doesn’t require any other qualifications other than trusting in Him to be your Lord and Savior. Another common question that people ask is, “Do I need to be baptized to be saved?”. The answer to that one is a big no. The physical act of being baptized does not save you. From what we read in the Bible, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus and in him alone.

There are also many times when people come to me and say that they were already baptized as a baby. If you told me that today, what I’d say to you is that I’m glad that your parents wanted the best for you. I have no doubt that they wanted you to have a relationship with God and to be raised in the church. They wanted good for you. But as we read the Bible, we believe the scriptures make it clear that being baptized is something that only people who have put their faith in Christ do. Knowing that, we see that we are commanded by God to be baptized. This is an amazing opportunity to witness so many others that you are His now and forever!

Now after you get baptized, what happens next? Well, there is nothing special with the water that we use or the tub that you get dunked in. You won’t suddenly start behaving perfectly in everything you do… But you will have just announced to everyone on stage that you are proud to be His son or daughter. You will have publicly declared that He is truly good and worthy of following as Lord of your life! Him saving you is the best thing that has ever happened! From that moment on continue to seek Him first in all that you do and you will grow in your relationship with Him just like you and I grow in our relationships with those who we love.

**Cristina’s Baptism Experience**

Story Team: What was the feeling like after you were baptized?

Amazing! I’m in awe of what God has done and is doing for us if we simply trust Him. I could not articulate the overwhelming feeling at that moment; yet, assuredly I felt God’s presence and still do. You can feel God’s spiritual awakening that is happening within you and around you as you’re being renewed. It’s a glorious feeling!

Story Team: Who was up there with you?

Yvette , Dana, Rachel, Kelsey, and Megan.

Yvette is one of my best friends who also is my sister, and she has demonstrated what it is to love like Jesus by her generosity and uplifting character.

Dana is my close friend ever since I started attending Hoboken Grace 4 years ago. We were acquainted when I joined a dinner group then our friendship flourished into something better than I anticipated.

Dana suggested I serve on the Hoboken Grace Kids‘ worship team along with her. I felt unequipped for the role; however, Dana graciously encouraged me to take that step of faith and for that I’m forever grateful.

Rachel is a remarkable leader that led me into tithing, continuing to serve along with the Grace Kids’ team members, and her noticeable efforts to ensure those that serve remain engaged in the community is inspiring. I’m grateful for sharing my reservations with Rachel, who intentionally listened and provided an enlightening perspective.

In every Hoboken Grace Kids’ team huddle I’ve attended, Megan vividly welcomes team members and consistently creates excitement on our current and upcoming Grace kids’ events.

Kelsey epitomizes what it means to be “All in”! It’s great to see how she steps into faith wholeheartedly and is loving to all serving on Hoboken Grace’s worship team.

Story Team: For another Hoboken Grace community member who may be thinking about taking this step, what would you say to them?

Trust God and go all in without reservation in Jesus’ name!

Story Team: What made you take the step of baptism, and why was it important to you?

My first attempt of taking the step of baptism did not go as I planned. About 3 years ago I was preparing to get baptized at the second service, then it was interrupted by a fire alarm evacuating members outside the building; therefore, canceling service/baptisms for that day.

I was experiencing anxiety at the time and insecurities as to why this could be happening resulting in my decision to not step into faith after I was invited back for the next baptism. I continued to serve and attend service with my reservations of baptism in mind.

Every baptism I viewed and was a part of, I felt His Spirit and would burst into joyful tears after seeing others stepping into faith. I started experiencing feelings of conviction and guilt of not fully committing to God. My self-centered thoughts shifted into Christ centered thoughts even when I felt deterred.

I asked God for guidance and commenced a relationship with Him and He delivered! God has been renewing my mind and spirit throughout my path to faith which felt like an obstacle course before.

I needed to be all in so baptism was the next important step to faith for a relationship of trust with God. Well, God’s plan were greater than my thoughts were and now I’m finally baptized!

Story Team: Anything else you’d like to share?

I’m grateful that I have been blessed with my best friend and family who are supportive to my journey. Thank you to the Hoboken Grace team for being part of God’s mission of reconciliation.

To the future baptized readers (see what I did there), ask about baptism and go all in today!

Learn more about ‘What is Baptism’ [here](https://hobokengrace.com/baptism/).


What is Baptism?

A few weeks ago, Pastor Chris spoke about tapping deeper into the spiritual well which we do by coming together again as a church family. As we encourage people to return to church and get back into community, Hoboken Grace is expanding in-person services, using the Lawn for more connection opportunities, and promoting in-person serving and teams again. We are seeking to love each other well through connecting in-person again in a safe and responsible manner. 

The Story Team recently sat down with one of our own to speak to Al from the Photography Team to discuss how he was able to serve this year and what it has been like since he’s returned to serving in person. 

Story Team: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Al: I’m from England originally. We’ve been in the US for 5 ½ years now. We left England close to 10 years ago and moved to France for a few years, mainly for my wife’s job, and then had the chance to come to the US. We started coming to Hoboken Grace a few weeks after moving over here and liked it straight away.

Story Team: Why did you join a team?

Al: I’m a photographer, so I’m part of the Communications Team at Hoboken Grace. I had never really heard of a church having photographers, never mind a photo team. I saw a photographer in one of the services and got in touch with someone from the team and said if you have a need, let me know if I can help. I’ve been on the team about 5 years now and it’s just been great. 

Story Team: Have you been able to serve during the pandemic?

Al: Early on, all of us were figuring out how to do things, how to adapt, how to change things. We started photographing as much as we could to represent the online activities. There’s a picture of my daughter sitting in front of our TV with some soft toys next to her that’s been used a fair bit. I guess we were all photographing what was around us before we could really get out and interact with other people. We did a little bit for promotions, the Threshold series. But it’s way more limited – normally we’d be photographing every Sunday and those connection events. Going from that it was suddenly really quiet.

Story Team: So you’ve found some ways in the beginning to continue to serve. Is it getting better now that we’re doing more things in person?

Al: Yeah, absolutely. When the Lawn started up, we started photographing that as we would normally do for services at 301 Garden. It’s great that we had that space and services which gave us some kind of “back to normal” ability to serve. 

The other photographers went back to in-person services certainly before I did. We were talking as a family as to what we were comfortable with but I didn’t believe that was the right approach. Comfort shouldn’t be our primary goal and characteristic, but there’s also an element that I didn’t want to do something that my family wasn’t happy with. 

It’s been a case for me of wanting to love best, and that includes my family alongside service and trying to understand what God wants. I don’t think He wants family division or for me to step away from family and them to feel like they’re being put at risk by something that I’m doing.

Story Team: Of course! Everyone went through the same thought process. There were so many questions and no one had any answers. What ultimately made you decide to come back to in-person services?

Al: My wife and I started conversations about if there was a point we wanted to consider going back as a family. I photographed the Christmas Exchange, which was the first time I had been into 301 Garden since February or March last year.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/04/Al-Blog-Op1-1.jpg)

Story Team: What was that like?

Al: I had photographed the event 3 or 4 times before, and I knew it was going to be well organized. I know how good the leadership are in terms of loving the community. I felt privileged as a photographer to be able to record those moments and see the sheer joy and amazement on people’s faces. 

Those are really special moments and they’re not easy to photograph since they happen so quickly. It’s like photographing baptisms. I genuinely feel privileged to be up there and close to those moments of real life experience. On Sundays, I love photographing as much as I love being in the service. It doesn’t feel like work – I love being able to give something if I can. 

Story Team: What did it feel like your first time coming back to in-person service? 

Al: Going there in person, the difference struck me more. I loved being back to serve, and initially it was missing serving like I had before – I’ve always been part of a team and it was great to be back alongside them, particularly on Easter Sunday. I realized how it’s a different experience. The songs and the Starting Point promo visuals – I thought it was amazing. It was a really special time to be there and I realized how much I appreciated it. I also realized I had my first hug from a non-family member for the first time in 12 months! In some ways, it’s the small steps, but it does feel pretty significant to be there. 

Story Team: So what does your wife think about coming back to services?

Al: She very much appreciates the family experience of us all going together. Going all together on a Sunday and bringing our daughter makes it a communal experience for us as part of the bigger church. She also loved being able to take our daughter back and see her attending Grace Kids. Seeing our daughter start to understand Jesus and who He is and sometimes the wisdom that she brings is an incredible part of our church experience now. Our daughter is already asking to go back, and which day it will be!

Story Team: What would you say to someone who is debating whether or not to come back to in-person service?

Al: I think we should try to figure out what’s the most loving thing to do. For me and for us as a family, it was the right time for us to start going back in. I fully expect a lot of people will be struggling coming out of this. I’m sure it’s affected us in ways that we don’t realize. It seems like great timing – as people are seeing the world returning to elements of normality. 

But other people may feel pressured to go back into situations they don’t feel ready for, and that’s going to be difficult. We have to stand by each other. We have to respect each others’ views and differences. At the same time, if we see someone who would benefit from getting back into community more than they have been, we can try and encourage them in the right ways.

Story Team: Anything else you want to talk about?

Al: this year, I’ve been very challenged to adapt my rhythms and made some changes that have been very positive for my interactions with Him. He’s been challenging me on a few specific things – making the changes while you’re in transition rather than waiting to get back to something else.

Story Team: Any good tips for what’s worked for you to keep your rhythms?

Al: I revised my morning routine around the Morning Show. As much as I occasionally want to go back to bed, I try to have a bit of “God time” in the morning. It gives me time to get things done, and I read through the passage every day before the morning show. I’ve also been journaling pretty consistently for the past few years now and I recommend that to everybody. I’m terrible at understanding my own feelings and emotions and thoughts. Just writing those down is really helpful. 

If I’m struggling to pray, or my mind is wandering, then I’ll just pray in writing. I’ll just write thoughts that become prayers. And if I hear anything that I think God is saying, I’ll write that down as well. It’s also really interesting now to look back a year ago and look through my thoughts early on in the pandemic. It gives me more clarity on how I’m relating to God. When I read back through my prayers and how I’m addressing God, that can be interesting in and of itself. 

Story Team: As you go forward to the rest of this year, what are you most looking forward to in terms of serving and attending in person?

Al: I love being part of this team. I’ve photographed some of the connection events already and Sundays and the Easter Egg Hunt of course and I’m looking forward to doing more. 

I’m also hoping we can recruit more people. I like training, I enjoy sharing the experience, knowledge, and skills. I think we can use that as a bit of connection as well, or an opportunity to invite other people to connect with the church. I’d love to explore more how we use our photographs on social media and other potential forms. I’m trying to think more about artistic creativity in general and how that sits with our faith and ways we can encourage each other to be more creative. 

Register [here](https://hobokengrace.com/register/) for in-person services!


Coming Back Together

As part of the Home Initiative, we are always looking for ways to better love and support our community. One of these ways is through the Hoboken Grace Counseling Center. 

One of the Center’s counselors, John, recently spoke with the Story Team to talk about his personal/professional background and the long journey to finally make the Center a reality. To learn more, click [here](https://hobokengrace.com/counselingcenter/).

**Story Team:** Hi John! For those who do not know what the Hoboken Grace Counseling Center is or are just now hearing about it for the first time, can you explain a little bit about it? 

**John:** The Hoboken Grace Counseling Center goes along with the mission of the church, which is to help people find their way back to God. The Center provides licensed and professional mental health care built on a foundation of Christianity and faith. 

We see people on many different levels, including individual, family and marital therapy. We also do addictions therapy. Right now, we are able to meet the need, and that is really powerful, but it is growing quickly and so we are looking to expand in order to ensure that we can provide access to as many people as possible. 

**Story Team:** What is your professional background? 

**John:** I’m a licensed professional counselor in the state of New Jersey. I have a master’s degree from Alliance Graduate School of Counseling, which led me to receiving a license in mental health care and the ability to implement Christian-based values into the counseling sessions, if chosen. 

That important combination—which a lot of other colleges simply don’t provide—allows us to meet the requirements of an officially licensed center while also adding the critical piece of faith as part of our sessions for those who are seeking or would like that. 

**Story Team:** How did you get involved with creating this center specifically for Hoboken Grace? 

**John:** It’s a pretty amazing story. The counseling center has been a dream of mine and Pastor Chris’s for probably 8 or 9 years now. As I was seeking what that would look like, I was in prayer with God and through Him I was led to the idea of becoming a counselor myself. I sat down with Pastor Chris and he quickly reaffirmed this path without me saying much! 

This was all based on my passion to help, listen to and love people. We looked into it and noticed there were not a lot of Christian-based counseling centers in our area, and so we thought about what that could look like here in Hoboken. 

I ended up completely changing careers and Hoboken Grace came along side me in doing so. They were with me the whole time as I went back for my degree, including all of the necessary work in the clinical world to achieve the required number of counseling hours. Throughout that time, we developed the plan of creating something that we could offer through Hoboken Grace. 

Over the last year, we’ve been able to officially launch the program and it’s been very exciting! 

**Story Team:** What is it that makes the Hoboken Grace Counseling Center different from other centers in the area? 

**John:** The really big piece to that is the truth that there really aren’t many Christian-based counseling centers in the New York/New Jersey area. I can only think of a select few and prior to us there were no centers like ours in Hudson County, let alone in our local area of Hoboken. 

Since we’re very much about loving community, we’re always reviewing how to do this at an affordable price and to love our community as best we can. To help achieve those things, we’ve worked to make it available to those who are not able to travel or want something more local through both in-person or online sessions. 

**Story Team:** What are some of your overall goals and missions for the future of this center? 

**John:** Our constant mission will always be helping people find their way back to God, and this is just at another level when we look at that mental health piece. So that is the ultimate mission that we have, but we are still early in the God’s plan. 

We are a smaller counseling center at this time, but we are growing! As we do that, we’re going to bring in more professionals to be able to provide that full opportunity to love our community. We also constantly evaluate the therapy areas that are most in demand so that we continue to meet needs as they change as well. 

**Story Team:** For those who might be reading this and wanting to take those first steps into going to the Hoboken Grace Counseling Center for their needs, where can they find you and how can they get started? 

**John:** Visit our website at hobokengrace.com/counselingcenter. We also have it on our app under “engage.” You’ll find all sorts of information on our goals, next steps and the application needed if it is of interest to you. There’s also a sliding price scale for those who may need financial assistance. 

For the application, just fill it out and then you will be contacted by a counselor for an introductory hello! That helps us to get a little more information about your specific needs to figure out what is the best program fit for you.


Impact Through Counseling

Baptisms at Hoboken Grace are always powerful moments. We love to celebrate and are honored to be part of the journey when someone takes this next step in their faith.

It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’ve done, God is pursuing you exactly as you are. Shivonne and Fiorella recently discovered this themselves and realized they didn’t need to make a huge change or reach a certain level of perfection before they took the next step of faith. They decided to come to Him and take the step of baptism exactly as they were!

The Story Team recently spoke with them about their experience.

**Shivonne**

Story Team: What was the feeling like after you were baptized?

Shivonne: A huge celebration, inside and out! Taking this step in front of a church community that truly comes together and celebrates baptism with such joy and energy was a feeling I would have never imagined or even associated with a baptism. It was such a remarkable experience and day!

Story Team: Who was up there with you?

Shivonne: My son Easton, his dad, Jason, and my best friend, Olesia, all joined me on stage.

Story Team: For another Hoboken Grace community member who may be thinking about taking this step, what would you say to them?

Shivonne: Thinking about taking this step is all you actually need to take this step. That’s the sign. That’s it. For 2 years, I delayed my baptism looking for additional signs that I was ready. They never happened. What actually occurred was Pastor Chris reminding us all that faith is a ‘step first’ process. It wasn’t a sign. It was simple logic.

Story Team: What made you take the step of baptism, and why was it important to you?

Shivonne: Being Baptized signifies so much for me. I grew up Catholic and had been attending church, sporadically, since childhood (and at many points in my life, not at all). When my son was born, I knew that before I planned his Dedication, I needed to reconnect with my own faith so that committing my son to Christ would be more than a checkbox. For me, that meant stepping out of my 39-year religious comfort zone and into an entirely new ideaology. When I did that, I found Hoboken Grace. Attending service at Hoboken Grace for the first time, I new this was my vessel. Soon after, my son was dedicated and my own baptism here was the next important step in this renewed faith journey!

**Fiorella**

Story Team: What was the feeling like after you were baptized?

Fiorella: I got very emotional, but in a good way. I wanted to scream and say “thank you!” to God! I felt extremely grateful to Him for all he has done!

Story Team: Who was up there with you?

Fiorella: My husband, my one year old son, my parents and sister.

Story Team: For another Hoboken Grace community member who may be thinking about taking this step, what would you say to them?

Fiorella: Follow your heart! If it has crossed your mind, it’s most likely because it’s in your heart to do it, so don’t be afraid. I was troubled by so many questions and doubts in mind, but in the end I followed my heart and I’m so glad I did!

Story Team: What made you take the step of baptism, and why was it important to you?

Fiorella: I’m so grateful to God, I can’t even explain the feeling of gratitude I feel for all He has done for me. And I feel I want to get closer to Him and engage with Him.

Story Team: Anything else you’d like to share?

Fiorella: I’m also grateful for the pastors and all the people I’ve met in Hoboken Grace, and for all the opportunities to help people who were once lost, but not anymore!

—

To learn more about baptism and how you can take this step of faith click [here](https://hobokengrace.com/baptism/).


The Power of Baptism

Easter is always a special time at Hoboken Grace. This year was particularly meaningful because in-person Easter services were cancelled last year during the Pandemic. In order to ensure maximum attendance, but also safety and social distancing, we offered an unprecedented 7 in-person services this weekend! There were 2 on Saturday night and 5 on Sunday. There were also online services and a special virtual service on Good Friday. 

It was an extraordinary celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus which brings the hope and promise of new life in Him. In order to honor that new life found in Him, 6 people were baptized this weekend at 6 of the services. It was so powerful to see those 6 people publicly profess their faith and announce their rebirth to their lives in Christ. 

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/04/51095254381_6e21f85678_w.jpg)The space was set up slightly different this weekend with intimate tables throughout the room to maximize attendance but ensure social distancing. This, along with the 7 total services allowed us to welcome over 900 people at 301 Garden. The Worship Team, Production Team, First Impressions, and all the other [teams](https://hobokengrace.com/serve/), staff, and volunteers, worked tirelessly to deliver this incredible experience to all who attended. Grace Kids welcomed 185 children this weekend at the various services and there were special online services which were joined by 582 people. 

This weekend was also the launch of our new series called Starting Point. Pastor Chris spoke about how we all have a point in our lives where our idea of religion or concept of God started. Our idea of God may be influenced by our culture, our upbringing, and our personal experiences. But we may not really know who God actually is. This new series will explore those questions, doubts, and misconceptions we may have about faith and how to restart our faith with the right framework. 

Pastor Chris said that Jesus’s resurrection proved He was who He said He was and set Him apart from the different gods of the time. It showed He kept His promises and He came to do something special. There were so many misconceptions about Jesus and God back then and there are still questions and false ideas that exist today. This new series will explore those things and get to the heart of who God really is.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/04/51096053075_5c802682ff_w.jpg)

This entire Easter weekend was such a powerful testament to how we can continue to impact the community and those around us with the love of God. We are opening up our doors again in an extensive way but also safely. The tremendous success of the events surrounding Easter this year are proof of that commitment and the efforts of all of our staff, teams, and volunteers who help to make it all happen. We are looking forward to what God will continue to do this year as we begin to get back to a more normal version of life. Easter was just the first step and we are so excited for what is to come!


Resurrection, Rebirth, and Restarting!


The Saturday of the Easter Egg Hunt Easter was a gorgeous, sunny day and the Hoboken Grace staff and over 180 volunteers who gave of their time, were all excited to be there. This year’s hunt was particularly meaningful as we had to cancel the hunt last year due to the pandemic.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/03/EEH21-SCREENSHOT_2.jpg)

This year the hunt looked slightly different due to the extra safety measures we took to make sure the event could happen safely for all the volunteers and attendees. One of the biggest changes was to create multiple individual hunting pads where children could hunt in small groups and remain socially distanced, versus the massive hunt area free-for-all of years past. It was a new system we implemented but it went off seamlessly! Every single child was able to hunt and have a great time and all the families had a wonderful experience. So many fun memories were made, the kids had a blast, and everyone was safe and cared for.

Over 1650 people attended for a 78% attendance rate of those who registered. It was awesome to see that we could still have such an amazing impact on the community but also keep everyone safe. I worked the event for the afternoon shift helping coordinate the hunt area and I spoke to so many families from the community who had attended in years past. Everyone I spoke to was so grateful the hunt had returned, so many expressed how much they missed it last year, and how much it meant to them to be able to come back. People thanked us and every attendee was understanding and patient with the new protocol that took slightly longer to ensure safety. It was so well organized that the wait times were minimal, everything was incredibly efficient, and every single child who came through, got to hunt and collect as many eggs as they wanted.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/04/51079841683_4b715cb40c_w.jpg)In addition to the egg hunt, there were multiple stations of photos with the Easter Bunny and fun Easter backdrops, we gave away over 300 “Hunt to Go” gift bags for every child, and there was an arts and crafts station. There were also bins throughout the event filled with eggs for people to guess the correct number to win a prize. 421 people made guesses and every bin was won with a perfect guess made for each bin.

Every attendee and volunteer had an incredible time and we were all feeling the infectious energy and excitement. It was unbelievable to see how far we’ve come in one year! Even with the threat of Covid still lingering, the success of this huge event is a testament to Hoboken Grace and all of our people who are committed to the mission of impacting our community with God’s love and doing it in a safe and responsible way.

Seeing what God has been able to do this year and the joy that some of things we lost during the pandemic are coming back again, brings us so much hope and enthusiasm for what is to come and what God can make possible with our willingness and faithfulness to help support the mission.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2021/04/51077569582_c992f48a07_o-1.jpg)

There is so much more to come and through the Home Initiative, and our church members who have been away starting to come back to Hoboken to re-engage the mission, attend in person, and commit to making an impact in this community again through their service, means that this year will be epic and we can’t wait to see what God will do through your generosity and service in 2021\.

If this first major event of the year, the Easter Egg Hunt, was any indication of what we have to look forward to, this year is going to be unbelievable!


We love Easter so much, it’s not even bunny!

It can be tough navigating the working world. It’s specially hard these days with so much job loss, job change, company restructure, and the “new” work from home lifestyle. Working professionals will tell you that networking is key, but I bet not many people think of their church as a place where that type of networking can be done. Valentina and Anna, two Hoboken Grace members, are shining examples of what can happen when a church team brings on unexpected work opportunities. Valentina serves on the church HR team and Anna is a former Hoboken Grace intern. Serving together lead to the unexpected opportunity for Anna to work with Valentina at her job, which just goes to show how God uses people in our lives even beyond Sundays or church events. They can lead to ever lasting friendships and now work colleagues. The Story Team got to sit down with Valentina and Anna for a chat about Anna’s new work opportunity, and how getting plugged into a team can lead to some professional life changes.

Story Team:

What is the company that you now work for and what is it that you do for them?

Valentina:

So I work for DAZN, and it is a sports streaming company. I’ve been with them for about two years and we have some live events on the platform, and all kinds of content that we produce, which people can subscribe to watch. What I did is work in the HR department and manage people in the America’s region.

Story Team:

How did you two get connected for this internship that Anna is now in? Did you know each other beforehand or is this how you met?

Anna:

We both worked on the HR team at Hoboken Grace. I was just an intern last Fall, and that’s how we were initially connected. Valentina was somebody I really looked up to on the team, I definitely thought she was impressive and Lonzell always spoke very highly of her. Its kind of all happened at the right time where I was starting to look for jobs after I graduated college and Valentina was looking for somebody to fill this role. So we reconnected and that’s how we’re here today.

Valentina:

Anna did the Fall internship with Lonzell at Hoboken Grace. Obviously, it was still very much Covid times, so we only got to connect through Zoom.

Anna:

Yeah, we connected on our Zoom calls every other week, and we worked on some things together. So when she reached out to me I definitely knew she was someone I wanted to work with.

Story Team:

What does your role look like now interning with Valentina at DAZN, verses when you were working at the church? Or what expectations do you have in how it will be different?

Anna:

I’m just excited to be part of such a global and diverse company and to have the opportunity to talk with people from all around the world. It already seems like DAZN is unpredictable, in a good way, so I’m excited to get to work on a bunch of different projects.

Story Team:

For those who don’t know, could you both talk about what it is that the HR team does at Hoboken Grace?

Anna:

The HR Department is relatively new. So what we did was establish that department and make things easier for other teams that existed at Hoboken Grace in putting together policies and making easier for the employees who work there.

Valentina:

Essentially, Lonzell has been hiring interns for various departments at Hoboken Grace, and the current team supports him since Lonzell is the only staffer.

Story Team:

What advice would you give to somebody in the church family who is looking for a new work opportunity or maybe even looking for a job for the very first time?

Anna:

For me, I would say always putting your best foot forward with everyone you come in contact with. I did not think that working at Hoboken Grace would lead me to where I am right now, and I think that happened because of making a good impression. I thought working for Hoboken Grace would be a temporary thing, but it ended up leading to something not so temporary.

Valentina:

With Anna, she really embraced the opportunity and networked. She didn’t just come in, complete her internship and then leave. She was very much networking with everyone and didn’t do it from a “what’s in it for me?” standpoint. She genuinely enjoyed building the relationships.


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