Sure Foundation

- September 18, 2026

Our public schools, as wonderful as they are, will say nothing of our Savior Jesus. Nor should they. In some cases, your children will need to be able to sort out what is true and false according to the Word of God. This makes Christian education and fellowship with their peers at Sure Foundation of the utmost importance. We do hope that you’ll see the value in it.

Our children grow up incredibly fast. Bringing them to church and involving them in Christian education will have a profound impact on them. Deciding not to bring them to church or involve them in Christian education will also have a profound impact on them.

As your pastor, I’m asking each of you parents to take seriously God’s call on your life to bring up your children “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). What we do at church can never replace what you do at home. But I am asking each of you parents to ask yourself whether what we do at church together has eternal value for your child(ren). If it does, then we hope that we can count on your presence very soon.

We’re ready to welcome families back for our 2026–2027 school year.
I have so much more that I want to say about the quality of our teachers, the efforts they are putting in, our upcoming sermon series, and our brand-new Bible study, but I’ll hold myself back.

Join us Sunday!

A 9/11 reflection on the eve of the 25th Anniversary.

9/11 resists simplistic narratives. In fact, attacks like this one on innocent civilians in such a city as ours always beg us to say something and, at the same time, defy us to say anything meaningful at all. As a pastor in New York, I feel that tension deeply. Maybe I am not unlike Jeremiah, who once lamented regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, “What can I say for you? With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem?” (Lamentations 2:13). If we could even give the pain of such loss some “metaphorical restraint,” as one scholar put it perhaps we would be achieving some kind of peace.

Yet even as I despair of giving an adequate word, I’m moved to say something. Others have urged me to do so on this, the 25th anniversary of the attack on our city. Every single one of us as New Yorkers has a story of that day. Some of us have more than a story; we can speak of those we have lost. Their names are written in our hearts. After 25 years, the loss is just as real as it was then.
I refuse to take these losses and turn them into a morality tale or respond with the vague promise not to forget. 9/11 runs deeper than that, as does our Savior’s love for this broken world.

But I will say this: I was personally shaken the last time I went to the 9/11 Museum to think on that day and remember it. I saw an artifact there that has stayed with me. It was a metal beam, and melted into the beam was a KJV Bible. It was opened forever to Matthew 5:38–42. You have to see it, and then read what the page says. The furnace of the destruction of 9/11 fused a Bible page frozen open to those very verses. They are worth contemplating, along with the photo I took that day. I know that 9/11 forces a response in my heart on that day along the lines of retribution. I wanted someone to answer for it, but that page in the Bible lies open for us. It gives another way to respond to violence. One preacher put it this way: When the world wields a hammer, we become anvils. That is not weakness. That is strong love. A strong love once shown for us in Jesus our Savior. He bore our evil and took the blows. If we remember 9/11 in that way, we will remember well.

Tomorrow, my son’s prek class is wearing red, white, and blue. I’m going to join him for 9/11 in those colors. In my heart, I hope to remember in such a way that I love my fellow New Yorkers well, becoming an anvil if needed.

A prayer on 9/11

Lord Jesus,
On this the 25th anniversary of 9/11, comfort those who mourn today with your presence and precious promises. We bless you for your power over death and place our hope in you. In a world filled with violence that we too often experience in our city, make us anvils to their hammers. Strong in love. Amen

#9/11

The Labor Day retreat is officially underway. The bus, full of excited people along with an additional 4 cars packed full are now on their way to Camp Danbee in the Berkshire Mountains.

God bless their time and renewal.

It’s Labor Day Weekend and that means the retreat is upon us.

Saturday we head out to our annual Labor Day Retreat. If you are attending, please visit the retreat website for important information. Remember the bus leaves from church at 8 am sharp!

If you are not attending, remember that there will be fellowship and worship at the church at 9:30 am this Sunday. We will stream the service from the retreat.

Our Young Adults were putting their artistic skills to work as they were decorating our sidewalk advertising, inviting others to church!

I want to share a truth that I believe deeply: there are some people who, for very personal reasons, may never want to walk through the doors of a church. For some, walking into a new place filled with new people for the very first time can be difficult.

So what if we left the comfort of our church building and went out to connect with these people? What if we moved our worship into our local park and invited our neighbors to worship with us there?

In my heart of hearts, this is my great hope for this coming Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, I think we’ll really enjoy the change of scenery. I think the games afterward will make for a unique time of fun and fellowship. I think we’ll all enjoy our outdoor worship experience.

But what if this Sunday is about something even more? What if it gives us an opportunity to connect with our neighbors in a new and different way, to let them see and hear what we’re about and, most importantly, to share with them the good news of Jesus?

Please join us this Sunday at 9:30am for outdoor worship at Hart Park.

I’m excited to worship with you, and I’m even more excited to see who God might bring our way.

I’ll be honest - I’m not much of a poetry guy. Recently, I ordered a book by Ben Lerner. I thought it was a novel, but when it arrived at Queens Library I saw that it was a book of poetry. I tried to read it. I tried to enjoy it, but I just couldn’t. I simply couldn’t make any sense of the poetry. I’d read the poem, and be left scratching my head about its meaning.

I’ve only found one way to truly enjoy poetry. I love reading poems when I can, at the very same time, hear a literary critic give the meaning. I’ve fallen in love with a New York Times column for this very reason. A.O Scott and Aliza Aufrichtig have a way with opening up poems for me.

I’m telling you this because it’s my hope to do the same for you with Song of Songs. I want to open up for you what is a beautiful Song inspired by the Holy Spirit. This coming Sunday we’ll take Song 1:5-8. Give it a read. If it leaves you scratching your head, hold on tight because this will move you, challenge you, and delight you.