WOWgroup Global Fellowships

What Happens When We Walk in Righteousness?

2012-01-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Well WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had a wonderful time taking a closer look at the meaning of Righteousness. The question that was posed by Minister William Merced Jr. was " What happens when we are righteous?

Psalm 112:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)
God Blesses His Worshipers
Shout praises to the LORD! The LORD blesses everyone who worships him and gladly obeys his teachings. Their descendants will have great power in the land, because the LORD blesses all who do right. They will get rich and prosper and will always be remembered for their fairness. They will be so kind and merciful and good, that they will be a light in the darkfor others who do the right thing. Life will go well for those who freely lend and are honest in business. They won't ever be troubled, and the kind things they do will never be forgotten. Bad news won't bother them; they have decided to trust the LORD. They are dependable and not afraid, and they will live to see their enemies defeated. They will always be remembered and greatly praised, because they were kind and freely gave to the poor. When evil people see this, they angrily bite their tongues and disappear. They will never get what they really want.

How many times do we picture a God who we must be fearful or afraid of? How often have we been " Forced to obey, because if not you will reap what you sow?" Why would anyone want a relationship with a God who has no compassion? No love? No Justice? Today we were reminded that when we worship God gladly and obey his teachings we are blessed. We are blessed, because God has made us " Righteous". In other words God has given us the gift of righteousness, which is Jesus. When we have a relationship with the Father we have authority to rule in the land the Lord gives us.

He loves us so much that this blessing is passed down to our children and their children. Why? The son will do what he sees the Father do. John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. We are rich! Yes, the Lord may bless some of us with monetary wealth. But this blessing goes way beyond this. Our house (our temple, mind, body and soul) is blessed.

We can be a light in this dark world and draw others to the Lord. We can be the hands and feet the mouthpiece of the Father and lend to the poor. Surely we were called to be a blessing! Thank you Jesus for making me righteous!

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY would like to wish you and your family a Happy New Year filled with blessings!

Designed to Praise & Worship

2011-08-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NY had an awesome time digging into the Word of God and finding out that yes Worship is a time for celebration, but it is a spiritual discipline.

To frame our study today we turned to the Old Testament book of Exodus. We learned that the word worship is used 20 times. We learned that the underlying theme is often thought to be the exodus, but if we take a closer look we will see that it is about worship.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY looked at three passages to see if this was true.

Exodus 3:9-12

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^[a] will worship God on this mountain.”

After our discussion of the following scriptures we understood that God sees when we are hurting and in need and the way he reacts to us is by saving us. This is the Father's nature, because He loves us and we are His children. We are therefore called to be in a relationship with Him.

Point number one ~ Worship is: AN EXPRESSION OF RELATIONSHIP

Minister Tanya Merced assigned the following scriptures to the group: Exodus 7:16,8:1,8:20,9:1,10:3,10:7

WOWgroup Global Fellowship noticed that the whole point of the Exodus was to have His people worship God. After discussing these scriptures and noticing the common theme in all of them we understood that the reason God saved us was for us to Worship Him.

Point number two ~ Worship is: AN EXPRESSION OF APPRECIATION

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY then turned to Exodus 40:34-35 the second half of the book of Exodus, the setting of the tabernacle. We each took a turn and discussed how it would be if we would witness the cloud and experienced what Moses did. Just like Moses we agreed that we would be overwhelmed and in awe of our Lord and savior.

Point number three ~ Worship is: AN EXPRESSION OF AWE

One thing WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY agreed upon is that there is no "RIGHT" way to worship. There are lots of ways to express relationship, appreciation, and awe.

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Living Sacrifices

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^[a] act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

All Things Are Possible

2011-06-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Matthew 19:26 NIV - " Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Today we began our WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY meeting praising and worshiping God. Minister Tanya Merced ministered in a praise dance " He Wants it All". If you would like to see the praise dance click here or visit our Media page.
Andrew began his message by showing us a clip from (Cinderella Play) Shoe Fits. After the clip Andrew told us that the message today is about focusing on what God can make happen in your life if you don't give up. The prince in the fairytale Cinderella thought he would never find his love and grew desperate. We see this by the prince's actions. The prince charming went all over the kingdom looking for Cinderella and he didn't give up until he found her.
Then Andrew reminded us that in the same way God wants us to seek Him and find Him. When we put God first all things are possible, even those situations where we feel hopeless and uncertain we need to trust Him. When man tries to fix things we make a mess out of things. When we decide to do it ourselves we are rejecting God and we are telling Him we don't trust you.
In October 2007, Andrew was in a school play called High School Musical and he told us that he had a very difficult time with many of the scenes. He was so frustrated with the basketball scene and the teacher kicked him out, because he couldn't toss the ball to the other players. " My weakness was basketball not acting, but I was not given a chance," Andrew said. God, however, knew how much I loved plays and knew that I would play prince charming this year.
"I have to say that I did get the role and learned that God made it possible!" Andrew said joyfully.
Thank you Andrew for reminded each one of us that even though we may have disabilities or circumstances that may appear impossible ~ God tells us to trust Him and seek Him and He will give us the desires of our hearts.

The Giver

2011-06-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had the opportunity of examining their spiritual gifts. WOWgroup first began their meeting by watching a clip from the movie XMEN, if you would like to see the clip click here. After watching this clip Minister Tanya Merced shared on how difficult it is to use the gift of prophecy ~ speaking forth the word of God for the building up of others. Just like the mutants in the movie XMEN we can feel out of place and uncomfortable if we are not sure where our spiritual gifts belong. Therefore it is important that we study the scriptures carefully and apply the Word in our churches so that our "gifts" can be used to edify and build the church.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had the opportunity of taking a Spiritual Gift Analysis Survey online and discovered that many of our strengths were actually our spiritual gifts.

Other Gifts	The 5 Fold Ministry	The 9 Spiritual Gifts
Romans 12:6-8	Ephesians 4:11	1 Corinthians 12:1-14
Prophecy Ministry Teaching Exhortation Giving Leading Showing mercy (compassion)	Apostolic Prophetic Evangelical Pastoral Teaching	Wisdom Knowledge Discerning various spirits Speaking in tongues Interpretation of tongues Prophecy Faith Working of miracles Healing

It is important to note that some of us may not be gifted in evangelism as others, but in Matthew 28:18-20 it states that we are called to evangelize whether or not we have the gift. The Lord commands us to witness, love and to disciple the nations. Our God will supply and equip us according to our need.

Being Process is Not Easy!

2011-06-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ had an amazing time worshiping, praising and studying the word of God. The message was brought forth by a wonderful teacher Yolie Rodriguez.

The Theme and slogan for the day
"Being Process in the Midst of the Process There is a Process"

4 Key Elements that were studied:

1. Trust
2. Delight
3. Commit
4. Wait

During the lesson we were assigned different scriptures to read and we discovered that many of these scriptures not only dealt with Trust, Pleasure, Commitment and Patience, but Character.

One of the things that we discovered was that "Processing is God building a Character," which by definition means that it is a choice we must make. Trust is a choice element. In order for God to take pleasure (delight)himself within us we must make the decision to walk in total obedience.

"Our Actions define who we really are (Character + Integrity)"

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NJ realized that these 4 key elements need to be studied more closely and so we give thanks to God that Yolie Rodgriguez was able to bring forth such an awesome timely word. We know that there is more to come.

Scripture References:
Isaiah 26:4
Psalm 40:1
Psalm 112:6-7
Psalm 119:15-16
Psalm 62:5-8
Psalm 37:9

Which Road Should I Take?

2011-06-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had a wonderful time praising, worshiping and studying the word of God. Minister William Merced Jr. delivered an awesome and inspiring word.

Sometimes what happens is that when we go through things in life we go back to what we know. We have to make a decision to let it go. When we think things through we might get turned off and choose to do the right thing.

If its harmful to us we must stay away in order to move forward.

I would like to publicly thank William Merced Jr. for opening his heart and being so transparent with WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY. Through Minister William Merced Jr.'s honesty about his personal struggles we were able to relate to the message of God. The message that was brought forth was one of righteousness and holiness.

Scripture References:

Philippians 3:14
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here." (NIV)

James 4:17

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Minister William Merced Jr. reminded us that submitting ourselves to the Lord is a lifestyle. When we submit ourselves to the Lord daily the enemy Satan has to flee, because Christ lives within each one of us. The revelation that we received was that God is internal and when we have the Lord within us then everything that is external our actions ought to be a reflection of Jesus Christ (lifestyle). When you accept Christ you are accepting His life-style. Jesus was about the Father's business, which was people. When you are in Christ and Christ is in you there is no more I.

We were reminded that Christ did not badger people to accept the truth, but He shared His wisdom and demonstrated His love.

Question: Which road do you want to choose?

The Heart of Worship = His Will

2011-05-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary
WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY celebrated its 2nd year Anniversary with WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ.

Our focus today was on our outward expression "Praise" to the Lord. Minister Tanya Merced focused on three points:
Why do we sing at church?
Why should we create a record?
Why should we give thanks?

Do you know that the bible mentions to "Sing to the Lord 104 times?" Singing in the bible is a form of giving God praise for what He has done. The focus is on the heart of the singer. God wants us to sing to Him. Okay, if you are like me and don't have a performer's voice you might be self-conscious, but God doesn't care. The Lord takes pleasure in your praise when it comes from your heart. Remember the heart of Worship = His Will.

Another reason why we should sing praises to the Lord. When we sing to the Lord something happens in the spirit realm.

2 Chronicles 20:21 "And when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and to say, Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever."

Jehoshaphat sent the choir out in front of the army. Now you know they must have been saying this is crazy. (But singing praises changes the atmosphere ~ spiritual/natural. Praise brings total confusion to the things that are not of God.

Jehoshaphat's army won. The enemy became confused and started killing each other.

Why Should we record our services, takes notes, prophetic words?

We need to capture and understand what God is saying.
We need to make it a habit to take notes and not rely on our memories to retrieve information, so that we can go back and reread it, pray over it, pass it down to others. When we record the Lord's word we are honoring God.

Benefits of Note-taking

Clarify and structure your thoughts and actions.
Keep track of what has happened.
Plan what needs to happen next.
Keep good and correct records of ideas, facts, and information.
Reinforces your understanding of the information.

Thanksgiving

In the Old Testament some of the jobs of the priest were to stand and thank God for all the things He had done and what he was doing. We too must have this ministry in place in our church, our homes and in our private times with the Lord.
We need to begin thanking God for everything instead of complaining. We need to develop an attitude of gratitude and be thankful for all the things that we have.

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord".

When we focus on all the things that God has done for us it prepares our heart to enter in and worship.

To worship You I Live

2011-05-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had a great time examining the meaning of " WORSHIP". Before we began today's message we each gave our own definition of what worship meant to us.

Some of the things that were mentioned at the meeting was that worship meant being thankful to God and showing it without pride. Another word that was used was death to self, and to surrender our very best. Everything that we are " our soul, mind, and spirit".

We then watched a clip from the movie " There Be Dragons". If you would like to see the clip Click Here. After we watched the movie we shared what we felt the movie was saying about worship.

After the discussion Minister Tanya Merced shared on what worship and praise is all about. Praise in the bible refers to some sort of outward expression: lifting the hands, shouting, dancing, kneeling, singing, playing an instrument, etc. Praise is something you can see or hear. Worship on the other hand, is a form of sacrifice or humility.

In the Old Testament Genesis Chapter 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son and Abraham considered it to be worship unto God. Psalm 95, "come let us worship and bow down." Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, and that is considered our spiritual act of worship.

John 4:24 " God is Spirit, and those that worship Him will worship in Spirit and in truth." Jesus told us that we must come to the Father in Spirit, because He is Spirit. In other words, when Jesus said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. God is spirit, and Jesus is truth. John 16 also tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Now that we have access to the Father we must come and worship as He is.

As Christians we must understand that Jesus was telling us and showing us that the Father is looking for those who truly worship. Is worship about singing, praying, studying the word, etc? The answer is that is just part of it. The kind of worship the Father who is Spirit is looking for is a living sacrificial one. We need to come to God in complete humility and lay aside our will so that God can have His perfect will.

The Heart of God = His Will

Humility has everything to do with the breaking down of our will. The will is the hardest thing to break, but David said "...the sacrifices You desire are broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart." (Psalm 51:17).

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY at the close of the meeting understood that in order to please and honor God we must get out of the way and say just like Jesus " not my will, but Yours be done".

You Can Do Anything with God by your side!

2011-05-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had an awesome time learning and studying God's Word.

Minister William Merced Jr. brought a timely message about how we can become more effective in our walk with God. Not only are we to read His word, but we are to truly be doers of God's word. Minister William Merced Jr. gave personal accounts on how we can be instruments of God. At times sharing the gospel is enough, but clothing, feeding, and helping those in need is the heart of God. Moreover, we must be compassionate like Jesus. God is all about love and we too must be love.

John 3:16-17 (New King James Version)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY also had the privilege of having Andrew W. Merced teach Sunday School. Andrew W. Merced first began his lesson with a Sunday School Song called Clap Your Hands. After the song he told the children the story about a giant and a shepherd boy named David. Andrew handed out coloring pages and asked the children to point to the boy and the giant.

Andrew then read the following Memory Verse: " And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:47

Andrew asked the children what they learned and they said they learned that a little boy named David defeated a giant. Andrew told them yes, but the most important thing for us to remember is that it doesn't matter how old we are or how we look. God looks in our hearts. God fights our battles and therefore we are not alone. We can do anything with God by our side. Andrew then showed the children a special God Rock film with David and Goliath. What a fantastic lesson.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY is so proud of Andrew W. Merced. Andrew does not allow autism to stop him from achieving the very best. God wants our best.

What Does Resurrection Sunday Mean to You?

2011-04-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY celebrated Resurrection Sunday with praise and worship. Thanking God for His faithfulness to us all.

Casting Crowns Set Me Free was played as we watched a clip from the Passion of Christ. What an awesome loving personal God.

We shared Holy Communion and were reminded that Jesus broke bread with His disciples and called each one of them friend. How awesome is He to call us a friend.

Today we focused on the following question:
What Does Resurrection Sunday Mean to each one of us?

We had the opportunity to see two films and then give our personal insight. If you would like to see both clips click on the following:

The Tomb is Empty
Tell Everybody

After seeing both films, I can honestly say that both have reminded me of what Resurrection Sunday really is all about, but the one that really spoke to my spirit was the second clip.

We see in the second clip Mary Magdalene crying passionately about Jesus' body being removed from the tomb. We see Jesus behind her and he wants to console her, but he can't. Mary recognizes Jesus and tries to hold on to him. Jesus tells her to not hold on to him.

John 20:17
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Jesus when he rose from the dead told Mary not to touch him. Jesus was telling Mary there is a new way ~ things are not the way it used to be. Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection created a new relationship between us and the Father (A New Covenant).

What Does Resurrection Sunday Mean to me?

Resurrection Sunday means that I have total access to the Father, because of Jesus obedience. I can know the Father as a loving, caring, personal, God and not like a distant force.

God's Will

2011-04-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ

Minister Richard Altreche delivered such a dynamic lesson reminding us that God's will for our lives is indeed perfect. The Bible shows us many ways of what God’s will is for us as believers.

1Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to 18“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

We see here that part of the Lord's will instructs us to give thanks in all circumstances, again I say in “ALL” circumstances, something many of us find very hard to do over and over again.

Minister Richard Altreche gave us the following scenarios: you just received an eviction letter, or your boss just fired or laid you off, you just got into a car accident which incidentally was the other persons fault, or maybe you just had an argument with a family member, your electricity was turned off etc. The list as you know can go on and on. Now somehow while these things are all going on or even after they have already happened, you’re supposed to say "Thank You". For most people this is very hard to do while all these issues may be occurring in their lives. None the less, the Word of God instructs us to give thanks.

Minister Richard Altreche asked WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ to take a closer look at the scriptures to see that God will never give us more than we can handle. We were reminded that we must be joyful always. You might be saying in your minds; “now you have got to be kidding me, I have to be happy and give thanks after my car just went through a house and into someone’s living room?

The answer is “yes” the Word tell us in Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” We are to trust God even when things do not seem to be right to us. We were reminded that we must understand that the "Joy of the Lord is our strength."

If you are finding yourself weak during these moments it may be due to the fact that you are using someone else’s joy and not God’s joy. God’s joy is genuine. The Word speaks about many ways that we can receive God’s joy. Sadly many seldom choose to look for it through the scriptures. What they look for are imitations of joy that have no validity to them. They are oftentimes empty, incomplete and hollow. We need to depend on the joy that will continue to persevere even through the trials and tribulations that we may face.

Looking back now to verse 17 we see that along with being joyful we must also “pray continually,” if we are to be steadfast we need to be in communion with the Father. It is then that we will gain understanding, it is there that we will receive insight from the very one that has designed the purpose for our lives. We must confer with the chief engineer of our destiny. He is the rock in which we must lay our hope upon. When we come to terms and realize all of this we will see that giving thanks will not be so hard after all. Then we will be operating “In the Will of God.” His good and pleasing will.

The Power of Words

2011-04-10T11:40:00.001-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY

We first began with Cami Ortiz a young seven year old girl reading a verse from her Princess devotional book. What a beautiful moment we experienced in the presence of the Lord.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY was presented with three clips from Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. If you would like to see each clip click here:
Lab Coat
Dad's Approval
Real You

After we viewed each clip we discussed what we saw and what lesson we learned from each one.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear it.

Proverbs 15:4 ESV
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Minister Tanya Merced focused on the three clips and shared that as a result of Flint's mother speaking life into her son's life he didn't give up. We see throughout the film that Flint states in his own words " From that moment on..." Although his future inventions failed Flint did not consider himself a failure. The reason why Flint did not feel like a failure was due to the fact that his mother changed a negative situation (teasing) into a positive one (perseverance). The mother deposited seeds that would later go on to multiply and produce good fruits.

On the other hand, Flint's father spoke death upon his son's dream. Flint's father never approved of his son's inventions. It may have been that his father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and inherit the business. Another reason could have been he was embarrassed of his son or he wanted to protect his son from failure. We see Flint searching for his father's approval, but as a result of his father's actions it produced a strained relationship between the two of them.

It is the job of every believer to build one another and not destroy. We are called to encourage and to bring hope to a lost world. In fact we might be the only Jesus people see. Our life must be a reflection of the King of Kings. If we believers are speaking death (negative) than the only thing we will produce are rotten seeds. Remember seeds do grow and multiply under the worse conditions. What kinds of seeds would you like to leave behind?

Below you will find five simple things you can do to encourage one another.

1. Speak encouraging words.
You want the person to know that you care and that you know they can do it.

2. Encourage by cheering them on. (Praises help to motivate)

3. Follow the Lord's example. Be an encourager! (Psalm 10:17)

4. Think positive. Don't use negative words or ideas.
We all have challenges we have to deal with in our life, however, if you focus on the challenges you will never see anything good in your life. You will lose focus.

5. Pray and dig deep into the Word of God.
The more you stay connected to God the more you think like Him. Leaving no room for doubt or hopelessness.

Psalm 19:14,
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Using God's Approach

2011-04-04T08:40:00.001-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NY

At times it may be very difficult to do it God's way. Minister William Merced shared such a powerful message about using God's approach instead of ours.

We were asked to look at two pictures and discuss how these pictures made us feel. One of the pictures made us think of relaxation, joy, fun and the other made us feel sad, depressed, gloomy.

Matthew 6:22-23 (NLT)

²² “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. ²³ But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

Minister William Merced Jr. gave us examples about his childhood and shared how many of the things he saw he adapted, because he thought they were good. Moreover, examples such as smoking, becoming an abuser, drugs stems from what our eye sees and then internalizes it.

It is our responsibility as believers to represent the light and not to fill our eyes with things that are in darkness. One great example that was used by Minister William Merced Jr. was a conversation that he had at his place of employment. Minister William Merced Jr. stated " I found myself talking negatively about my employer and quickly I knew I had to stop and say instead of talking badly let us pray for that person". The conversation was quickly stopped, but Minister William Merced learned a valuable lesson he (the light) had the power to change the atmosphere from (darkness) back to light.

Spring Garden Party

2011-04-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Gelasia Women's Group Gelasia welcomed Spring with a Garden Theme Party. Throughout the evening the Gelasia ladies enjoyed words, sounds, laughter and food that welcomed Spring. Gelasia ladies played seed games, flower power games, relay races and as the night quieted down each Gelasia lady decorated her own flower pot. At the end of the evening prizes were won, flowers were sent with cards crafted with kindness. “Spring makes its own statement, so loud and so clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.” Geoffrey Garsworth

The Fool

2011-03-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ knows how important it is to seek wisdom.

Minister Richard Altreche reminded WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ that a fool is someone who the dictionary defines as stupid, silly, lacks judgment or sense. A fool is weak minded.

A fool is not a wise person, but represents the total opposite. There is no one who wants to be categorized as a fool. Who would like to take on a label as a fool?

If we take on the label of weak minded than that would mean that we are unstable. The bible talks about an unstable man in the book of James chapter one, but if you dive in deeper into the scriptures we find that there are more descriptions of the qualities of a fool. The wise, however, is not a fool.

Let us focus on the fool so that we have a clear understanding and awareness, so that we can make wise choices and avoid making the same mistakes that overtake the fool.

Proverbs 14:18 " the simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge".

The book of Proverbs in the bible has many references to what a wise man is and a fool.
Are you a fool? Looking over the scriptures it is obvious that the Lord wants His children to recognize the poor choices a fool makes and what we should do to prevent from making the same errors.

Proverbs 1:33 Wisdom leaves us with a promise..."but whoever listens to me will live in safety and will be at ease, without fear of harm."

What a great promise for those who listen. The fool...Thank God that's not you or I.

The Sharecroppers Seed

2011-03-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~ Began its awesome Sunday Celebration with a Mime Give Me Your Eyes performed by Minister Tanya & Son Andrew Merced. If you would like to see this mime click here.

After the mime WOWgroup was paired into partnerships and each were asked to view the following two clips. After viewing the clips each partner had to compare and contrast the films and come up with a common theme.

Links: Wheat things

Johnny Appleseed

Scripture References:

2 Corinthians 9:10 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Galatians 6:7-9 (The Message)

^7-8Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

^9-10So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Minister Tanya Merced gave the definition for a sharecropper and explained that the landlord was the father above who is the creator of all.

Def. Sharecropper ~ A tenant farmer who gives a share of the crops raised to the landlord in lieu of rent.

(God is the landlord and we the believer His children are the tenant farmers who have the responsibility to take care of the land and give Him the very best).

***One of the things that we must be aware of is that God doesn't need us to give. It is us who need to be blessed.

Let me just mention briefly some of the things every believer must give in order to live a blessed life.

1. We must be able to give to the Lord our hearts. We must surrender all that we are (our soul, thoughts, emotions, etc.) If we do not surrender this we find ourselves in a pit that produces no fruit. (These pits could be anger, unforgiveness, abandonment, self-pity, lust, adultery,etc.) When we give our hearts to the Lord He has something to work with. The process at times is very painful, but when the Master is finished molding us to His likeness we are able to produce fruits(blessings).

2. We must give our time to the Lord. We do this by spending quality time with Him, through prayer, meditation on His word, praise & worship, journals, etc.) You cannot trust a person you do not know well. (God is all about relationship). The more time you take in getting to know Him the more you will reflect Him and produce fruits(blessings).

3. We must give the Lord the tithe and offerings. The tithe which translated means "tenth or one tenth" it also symbolizes testing in the bible. Many of the tests starting with Pharaoh (10 plagues), Jacob with his wages (10) and other tests in the bible.

The tithe is not just one tenth of every dollar you make. It is your test. Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I want to end with Nicole Mullen's song ~ Sharecropper's Seed.

http://www.rhapsody.com/nicole-c-mullen-2/sharecroppers-seed-volume-1

I am going to continue this teaching online at A Touch of Peace ~ I hope that I see all of you there so that we can dig deeper.

Gelasia~WOWgroup Karaoke Fundraiser Event

2011-03-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

Karaoke ~ WOWgroup Global Fundraiser Event (Missions ~ Maylasia 2011)

Oh what fun it is to gather with some friends and sing the night away and raise funds for a wonderful cause.

WOWgroup Gelasia NY would like to thank all the ladies who donated to this fundraiser event.

As a special thank you we wanted to post some of the highlights of the evening.

Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Using Your Giftings Under God's Authority

2011-02-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ/NY ~ had an awesome time praising and celebrating
the Lord's Day. Minister Melisa & Ruthy Altreche led worship and created such a sweet atmosphere.

Minister Richard Altreche gave such an awesome illustration of how eagles and falcons soar through the air. Surely we need to search the Lord's will, our hearts and trust that we are beneath the shadow of His wings. It's so much lighter, because He is the lifter of our heads and He alone knows how to clear the storms.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ/NY participated in Holy Communion. Truly we are understanding more and more why the Lord needs the body to unite together as one.

Just when we thought it couldn't get better than this Minister William Merced Jr. brought a powerful edifying word. Today each WOWgroup Global Fellowship member was reminded that God has given us gifts to use for His plan and purposes. When each one of us use these giftings under His authority we see awesome and radical results that last an eternity. " Let's not be selfish with our gifts, but let us be servants with our gifts."

Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]. James 1:17

A Purplicious Celebration

2011-02-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
DR. SANDRIE S. SMITH!

Dr. Sandrie's birthday started with a game called "Why is Sandrie Purplicious?" As the music played the purple glow sticks were passed and when the music stopped the person with the glow stick had to give a Purplicious response. Every guest came up with beautiful and eloquent poetic words. Others came up with comical speeches as well.

We had a bubble gum sculpting contest ~ never knew that you could create such beautiful things out of bubble gum. Impromptu games were played and I have to say that our guests sure know how to be great sports.

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NJ/NY would like to thank all those who made this celebration memorable.

Unconditional Love

2011-02-13T13:27:00.001-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NJ/NY joined together for a wonderful Valentine's celebration. Today's Sunday celebration was started with a motivational clip called 39 Pounds of Love. If you would like to view this clip
click here. After watching the clip we were asked to reflect and share two things that stuck out the most to us.

Too many times we are like Ami Ankilewitz deformed not in a physical way, but spiritually. The word deformity according to the Free Dictionary Website means the following: an affliction in which some part of the body is misshapen or malformed. We have become or allowed ourselves to become disconnected from the love of God.

Bible Scriptures: 1 John 4:7; Mark 12:30-31

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves (his fellowmen) is begotten (born) of God and is coming (progressively) to know and understand God (to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him)". 1 John:4:7

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30-31

Today's focus was on God's Greatest Commandment Mark 12:30-31.

God wants our heart, which is our affection. God wants us to show Him affection in creative ways.
God wants our souls, which is our spirit, our conscience, it is what makes us alive. The soul is our personality and it is our identity. The soul is responsible for making choices and decisions. When we make decisions it determines our lifestyle and behaviors.
God wants our mind, which is our brain. The brain is the part that thinks things through. Our mind stores our thoughts, information, emotions and helps us make logical conclusions. We cannot have our souls believe in God, but our minds doubt God. This is a deformity.
God wants our strength, which is our will, our desire and commitment. God has created each one of us to be our own individual unique self. We were not created to be robots. Each person has been designed and handcrafted by God for a purpose and a destiny. That purpose is so that we can come together and become one and do His will here on earth. The problem is that many of us struggle with this idea of releasing our will and desires to God. We want to have all the control and only when we can't do it ourselves do we seek or allow God to intervene. Again this selfish act causes the body to be disfigured and causes a disconnection.

Stress Is the Enemy

2011-02-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ had the privilege of hearing one of it's own Mrs. Cristina Altreche. A woman who a year ago would never would have dared to take this giant leap of faith and share such a powerful message.

“But in the beginning of the year I proclaimed change in my life so here I am, doing the will of the Lord." What a wonderful way of beginning a message kudos to you Cristina.

Mrs. Cristina Altreche began by given WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ the definition for Stress. According to the dictionary stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world. WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ was reminded that many Bible translations do not use the word "stress," however, Scripture does teach on anxiety, worry and trouble. In addition, it gives us clear answers on how we should deal with each of them.

Mrs. Cristina Altreche then gave examples on how stress can lead to illnesses in the body. Stress is the reason for two thirds of the total visits to the doctors. It is also the leading cause of the coronary artery diseases, cancer, accidents and respiratory diseases.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ was reminded that some people handle stress better than others and how they handle stress can be a matter of life or death.

Example: When those problems or trials come their way they don’t let it stay with them or let it bring them down. Perfect example…. how heavy is this cup of water? The weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try and hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case it was the same weight the same burden the longer I held it the heavier it became.

Stress Management through Christ

1. The way to approach this at night is to go to God in prayer, UNLOADING OUR CARES before Him with a trust that He will help us deal with them, and then close our eyes and get the rest we need.
(Psalm 55:22) “CAST YOUR BURDEN ON THE LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

The Church Must Become as One

2011-02-06T12:21:00.001-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NY had the privilege today in having Andrew W. Merced share his gift of song with us. Moreover, Andrew W. Merced reminded us of the importance of unity within the Body of Christ.

Andrew a teen with Asperger Syndrome does not let that stop him. I am so amazed at how God uses Andrew to capture our attention. Andrew began his lesson with a song from the Disney movie " Tangled". If you would like to see some of Andrew's singing click here.

After the song Andrew showed another clip from the movie "Tangled". If you would like to see some of the clip click here. Then WOWgroup Global Fellowship was asked to describe what was the message in the movie. Andrew then stated that the church must focus on becoming as one. Today many churches are divided and are not following the Word of God. We must learn to work as a team. It doesn't matter what church we belong to, or how we praise God, what matters is that we have salvation in Christ Jesus.

Then Andrew led us to the following scripture verses: Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Luke 10:27 (NIV)

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’, and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

After the reading of the scriptures Andrew shared a personal testimony about a friend he met at Park Slope Christian Center who no longer attends, but that made a great impact on his life. Andrew told us that he was sitting by himself at a table while all the other teens were busy talking to their friends and that Anthony came to his table. Andrew told us that Anthony didn't look at his color or race nor that he was different than the other kids. Anthony started speaking with him and reached out to him. Andrew finished his experience by stating that Anthony made him feel happy and accepted.

Truly God was speaking to us. Andrew finished his message by reminding WOWgroup Global Fellowship that we must do our very best to be like the disciples from the early church.

Phil 2:2
² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

God Wants You to Hold On!

2011-01-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY started it's celebration with worship and praise. Minister Tanya Merced and son Andrew performed a mime called Hold on (Toby Mac). The mime reminded WOWgroup Global Fellowships that we must not give up, but keep on going no matter how difficult it may get, because at the end we are victors.

If you would like to see the mime (Hold On) Click Here

Following the mime WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY was asked to describe a horse. Many of the words that were used to describe the horse were the following: loyal, fierce, smart, stubborn, fast, powerful, etc. After this 2 minute exercise we read the following scripture:
Job 39:19-25(NIV)
¹⁹ “Do you give the horse its strength
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? ²⁰ Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
²¹ It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
²² It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
²³ The quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
²⁴ In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
²⁵ At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.

Minister Tanya Merced than shared a clip from "Secretariat". If you would like to see the clip from the movie click here. Key Points we learned from watching the clip. We see God's awesome's power through one of His most majestic and mighty creatures. God wants us to be all those things we described loyal, fierce, powerful, steadfast, courageous, etc.

So many times we stop short of fulfilling our potential, because we put limitations on ourselves. Would the Lord place these limitations on us? Or instead, we like the horse can run the race , forget about the limitations and realize our full potential is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

How Can You Complain When God Has Plans to Prosper You?

2011-01-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NY was reminded that we need to zip our mouths and just go before the Lord. Many times we miss out on our blessings or go in circles, because we haven't learned to go before the Lord and just be quiet.

Minister William Merced Jr. reminded us that when we pray and we allow God to change our attitudes we see remarkable changes. We get to see the prosperity that God so wants for each believer.

Today Jeremiah 29:11 was read and we looked at it from a different perspective: God's Perspective.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version, ©2010)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (Contemporary English Version)
11I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering.

Minister William Merced Jr. shared his personal testimony how he was complaining about his job and as a result was doing so poorly. He told us that in this new position the bosses were not happy with him and as a result he was constantly pulled to the office. Then he decided to go before the Lord and ask God to help him to not to complain, but to learn how to do his job better. He prayed for his bosses and prayed that God would change his attitude. As a result, the Lord promoted Minister William Merced to a new position and now the old bosses come to him and recommend him and ask him for his opinion on certain matters that pertain to the old position.

God is in the business of prosperity, however, we can stop our blessing by complaining.
Complaining is evidence of unbelief. When we complain we are not taking God for His Word.

The bible states that “...all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). If the Christian really believes that the Lord is in control of their life, and is working “ALL THINGS together for our good,” he will stop complaining and start thanking the Lord for the plan He is working together for us.

70's Theme Party ~ WOWgroup Gelasia NY

2011-01-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Wowgroup Global Network NY ~ Women's Group ~ Gelasia had their 2nd gathering (70's Theme Style)

Since it was a Seventies Theme Party the Gelasia women were asked to dress in 70's theme attire and to relive the 70's for the night.

Gelasia women practiced using slang words such as Foxy, Skinney, Crib, Can You dig it? Groovey and many more.

The Foxy Gelasia women each brought a meal and worked as a team. Gelasia women added silly laughter, hours of conversation and made new friends throughout the night. We played 70's music, learned funny dances, sang 70's songs on the Karokee Machine and played silly games that brought the 70's alive.

Gelasia Women helped to raise funds for our missions trip to Maylasia and came up with many wonderful ideas for our next meet.

Thank you Foxy Gelasia for making our 2nd Women's Group gathering a success.

The Power of One

2011-01-02T12:20:00.001-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~

Today is the 2nd day of 2011 a brand New Year! Isn't it wonderful that we can start brand new. I love the fact that the past is just that it's over and done with. Today is a brand new day and God wants to pour into us something new.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
" Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up: do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~ Celebrated it's first meeting of the year with new worship songs by Israel Houghton and William McDowell. We then had Holy Communion. WOWgroup Fellowship NY was reminded that when we partake in Communion, we are in fellowship with Christ Jesus. In John 6:53:56 we read the Words of Jesus and He is saying that by partaking in Communion we are in a fellowship that allows God to impart His very life on us.

The Power of One~Minister Tanya Merced delivered the message of "The Power of One". "The Power of One," can change and transform people. It's not about church buildings and all the things we associate with "church". It is the Power of the living Word living inside each believer that can alter and change lives. If you can change just one person that person in turn empowers and transforms a whole generation ~ their family and so on. We can not get caught up in the number game.

We then gathered the children and adults together to complete the following activity " Image of God". We had the girls give a definition of what an "Image" was and had the adults also give a definition. Next, we gave the dictionary definition: " a physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible."

Then I hid two pictures of each girl in my hand and described the girls using a vague description. Each girl guessed correctly and was asked if the picture was the actual person? They responded "NO!" Minister Tanya Merced explained in the same way, we are created in the "Image of God". We are not God, but created to be like Him and reflect what He is like.

2 Cor. 3:18
"And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more".

Minister Tanya Merced then took a mirror and had everyone look at themselves. Each person was asked what do you see and the children were the first to respond" The Glory of God".

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY understood 2 things from this lesson:

1. We can use words to describe Jesus, but if we can show others His image in us, they will be able to recognize Him more easily.

2. How can we do this? We can be mirrors!

By us reflecting God's image, others will be able to recognize Him. We can use words to describe Jesus, but if others can see an image of Him in us, they will be able to recognize Him more easily.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ended their Sunday celebration with personal declarations and decrees for the New Year 2011!

Jesus the Reason for This Season

2010-12-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Fellowship NY had an awesome time listening to Andrew and William Merced Jr. caroling to First Noel. This was truly a treat seeing a father and son duet.
If you would like to see their duet Click Here

Minister William Merced Jr. had a simple but profound message. A message of a true gift (Redemption for all mankind) a second chance to be reunited with our Father. Minister William Merced Jr. asked the question to all who were present even the little children participated ~ What does the birth of Jesus mean to you? Although we all had something different to say we each new this, that Jesus is really special and still is important to many of us.

We even had time to take pictures with Santa Chloe who was the star of our WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY meeting.
Luke 2:11 (King James Version)

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY declares that you will have a Healthy, Peaceful, Joyful and Prosperous New Year!

I'm Free

2010-12-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ
had an awesome time worshipping the Lord and thanking Him for making them FREE.

Minister Richard Altreche delivered a powerful message about knowing the truth and understanding that when Jesus sets you free ~ JOHN 8:32, 8:36 you are free indeed!

The following are just some highlights of that anointed message:

1. Many believers have read these versus John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed," yet many still have not grabbed hold of its meaning.

2. Although many do believe and have confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they are still living their life in bondage to many other things. For example, going back to old traditions, old practices, habits, customs (Religion)which the apostle Paul addresses in Galatians 4:8-11.

3. Religion has somehow infiltrated our lines of defense and has stationed itself within our ranks. Christians that follow the law or anything that pertains to it are therefore neglecting the Gift of Salvation, which is given to us through Grace by God for all who believe.

4. The Body of Christ must awaken; we have lost so much valuable time. We are Free and we must understand that emotions can lead us to a life of slavery.

We must stand, be watchful, and learn to recognize the chains that would steal your liberty away.

Bible References: 2 Cor. 3:17, Galatians 5:22

Can We Continue to Have Faith in Change?

2010-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had the privilege of listening to Wandy Dargan's testimony. Wandy shared how the Lord brought her to a retreat and how her life was changed in that weekend.

Below you will read some of Wandy's testimony and how God met her that day. It is amazing to know that God meets us right where we are at. I love the fact that I am witnessing a miracle right before my eyes. I thank the Lord for Wandy and her family. I know that this is just the beginning ~ the best is yet to come.

Can we continue to have faith in change?
It all started around a year ago. I was invited to a retreat with a spiritual co worker. I had been feeling out of it... Not in tune with myself... and in actuality ready to give everything up. I had been thinking where am I going and what was my purpose? I went along for the ride with a lot of doubt and not knowing what was I in store for. The weekend of June 26th - 28th changed my life as I would know it forever. I considered this weekend my rebirth. The 1st song that I listened to was Wrap Me In Your Arms......and I cried and cried......I cried out and asked Him to bring me back to Him.

Psalms 40:1-3 (The Living Bible)
I waited patiently for God to help me; then He listened and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things He did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in Him.

After this weekend I knew that my true battle would begin. Walking righteous is never an easy thing to do. I try to keep my cool and stay in faith but one can have many people around trying to bring down one’s faith. I always felt that I was in a pit and I could never get out. I’ve complained, I’ve cried but one thing I have never done was call out for help. Now that I walk on a new path I know that I Trust in the Lord with all my your heart; do not depend on my your own understanding. Seek his will in all that i you do, and he will show me you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Recently I had a student who lost everything to a house fire. A month later, my in-laws lost almost everything to a house fire....Would they give up faith? Would they question why? NO! My mother in law cried out and prayed as we all prayed. Slowly but surely they are receiving blessing after blessing.

So my questions to everyone is this can you have faith in change?? Can you continue to keep faith in change? And my answer to this is Yes! Never give up faith, never give up on a good change ….. Seek, and Cry out your prayers will be heard and answered! Remember He never leaves us alone!

A Heart of Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T10:16:00.001-08:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends and family.
We rejoiced and gave thanks to the Lord for reminding us of all His goodness.

The evening began with Minister Richard Altreche welcoming us to the Thanksgiving Feast. Then Worship Leader Melisa Altreche ushered us into the sweet presence of the Lord reminding us of His amazing love.

Our Pastor Dr. Sandrie Serrano Smith and Rev. Erick Cruz Smith greeted us with love and encouraged WOWgroup Global Fellowships to forge forward and that together we can reach the nations.

Our special speaker for the night was Richard Altreche Jr., who I must say did an excellent job in reminding us that everyday should be a day of Thanksgiving. We should be thankful, because everything the Lord makes is good. Psalm 92
We should rejoice just like that one man from Samaria who was healed from Leprosy. Luke 17:11-19 Why did the others not come back? Do we take things for granted? Do we take God's generosity for granted? Surely we want the Father to look upon us with His love at all times ~ in the good and the bad.

WOWgroup Global Fellowships Ministers then prayed for the Hand-Made baby blankets that will be donated to mothers in need. If anyone would like to be part of this amazing ministry (Heartfelt Treasures) please contact:

1-856-982-1559
1-443-801-7454
e-mail: wow@wowgroup.info

Don't Let Distractions Stop You From Obtaining Your Crown

2010-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Today WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY was reminded that we must focus on winning. Too often believers feel let down or frustrated and we give up. WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY studied Matthew 14:29,30 and noticed that believers forget God's promises. Peter was able to walk on the water by faith, until he took his eyes off Jesus, looking at the storm instead.

Minister Tanya Merced shared a Mime Praise (Without You by Tasha Cobbs)if you would like to see the Mime Praise Click Here.

Afterwards we were divided into two teams and we searched the following scriptures:
Rev 3:8,3:9,3:11,3:12. We learned that if we do not get distracted and focus on Jesus we will reap a great reward.

Top 10 things we should do to not get off course:

10 - Start your day out right by praying in the morning and reading a devotional.

9 - Make sure you are surrounded by Christian friends. Believers have to surround themselves with those who will keep them focused on God. Hold them accountable.

8 - Make goals ~ how are you going to win others to Christ? Where do you want to be in the next 6mos. or year?

7 - Plan ahead. This goes with 7. Don't procrastinate and wait for the last minute to do things. It will not be your best.

6 - Read up on Christianity. It's important to know what you believe and be able to back it up.

5 - Make a list or use post-its. Start praying for those family members or friends who do not know Christ.

4 - Spend. Be generous with your time and money. Take your friend or family member who is not a believer out to lunch or dinner, etc. Spend time with people even if they are annoying and your rather spend your time doing something else. Your showing Jesus. Actions speak louder than words.

3 - Don't worry be Joyful ~ Romans 8 God works all things for good.

2 - Be creative. God has given you unique Godly gifts so that you can please Him and bless others. These gifts are to bring non-believers to the knowledge of Christ.

1 - Do not forget your mission -
Matthew 28:18-20 (New International Version)
The Great Commission
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Rejoice In the Lord Always

2010-11-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

WOWGROUP GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP NJ ~ WOWGROUP GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP NY

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. WOWgroup Global Fellowships gathered and reflected and thanked the Lord for His faithfulness, mercy, grace, favor,love and goodness.

The testimonies we heard today propelled each one of us and reminded us that God is in the business of restoration, multiplication, and transformation.

WOWgroup Global Fellowships have determined to forge forward and remain focus in the race.

Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

In Order for God to Show Up ~ You have to Give Up Something!

2010-10-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY

Minister William Merced Jr. delivered a powerful message and helped us understand that in order for God to show up in our lives we must be willing to give up those things that stop God from helping us. Minister William Merced Jr. used Genesis 22:1-12 as an example of a man who was willing to give up his son. Abraham trusted and obeyed the Lord and as a result God sent an angel to intervene on his behalf. We were reminded that we must be willing to give up those things that get in the way(pride, resentment, jealousy, anxiousness, bitterness, and fear) in order to allow God to intervene and bring us to the next level. Many of us are stuck and are not seeing God's hand, because we are not willing to give up those sinful natures. We were reminded that we cannot expect God to do everything. We must first do our very best and then God does the rest. What are you willing to give up in order to see God intervene in your situation?

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~ Children's Church

It was truly a blessing watching the Lord move amongst the children. First the children gathered together and played with one another. They shared and interacted very quietly. Afterwards TAG ~ Truly Anointed Girls gathered together to dance and worship to Mary Mary Shackles Off My Feet. It was amazing to see how Brianna a 4 year old girl helped to choreograph their first praise dance and how Cami and Mykayla followed her lead.

Afterwards Andrew gathered the girls and read them a bible story the Ten Commandments. Andrew then showed a God Rocks DVD video that showed the girls about the Ten Commandments. Andrew then gave each girl a coloring page with the scripture about obeying God's Commandments (RULES). He told them when you follow God's rules you are showing Him that you love Him and then He is pleased and makes you happy. Andrew then prayed for the girls and blessed them. WOW!

If you would like to see the highlights of children church click here

Matt 11:25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

In Order for God to Show Up We Have to Give Up!

2010-10-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had an awesome Celebration Sunday!

Minister William Merced Jr. helped us to understand that in order for God to show up in our lives we have to be willing to give up those things that get in the way. Minister William Merced Jr. used Genesis 22:1-9 as an example of how God may test us. Abraham was willing to give up his son, because he trusted God. Abraham loved God and the angel intervened. We have to be willing to give up some things such as anger, resentment, jealousy ~ something in order for God to intervene. We cannot expect for God to do everything and not be willing to give something up. Minister William Merced Jr. gave us great examples of why it is in our best interest for us to give up those things that are not good for us in order for God to intervene in our situation.

What are you willing to give up so that you can move up to the next level?

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY~ Children's Church

The children spent time playing with one another as Andrew Merced was preparing his

message. TAG ~ Truly Anointed Girls practiced worshipping and dancing before the Lord to Mary Mary Take the Shackles Off My Feet. Afterwards Andrew gathered the girls together and read them a bible story where Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Lord. Andrew then showed TAG a God Rocks Video ~ which focused on the Ten Commendments. The children watched and discussed why we must have rules. Then Andrew blessed the girls and prayed over them.

What an awesome way to celebrate Jesus!

Facing Our Fears

2010-10-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had the priviledge of watching the premiere of Toby Adventures
(Monster & Me). After we watched the short animated film we were able to begin our message.

Minister Tanya Merced posed the following three questions:

As a child of God does fear fit who you are?
Do you have a reason to be afraid?
What do you fear most in life?

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY searched the scriptures.

Isaiah 41:10 The Message

"Don't panic. I'm with you.

There's no need to fear for I'm your God.

I'll give you strength. I'll help you.

I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

We discovered that when we are facing a very difficult situation we must take God at His Word (literally). God does not place fear within us. He has equipped us to do all those things He requires each believer to do. The problem is that many of us are not believing or trusting God. We are allowing our imagination (fears) to take over. What you imagine you are that is what you will become. (Your mind controls your body. God has the very best for you. People fail, because of the way they see themselves(fear).

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~Family Fun Day

2010-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~ Family Day

Autumn is here and WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY has just picked the best pumpkin ever at White Post Farms in Melville, NY. What a beautiful sunny day to take a hayride, watch a show, and pet the animals in the zoo.

Oh, did I forget Candy Apples and my favorite Caramel too!

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

WOWgroup Global Network NY ~ Men's Group ~ Men 4 Real

2010-10-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Men 4 Real had their very first gathering and it was great. Men 4 Real first went to Hall of Fame Billiards where they sharpened their skills and then had a great experience at Ariang Japanese Steakhouse where they laughed and enjoyed the atmosphere as well as each other.

Why was Men 4 Real launched? Men ask all the time where to find guys like themselves. Men also confess that they want more depth with their male friends. They report that their male buddies don’t get real enough, they make-up stories, or they just keep everything on the surface.

Men 4 Real want to be just that ~ open to personal growth, self-help and personal development.

WOWgroup Global Network NY ~ Women's Group ~ Gelasia

2010-10-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Wowgroup Global Network NY ~ Women's Group ~ Gelasia had their very first Gelasia Game Night.

Gelasia is Greek for Smiling Lady. Many of us have different relationships in our lives, and of course that is important. Yet it's the women in our lives who add silly laughter, endless hours of conversation, caring for us when we are ill, and a loving ear when we are hurting. The truth is we are more relaxed when we are amongst women friends. There is a need to make connections with other women.

Wowgroup Global Network NY ~ Women's Group ~ Gelasia understands that each one of us can build stronger lives on the strength of our connections with other women. Why not gather in one room, each member bringing their unique selves to share with others, so all of us can grow and build stronger lives. In today's busy world, we need to find a place that is there for us, and building a community of women adds a love of value to our lives.

What Type of Garment are You Wearing?

2010-10-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY is happy to present a Mime Praise (If We Are the Body)
To see the Mime Praise Click Here

Andrew is a teenager on the autism spectrum and has had a very difficult time adjusting to "traditional worship" services. Parents with a child on the autism spectrum understand how difficult worship services can be. Many parents avoid Church, because it's simply too difficult to enjoy the worship service while trying to prevent behavior problems in their child.

One of the ways WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY has helped Andrew grow as an individual is by giving him a special job. The most important step is to keep this as positive as possible. Since the mime tells a story and uses movement and music, which Andrew enjoys he is able to attend for at least 10 minutes. Andrew's presence at church is so important. I believe that the more we involve our special needs population into our communities (churches) the more we will be like Christ.

Minister William Merced Jr. brought forth an awesome word titled: What type of Garment are you wearing? We learned that some of us are wearing garments of complaining, lies, rebellion, etc. Minister William Merced Jr. showed us how important it is to wear the right garment and that is the one that the Lord designed for us Ephesians 6:11.

"Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil."

Let us all wear the garment of righteousness!

GOD HAS YOUR BACK

2010-10-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY & WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ

Both Fellowships gathered and rejoiced as Worship Leader Melisa lead worship with her acoustic guitar. Lord your Amazing echoed in the air and the sweet sound of Melisa's strumming helped us stay in tune. Next, we sang King of Glory and this time the Holy Spirit joined us as we rejoiced and worshiped our King of Kings. It was absolutely glorious.

We were then blessed by Princess Cortes as she worshiped our Lord in a sweet song in Spanish. We were reminded that Princess began ministering at the sweet age of 3. I love how God is molding Princess into a beautiful young lady.

Minister Lillian Altreche then Ministered in song. While Minister Lillian Altreche worshiped the Lord the room was saturated with His anointing. Truly an amazing moment.

WOWgroup Global Fellowships had a small task and that was to observe Dry Sand and Wet Sand. They were to observe the Dry Sand when it moved and when it was damp and then they were to observe when the Sand was saturated with water and observe if an imprint could be made. WOWgroup Global Fellowships broke up into partnerships and shared their ideas.

Jeremiah 5:22

I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

Minister Tanya Merced brought forth the message and reminded WOWgroup Fellowships that God is totally in control and that we have nothing to fear.

YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE

2010-09-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowships Family Fun Day ~ Apple Picking (Warwick, NY)

Today was such a beautiful day. As we walked with our family and friends through the farm and picked and chewed on fresh fruit we were reminded of God's Glory. To think that there are over 7,500 different kinds of apples in the world today. WOW, that is a lot of apples.

I am reminded that the Apple is an awesome fruit. God compared us to that fruit and I can totally understand why. When the Lord speaks about the apple of His eye He is stating that He is watching over His people, He is guarding us. He does this, because truly He loves us.

Here are the biblical verses that use the expression (from the New International Version):

Deuteronomy 32:10
- In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,

Psalm 17:8
- Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings

Proverbs 7:2
- Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

Zechariah 2:8
- For this is what the LORD Almighty says:
"After he has honored me and
has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—
for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye--

Faith Like Potatoes

2010-09-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY watched a powerful movie called "Faith Like Potatoes". I have to say with a title like that you would think the movie would be slow and well kind of wishy washy, but the truth is this documentary really makes you believe that all things are possible. The Lord really ignited our faith once again. Not that I didn't have faith, but there are those days when we doubt God's promises. I recommend this film to anyone that wants a quick reminder why God is good and His promises are yes and amen.

Brief description of the movie:
Angus Buchan's is a rugged South African farmer who endures remarkable adversity on his quest to discover the true power of faith. Faith Like Potatoes follows Buchan from his early attempts to achieve material success, through the personal transformation that follows a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, and a close friendship forged with his faithful Zulu farmhand.

Just like the potatoes in his field, Buchan's faith remains hidden until the harvest, when he learns how the power faith can transform his life.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship~Family Fun Day

2010-08-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things that WOWgroup Global Fellowships is discovering is that Christian Fellowship is very much needed in order to make our families stronger.
In Acts 2:42 we learn that the early church devoted itself to “fellowship.” Fellowship was a very important part of their reason for meeting together. It was one of their objectives. But what does true fellowship mean?

Fellowship may mean that you have something in common, and that you may have the same purpose. "True Christian Fellowship" is simply having the ability to love the way Christ loves. It is having unity amongst one another, it is having communion with the Holy Spirit and allowing the Lord to guide us with all biblical truth.

WOWgroup Global Fellowships understands that the first ministry begins at home.
We are discovering together that we must invest more time with our loved ones, be more patient with them first, before pouring it into the lives of others. We are learning how to serve our family members in the name of God.

We are a light to the world, Jesus Christ lives in us and has given us grace. Those at the bowling alley today saw us laughing, helping our special needs children, cheering one another. Instead of losing our patience, throwing up our hands we are learning how to treat our family members the way we want them to treat us.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship~Family Fun Day is more richer and deeper than just a social gathering, it is our first ministry.

Miracle of the Moment

2010-08-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY shared many moments today. We celebrated birthdays and a Mime Praise Dance. Minister Tanya and son Andrew Merced dedicate this mime first to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We would also like to dedicate this mime dance to Minister Lillian Altreche & Briana Dargan & Reverend Erick Cruz Smith. We would also like to dedicate it to all our WOWgroup family and friends.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY prays that it will bring you joy, laughter and remind you to hold onto(Click here if you would like to see the Miracle of the Moment).

Minister William Merced Jr. reminded us that Jesus' road to the resurrection was not an easy one. Jesus relied on His Father's will and purpose. Minister William Merced Jr. reminded us that even though Jesus was the son of God He felt sorrow, depressed, hopeless, and abandoned during the last days, however, Jesus did not rely on His emotions, but on the Father's will.
We too must stay focused on the Father's will and that is to go out and share the Good News and not rely on our own will.

Dress for the Cause

2010-08-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

By William Merced Jr.

WOWgroup Global Fellowships Men’s Retreat was a transforming and liberating time for all who gathered. When the men of God unite and seek the Lord’s face something always happens. WOWgroup Global Fellowships Men’s Retreat at Blue Mountain allowed us to put our guard’s down and allowed the Lord to do His work in us. As each one of us let down his guard the Lord was able to transform both spiritually and mentally, because we were open to whatever God wanted. God touched us all in a special and individual way. The men laughed, cried, talked, and learned how to have fun with one another. It was just a relaxing and peaceful weekend. The men learned that we each needed to be careful of the spiritual garment we put on whether they are sinful or righteous garments. The messages were taught in very creative and unique ways. We are looking forward to the next WOWgroup Global Fellowships Men’s Retreat.

Intercession Changes Lives

2010-08-01T17:48:00.001-07:00

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY was reminded of the greatest intercessor of them all ~ Jesus Christ. Minister William Merced and son Andrew created a skit based on Carmen's song The Courtroom: Mission 3:16 and Revelation.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY's mission is to build up families and communities where everyone feels accepted, supported, challenged, and affirmed. In addition, our special needs population is proving time and time again that all of us have gifts and talents that God can use. Thank you Andrew for showing us that no matter what All things are possible with God!

If you would like to see Andrew's Skit click here: The Courtroom

Minister Tanya Merced mentioned 3 points we could learn from Abraham's Intercessory Prayer.

1. Boldness (Confidence) we need to be confident before the Lord in order to ask God to change His mind or His action. Ephesians 2:18

2. The Lord's Character and Word - In order to appeal on behalf of others we need to know God's attributes.

For great examples of intercessors in the bible read:
Exodus 32:9-14 Daniel 9:4-19 Amos 7:2-6

3. Persistence-Continue praying until the answer is given. Luke 11:5-13; Luke 18:1-8

Maintaining a Relationship during the Mountaintops &Valleys

2010-07-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Maintaining a relationship with the Father when things are going great is easy, but what happens when we find ourselves deep in the crevices of the valleys?

Minister William Merced Jr. shared a powerful word with WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY and gave us great examples from the Word of God.

David a great king led his army, but they were losing and he was afraid. We learn from the scriptures that David had to speak the Word and remind himself that God was dependable. God never let him down before. God knew that David was afraid, but through David's sacrificial praise and thanksgiving even when he was at the lowest was acceptable to the King of Kings. The Lord's Word was something that David knew he could hold onto no matter what. Today we learned that as long as we have a firm foundation on the Word of God we can make it through the valleys and on the mountaintops.

1 Chronicles 29:10
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Psalm 56:4
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. [12] Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. [13] Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

WOWgroup Fellowship NJ - 7/11/10

2010-07-13T10:11:00.001-07:00

By Minister Tanya Merced

WOWgroup Fellowship NJ was privileged in having guest speaker Johnny Rivera and wife Carmen Rivera teach on the topic of Conquering and Drawing Close to the Heart of God. Guest Speaker Johnny Rivera referred to Esther 2:17 and Esther 2:13 and showed how Esther and Mordecai represent Christ and His divine plan.

After listening carefully to this message we learned that we have a divine purpose. We are the channel that God uses to draw others to the kingdom. Esther used her inner and outer beauty to persuade the King and to save her people. Esther did not rush, but she observed, she studied and learned that the King loved banquets and therefore used her request wisely.

An intelligent leader knows the heart of the King (Jesus) we not only talk like Jesus, but our walk reflects Jesus both inside and out.

Seasons Change ~ 6/27/10

2010-07-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

WOWgroup Fun Pool Fellowship

It's that season of the year when family and friends gather together to celebrate the Summer Season. Many of us are enjoying our vacations, while others are enjoying BBQ's. However, there are seasons in our lives where we are not celebrating or enjoying the process at all.

WOWgroup Fellowship NY & WOWgroup Fellowship NJ gathered together at Mr. & Mrs. Fuentes home for a time of Worship, Thanksgiving, Prayer, and encouragement. We learned that there are many seasons that we must go through. The bible clearly states in Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
The Lord helped each one of us to apply this scripture in our life and to focus on the positive changes that are happening in the season that we are in.

It is important to note that when we acknowledge the season we are in whether it is Spring time, Summer, Fall, or Winter we must be willing to allow God to take us through the season. When we allow the Father to walk us and guide us through each season we are sure to see the fruits bloom into the sweet rose of Sharon.

Focus on Perfection - May 30, 2010

2010-05-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Minister Tanya Merced

Hurricane Harbor was a blast! Willie, Andrew and I worshiped in our car on our way to Six Flags Great Adventure. The journey about 45minutes to an 1hr without traffic. Since we didn't have any particular praise music planned, my son Andrew requested that we sing What it means? By Jeremy Camp. I am going to post the lyrics to this beautiful song so that you too can experience the power that transpired in our old beat up 1993 Black Le Toyota Camry :)

What it means By Jeremy Camp

I’ve been here a thousand times before...
Face down on the floor
Wondering how I even reached this place again

But you’ve shown so endlessly,
How your love pours over me,
No picture can re-create the beauty that I see

Show me What It Means,
To live my life a sacrifice,
If only I would realize how much
It took to pay the price,
I know I’d always give,
Everything to you

I want this world to always see
Your perfect majesty,
Reflecting from my life this brilliant poetry

Written all over this place,
The signs of all creation that you breathed,
Words can’t even state how much you mean to me

I want to face my very crime,
Of not always giving all of mine,
But I can feel the hope you bring to me

---------------------------------------
Perfect Creation

Since we were on the road and I did not plan a message ahead of time I decided that we needed to be very sensitive and have God lead us through the scriptures. Andrew and Willie waited patiently as I turned the pages of my IPHONE. I was about to begin with Daniel, but I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart and say go to the very beginning. Next, I asked Andrew to turn to Genesis Chapter 1 and we each took turns reading the scriptures aloud. We focused on the different things that God created and how He blessed them and commanded each one to be fruitful and increase. God reminded us that there was a conversation in the heavens and that when He created us in His image and likeness He said it was good. Not only did God say we are good He blessed everything He made and commanded it to be fruitful, multiply and increase. We are called to worship God and produce fruit not only in us, but others.

Freedom to Love Him

The following paragraphs might cause several eyebrows to raise or heads to nod in agreement, but the truth of the matter is that I have made up my mind. Reading Beth Moore's Get Out of The Pit kind of gave me more of a push. I am not being prideful, but honest. I have to admit that years ago I would not have dared to go to an outing on a Sunday for fear that I was committing a great sin against God. I thought that I was not keeping the Sabbath and that I was backsliding. Then reading the scriptures, studying the scriptures and spending time with other believers who were free to worship the Lord helped me to realize that I wasn't really free to Love Jesus at all. Christians are saved by grace. When I read Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16 I understood that the bible has no explicit biblical command that either Saturday or Sunday be a day of Worship. These scriptures tell me that Christians have the freedom to observe a special day, or to observe every single day not just Saturday and Sunday.

Why am I taking the time to write this? Many of us feel that if we miss a day of "Church" or do not enter a building we are not right with God. Again when I read the scriptures it tells me that whenever two or more are gathered in His name that is where Jesus abides (Matthew 18:20).
Jesus said "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18) Jesus believed the church was so valued and important to Him that He gave His life for it (Ephesians 5:25) We too are called to love the church as Jesus did. The Greek word for "church" is ekklesia, which means assembly. Among Christians the word means all who believe in Christ.

Theologians use Luke as example, the first time Luke uses it He writes, " great fear seized the whole church (Acts 5:11). Luke did not have to explain to the people of that time what the word church meant, because the readers used it in their everyday language. It meant all Christians, not just those who were present there. "The Church" means all disciples of Christ. It refers to people, not a building.

It is important to note that I am not advocating that we should be Lone Rangers, or that " The Church" not meet with other believers. On the contrary, (Hebrews 10:25) tells us that we should meet with one another. Believers need to fellowship so that we can encourage one another, have a sense of belonging, we need to be accountable to one another. God has given each person unique and different abilities so that we can work as one body (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Together we can accomplish the great commission that Jesus commanded us to do and that is to go out and make disciples of all the nations.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY invites you to freely love Jesus with all of your might and understand that " We are the Church" and together we can make a difference.

Building Leaders Who Can Lead and Serve ~ May 16th 2010

2010-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

by Minister Tanya Merced

WOWgroup Fellowship NY

It was a beautiful day at WOWgroup Fellowship NY. Minister William Merced Jr. and Minister Tanya Merced welcomed family and friends into their home. One of the most amazing things that happened during our meet was that WOWgroup Fellowship NJ and WOWgroup Fellowship NY both collaborated as one unit.

WOWgroup Fellowship NY was expecting 10 people at the meet, but the Lord doubled that number. One of the guest asked me if that was a bad thing? I replied of course not it is an absolute blessing! Truly it was a blessing.

Grace Flows Down

Truly this part of the meeting was very special to me. Let me explain why. First, I decided that although I am a plus-size woman now that I should not let that hinder my worship. Why do I say that? When I was younger and did not serve the Lord I was a dancer. I was not a professional dancer, but new every single street dance, club dance and modern jazz movement there was at the time. I was not a plus-size young girl and so I was very comfortable moving my arms, waist, legs, and every other part that could move to music. Then I met a christian plus-size woman who taught me how to praise dance. Truly I learned that the size didn't matter, but my heart in other words, my true worship was the key factor. I must admit that ministering in dance in front of people still makes me very nervous, but it's not about me. I want to thank Unashamed Outreach Services director Olga Robinson for inspiring me to dance. Thank you Ruthy and Melisa for making me excited about praise dancing again.

If you would like to see the praise dance " Grace Flows Down," Click Here.

Noah's Ark Story

WOWgroup Fellowship NY knows that everyone is accepted into the kingdom of God. Special Needs people are able and capable of sharing the gospel of Christ. Andrew in his unique way blessed our hearts. Although it was difficult to catch up with his speed reading and singing. He showed us that he was a team player.

Building Walls Activity

WOWgroup Fellowship NY gave a mini assignment to each team. Before we began the assignment 2 lovely assistants Briana age 3 and Cami age 5 gave each team a bag filled with wooden blocks. Each team was also given a sheet of paper and markers. The task was to build a wall sturdy enough to resist natural disasters and outside intrusion, however, everytime they heard a train whistle they had to come to a complete halt. The teams soon learned that the whistle was a bit annoying, but what was frustrating was rebuilding the wall everytime an outside force came. Thanks to my assistants who kicked a few planks. After the activity each team chose a speaker to share their experiences.

Building Leaders Who Can Lead and Serve
This message was truly a collobarative team effort. I taught on Nehemiah Chapter 2:17-18 and spoke about the importance about having leaders identify with the people. In order to rebuild or build as a team, a leader must first learn how to guide and inspire. A leader must also motivate others to see the vision. What better way of identifying with a leader who has a servant's heart first.

Then Minister William Merced Jr. spoke about using our giftings and talents to serve and lead the people. Minister William Merced Jr. shared his personal testimony and how he was able to make a difference at his job without speaking about Jesus. You see the presence of the Lord is inside of us and wherever we go we shine.

Dr. Sandrie S. Smith also taught us how Nehemiah created jobs for the community. Nehemiah was a business man and applied biblical principles and succeeded. Dr. Sandrie S. Smith reminded us that our first business is our home and that Nehemiah is a great example of man of God who put a plan of action in place. We were also reminded of God's plan for each one of us.

" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Unashamed Outreach Worship Conference ~ 5/15/10

2010-05-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

Unashamed Outreach Worship Ministry invited WOWgroup Global Fellowships to teach on the topic of Esther and Mordecai. Keynote Speaker was our very own Dr. Sandrie S. Smith and Minister Richard Altreche. It was an awesome collaborative team effort.

Mercy Seat
Minister Lillian Altreche ushered us closer to the mercy seat of the Father. What a sweet reminder that we can run to Jesus and find mercy and His grace, which covers us and provides the healing that we need each and everyday.

If you would like to listen and experience Minister Lillian Altreche's worship, "Mercy Seat" Click Here.

Esther
Dr. Sandrie S. Smith spoke about the importance of our first ministry, which is our home. Our first ministry is our family (Spouse and Children) " You want to be loved ~ You have to love," were the words shared by our keynote speaker. Dr. Sandrie S. Smith compared a patient husband on his wedding night waiting for his lovely bride to the relationship of Jesus. Moreover, Dr. Sandrie S. Smith emphasised that "God doesn't want to change who we are, however, He wants to sharpen us". Using personal stories and real experiences is something Dr. Sandrie S. Smith does proficiently and eloquently. The heart of the message is that God is consistent, patient and is always working in us. One of the questions that was posed to the congregation was the following: Are we perfect? You could have heard a pin drop. But then the word reminded us that we are indeed perfect, created in His image. The righteousness of God. Therefore we are His prescence. We must let God reign. Esther had the right identity. We learned that she knew how to function and when to move. Esther had the right character.

Mordecai
Minister Richard Altreche demonstrated how some of us don't get the position, because we did not act upon it. We are in a beautification process. "You have been put in a position it's time to act". Minister Richard Altreche reminded us that maybe we have a Mordecai who is telling us that is time. Do not let fear set in~righteous are we.

The important key ~ we have to be courageous, plan and make time. Esther did not move on her own.

If you would like to hear some of the highlights of Minister Richard Altreche's message
Click Here

WOWgroup Fellowship NJ

2010-05-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what you would be doing in 5 years? I know one thing for sure that if you do not have a plan, but just a vision it would fizzle out in the middle of the year. Don't get me wrong there are many people who can make things happen, but at what cost?

May 2, 2010
First, WOWgroup Fellowship NJ mission to invite the community to 1976 Cedar Crest Community Center. Second, to create an atmosphere of love, joy, unity, and commitment. Third, to worship and praise the Lord in song, word, dance, and giving.

Preparation
The WOWgroup Fellowship team was hard at work preparing for the first day at the community center. Many of the team members worked on making the canvas, brochures, dance praise, reading of the word, and teaching the message. Preparation is key if you want to succeed in transforming lives.

The Arts
The creator of the universe paints with His finger and gives each of us unique gifts. How are we to use those gifts? I am happy to say that the WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ team are using their giftings to glorify the Father and to bring people to the knowledge of Christ.

The Word
What can I say, but " WOW"! I am so proud of Minister Richard Altreche and Minister William Merced Jr. Both men delivered an outstanding Word. Oh, how we learned about the Body of Christ and deformity in the Body of Christ. There is no room for having the wrong attitude or allow people to identify you, label you and create Frankensteins in the Kingdom of God.

If you would like to hear some of the message that was shared click below:

Minister William Merced Jr. "The Body of Christ"
Minister Richard Altreche "My Identity"

All in all, WOWgroup Fellowship NJ is indeed preparing their fields for the harvest. I am so happy that I was able to witness such a wonderful beginning.

The Well

2010-05-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

by Minister Corrine Acker Smith,

Our First Meeting
On Friday night, April 30th, we had our first meeting of The Well. A group of believers, many leaders in churches, who want to have a corporate worship where God is able to move freely. There were 4 couples, 1 teenager and 9 children in attendance.

The Word
We began by reading the word. Hebrews 10:25, where it speaks about provoking/encouraging one another.
That word provoke means :
1. To stir to action or feeling;
2. To bring about deliberately.

My Word is True
Next we prayed. Then we worshiped with complete abandon! We held nothing back! God's glory was manifest with prophetic word and prophetic song. "On the mountain or in the valley, it is established, my word is true. I pour it over you, I pour it out of you." God spoke about the creative power of our tongue. We prophetically sang "Power, peace, hope and strength are released through me."The children also presented a spontaneous skit of two people who thought they were trapped on a boat. The people were calling for help. Jesus walked out across the waves, he took them by the hands and walked with them across the water. We are to be a people of action. Not only hearing God but deliberately acting on his word. Stepping out in faith to places that He directs us.

A Step of Faith
The Well, is a step of faith. God said, "start" and we did. I don't know where we are going exactly. But I am excited to be traveling this journey with God as the pilot!!!

Facing Your Giants

2010-04-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

By Tanya Merced

Imagine living daily with a disability that stops you from achieving all that you can, because society has placed limits. Now imagine if you can when little David told king Saul that he would slaughter the 9 ft Palestine giant before their eyes. David was mocked, ridiculed, and taunted for what he believed. How many of you are facing giants and feel defeated? On Sunday April 25, 2010, Andrew W. Merced delivered a powerful message to WOWgroup Global Fellowship ~ NY, NY, titled "Facing Your Giants".

Andrew W. Merced is a child who was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of 3 and later on was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For those of you who are not familiar with both disorders I recommend that you visit my website A Touch of Peace: http://tanyamerced.com/;there you will find information about both disorders. Many of you may think that the giants Andrew W. Merced faces each day is living with his disorders, but the truth is it is not. The giant that Andrew W. Merced faces and will probably face for the rest of his life is the fact that the "average"or " normal person" will never understand the extra mile it takes to be accepted just the way you are.

The message " Facing Your Giants," was absolutely wonderful. We learned that Andrew understood metaphors and that he was able to give examples of fears. In addition, Andrew W. Merced's message showed us what we needed to do in order to overcome our giants on a daily basis. If you are wondering if Andrew W. Merced needed to be instructed or prompted to do the message the answer is both yes and no. Sure we had to prompt Andrew and remind him to stay focus during his message, because he would get distracted and talk about things he hated. It was like he focused on himself and the problem. What a lesson? How many times do we get blindsided and lose focus? Nevertheless, God spoke through this young willing vessel in spite of all his distractions and limitations.

Highlights from Andrew's Message

1. When we are fearful and don't know what to do we must pray.
2. After we pray we must have a plan and deliver that message to someone. He used the movie "Facing the Giants" as his inspiration. Andrew noted that Coach Taylor was at a crossroad and his team was losing, because he had lost his vision.
3. Andrew told us it's okay to be afraid, but to remember that God is for us and that all things are possible.

If you would like to see Andrew's message click here: Facing Your Giants