David and Goliath
Due to a lack of early registrants, Graffiti 2 expanded the age range of the tournament from young adults only to middle school and high school students as well. One young adult team (the Celtics) used this to their advantage. They were the oldest team and played with very little mercy. Their method of play was intimidating and “dirty” at times. Nevertheless, they had little competition in progressing through the bracket.

Another team (Young OKC) had little competition progressing through the bracket as well. As stated in their name, they were young–all middle school students. Despite being young, they were admirably confident throughout the day. One student stated to me, “All we can do is try our best.” And that they did! They met their first real competition in a semi-final game against an older team. They played well and pulled out a victory.

The final championship game was between the Celtics (Goliath) and Young OKC (David). Now, by the name of this entry, you might guess the winner. I have to admit, most of us (if not all) were pulling for Young OKC. At the beginning of the game, there was even play back and forth. The Celtics didn’t hesitate to throw their weight around or trash talk their young counterparts. Young OKC kept focused on the game. They played with amazing heart! Young OKC managed to inch out a lead with the score being 14-13. The Celtics certainly felt the pressure and turned up the heat. The ball was in the hands of the lead player for Young OKC and the Celtics played him very tight–hardly giving him any room to move. After a couple of failed attempts to dribble by, this young man pulled up from a distance and shot. In a matter of milliseconds it seemed the whole crowd took a collective gasp and then together erupted in cheers when it went in.

First, second and third place received trophies. The Celtics gave one of their trophies to the young man with the game winning shot and declared him the MVP.

Young OKC–Champions

Some of the 200 volunteers from across the city and country that served at the event.

Children enjoyed a variety of games.

Hundreds of faces were painted.

Bombin performed and presented the Gospel.

Over 1500 people were in attendance. That’s a lot of people!

10,000 Easter eggs were hidden and collected in a matter of seconds.

The Graffiti 2 Worship Band played.

Countless individuals responded to the Gospel presentation.

Thank you to all who prayed for this event. A special thanks to the many volunteers. For more pictures, check out the Graffiti 2 facebook page by clicking the link at the top right of this page.

Returning to New York brought a season in our ministry where we have been presented with extremely impactful opportunities for ministry. Due to the sensitive nature of many of these opportunities, there is only one I will share here.

A couple of weeks ago, while eating dinner in my apartment, I heard several gun shots. Not an uncommon occurrence, I was not too startled. Often these shots ring out without hitting any person. This time was different. Twenty minutes later I walked down the block to see crime scene tape on the corner. Inquiring with some friends, I found out that a 15 year old named Keith had been shot. Keith had often attended our summer sports camps.

The next day I had to travel to Missouri to handle some family business. All I could do was pray for Keith. Upon my return I inquired with some of Keith’s friends and they all thought he was doing well. Within a few days I managed to get to the hospital. I was somewhat surprised to find out he was in the ICU. Based on the reports given to me I expected to see a progressing patient. That was not what I saw walking into his room. Before me laid an intibated 15 year old, connected to a half dozen tubes, struggling for life. My heart broke as he reached out his hand, clasping mine. I prayed for healing and comfort for Keith. Nearly everyday since this initial visit, I have been to the hospital to see Keith. As I am writing this now, I am on a flight from Nashville to New York having represented G2 at a missions seminar at ClearView Baptist in Franklin. When I left Keith on Tuesday, he was sitting up, free from all tubes, capable of carrying on a conversation. Please pray for Keith.

I truly believe the best opportunities for ministry come through difficult circumstances. Not only have we been able to minister to Keith, but also to his family as well. God is indeed showing himself and is certainly the God of miracles.

Entering March, I was tired and worn, yet thanks to God, still strong.

“‘My gift of undeserved grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.’ So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

In addition to a new building, we launched a new vision for Graffiti 2 Church. This vision originates from 3 principles found in the Great Commission. 1. Go, not come: We are to go to unbelievers, not have them come to church. 2. Everyone, not some: We are to share with everyone, not just pick and choose who we think. 3. Make disciples, not church members: Disciples will make more disciples which will make more disciples.

We are trusting God for miracles in and through us as Graffiti 2 Church steps faithfully towards this new vision.

We had an abundance of preschool shoeboxes, so we were able to deliver 72 boxes to a Head Start program nearby.

Every year, Graffiti 2 holds a Christmas Celebration that is just for children and teens enrolled in our programs or families from church. This year we had 100 kids and teenagers that received a gift, from 2 years old to 18 years old. Participants in this event were treated to a puppet showed, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and attentively listened to the Gospel as it was presented.

Even after all these kids and teenagers received boxes, we still had over 100 extra! We embraced this challenge and with the help of a Graffiti 2 Board Member, we distributed over 100 boxes to kids and teens in various shelters in the area.

We are exciting about growing this ministry in the years to come.

My brother-in-law was on the other end. Best I can recall he said, “Andrew, something happened.”

“OK.”

“Your dad passed away.”

“What did you say?”

Fighting back tears (as I am doing right now), “Something happened and your dad passed away.”

“OK. I will see you guys soon.”

I turned my phone off and shortly after the plane took off.

Previously while I was calling all the different phones, my mom, sister and brother-in-law were with the paramedics and coroner. My mom had only found my father about 30 minutes prior. They didn’t know whether to answer the phone and tell me before my flight took off or wait until after I landed.

My father passed away, best we can know, from a seizure at about 2 or 3 in the morning. My mom had slept in a different bed as she went to bed later than him and didn’t want to disturb him. She woke up and got ready to come to St. Louis to pick me up. She noticed my dad wasn’t in bed, but that is not abnormal as he often heads outside early and feeds the horses and accomplishes chores. By 10 am she was getting concerned as that was the time they had discussed leaving. She started looking around. She found him laying between the bed and wall. He had fallen out of the bed during the seizure. She knew he was dead and called 911. She then called my sister. I can’t imagine those first 30 minutes as she sat there with him by herself. She later said God was taking care of her because as hard as that was, she thinks it would have been a forever haunting image if she found him face up.

Meanwhile on the plane, I sat navigating a roller coaster of emotions. Three hours of silence and little interaction, wondering what had happened. At one point I opened my iPad and played a new Monopoly game app. It provided a needed distraction. Arriving in St. Louis, I had about a three hour wait at the airport. My mom, sister and brother-in-law were on their way.

A parade of thoughts as well as a parade of phone calls came (it is amazing how fast news travels!). I always say (and believe) that God works through difficult circumstances. In Lambert International Airport I made a choice that my goal through this life-event was to glorify God. After making that choice, God made it clear how I should respond: not as people who are hopeless.

My father was a believer. The Word of God gives us the promise of heaven. If I really take God for His word, then this honestly is not that big of a deal. My dad is in heaven. The time that I will have to wait to see him again is minuscule when compared to eternity.

On a rainy evening in St. Louis, my family pulled up to the passenger pick-up. I loaded my things in the back of the Trailblazer and sat next to my mom in the back seat. There was little to say besides what could be communicated by a tearful hug between my mom and I. They told me how the morning had unfolded which at this point was still a mystery to me.

Two days later my brother, his wife and two daughters arrived from Indiana. On Thursday a visitation service was held at our church followed by a funeral and burial in a veteran’s cemetery the next day. We were honored to have a dear friend, pastor and show-organist, Charles Ritchie, bring his organ and perform music that would have had my dad tapping his foot. It wasn’t sad. The Gospel was shared by two pastors. God was glorified.

The days following were occupied first with celebrating Christmas. Having four kids under the age of five around the house certainly provided an appropriate distraction. They each (except maybe the three month old) had a sense of what had happened. After being informed that Papa was gone, my nephew later asked, “Who is going to charge the gator (a little vehicle him and my nieces drive around on the farm)?” That had always been my dad’s job. On Christmas eve we sent them to bed. The adults stayed up busily wrapping and accomplishing in one evening what normally took place in a week. This is and will likely remain one of my fondest memories of Christmas.

In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus tells Scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” For the two weeks that followed the funeral, I developed a whole new understanding for my father. I lived his life. Got up in the morning and fed the horses. Fed them later at night. Tried to get a grip on all of the loose strings from his business as well as his personal life that needed to be tied up. I walked in his shoes, literally. I wore his rubber boots to do his chores around the farm.

In this busyness I developed a different (not new) respect, love and compassion for my dad. In my experience perspective always leads to compassion. Seeing life from another’s view certainy brings new understanding. For example, at one time in my life I saw felons and criminals. Walking through the court house today, I now see sons, brothers, sisters, mothers, and daughters. I see possible friends and neighbors. I see people that are missing the hope found in Jesus. Perspective brings compassion. I now understand my father better than I ever have before.

One of my tasks in the past two weeks was to destroy the confidential appraisal work of my father. In the city they use shredders. In Fairdealing, MO, we burn it! As I tended the fire and added more papers to it, several thoughts crossed my mind. First, nearly 20 years of my dad’s work went up in flames in about 3 hours. A sobering reminder to re-examine what is truly valuable. Second, as I stared at the flames, thinking through some of the potential problems that stood before me, God reminded of words I had read that morning in a devotional by Eugene Peterson. “God is free above and beyond what we observe of His ways. He is free to do whatever He wills, whether it conforms to what we have observed as the laws he established in creation or not.” God is a God of miracles. God clearly told me, “Andrew, you have already seen miracles. There are still miracles left to come.”

I am praying these miracles, looking to glorify God and celebrating the life of a truly good man. A man that worked hard (until the day he died), loved his family, helped others, and lived a life in reverence to God.

Andrew Mann
Director

*Monday, November 21–Graffiti 2 held an evangelism training. About 20 people learned how to share their faith.

*Tuesday, November 22–Over 200 people attended our community-wide Thanksgiving dinner. This year’s dinner was held at the Betances Community Center in cooperation with BronxWorks.

*Wednesday, November 23–With the help of volunteers, 70 boxes of food containing everything a family needed to make a Thanksgiving dinner were distributed to the families in our programs as well as other families in need.

*Wednesday, November 23–Over 20 teens and adults from Graffiti 2 Church traveled down to Graffiti in Manhattan to lead the service at their community Thanksgiving meal. These teens and adults truly exemplified Christ by how they served.

*During this whole week, our ministry was assisted and enabled by our friends from West Virginia, led by Norm and Debbie Cannada. Visit their ministry website at www.westcharlestonbaptist.org

*In the past three weeks I have seen God miraculously provide for a homeless family that appealed to Graffiti 2 for help on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. When all doors seemed closed, God opened doors to provide housing to this family. The story is not complete, but we are confident in God’s provision.

*Two days ago, a man was shot down the block from our new location on Beekman Avenue. Four of our teenagers witnessed the shooting and were very shaken up. One of those students posted on facebook, “It just got real. It just hit me. We live in the ghetto.” I am a deep believer that God works through difficult circumstances. The seed of any revolution is discontent. One has to be unsettled with the status quo of the world they live. A changed mind is proof of God at work. Pray for the man that was shot, the individual who shot him and each of their families. Pray for our church to be light in the darkness.

*This Sunday, Graffiti 2 will be holding a baptism service for seven recent believers. We believe that these believers as well as existing believers are going to bring revolution to their households and ultimately to this community.

God bless.
Andrew Mann
Pastor/Executive Director

Every month Graffiti 2 hosts an Agape Feast. This month’s Agape Feast had an unexpected but delightful outcome. At the end of the feast, Graffiti 2 shared in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. As the bread and juice were being passed, one of our 3rd grade students, Michael, did not understand why he didn’t receive the “bread and wine” while Noah, another 3rd grader, sitting across from him did. In fact he got quite upset and began to cry, saying, “I hate Graffiti 2 and don’t want to come back.” His mom called me over to explain to him why he could not participate. With him in tears, he really did not have any care for what I was saying at the time.

Wednesday when he arrived at after school program, he was still upset. He even wrote a note explaining his frustration. The note read, “I can’t go to church because I get bored and can’t stay quiet, but I love God.” Ashley asked Noah to sit with him and explain why he was allowed to participate and Michael was not.

Noah shared two testimonies with Michael. First, he shared his testimony of how he accepted Christ in his life. Second, he shared his testimony on how God called his family to be missionaries here in the Bronx. Noah told Michael to read his Bible and when he felt he was ready to ask his parents or somebody at Graffiti 2 to share with him how to accept Christ in his life.

Michael did just that! He hurried to get a Bible and while everybody else was playing games, he read his Bible. A kid that struggles to focus on anything for more than 2 minutes, sat intently reading the Word.

Later, Michael sat with me and I shared with him the plan of salvation. Over the past 2 years in after school he has developed a deep knowledge of the Bible. He fully understood Christ’s sacrifice for him and the free gift of salvation offered to him. He prayed to God, “God I know I am a sinner. I know my sin separates me from you. I believe that Jesus lived, died and came back to life. He took my punishment for my sins. I want to make you the boss of my life. I want to do things your way, not my way. Amen.”

A few moments later, Michael exclaimed to Noah, “I am a Christ follower now.”

People Affecting People. Kids Affecting Kids. Revolutionized Revolutionaries.