Unite October/November 2012

Our New Cover

UNITE Partners with TCT TV Celebrate News

UNITE is happy to announce their partnership with TCT television's Celebrate program which airs every Friday on local television. UNITE editor Kyle Patterson will be joining the program once a month to share regional news and updates within the Christian community. Look for the first segment tonight at 6 on TCT and monthly on the first Friday of the month.

EPA

UNITE is pleased to announce we are officially a member in good standing with the Evangelical Press Association, an organization of Christian publications that includes Christianity Today, Focus on the Family's Thriving Family and Sojourners among many others.

Preview our latest issue

UNITE February/March 2012

DEC/JAN 2012 Digital Preview

Open publication - Free publishing - More buffalo

News: House of Worship EL-Shaddai Opens on Buffalo's West Side

Pastor Migdalia González and husband Wilfredo González gladly invite you to come worship our Lord and Savior together every Sunday at 12 noon at House of Worship EL-Shaddai. The church is a newly established church on Buffalo’s lower West side that has been open to the community for eight months. Worship services are offered in English and Spanish. Each week House of Worship conducts a community outreach event: Brothers United Working for Christ every Thursday, from 5-7 pm, where they provide a hot meal and clothes free of cost.

Resource Review: All Is Grace by Brennan Manning

It has been over twenty years since the publication of "The Ragamuffin Gospel," a book many claim as the shattering of God's grace into their lives. Since that time, Brennan Manning has been dazzingly faithful in preaching and writing variations on that singular theme - "Yes, Abba is very fond of you!" But today the crowds are gone and the lights are dim, the patches on his knees have faded. If he ever was a ragamuffin, truly it is now. In this his final book, Brennan roves back his past, honoring the lives of the people closest to him, family and friends who've known the saint and the sinner, the boy and the man. Far from some chronological timeline, these memories are witness to the truth of life by one who has lived it - "All Is Grace."

Resource Review sponsored by Bender's Parable Christian Store

Mission: Finding Life in the Word of God. Study, Meditate, Listen, Pray, Speak.

Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.Psalm 105:19 (NASB)

Do you read the Word of God for information, or revelation? Do you approach it as the transformative power in your life, or do you simply read it as a resource? Do you try to bend it for your own purposes, or do you allow it to bend you?
     Today’s instructional climate encourages knowledge through education for the purpose of using what you know as a tool to better yourself. We are encouraged to read the latest book with the template on “how to”, watch the latest life coach video, or listen to the most innovative speaker on how to maximize your life. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with these things, there is an underlying mindset that in order to succeed you must gain knowledge and manipulate it for your purposes.  We are encouraged to even approach eternal truths the way a scientist puts his experiment under a microscope. Henry Nouwen wrote:

“My growing suspicion is that our competitive, productive, skeptical, sophisticated society inhibits our reading and being read by the Word of God.”

  I liken this to eating your food without savoring or chewing each bite. Like taking a food supplement that has all the right nutrients but not taste or relish.
The Bible has even been used in history to justify the most atrocious acts on humanity. Some Christians wield the Bible the way a person wields a gun. They look for proof texts, to justify their position and use that knowledge to beat on people. In the world of Bible scholars the one who knows how to dissect the scriptures the best wins. Some use the Bible only as a resource to enhance their life or to solve some dilemma. Others use it only for comfort during hard times, or even to yield riches and wealth. What is wrong with this picture?
Even we Christians can use the Bible in a way that is self serving and manipulative. Just give me the five principles for success in the Word and I will do it.  Instead of being read by the Word the way Joseph was, we merely read the word for it’s informational-how to value, but never as God invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good”.
It is clear that the way God views His word is different than just a resource or a set of principles to help us be better people. “The word of the LORD tested him. (Joseph). This was a process Joseph could not control or dissect in a laboratory, but could only submit to.  He couldn’t master teachings on 3 ways to get out of prison. He could only surrender to the Word of God. That is indeed humbling to our flesh.
The saints and mystics of old approached the Word of God in a way that is not informational, but revelational. “Lectio Divina” is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or holy reading, and has been practiced by Christians and Catholics alike.  It is a way of approaching the scriptures that calls a person to study,meditate, listen and, pray and (even sing) and speak from the Word, from their heart.
This is vastly different from approaching the Word for what it can do for us. Submitting to the Word means that the Word doesn’t just do something for me, but it does something to me.
It’s not what we read, but how we approach what we read. Do we approach it with a full cup of intellect, or a cracked empty cup meekness?
Approaching Gods word is a lot like feasting. First you take a bite, (read) then you chew, (meditate) then savor, (speak it) then you digest making it part of your body. (It becomes part of your life)
  As we come to the Word, do we say: “Lord lay I open my heart, my thoughts, and my life. Transform me into what I must become”?

Lou and Louisa Perez both grew up in New York City and met in the first Church Lou pastored in Schenectady, NY. In 1999 they started Destiny Christian Church in Niagara Falls with the vision of taking Church outside the four walls. Visit their website at www.destinychristianniagara.com.

Resource Review: Make Your Move by Third Day

Third Day delivers its soul-stirring 11th studio album, MOVE, showcasing the band at their melodic and lyrical best, peering insightfully at life within the church as well as pointedly seeking to understand the needs and questions of those without faith. It's an often difficult balance to achieve, but Third Day succeeds in speaking candidly and hopefully to listeners. of every stripe, challenging each not just to a place of faith - but a place of faith in action.

Resource Review: Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey

Your company is only as strong as your leaders. These are the men and women doing battle daily beneath the banner that is your brand. Are they courageous or indecisive? Are they serving a motivated team or managing employees? Are they valued?

Your team will never grow beyond you, so here's another question to consider. Are you growing? Whether you're sitting at the CEO's desk, the middle manager's cubicle, or a card table in your living-room-based startup, "EntreLeadership" provides the practical, step-by-step guidance to grow your business where you want it to go. Dave opens up his championship playbook for business to show you how to:

- Inspire your team to take ownership and love what they do

- Unify your team and get rid of all gossip

- Handle money to set your business up for success

- Reach every goal you set and much, much more.

Resource Review brought to you by Bender's Parable Christian Store. 

Editor's Note: UNITE October/November issue

Once again we are excited to bring you a fresh new issue of UNITE. We welcome to this issue new contributors Ryan Loos of RKL Financial who discusses doing business God’s way on page 15, Pastor Stephen Andzel of New Creation Fellowship as well as Chris Hoisington of Brothers McClurg (formerly Relevant Worship) on page 16 who discusses the beginning of a new thing that together with UNITE, Chris and myself will be featuring and discussing with you in our  upcoming issues.

     Another new feature you will find in this issue is our MARKETPLACE advertising section. This is a key aspect of UNITE. Not only is God moving within the church, but God is doing a new thing in the marketplace and around our region there are business people that “get it.” They get what God is calling them to do through their business. The fact is, God has called all  believers to be ministers of the gospel and this ministry needs to be taking place in the marketplace. By connecting and supporting other Christians who offer products and services that you are using, you are doing a vital  service in the kingdom. It takes money to spread the   gospel. We need to come along side business people who are fulfilling their calling in the marketplace and do  business with other Christians, when and where possible.                       

     One of the key themes of UNITE is together we can do so much more than by ourselves. We introduced our  abbreviated logo as U10 meaning that as we work together with others whose gifts and calling may be different than ours but if we will let it, their gift will  actually compliment ours. Where we are weaker their gifts will strengthen us and vice versa. Working together we our effectiveness is multiplied. The fact is, this is basic Christianity 101, yet for so long we in the body have done our own thing, but now is the time. It’s time to unite.

Kyle R. Patterson

1.3 Million Need to Hear

Our ad in the Teen Challenge of WNY program for their annual fundraiser (free) this September

 

Digital Issue Online

Zion Dominion's Legacy Conference was the premier sponsor of UNITE's June/July issue

UNITE Magazine released its 3rd issue this week online, digitally and this weekend and next week the magazine will be distributing 10,000 copies in print. The issue features Benji and Jenna Cowart and their new CD release, "Letters to the Church at Buffalo" on the cover with inside features including a piece by editor Kyle Patterson on Loving God with All Our Hearts, 7 recommendations for Kingdom Bound 2011, an interview with Donna Russo and columns by Robert Stearns, Nathan Salter and Lou Perez.

Special thanks to our premier sponsor Zion Dominion Global Ministries and their annual Legacy Conference for making this issue possible.

View our latest digital issue by clicking here. 

Editor's Note: April/May 2011

By Kyle Patterson
Since the launch of our first issue of unite this past February, we have seen a great response from churches, advertisers and readers. I would like to thank you for reading and sharing unite with your friends and family and encouraging us that indeed the Church in Western New York needs this. We are encouraged to see churches welcoming copies of unite into their churches and people responding to the mission of working together as the Body of Christ for the purpose of reaching our region with the Gospel. Unite exists to equip, strengthen and serve the Church of Western New York with timely news, edifying articles and inspirational teaching. Our heart is that what God is doing will be documented for generations to come through the medium of print, online and digitally. I also recommend the additional articles, pictures, video, blogs and interviews we are posting weekly at www.unitemagazine.us and on our Facebook page.

I personally invite you to send me your news and press releases from your church or ministry, helping us and our readers stay up to date on what God is doing in your neighborhood and encourage the rest of the Church in our region. Secondly we are looking for a variety of contributors including full length print contributions, online bloggers and commenters as well as photos and feature story ideas. Lastly, we are in need of volunteer drivers to help us distribute unite across our region including Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Batavia and Rochester. We break down our distribution into five to ten stops all within a seven mile radius so if you are interested in getting involved in any of these ways I welcome you to contact me.

I would like to thank all of our church partners for their faithful support, our advertisers, contributors and photographers who literally make this publication possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

UNITE Releases April/May Issue

UNITE Magazine this week released its April/May issue featuring a CMS @ The Chapel preview and an in depth look at Christian Education, encouraging readers to know their options when choosing education for their children. The issue features contributions by:

Jennifer Santora on Homeschooling

Deborah White on Christian Education

Carol McLeod on Homeschooling

Ryan Kozey on reaching every man, woman, and child with the Gospel

Tunya Griffin on TC Coplin

Robert Stearns on Unity

Annie McCune on National Day of Prayer Buffalo Region

Joni Eareckson Tada on National Day of Prayer National purposes.

Kyle Patterson on CMS @ The Chapel 

The issue also features an interview with Dr. Mark Virkler of Communion with God Ministries. 

You can view it online  or at nearly 300 locations across Western New York.