December, 2016
We hope you are encouraged by our 2016 ministry report. This year, we advanced our mission to develop leaders and plant missional churches in a high need area. We are convinced more than ever that God has graciously placed us right where we belong. Although we face many challenges, we are truly enjoying our work, and are greatly encouraged as we see God meet every need and go before us at every turn!
Leadership Development
“I came here to this country with nothing. Now, I have responsibility to lead in our church, but I have no training and no help. I have to give the church so much of myself, but I feel empty.”
I recently sat with the above immigrant church leader who told me the story that I so often hear: immigrant church planters in the New York area are desperately seeking training, coaching, and encouragement as they work in an exceedingly difficult setting. Many of these men and women work demanding full-time jobs, while also doing the work of full-time pastors and church planters. They face many adversities, but also feel privileged and blessed to be serving their king!
Missional Church Planting
“Missional” means that we plant and grow churches by reaching our community rather than attracting existing Christians to attend. This is not only biblical, but necessary, since there are relatively few Christians here to attract anyway! As church planters in New York, we must think and act like missionaries as we work to benefit our community and make disciples. This means that we both have to get the church into the world, by sending smaller groups of God’s people to seek restoration of people and places through the gospel, and get the world into the church, by providing church environments where people who don’t follow Jesus can belong to a gospel centered community before they believe.
We hope you are encouraged by our 2016 ministry report. This year, we advanced our mission to develop leaders and plant missional churches in a high need area. We are convinced more than ever that God has graciously placed us right where we belong. Although we face many challenges, we are truly enjoying our work, and are greatly encouraged as we see God meet every need and go before us at every turn!
Leadership Development
“I came here to this country with nothing. Now, I have responsibility to lead in our church, but I have no training and no help. I have to give the church so much of myself, but I feel empty.”
I recently sat with the above immigrant church leader who told me the story that I so often hear: immigrant church planters in the New York area are desperately seeking training, coaching, and encouragement as they work in an exceedingly difficult setting. Many of these men and women work demanding full-time jobs, while also doing the work of full-time pastors and church planters. They face many adversities, but also feel privileged and blessed to be serving their king!
Missional Church Planting
“Missional” means that we plant and grow churches by reaching our community rather than attracting existing Christians to attend. This is not only biblical, but necessary, since there are relatively few Christians here to attract anyway! As church planters in New York, we must think and act like missionaries as we work to benefit our community and make disciples. This means that we both have to get the church into the world, by sending smaller groups of God’s people to seek restoration of people and places through the gospel, and get the world into the church, by providing church environments where people who don’t follow Jesus can belong to a gospel centered community before they believe.
For 2017, we are planning to significantly expand our work with immigrant leaders. Caryn has been invited to several New York area immigrant churches to provide much needed training in spiritual formation, abuse protection and recovery, and emotional health. John also has many invitations to help immigrant pastors in ministry skills, theological training, and conflict resolution. In addition to training, we are seeking to be more available to be an encouragement to these immigrant leaders through coaching and personal interaction.
We are so grateful to every partner who joins with us in this work! If you are not currently investing in our ministry with Global Training Network, would you consider partnering with us in 2017 to train and encourage immigrant pastors? Your partnership will result in giving these men and women much needed tools and help to multiply missional churches in the New York area, and to remain healthy in the process! We are seeking 20 new partners who would invest $100 monthly, as well as partners who would invest a special year-end gift of $500 or more. Of course, any amount is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your consideration!
To invest in our ministry, please visit our staff page.
In His Service,
John and Caryn
ABOUT JOHN AND CARYN AMANDOLA
Married since 1986, and having three great boys, John and Caryn have a long history with GTN’s founders, Paul and Lisa! Caryn and Lisa have been friends since Junior High school, and Lisa and her family played a great role in Caryn coming to faith in Christ as a high school student.
"As a newly married couple, we were challenged by Paul, who was the youth pastor at Northwest Community Church, to take on greater ministry responsibilities while youth leaders there. John later succeeded Paul in that same role, where he learned how to multiply spiritual leaders. John also succeeded Paul as a church planter, Paul planting NCC’s first church plant, John the second. It now seems so natural for us to join with Paul and Lisa on staff with GTN, having the same passion to raise up leaders!"
John is a native New Yorker and Caryn grew up in Arizona. John is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, holds an M.Div. from Phoenix Seminary, and is ordained in the Missionary Church. Caryn is a graduate of Texas Christian University and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling. They have much experience in overseas ministry, church planting, mentoring leaders and pastoral ministry.
Consistent with the mission of GTN, Caryn and John have a great passion to raise up Christian leaders all over the world, especially in an area of very great need which is very close to their hearts: The New York Metro area. Their ministry involves several facets:
Married since 1986, and having three great boys, John and Caryn have a long history with GTN’s founders, Paul and Lisa! Caryn and Lisa have been friends since Junior High school, and Lisa and her family played a great role in Caryn coming to faith in Christ as a high school student.
"As a newly married couple, we were challenged by Paul, who was the youth pastor at Northwest Community Church, to take on greater ministry responsibilities while youth leaders there. John later succeeded Paul in that same role, where he learned how to multiply spiritual leaders. John also succeeded Paul as a church planter, Paul planting NCC’s first church plant, John the second. It now seems so natural for us to join with Paul and Lisa on staff with GTN, having the same passion to raise up leaders!"
John is a native New Yorker and Caryn grew up in Arizona. John is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, holds an M.Div. from Phoenix Seminary, and is ordained in the Missionary Church. Caryn is a graduate of Texas Christian University and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling. They have much experience in overseas ministry, church planting, mentoring leaders and pastoral ministry.
Consistent with the mission of GTN, Caryn and John have a great passion to raise up Christian leaders all over the world, especially in an area of very great need which is very close to their hearts: The New York Metro area. Their ministry involves several facets:
- Planting innovative, missional churches in the least churched, least reached counties in the USA.
- Training Christian leaders who work and study in the world’s most influential city to be spiritual leaders who multiply.
- Reach international students to eventually return to their countries as missionaries.
- Travel overseas to train Christian Leaders who otherwise have few resources available to them.
