Missions Conference 2012 — Carter Conlon

Well, welcome to the missions conference and 25th anniversary of Times Square Church. I'm excited to be here and it sounds like you are too. But you know what before you guys sit down I would just like to just launch this weekend just with honoring the Lord just with a little word of prayer to welcome him because It's because of him that all of us are here.

You know, Jesus is the one that we are here for He's the one that's brought us here and he's the one that deserves just the honor of being the first one. For this conference and so God we just humble ourselves before you this evening and we realize God that without you.

We are nothing and God it's because of you that we're here Lord, we can look at a history of a church and Lord all it is is a history God. But you are the one that as though has the threat of life starting a long time ago and Jesus.

It's your blood that's cleansed the people in this church God. You have cleansed the generations before us and God you're you are after the people that are coming after us God. And so we are just going to rejoice with you tonight.

We pray God for this weekend Lord, we want you to come we want you to feel honored and respected here in this house. God our heart is with you and Lord. We don't want anything to distract from your glory because God it's your glory and it's your presence that has been in this pulpit.

It's not a man. It's not a person God. It's you and though we honor you for that and we thank you God for that. And so as we head into this weekend God I pray that you would help us Lord to keep that perspective that Jesus you are our first sight.

You're the one that we're looking to tonight and Lord We just pray that as we head into this evening God that you would be glorified and honored through everything that we say and what? We do in Jesus name.

Thank you Lord. Amen. So please be seated and of course, I ran out here so fast I forgot my notes, which is probably a good thing. You know because God knows what we're doing and it is gonna be a blessing, you know throughout the entire weekend.

There's a lot planned and I know that he is gonna he's been here already this weekend for me. Just to watch the body of Christ come together to even make a weekend like this happen. I I was saying to somebody as I walked over, you know.

If you look at the things that are going on around you look at the platform and all these pictures and you know. The stuff in the lobby or the annex with the street fair tomorrow and all that. It really does take a village to make something happen around here.

It is no small thing and no one person can take any credit for what's happened here and so all of us, you know, it is a lot of people behind the scenes making it happen, but We do have a nice full schedule for you.

But one thing I did want to point out to you for those of you that are new To Times Square Church in the last few years. I do want you to understand that everything has a purpose. You know that big quilt that you see hanging back there isn't just by chance, you know several years ago We did a missions conference and what we had decided to do was have the people of the church Just bring a piece of fabric that represented their country and as they brought their fabric in there was a group of women that sat and stitched the whole thing together and made a quilt of Times Square Church and What I was thinking about as I've watched it there with the people.

It just blends right in right into the sanctuary into all of us because we are a church of many nations. We are many colors we are many things to you know to that God uses for so many different reasons and just like that quilt that Represents you and this church and you know as you look at the pictures.

These are not just pictures that we brought or that we bought online. These are all pictures that represent projects that we work with trips that we've been on over the years. People that are even here that are represented work that they work with you look out in the lobby.

You'll see things hanging around above those are just moments in the history of this church that you know in a way had a defining purpose and so we just felt that it was a good to look back at some of those things and Then if you go into the annex, you know on Sunday or even later today.

You'll see a timeline that runs from 52nd Street. Mmm all the way to 51st Street and what that is it's just again little moments, you know in a timeline of a church and and God has been faithful here and We are just grateful and we're blessed, you know.

And so as you know as we look at these things. It's like I think the way we want to start is recognizing that yes. It is a history but more important than anything else. God is eternal and that his story keeps going, you know so we have the service tonight the the street fair tomorrow with the Mission's film festival that will be right here in the sanctuary in the afternoon.

And then on Sunday, we have all three services that are also Very specific in what we're doing, you know at the 10 o 'clock service on Sunday. It's really more at the foundations of Times Square Church and what has always been here and what will always be here you know shared from this pulpit and what we honor in this house and then the three o 'clock service will be very specifically about the missions of Times Square Church and where it started and where it's come to and where it's headed and then at the six o 'clock service will be doing just Testimonies from lives that have been changed or God has used and it used them through Times Square Church and how they've been ministering Outwards and then where we're headed right now as a church, you know from the feeding programs that we started a long time ago.

And some of the things that we're doing today. And it's very exciting when you see how God is moving because he doesn't look backwards and wish for the old. He's always moving forward and that's the exciting thing about today.

The Supernatural Growth of the Young People’s Ministry

So tonight what we're gonna do is we want to talk about Times Square Church today, you know. And so there's some you know. The church is full and most of you that are involved in ministry are around a lot.

You realize that there's a lot that happens through this church and when you look at the street fair tomorrow, you'll see all the outreach ministries and opportunities to serve. You'll be able to share with people out on the street that are involved in those ministries and get a bit a bit of a taste Of that but tonight, you know.

All of our pastors are not just people that come and just share the word from the pulpit. We we love that and we are fed by that but all of them. Thank you. I Agree with that person. I like that but with each person that's here every pastor that's represented.

They actually represent us another area of ministry that they oversee, you know. So you've got pastor Patrick that's oversees the youth ministries s by P ministries. You've got pastor will who is oversees the education and the mentoring and discipleship ministries of the church and pastor Ben who's oversees the seniors ministry but is also very into integral to making a big church small and then we have pastor Teresa who is the Head of the Summit International School of Ministry and and then pastor Carter who is our you know, our senior pastor.

But also what you don't realize is that he's very very involved in what all of us are doing, you know. So for me, he's someone that I go to with questions about how missions is moving and what we're doing.

So every department leader has access to him and we work off of what God is giving to him. But what we're doing as a church that he's going to share about tonight is we have a broader audience besides just Times Square Church.

You know, you are the ones that fill the house. But we also have satellite campuses and an online audience that he's going to share a little bit about so it's going to be a great Evening. We got a couple videos that we're going to share as well.

So as the night progresses I'm only going to introduce them once you know. So as each pastor like shares like a pastor Patrick is going to come in and share the announcements but right after he sits down we're going to see a video of a SYP and then he's going to share and then pastor will pastor Ben and then a video of summit and pastor Teresa.

So it's going to be an evening that just kind of unfolds as we go and I'm kind of hoping that that's what the whole Even the whole weekend is about. The unfolding plan of God. So let's just enjoy this evening and pastor Patrick if you don't mind.

I just wanted to start out by letting you know basically that I we started out with nine disgruntled kids and The Lord Began to stir our hearts to pray and seek the Lord about what he was wanting to do.

And I remember I invited up pastor Carter to come down and to share with the young people and we were down in the lower lobby. The kids and I teenagers and I and pastor Carter came down and we had a little music stand set up so he could get up to speak and he put his Bible on the stand and The moment he was about to open his mouth.

There was a young man on the front row who had a sweatshirt and With a hood on it a hoodie and he threw the sweatshirt over his head and he pulled a drawstring So that the sweatshirt got about this tight.

I Remember pastor Carter looking at him like oh my gosh You know basically with his body language saying you move me I'm you know I really want to hear what you have to say and Then I invited pastor David to come down and share and he too when he left he said my god We have to pray for you.

What a tough crowd you know and so the Lord Burdened our pastors to pray and I don't forget the year Called the church to prayer and at the beginning of the year We went into three days of prayer and fasting and to make a long story short We began to fast and pray for a breakthrough among the young people and then about a month later We had a little band that we had put together out of our kids one of our youth leaders and for the kids two girls and two brothers that played the bass and bass guitar and the drums and One night we were on our way to minister at a function where they were invited to minister.

It was a retreat for kids who have decided to stand up for Christ in their schools. And as we are on our way to that particular function, I'll never forget the evening. It was about a month later after the time of prayer and fasting as a church Calling on God for God to bring a breakthrough.

I was driving this van 15 passenger van. The kids were in the back young man. The drummer was right next to me. There was a CD playing and I said, you know the kids in the back started to pray. Along with the leader that was back there our guitar leader worship leader.

And I had heard these kids pray before but the type of cry I heard coming from them that night was not like anything I had ever heard coming from these kids. And so I told him quick turn down turn down that CD that cassette I need to hear what's going on back there in the moment He turned down the music the presence of the Lord came into the van and baptized those kids in the Holy Spirit and from that moment on They were never the same.

They were never the same. We got to the retreat. They were supposed to minister two times. They ended up ministering five times and God began to touch these kids. And by the time we went back to our youth group, we went back to our youth group that Friday night.

It was during the week. This retreat was taking place. During the time the kid went to recess we went back to our youth group got back to our group. Our group was dead and and so we dismissed the kids at the end said we need to gather together and pray those who would like to pray and we gathered together and began to pray and little by little God just began to touch the kids in the circle who had stayed behind along with these band members who had Experienced a touch of God and folks from that moment on the tide Changed in the young people's ministry the tide changed the Lord had come and visited his people and The ministry it tied turned in a way where I would say where it was cool to be carnal.

Now was cool to be on fire for God Hallelujah, and only God could do that folks. Only God could do that and I remember pastor Carter used to tell me before long you not before long. You're gonna have a youth church on your hand and that's what exactly what happened.

We went from nine kids to now every Friday night at the gate 700 kids come out to worship the Lord to give God praise and They and to experience the presence of God and we're so grateful for that. That's called the gate.

That's every Friday night right here in the sanctuary. The ministries that the Lord has raised up within the young people's ministry or the junior high. The high school ministry the young adult ministry and they all have their own Retreats and missions trips throughout the year and they also do outreaches and on Sundays they each have small groups connect groups.

We also have a prayer meeting for the young people's ministry. We have the young people's choir the YPC. We have a youth band the ushers ministry hospitality drama ministry information table social media Ministry, which is Facebook Twitter we also have foundations and new believers ministry and we thank God for that and we have kids going down in the waters of baptism as you saw on the video and In all kinds of outreaches in the schools the youth prisons here in the city street outreaches including Finley Avenue Street festival as well as the subways our young people hitting the subways the first Friday of the month after the gate meeting and.

And and lastly I just want to tell you it's amazing how the Lord began to move from the very beginning and for me it was such a joy recently and I'll close out with this testimony such a joy recently to to go to one of our Retreats with our teens and I started out with the high schoolers with the teens and now I've got as you can see the junior high and the young adults as well and recently we went on a retreat and we began to worship together and the presence of the Lord came down in such a powerful way and Kids were invited to the front to respond to the Lord and the Holy Spirit came down again.

The same way he came down in the beginning of the ministry. He continues to come down and kids were baptized with the Holy Spirit left that place fired up. They we went Friday night kids were filled with the Holy Ghost Saturday.

Some kids didn't get filled the bus came back arrived at the front of the church kids got filled in the front of the church on the bus folks. The kids were so fired up. Some of them went to Central Park and hung out.

They got filled with the Holy Ghost in Central Park. Folks, it's amazing what God Is doing what God is doing in this hour the ministry began Supernaturally and it continues to progress Supernaturally the Bible says God is good and his mercies endure forever.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah.

Discipleship, Community, and Christian Growth

Praise God Hallelujah, what a wonderful privilege it is for me to serve under pastor Carter among other leaders including Lisa Cammie and Elder Jerry Hampton and so many others who are ministering on a level of discipleship particularly people who are leading in the women's ministry and in the men's ministry and so many others who have classes where people can come and learn those things that God would have them to understand so that they can have more of a relationship with the Lord.

More of a capacity to worship him to witness for him and to wage war against the lie of the enemy. When I first began to come to Times Square Church I had been living in the streets of this city for about a year about 8889 someone invited me to come into the church and It took about a year or two for me to settle in but when I did I became a part of a ministry that was known as the Timothy house discipleship Center and It was my first taste of Discipleship up until that point.

I thought that I could Love the Lord on my own. I thought that I could worship him on my own. I had experienced things in church and in life that Brought up walls and caused me to think that I couldn't trust anybody but so far When I became involved in the discipleship ministry I Had to learn to trust people.

I had to learn to befriend people. I had to learn to be vulnerable to people and to allow people to be vulnerable to me. It took a few years for me to finally recognize what God was doing in my life and what he was doing at that early stage was reminding me that Community that discipleship is imperative to Christian development and Christian growth.

Since those days I've been involved in Discipleship ministry on one level or another and have loved it Ever since and I've seen a few examples in my life church church growth and church development and I found that there are two basic models of church growth.

One is the Great Commission model where we go out and we win the lost and we Train them to worship the Lord and to bless his name. The other is the old lady who lived in a shoe model and that model is very simple.

It's after that same Nursery rhyme where it talks about the old lady who lived in the shoe who had so many children. She didn't know what to do and and I've seen churches grow Exponentially, but because there was no foundation and there was no discipleship ministry.

No program for people to learn and grow it became chaotic and so people are. Numerically the church is growing but the people are not growing personally, and so all of a sudden Nobody knows what to do with all the people that are there now.

You remember the rest of the nursery rhyme talks about this old lady who lived in a shoe had so many children. She didn't know what to do. Then he said she gave them some broth without any bread. She whipped them all soundly and send them to bed.

And it's it's kind of like this, you know, she kind of gives them this watered-down thing. You know what? I mean? There's watered-down broth, but no bread. No substance. And so you have that going on churches are growing a lot of people are coming when they get there.

There's nothing to eat. There's there's no nourishment. So they give them some watered-down message. No bread, no substance and then they Whip them all soundly and send them to bed. Now. How do you do that?

What it suggests is. Instead they usually do one or the other they either whip them all soundly. That is they berate them from the pulpit over and over again. You shouldn't be doing this. You shouldn't be doing that.

You shouldn't be doing that now go home or Or they lull them to sleep. Saying peace peace when there is no peace. Tell them that everything is alright when nothing is alright. What we try to do here is Develop the church around sound Theology whether it's the pulpit ministry or some of the ministries that I mentioned.

We've seen over the years men and women grow develop go out into ministry. We've had Services or classes that are specific for young ministers who have a call and over and over again. We've just seen many women grow more and more like Jesus.

More and more in love with Jesus and I count myself privileged above measure to serve under pastor Carter and to serve you to do everything that I can to see to it that as People come into the house There's this bread.

There's a place to learn a place to grow. Amen. Praise God praise the Lord. So, thank you so much for hearing me out. I love you in Jesus name. Good to see you tonight. Everybody looking good. Everybody looking good.

God bless you.

Unity and Prayer in the Seniors Ministry

Let's just thank God for Times Square Church tonight, thank you Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank God. I am so Privileged to be a part of this church and I started coming here in in 89 night in 89 when this brother Dave came to this building.

I began coming and brother Dave asked me to come every week and I said, well, I can't do that I'm in charge of this Bible school, and I just can't do that. Well, it's to come every month. So He wanted me to come with him all together, but I couldn't but I've been coming for about a year.

In the 40 in the 90s, I didn't come but other than that I've been here and a few years ago I was praying and God said I'm going to change your ministry. I was traveling quite a bit. And then I got a call from Pastor Carter to come on the staff there's one of the ministers here one of the pastors and To be in charge of the seniors ministry and to minister here in the church and what a joy it's been.

Pastor Carter. Thank you and When that when he called me I Already knew because God had said I'm going to change it. Yes, something's going to happen now going to change your direction and I am so privileged to be a part of this work outside.

There is a sign that says the church that love is building. This this love is the secret. That's what God is all about is his love. He wants the love of Jesus to be shown in this city and that's what this church is all about God's love.

God's showing his love to a hundred nationalities and our prairie is my prairie. Is that God will help us? To be to answer the prayer of Jesus. I want to read it to you in In John's gospel the 17th chapter the dying prayer of Jesus.

I do not pray for these alone. But also For those who will believe in me through their word, that's us. That's us. That's you folks that are right here tonight those that believe I'm praying for them his prayer.

And here's his prayer that they may be one as You father are in me and I in you that they may be one in us that the world may believe that you sent me and we're we're thankful for the seniors ministry of praying and seeking God and and We're asking God to help the seniors to lead the way in prayer for this city for unity to come to among God's people and to bring us together and then we're in working in this church is Bringing another program make a large church small.

It's the TSC Connect. We are looking to see this prayer of Jesus his dying prayer fulfilled in bringing us together and Bringing us that we care this church cares. Love the love of Jesus is the secret and God we pray that this love will be so powerful.

It is powerful in this church but to see it ever increase as the days get darker that the power of us staying together and Caring for one another and getting involved and connecting connect connect to the body connect with the youth connect with the seniors and become a part and We're praying for that.

We're working at it. We're hoping by the end of this year that we'll be able to connect with you in a new way. That if you attending this church This is your church that we're going to be able to contact you when you need us when you're not here that we're going to Be able to connect it's a big problem is but it's not big for God.

Because it's his prayer and we believe that love is the thing that has built this church. Love is the thing that's going to carry it on. It's the love of Jesus and may that love ever increase may it be in every Department and may it be in the seniors and let us lead the way seniors.

Let's lead the way. Let's set the pace and be out and be a part of it and set the example. And we're going to believe God that this church will be a light that you when you're here You are connected that you get a part of it.

And if you're not here We want to connect with you pray for you and join together and let the world see That Jesus Christ is the same and that he's here and it is alive and it is coming soon. And we're believing God to send the revival to this city that this church won't hold a people.

We thank you. God bless you and bless this staff. Amen.

Summit International School of Ministry and the Year of Hope

Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Welcome welcome all our friends all the missionaries all of you who've been here long before I was ever here. And sometimes I feel like a visitor here. It was almost two years ago today that I took over the presidency what was formerly Mount Zion International School of Ministry and 2012 January 1 we changed our name to summit International School of Ministry was started about 18 years ago by brother David Wilkerson pastor Dave and he bought the land there and They grew a school put the buildings up and Welcome students from all over the world.

Currently. We have about 19 international students and we have 70 to 80 students from right across The u .s. But I am so happy to say this year pastor Patrick We are the beneficiary of some of those youth on fire and they what a blessing they are to the school.

They're going to be coming on the first Sunday of November and There are so many that are homegrown in Times Square Church are going to be singing and ministering. So I'm looking forward to that. We also because of your trip to the Netherlands We now have three young men from the Netherlands that are at the school with us.

So praise God. Just for those that don't really know too much about the school. We're a two-year. We are two-year program and then it's one year of internship and those internships are offered Across the United States and many of the people that are our host facility our site.

Places where interns go are here with us this weekend. And so what a joy to be able to say Thank you and to be able to meet other ministries that may be interested in having interns from summit every year we have a theme at the school and The first two years was the theme was year of freedom and it was the Holy Spirit speaking prophetically of what he wanted to do of bring spiritual Freedom to the students to teach us how to be very useful and to make us an army but this year coming into our third year he has we it was made real to us that this was to be called the year of hope and the year of hope and we have seen So much of what the Lord is the changes he's brought even this year he's we've started a sports program.

We have a new computer center with 35 Mac computers. And that is largely to the generosity of people in this congregation that have blessed us with that. Thank You Times Square Church. Upgraded library there there is much changing on the outside.

We have way cool t-shirts now. So even if we go to play other teams, and we don't do so good in our startup year. We're gonna look great. So that's always important, but I just See I know. But I just want to very briefly share tonight in in terms of the year of hope I'd like to share with you why Times Square Church gives us hope at summit.

Why do you give us hope at summit first of all? This church Gives us hope at summit because the Lord has chosen to abide in this place week after week. Service after service, and I know that people come here.

And they don't take that for granted and that it people are thankful for this church. I am so thankful for this church. I read I remember as a young Chris. Yes, amen. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you Lord.

I remember as a young Christian listening to a tape of Pastor Dave's and I remember I had my hands in the sink doing dishes, and I just I put this crap. Oh Lord, I would if I could have any holiday. I would love to go to New York City in Times Square Church and Yeah, I did get that that was more than answered.

Who would have known? But this is a place where the Lord abides week after week and it There is that is such hope to Bible students to know that there is a strong church. There are many strong churches.

But this is a strong church where they see that the Lord comes the Lord does what only he can do and bring Transformation in a congregation of people that want him this becomes a place of hope because this is a place of prayer.

And you can feel that this is a house of prayer. Jesus said my house shall be called a house of prayer. And there's something of the delight of God wearing a people pray when they look away from themselves in their Circumstance and say there is a God in heaven.

He hears he loves me and he answers prayer and it changes the atmosphere. Here and when we come as a school to visit here. We feel that freedom in the air because there are many people here who are saying I'm I'm getting into this army.

I'm not going to be a spectator in the in a faith walk. I'm going to be a participant in a faith walk. I'm going to be a person of prayer you bring us hope because this is a place of worship and when this curtain rises and this worship starts and this Choir behind us and this orchestra and this band, you know you can feel sometimes though the worship is like warfare and it's like the point of the arrow and it's breaking through all the Heaviness of the week all the bondage of the city.

It's it's it's going into battle for us. Hallelujah this place gives us hope as a young younger generation because of the worship here because when you lift your Hands and the Lord chooses to come down and you can lose yourself in worship.

People don't yak Endlessly into a microphone. They don't they don't try to whip us up. They believe God to come and God comes week after week and we are set free by this worship. And we enter in behind them and they faithfully lead us week after week.

I thank God this place is a place of hope because it's a place of worship. Hallelujah, it's a place of internship and I want to thank every department leader in this church who mentors the interns from summit.

We have interns here before us in the first few rows. We have our alumni president Michael frat sitting in the front row. But I thank you for being a place of mentoring thank you for asking the question Why do we have interns?

Anyway, what are we doing? I thank God for Tim Buxton and his wife Sarah. I thank God for brother Treg and all those and the hues and people that just Want to pour into our young people and mentor them that when they come here.

They're just not cheap labor or somebody to do something that you know. Helps you in the photocopying. But they treasure these young people and they mentor him mentor them and the young people that come here and work here.

They they pray when the internships are given out so many of them. Oh God, please send me to New York City in Times Square Church. Hallelujah. Thank you. You give us hope because this is a place of testimony.

This is a place of testimony and there is Beloved. The testimony myself included the testimony of so many in this church is who against hope. Believed in hope who against hope when there shouldn't be any hope have decided to call on that name Jesus and hope was created to come and hear from him to come and go out and live it when there should be no Hope they were stirred by the Holy Spirit.

To hope and there is a bondage breaking anointing in this place because of the testimony that Jesus Christ has risen up. For his name and his namesake of the people when there should be no hope have been stirred to hope for the glory of God.

You bring us hope hallelujah. Every Sunday night. There is a witness. There's a testimony of what only God can do in the life of people who've been given a new heart a new mind a new life new hope. Hallelujah, you have blessed us because this is a place where the torch has been successfully passed where it has gone down from of the Fat our founding pastor pastor David Wilkerson and the torch was passed to my husband pastor Carter Conlon and it is a place where the torch has passed Successfully and I tell you young people need to see that happen that there is not this wrestling for power.

There is not the casting off of the old guard and elbowing out, but there is honor and a torch is passed. Hallelujah glory to God. Hallelujah, and I might add the torch is not just passed the torch is passed lit hallelujah hallelujah.

And that's what we are believing God to do that this testimony of this church Gets passed where the torch is passed down lit and finally This is a place of praying servant leadership and we feel the impact when we come here.

There is a covering here. There is godly Elders who pray there are these men pray these men have have put a canopy of prayer over this Place there is unity in this place. There is leadership Spiritual leadership servant leadership in this place because it is a praying leadership and you and I are the beneficiaries of that and I know gentlemen for a fact at summit.

We are the beneficiaries of your prayers and I thank you for that and I honor you for that. Hallelujah to all the department leaders you and show us laid-down lives. It is the effect of a praying and a servant leadership.

I thank God for Times Square Church Summit thanks you you bring us. Hope glory to Jesus. Glory to Jesus. Thank you for letting Jesus be Lord of your life. Amen.

Servant Leadership as the Church’s Future

Praise God I I'm overwhelmed. I I don't know what else to say. I was thinking tonight. Years ago. I came here about 18 years ago and I remember the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart and Telling me the first time I sat on the platform actually told me don't turn to the left or to the right all of your life from everything that I'm going to teach you here and I remember pastor David Wilkerson pouring of his heart and his life into me for so many years and I'm still stunned by the day that he leaned over to me in the middle of the service, which is typical pastor Dave.