The NYC Streets Welcome over 4,000 Walkers for Christ: 5th Annual “God Belongs in My City” Walk

Noise pollution often proves to be a contributing factor of displeasure for many New Yorkers, and for others, car horns, sirens, tires screeching, people, buses, and trains are familiar sounds that go unnoticed. However, on Saturday, October 26, a different sound resonated in the atmosphere. The sounds came from different locations in New York, but ultimately settled in Times Square. Thanks to the God Belongs in My City (GBIMC) Walk, New Yorkers were able to embrace a new sound—the sound of a united people walking for Christ.

The group at Point B: Duke Ellington Circle

This was the 5^th annual GBIMC walk and youth ministries from all five boroughs and even outside the state, gathered for an event like no other. There were three starting points to begin the walk, depending on where one is located. The starting point for Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Lower Manhattan was Battery Park (Point A), for Queens and Upper Manhattan was E. 110th Street and 5th Avenue (Point B), and the starting point for Westchester, the Bronx and Washington Heights was W. 168th Street and Amsterdam Ave (Point C). All groups were expected to meet at their specified locations at 9:00 a.m. From there, the groups made their way towards W. 42^nd Street—Times Square. 

A majority of the walkers wore hoodies and/or shirts that had “God Belongs In My City” imprinted on the front. Although this attire was not required, it was a clear indication of participation in the prayer walk. 

Stops were made in between for the opportunity to pray as a group, for the people of New York City, its leaders, the education system, the media, government leaders, and unity within the church. During the walk, some walkers led songs of praise and worship, others started energetic chants for the rest of the group to follow along, and some focused on using the chalk (that was given out at the meeting point) to pause and write a scripture or quick encouraging phrase on the sidewalk. The GBIMC walk brought various age groups, nationalities, denominations and socioeconomic backgrounds together on Saturday, and it should have been very clear to any bystander that this walk was one that stressed the importance of unity. 

Times Square

Once all three groups merged at Times Square, by the infamous red bleacher seats, they were led in prayer by the group leaders with megaphones. Prayers for the city was lifted up to God and the group stood in agreement for God’s protection over Avonte Oquendo, the 14-year-old boy with autism who went missing on October 4. NYPD officers stood nearby, making sure part of the sidewalk was kept clear and tourists and spectators looked on in astonishment at the large crowd. At exactly 1:20 p.m. every GBIMC attendee standing on the sidewalk or bleachers, got on their knees in prayer, making it clear to all those who watched, that this movement was in fact a very prayerful one.

Leon Stewart, Minister and Youth Director at Strait Gate the Church at Westchester and Co-founder of the Kingdom Xpressions Youth Ministry, thought that the walk was great this year.

“I thought we had a good group coming from 110th and 5th and that our prayer points were spot on,” Stewart said. “I thought that the small worship session we had 85th was good and that Jovan Ramos did a good job leading that.”

The God Belongs in My City movement started in 2009, for youth ministries from all over to come together in unity and prayer and take a stand for Christ. It has spread to locations all over the United States and internationally and has attracted a lot of attention. According to Stewart, this was the largest walk, by far, with numbers estimated to over 4,000.

“I thought the walk was amazing,” Xenia Hernandez from 2nda Mision Christiana Rehoboth said. “I realized how powerful God is and how great the body of believers are. The best part of it was when we united as one to worship and bow down to our king.” 

Marcia Amponsah who is a member of High Impact Youth Ministry at Living Faith Int’l Church said it was cold but the walk was good. 

“It was powerful and different,” she stated. “You could really see that young people are enthusiastic about God and are truly taking a stand in New York City.”

Stewart said that he loved seeing the excitement of the young people as they proclaimed that “God Belongs in My City” and that there was an emphasis on ministering [to] people along way that he thought was stronger this year.

“I have to continue to give praise to the great work that Pastor Danny Sanabria and his team are doing with these walks all over the world. Also, with the work they are doing with Urban Kingdom Youth Ministries, in bringing ministries together from all over the city, New Jersey and Westchester, regardless of denomination.,” Stewart said. “They have a Kingdom mentality and these walks are the direct evidence of that.” 

For more information on the God Belongs in My City movement, visit: http://www.godbelongsinmycity.com/

"God Belongs in My City" Prayer Walk comes to Mount Vernon

After four to six months of planning, the God Belongs In My City Prayer Walk took place on Saturday, September 22, in Mount Vernon, New York. At 10 a.m., ten churches congregated in the parking lot of the Mount Vernon East train station to begin a walk like no other. It was Westchester's very first God Belongs In My City Prayer Walk and it was an intercessory march, where children, youths, and adults alike took to the sidewalks and sent up dynamic prayers to God hoping for a stop to the violence in Mount Vernon and other negative happenings that occur.

Teen wearing a "God Belongs in My City" shirt

Before departing from the train station's parking lot, there was an opening prayer, a quick explanation of the walking route, a note of the sidewalk-only policy, and a reminder of why everyone was there. At that point, everyone filed out of the parking lot and made their way up the block, heading towards the heart of the city. Numerous participants wore the "God Belongs In My City" T-shirts (that came in both black and white) and hoodies, others waved flags, and some led the large group in a praise and/or worship song.

This Walk, coordinated by Leon Stewart, consisted of close to 100 people. Stewart is a Minister and Youth Director at Strait Gate the Church at Westchester and Co-founder of the Kingdom Xpressions Youth Ministry and according to him, the idea of God Belongs In My City is not his, but that of Pastor Daniel Sanabria of Park Slope Tabernacle in Brooklyn.

"This is a movement that was birthed in New York City about four years ago and has been growing around the world ever since," Stewart said. "They have been to Europe, Africa, a number of other cities in the U.S. and will be having one in Haiti later this year."

Brother Nyan leading prayer at City Hall

The Walk was organized by the team from the Kingdom Xpressions Youth Ministry Coalition, which is a group of youth leaders from ministries across Westchester. There were a few other cities in Westchester being considered by the coalition to pray for, but according to Stewart, they believe that with all that Mount Vernon was going through, especially in the early part of the year, that the City of Mount Vernon needed to be prayed for.

The Prayer Walk spanned several blocks, with a few stops to gather as a group and pray. One of the stops included Mount Vernon's City Hall, where the group gathered by the steps, and were led into prayer by Living Faith International Church Youth Leader, Eugene Akahoho, and then by Co-Youth Leader Nyan Boateng. The group then directed prayers towards the Police Department across the street, praying for the officers' safety.

The final stop was at Hartley Park, in which a huge prayer circle was formed and everyone's hands were joined as the concluding prayer was said.

Prayer circle at Hartley Park

The God Belongs In My City Prayer Walk lasted about two hours and turned out to be a successful event. The weather warmed up as each minute passed, the sun shined brightly and everyone had something positive to say about their experience.

"Today's walk was amazing!"  Executive Director of Public Relations for Living Faith Church Youth Ministry Nana Achampong said. "It is refreshing to know that there are youth from other churches around ours that have the same passion and drive that we have to saving our generation of people."

Shanik Carvey, a college student and member of the Living Faith Youth Ministry, said that it made her feel empowered to stand unashamed and walk for the Lord.

"'God Belongs In My City' walk brought a great feeling of unity and boldness as I walked side by side other youths and adults in the name of the Lord," Carvey said. "I really enjoyed the pace of the walk, and I thought that the points we stopped at were great for prayer and really standing in the gap for the Mount Vernon area."

18-year-old Markeisha Knott, from the Bronx, is also a member of the Living Faith Youth Ministry and is glad she was apart of the walk. "I enjoyed the walk," she said. Seeing the numbers, especially youth come out to praise God was incredible; and I could tell we were making a difference by the way we made heads turn all around Mount Vernon."

"I loved the prayer walk!" Stewart said. "I was glad with the turn out from the young people and from the support from the different ministries in Mount Vernon."

"The goal of the intercession was to pray for a stop to the violence and especially the loss of young lives; and for changed lives for the young people and that God’s love would permeate," he said.

"From our journey today, I learned that though salvation is for oneself, interceding for one another and even strangers can, in some way, have an impact," Achampong said.

The Walk has ended and participants make their way back
to Mt. Vernon East parking lot

"I wanted to tell everyone that God is so good and you should know him for yourself! I loved it!" Carvey said. "It also gave me energy to walk in school also known as the war zone for many. If I can walk the streets of Mount Vernon and pray for them, surely school is another place where the name of God can be lifted up. From the way I speak to people, to hugs, and showing love where it's needed."

"My hope is that they [the youths] were able to relate with other members of the Body of Christ," Akahoho said. "My hope for the Impacting Youth Members [of Living Faith Int'l Church] was that they saw other youths also hungry for the move of God and on fire for him."

"I hope the message resonate well for everyone to see the body of Christ can come together and work as one," Stewart said. "Seeing young people who are willing to take a stand for their city and the church has a unique position to take a lead and give this and future generations the empowerment and legacy to build on in making real tangible difference through prayer, faith and unity."


More information about the God Belongs In My City Movement, can be found at: www.Godbelongsinmycity.com.

Follow the Movement on Twitter @GBIMC

Justin Bieber Sued For $9 Million by Concertgoer

Courtesy of flickr.com

Recently, the young Pop star Justin Bieber has recently made headlines, when he was pulled over by officer in Los Angeles for speeding, in which he said was caused by paparazzi following him. Now, he makes headlines again after being sued for $9 Million by an Oregon mother who went to his concert.

Click the link below to get the rest of the story:

http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/2452/20120713/justin-bieber-sued-9-million-concertgoer-video.htm

The Most Exciting Jobs in the World

Having a job doesn't always have to solely mean paying the bills or putting food on the table, but it can mean a lot of excitement too. Getting up each morning to do what one loves is what a lot of people tend to strive for in careers, but yet there are those that may be a little thrilling than others.

The following is a list of some jobs that might get anyone excited and what it takes to get there:

At the end of the day, no matter how exciting a job is, attaining it does not come without hard work.



http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/2226/20120626/exciting-jobs-world-food-critic-instructor-professional-how-to-become.htm

The Best Places For Business and Careers

Austin, TX is on the list for best places for Business and Careers || Courtesy of flickr.com

Many businesses in the United States are struggling with the question of where to relocate or where the best place to expand is. There are others who are fresh out of college and considering relocating, in order to begin their career.


Click the link for the top 25 places for businesses and careers...


http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/2411/20120711/best-places-business-careers.htm