Clergy Appreciation Month

October was recognized and celebrated as clergy appreciation month in our church. It began with us showing our appreciation for our Pastor, Rev. Claudio Leal. His dedication and commitment to the work of God and to our church is something we truly are grateful for. Under his leadership we have experienced tremendous spiritual growth in ourselves and within the church as a body. He is a true leader who works to bring forth God’s message through himself as well as his congregation. So it was only fitting that we dedicate an entire Sunday especially to him, his wife and their two daughters whose support and prayers keeps pushing him forward. The service was well-planned and it went beautifully. The messages in the songs, readings and sharing were all very encouraging and in the end he expressed his gratitude for all we did to make the day a wonderful one and for our continuous support to his ministry.

The second Sunday in the month was dedicated to appreciating those within the church who are directly involved in the various ministries. The Sunday School teachers, the worship leaders, the youth leaders, the offering bearers and the musicians were all recognized for their time, effort and devotion to our church’s ministries. This special Sunday was our Pastor’s brainwork and all those who were acknowledged were pleasantly surprised as this was the first time this was done in our church. Our Pastor, with his wife’s and Amari’s assistance, presented each person with a certificate of appreciation and a gift. Thank you, Pastor, Ms. Alice, Amari and Alexia for your thoughtfulness and for your gifts, we truly appreciate them.
October continued to be a month where appreciation and thanks were expressed. Only this time it was the school that held their annual Harvest Thanksgiving Service showing thanks to God for the many blessing he had bestowed upon us. The time and hard work that had been put into the planning of this event by the management and staff of the school was evident as the church was festively decorated with fruits, plants and vegetables and everything else went well. The church’s Men’s Group also provided assistance and gave of their time and effort to this event by picking up the fruits and vegetables donated to this event. Even the students did their parts by learning their songs and poems well and sharing them with their family and friends present. The school is to be applauded for this event. Teaching its students to give back to God and to publicly express appreciation and thanks to Him is a life lessons that will take them far.

The month did not end there. Once again we had another first-timer. Keeping in line with the appreciation theme, Pastor took this day to hold a very special ceremony. He recognized and honored two of his members who were husband and wife, Mr. Jimmy Vaccaro and Mrs. Gloria Vaccaro. He shared with the congregation that they had been with the church from its inception and gave examples of their dedication and commitment to the church as they grew in the Lord. This couple was there when no one else was. They are still now very actively involved in our church’s various ministries and they continue to lead lives that inspire and encourage others to live for Christ. There were presented with a beautiful crystal plaque and a gift from the church. The ceremony ended with Rev, Claudio Leal, Rev. Santiago Shol and Rev. Charlie Joe Green praying over the couple and for their continuing walk with the Lord.