A day in Doral... Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

On Wednesdays I normally try and stay in the Doral area all day. I try to make all my meetings here locally around the city. It does not always work out that way, but yesterday it did. The slides represent some of things I was able to be involved... pretty cool.

1. I was invited to the unveiling of the Bison Mascot presentation. While there I was able to speak to the Mayor of the City of the Doral, J.C. Bermudez and our very own Doug Rodriguez, principal of the Year about doing a Podcast. They both agreed! This may be the first time we have a non-pastor/church person share on our podcast.

2. Hermes and Alicia Soto are pastors from Cuba. Hermes has been a pastor at the same church for over 30 years... Iglesia Bautista McCall in Santo Suarez, Cuba. He is also the president of the Baptist Seminary in Havana. He shared with me that the enrollment at the seminary went from 70 students five years ago to 490. That's impressive! This was accomplished by setting up regional locations where students can take the first two years under the direction of local pastors. God is doing a great thing in the island of Cuba! Pastor Hermes is one of by distance mentors in the faith. He is an inspiration to me of a man who is totally committed to the calling God has given him.

3. Doug Rodriguez was named Miami-Dade Principal of the year last week. I had the unique privilege to sit on the team who recommended him in front of the special board from Miami-Dade Public Schools. More importantly, Doug has been such a great supporter of the church, even before we began to meet at the school almost two years ago. I am very grateful to Doug for giving FRC the opportunity to meet here. I'm also very proud that I get to observe and learn from his example. Congratulations on a great job! In this picture, Doug received the City of Doral Proclamation presented by the Mayor and the City Council.

4. Last night we had our second Small Group Couples meetings. We had 8 couples who where able to laugh, learn and share what having expectations does to there marriage relationship. God is really working in this group. Several of the couple have only been attending the campus for just a couple of weeks or months. I look forward to see what God does in the next four weeks.

What does doing life together means to the community we serve? Are you comfortable just around a group of Christians? Are you willing to step out in faith and represent God in public places? The longer we are Christians the harder this is to do. How do you overcome this tendency in your life?

What's new at FRC Doral

I hope you don't miss the the delicious Popcorn and Snow Cones we are now serving at the campus. Through June we will be serving both as we raise funds to send our student and children ministries to camp this summer.

I hope you take the time and meet some of the awesome students and their leaders who are making this effort.

Tell them pastor Igor sent you!

Mastering the five levels of influence

Last night several leaders from the Doral campus finished a book study on the book Launching A Leadership Revolution. The consensus was this book is perhaps one of the best books on the subject of leadership we had all encountered. We were all challenged, stretched, and confronted about where we are right now as leaders. Not just that, we also had to take a hard look at how we move from where we are to where we need to be or should be.

Our group felt they needed to go beyond what they were doing and come up with ways to implement what they had learned. As a result, we came up with several projects to pursue in the course of the next year. Here's a short list of what we came up:

1. Start a campus in Bogota, Colombia.
2. Partner with a local health care clinic to provide medical care to those who can't afford it.
3. Have a ministry fair at the campus to help people engage in service opportunities.
4. Partner with leaders in the church to mentor each other.

I congratulate all the participants for their commitment to come to the book study every week for the last 10 weeks. You guys have all taught me the value not quitting. Thank you for making these weeks all worth while.

Before I go, here's a quick review of the five levels of influence.

The cycle

1. Being a learner
2. Being a performer
3. Leading
4. Developing leaders
5. Developing leaders who develop leaders

We are all somewhere between 1 and 5. Most people never make it above level 3. Some make it to level 4, only a few make it to level 5. If you desire is to make it to the top level you are going to have to have a passion, work hard, be willing to bring people who are better than you for the ride, and stay the course.

Where are you on this journey? Do you have what it takes to stay the course? Do you have the passion? Are you willing to hire people better than yourself? What is keeping you?

It Matters/Cinco de Mayo Celebration

This week at the Doral campus we are having a huge kick-off to our new series... It Matters. We will be starting this 5 week series with a Mexican style celebration. Bring your family and friends to attend service and then stay with us after service for a great time together.

As we kick off this series I just want you to how important you are to God. You are the only one like you in the history of the world. some may come close in physical looks, but no two are exactly alike. You are unique, and as a result, you matter to God and to our church. Likewise, those people you come in touch with each day, your co-workers, family and friends, also matter to God. That is why our vision is so important to reaching those in our sphere of influence. Chances are that you are here at FRC Doral because someone invited you. Do the same for those you do life with and watch God change their lives forever. We all matter to God!

Come ready this weekend to see God do some great things. Bring a Mexican dish and come early.

I look forward to seeing you all with us,

Pastor Igor.

08 Doral Realy for Life... a great success!

This year's Doral Relay for Life was as one of the most energy filled events of the year. Many teams made of local individuals and corporations collaborated to raise over $127,000 to fight the battle against cancer.

One of my favorite moments was the luminary moment. The two video stories of survivors really touched me deeply. Just like these two stories, there are so many other stories we will never hear. This is why it is important to continue to support this cause and give people hope.

There are so many people to thank. Without your efforts this event would not have been possible. Thank you Julie Perez for chairing the event and leading us this year. You did a great job. A special thanks to all who served on the committee or were involved in a team.

Last but not least, a BIG thanks to all who performed. Your willingness to come out and give of your time and talent means so much to this event. Thanks for sharing your selves with us.

Let's dream big for next year. It is going to be better than ever!

Doral Relay for Life tonight!

Hello everyone! Tonight we kick off Doral's Relay for Life event. It all starts at 6PM. If you are coming out to volunteer, we ask that you come between 4:30 and 5:00pm. we are playing a very important role in this year's event.

Janis Whipple will be sharing her story as a cancer survivor on video. she will also be singing the National Anthem and performing with the band.

Pastor Heredes is leading our awesome FRC Doral band.

I will be leading the invocation.

We have two tents with lots of food, DVD's, Bibles, and lots of FRC Doral Invite Cards. Come ready to have a great time, meet some people and invite as many folks as possible to come out this weekend.

Here’s the info for Friday:
JC Bermudez Park
3000 NW 87th Avenue
Event time: 6PM – 7AM

The band is schedule for 8:00pm for 45 min.

Hope to see you all there,

Pastor Igor

Launching A Leadership Revolution #6

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
The answer is of course you can, it just may take a little longer. However, for most of us as we become older, our desire and inspiration to learn often dry up. This is specially true if you have experienced any type of success doing whatever you do. If we are not careful, we convince ourselves that learning if irrelevant to what do. The fact is leaders must work at being life long learners. Give up on learning and watch your leadership ability begin to dwindle and ultimate fade away into the abyss.

In a practical way, Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward do a great job at providing different ways we can learn. Here's a shortlist leaders can use to further their learning experience:

1. Leaders can learn from anyone
2. Leaders can learn best from those who have obtain results
3. Leaders should have some goals and objectives
4. Leaders learn about processes
5. Leaders learn about measurements of performance
6. Leaders learn about rewards
7. Leaders learn about history
8. Leaders learn about environment
9. Leaders learn about obstacle and oppositions
10. Leaders learn from books, videos, and conferences
11. Leaders learn from coaches and mentors

These incredible nuggets, if employed and made a part of you life, can lift you high in your leadership development. Select the ones you need to improve on the most and begin to grow and increase in your influence.

Above all we do have the best model of them all...Jesus. He believed in 12 men he chose to change the world, knowing that he was only here to start the revolution, but they had to continue it. He knew that ordinary men could become extraordinary through perseverance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

As Pastor Troy says often, what is keeping you from reaching your God-Potential? You have more assigned to you than you can imagine, and God wants to help you accomplish it. As a learner, what is the one thing you do to keep you sharp?

Launching A Leadership Revolution #4

This Past Monday the topic in our leadership book study was "The Trilateral Leadership Ledger". After reading and discussing the chapter with several leaders, I still feel the same as I did before. I applaud the authors attempt to not only identify, but also try to measure 3 key leadership characteristics. However, any self-assessment tool is always suspect in my book. I know, at the very least, if you combine it with other's assessment, you may be able identify some areas of strengths and weaknesses.

In the bigger picture of tings, the three areas identify are of major importance to any leader; ignore them and you are sure to pay a big price in your leadership experience. Let's take a look at them closer.


Character: "What you become is always more important than what you accomplish". While I believe this to be true, it is extremely difficult to accomplish in any arena, including the church. I do believe that biblical character puts first your relationship with God and is not always considering the net results most often expected from the organizations we represent. The fact is this, you can have a great character and get nothing accomplish.

Task: It is easy for a leader to loose sight of your character when accomplishing an important task. But, like we have experienced in recent years with several corporate less-than-honest CEO, character is often compromised by a desire to succeed at any cost. ultimately, the price has to be paid when the truth comes out... and it always comes out! Just be careful, you can get things done and still have a questionable character... at least for a short while. The book offers a list of 9 character traits to consider. You can add your own.

1. honesty
2. Integrity
3. Courage
4. Proper Values based on absolute truth
5. Faith
6. A humble spirit
7. Patience with others
8. Discipline
9. Self-Mastery
10.___________________ (add you own)

Relationships: Relationships are key for any leader. After all, how can you accomplish a task without people? How can you lead people without relationships? I believe relationships are only second to your character when it comes to leading. Show me a leader who does not work on developing relationships and I will show you a leader who is slowly loosing influence.

By the way, relationships are not just the people you know, but the people you can count on.

The whole idea in this chapter is to help us identify the areas of strength and weaknesses and them get busy working in that area. So let me ask you; which one is your strength? Which one is your weakness? Any thoughts?

Easter Weekend recap @ FRC Doral

What an awesome Easter weekend!

First of all, you all really stepped up on Good Friday in such a big way. I asked you to:

a. Come out and show your love and appreciation for Pastor Troy & Steph.
b. Invite as many of your family and friends as possible.

You all did both these things, and the result was 308 of you came out that evening. This is historic because this is now the largest one service attendance since we started a little over two years ago.

Secondly, I asked you to also come out on Sunday as well. Many of you came out on Sunday as well, bringing our Sunday attendance to 326. Many first time visitors in all 3 services.

In case you need help with the math, that is a total of 634 this weekend alone. In addition, over 180 folks came forward responding to Pastor Troy's invitation.

In speaking to a young lady on Tuesday who visited for the first time, she told me it was the first time anyone invited her to attend our church. She went on to say, she probably would have come sooner had someone ask.

So keep asking. Keep praying. Let God do His thing. Let's be ready when the drive up to our campus.

Thanks for allowing God to use you all in this way. Do you have a story of someone you invited? I would love to know.

This Weekend... Are you inviting?

This weekend is one of those weekends you do not want to miss. First of all, Pastor Troy will be with us on Good Friday. We are excited to have him visit and I know he is looking forward to being there with all of you. As a result, I believe it is a perfect time to bring as many people as you can.

On Sunday, just like last year, we will be baptizing at Dania Beach. As of Monday we had over 450 folks commit to baptism on Easter Sunday... that is totally incredible! If you have not taking that step, there is still time. Just drop me an email and we can still make that happen.

On Easter Sunday at the Doral campus we will be having two services; 9:30 and 11:00am in English and our Spanish service immediately following the 11:0am worship time. Additionally, We will be baptizing as well after each service. You do not want to miss this great weekend! I look forward to seeing all of you there!

Check out all the other services we are having throughout the all the campuses:

Easter Service Times

Cooper City

* Good Friday March 21st: 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

* Saturday March 22nd: 5:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

* Sunday March 23rd: 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m.

Servicio en Español Sabado a las 8 p.m. Portuguese and Hungarian services Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

Doral

* Good Friday March 21st: 6:00 p.m.

* Sunday March 23rd: 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.

Servicio en Español a las 11 a.m.

Hallandale Beach

* Sunday March 23rd: 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.

Servicio en Epañol a las 12:30 p.m.

Sawgrass

* Sunday March 23rd: 9 a.m., 10:15 a.m.

Lima, Peru

* Saturday, March 22, at 10:30 AM at Cineplanet Alcazar.
* Sunday March 23rd: Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Servicio en Español a las 9:00 a.m.

Internet Campus

* Good Friday March 21st: 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

* Saturday March 22nd: 5:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

* Sunday March 23rd: 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m.

* Servicio en Español Sabado a las 8 PM

Chapter 3... plan the work and work the plan.

This chapter allowed our group to some great and insightful discussions. In this chapter, "The Cycle of Achievement", we discuss the importance of:

1. Having a Vision. A vision is tomorrow's reality expressed as an idea today. If you don't have this one down, there is no sense going on to the next one. Spend as much time as you need before going to the next one.

2. Setting Goals. Goals are an essential part of a leader's growth process. You can grow without a plan, but more than likely, it will not be consistent with the vision. By the way, goals are set in stone.

3. Developing a Game Plan. A game plan is like directions to a destination; it will get you there, but it is not the only way. The BIG idea here is to stay flexible. You may need to reroute your course when something unexpected happens. By the way, it may have caught us of guard, but God is not surprise...relax. "While goals are in set in stone, a game plan is set in sand".

4. Working! This is where many would be leaders stop. they have done everything up to this point, but now it is just too hard. The big one here for me is that you have to model what you expect others to do. Anyone could see through a leader that wants to manipulate, specially in the church. You get what you model!

5. Seeking Counsel. Only a selected few should serve in this capacity. We all need someone who can look at us and not feel intimidated to tell us the truth. Do you have someone like that in your life? Three practical suggestions:

a. That person should be a Christian. How can you receive counsel from someone who's values are not consistent with yours.

b. It MUST be someone from the same gender. If you don't follow this one, you may pay a high price. The risk is too high.

c. Don't go with the someone who is going to tell you what you want to hear. To do that would be a waste and counter productive to what you want to achieve.

As a leader our goal is to improve in our followship. To do this, we have to continue to challenge ourselves to grow. This is a great stradegy to put some handels on our process. Take time to really look at this closely and evaluate where you are at.

A couple of questions for you: Which one of these are you best at? Which one needs the most attention?

Launching A Leadership Revolution Chapter 2

Last night was our second book study meeting. Everyone agrees, this is a great book! We had some great discussions. The three main points in this chapter were the characteristics of a leader. Here they are:

1. Hungry. Are you remaining hungry about what you are doing?
2. Hone-able. Are you focusing in on what is most important?
3. Honorable. What are you willing to compromise to accomplish your goals?

This chapter, like the first one, is full of great stuff. Here's my favorite quote found on the bottom of page 49:

"So leadership is spawned by hunger and held in check by honor."

Here's a question to ponder as I leave you... which one of the three Hs do you need to work on?

Launching A Leadership Revolution

Last night I kicked off the new book study on the book: "Launching a Leadership Revolution." It was a great opportunity to take time with several of the Doral campus leaders and discuss questions like:

What is Leadership?

Why Leadership?

Is leadership an art or a Science?

Are leaders born or made?

The authors are not the first to come up with these answers, but they do present a healthy balance in coming up with answers.

what do you think?

Give my some feedback on what you think about these questions.

Self diagnosys... FLU

I brought back a huge Flu from OKC. It's been a while since a get sick, I almost forgot what it felt like... not fun at all. Here I am after 4 days in town and still not feeling well.

I think all the over eating while away is keeping me alive this week. I might have had one good meal since Monday, and it is not because Grecy has refuse to cook for me.

Hopefully I will better by the weekend. I'm taking it easy as much as I can and trying to rest, drink lots of fluids and some over-the-counter meds for the fever.

God's best to you all,

Igor

First Internet Campus Baptism

It was a historic weekend at Flamingo Road Church because we experienced our first baptism through our Internet campus. Our baptizee was Alyssa, who the Holy Spirit nudged to follow Christ and be baptized;

she sensed His nudge and obeyed. But since Alyssa lives in Georgia and we are a thousand miles away in South Florida, what do you do? Enter the power of innovation…

Our Internet Campus Pastor, Brian Vasil, was the voice; Alyssa’s step mother-in-law, Lisa, was the hands; the bathtub was the baptistery. For a month, Pastor Brian worked with Alyssa to prepare her for Baptism; and then yesterday at 4pm it happened. In a bathtub of water, as Brian spoke the words, "I baptize you in the in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," Alyssa’s mother in-law immersed her into the water and the whole thing was live streamed over the Internet. It was amazing; it was the first of many.

Again, through baptism, the picture of what Christ did for us--birth, death and resurrection--portrayed to the world.

Technology leveraged for the kingdom…and while the computers buzzed, Christ smiled.

Leadership book study

Starting on Monday, March 3, 2008 at 7:30PM, I will be leading a book study on leadership. If you are interested in learning more about how to become an effective leader, this book study is for you. The time will be spent discussing the different philosophies on leadership and ultimately, how we can apply these leadership principles into our own leadership roles. We will be meeting at Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior HS.

If you are interested in attending, please drop me a note to igor.alonso@flamingoroad.org.

Don't miss "The World's Largest Garage Sale"

You don't want to miss this great event. Check out this video for more information!


Saturday, February 16th, 2008 from 8-11AM @ Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior High School.

Growing up....

This week was one of those weeks you realize you are getting old and there is no turning back. My youngest son Jacob took two giants steps to adulthood. On Monday, January 21, he applied and was accepted to his first official job. He, like many others before him, will become a Starbucks Barrester. Great for me and Grecy, we will be enjoying many more Double-Short-Cinnamon-Dulce-Late and Double-Tall-Defa-Perpermint-Mochas... our two favorite drinks. In case you want to stop by and say hello, Jacob will be working at the Starbcuks in Miami Springs. You are going to have to call him to figure out when he is schedule to work.

In addition to his new job, on Thursday, he finally received his Drivers license from Florida DMV. Check these pics out!





As we drove around this week taking care of these two most important events, Jacob kept saying: "wow, I can't believe I have a job and my Drivers license". which I said, I can't believe it either.

You know what, time does go by faster than we can understand. Before we know it, life has past on by and if we are not careful, we can easily miss out on the many things God has for us.

Balancing life is my biggest challenge. I want this young man to always know among all the things that make up who I am, I'm a Father who wants to be there to experience moments like the ones he had this week.

In case you are wondering, no he is not driving all around town yet. He got his drivers license in Hialeah. If you see him driving towards you, get out of the way. We still have a couple of years to watch him grow into that responsibility. In the meantime, I will be taking him to Starbucks as often as I can and enjoying a nice cup of my favorite Starbucks drink... ala Jacob!

The Leadership blog podcats...check it out!

Pastor Troy, Matt, Heredes and myself discussing the lessons of leading a campus. enjoy the discussion and let me know what you think.




To hear other leadership discussions, go to

Where I find myself right now.

I'm reading this great book about developing leaders. It is not a Christian book, but it does contain a great deal of wisdom. Personally, I believe the author, Morgan W. McCall, Jr. is a Christian based on his wisdom on developing the next generation of leaders. At the very least most of his views thus far,I'm half way through the book, are based unconventional ways of preparing leaders for the future. He's a quote from pg. 64.

"Learning is driven by the things a person has to contend with in handling a particular experience, and the potential lessons in each kind of experience are determined by the overlap between what the experience demands and what a person does not yet know how to do."

The book's premise is that it is the right kind of experiences that help people reach their potential. In other words, certain experiences help a person develop more than others. Not all experiences are created equal. In the process of developing leaders for the future, most organization do a poor job. Being deliberate means having the right set of people, experiences, and programs to produce the kind of leaders needed to be able to meet an organization's future growth.

What is your thought on how to develop leaders? Does a classroom accomplish this task? Is on-the-job-training enough? How can these two coexist?

what's waiting for you in 2008?

This morning I found myself, on the first day of 08, continuing my devotional time in the book of Acts. I just happen to start where I left of in Acts 9:31. When I got to the last part of this verse… I could not go any further.

In my Bible it read like this:

The believers were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.(NLT)

As I began to pray and meditate on this passage, several ideas came to mind for this New Year.

1. When I fear God all other fears seem relatively small in comparison. In this way I can be courageous in confronting the fears that keep me from reaching my God-potential. Fearing God means He becomes my motivation for every decision I make.

2. In the process of accomplishing what God has for you, we all need to be comforted. The great thing is that the Holy Spirit abides in us to comfort us when we need it.

I'm so encouraged by these words found in Acts. In the first 4 chapters of this book, the believers were reaching more people than ever before. They were also going through the strongest opposition. This explains the fact that they feared God and were also comforted by the Holy Spirit. They needed both to accomplish the task Jesus commanded them to do before he ascended (Acts 1:8).

In 2008, I need to remember what this verse means for our church. As the campus pastor of Flamingo Road church Doral, I believe this year will be the most important year in our history. To reach the people in this community, we must all work hard knowing that there is nothing to fear other than God Himself. And when we do that, He promises to be there for us and comfort us when we need it most.

While most New Year's resolution do not make it past the first month, this one does not have to be like this. Allow God to do something special in you and through you, making this year the best year ever.

This year God wants you to trust Him more than ever. If we do that, He will continue to do more than we can ever imagine. Let's go after it together as we grow into reaching our God-Potential.

To the best year yet,

Igor

It was the day of Christmas... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

After 35 services, 13,728 in attendance, 1353 salvation in the month of December, it is time to rest and celebrate. For many of you that are away, or just hanging with friends and family here in warm South Florida, enjoy this day of No Shopping, just sit back enjoy all that God has done this year for you.

At the Doral campus we had a great three services; with a total attendance of 414 and 43 salvations. For those of you who made it all happen...thank you for all your hard work and dedication. there is not one week that goes by that I'm not grateful to serve with you all. I pray you have a wonderful Christmas today as you rejoice for the love Jesus has for you.

Around our home today is a little quite. My youngest son Jacob left yesterday to North Carolina to visit Igor (my oldest son). It's been almost 2 years since he visits. This visit is special because he is going to meet the two new additions to the family; Aries and Emmanuel. After speaking with him last night, they were all having a great time. I'll share some pics with you later.

Grecy and I have a lot to be thankful for this season. We grew from 2 to 5 grandchildren in just a matter of weeks. The latest addition... drum roll please: little Darwin. The cool thing is we get to have him here with us everyday. This Christmas is very special because it is his first. Thank you Ashley and Drawin, we could not have done it without you!

We are going to enjoy the next couple of weeks; catch up on what needs to be caught up with and then download and unwind to start the New Year fresh and ready to go. Whatever you do, make sure you do the same as we get ready for the biggest year in FRC Doral history... 2008!

Merry Christmas to you all and may the Lord bless you and keep His forever,

Igor and Grecy

Last night we had our first Christmas service of 2007... one of 35 services we will be having over the next few days. Let me just say, you are in for a spectacular service. Everyone in your family will feel the joy of the Christmas season and will also have a new appreciation of this holiday.

There are still many choices available to make one of the services. Make sure to take the time and bring someone along to one of the services! If you are in the Miami/Doral area, you have three choices on Sunday: 9:30am, 11:00am and NEW TIME of 5:00pm.

Merry Christmas to all,

From Igor and Grecy


Cooper City
· Dec. 20 - Thursday at 7:00 PM
· Dec. 22 - Saturday at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM
· Dec. 23 - Sunday at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM
Spanish service at 2:15 PM
Portuguese service at 7:00 PM
Hungarian service at 7:00 PM
· Dec. 24 - Monday at 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM

Doral
· Dec. 23 – Sunday at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM

Hallandale Beach
· Dec. 23 – Sunday at 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM
Spanish service at 12:30 PM
· Dec. 24 – Monday at 5:00 PM

Sawgrass
· Dec. 23 – Sunday at 9:00 AM and 10:15 AM

Lima, Peru
· Dec. 23 – Sunday at 10:30 AM
Spanish service at 9:00 AM

Internet Campus
· Dec. 20 - Thursday at 7:00 PM
· Dec. 22 - Saturday at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM
· Dec. 23 - Sunday at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM
Spanish service at 2:15 PM
· Dec. 24 - Monday at 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM

Back to the Blogging world

After two weeks without a word from me, I'm sure you were all asking: what happen to Igor?... at least some of you were anyways. We'll I’m back after two crazy, busy and exciting God-weeks.

Here's the abbreviated scoop:

1. My computer was mad at me and decided a good way to avenge his anger (yes it's a he) was to shut me out. Ultimately I had to ask Geoff, out Tech guru, to hook me up with a replacement. I'm writing to you from there now…thanks Geoff!

2. The last First Wednesday of 2007 was exceptional. It was the staff's turn to serve our volunteers, and we did so in style. If case you missed it, start serving and you will get that opportunity again next year, not to mention the benefits of serving together with those who also love God. It was an incredible night, one that will stay in my heart forever.

3. For the last 3 years we have been partnering with Starbucks throughout S. Florida reaching out with our Christmas outreach events. It is a way for us to get to know people in our communities and invite them to attend one of our Christmas services. On Fridays in December we select a Starbucks in the area to bring live music and "free" coffee to the guest. It is a lot of fun and a very effective way to reach out.

4. What can I say about the Christmas Express event...outstanding! If you did not participate, there is always next year. One thing for sure, we have not seen the last of those families who were ministered to. Melissa and the entire team did a great job!

Well, Christmas is just a few day away. In case you are counting, 14 days from today. Here’s my question: Are you ready? I mean, are you ready to pray, serve and invite? I'm sure you already know this, but it is worth mentioning again. Christmas is one of those times where people are more open to coming to church than any other time of year. If you get them to one of the service, you have done your job, it is then up to God to His.

I challenge each of you to:
Pray...
Serve... and
Invite!

Until my next post, I promise the wait will not be as long as the last time. By the way, I would love to hear from you. Who are you praying would come to one of this year's Christmas services? Drop me a line and let me know, I would love to pray with you on that.

Until next time,
ia

Thanks-Giving-Day

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Cor 9:15

Today as we celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family, what are you Thankful for? As I tried to answer this question myself, immediately I think of all the blessings in my life. I also think about even some of the hurtful stuff He has allowed me to experience. On one hand it is hard to get to a place where you realize your hurt is part of the process God needs you to experience. On the other I have learned, being thankful is more about who God is than what is happening to me at any giving time.

If you are anything like me, I have some incredible positive things in my life, and some pain to go along with it. One particular Thanksgiving stand out in my life. It was the Thanksgiving right after hurricane Andrew in 1992.

We had just lost our home that August 24th and barely escaped with our lives. Our children were from ages 1-10, so we used the Thanksgiving celebration to really evaluate what we were thankful for... nothing like a traumatic experience to help you put things into perspective.

One by one we went around our handed down table asking the threaded question: What are you thankful for Jacob, Ashley, Jon, and Igor? Then it was the parents turn… first Grecy, then me. Collectively we all echoed the same thing; thankful for each other and thankful to God! Isn't that after all what Thanksgiving is all about?

While most of our kids are grown and gone to live there lives, I will always cherish this experience in my heart. Even though it came at a difficult time in our lives, it also produced the most sincere attitude from our hearts. Don't miss this opportunity with who you call your family/friends to do the same.

On this special day, the designated day we give thanks, thank God for his indescribable gift and take in all that you can with those around you love.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I would love to hear from you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

ia

A Great day at FRC Doral

Check out the Children's Ministry time.

People enjoying a great time in the courtyard after the 11am service.


Many of you came out today with friends and family. You brought many different types of foods and desserts. There was music, a fun house and a great time for the entire family.

More impressively was the number of you who walked up at the end of the service and took a domino in your hand as pastor Troy encouraged and prayed for you. So many of you responded that some had to stand in the aisles. Way to go!

Today we reached a new high of 380 folks. I thank God that all of the hard work and anticipation of our leaders did not go in vain. There was a record high in all of the ministries!

There was the mother who brought her teenage son for the first time and asked me to pray for him. The wife who somehow convinced the husband to come. And the single guy who invited the friend. Those are just a few of the many people I met today. I'm so proud of each of you, you did exactly what Jesus asks us to do, take the risk and be life-changers.

Today you also got to meet all of our pastors, leaders and those who serve you every week. As we continue to grow and reach our community, I encourage you to get involve by participating in a ministry team. Whether it is in worship, Preschool, Children, setup/teardown, or First Impressions teams, there are great opportunities for all of you.

Stop by the information table or speak to one of our leaders on the weekend about how you can get involved.

A BIG thanks to all of you who work so hard this weekend to make it a great experience for those who attended.

Have an awesome week and a "Happy Thanksgiving"!

ia

Don't miss the "Thanksgiving Celebration"!

This Sunday we are clebrating BIG with an International Feast like no other. Food from over 30 countries will be represented. So come hungry and come early! We will have live music by The Jaz Trinity, a domino contest for the competive in you, and a Jump House for the kids.

As we celebrate however, there are somethings to remember as we give thanks to God. Thank Him for:

1. What He has done, is doing and will do in our lives.
2. The people he has put in our lives to do life with.
3. The opportunities he gives us to make a difference in this world.
4. For FRC and the vision God has given us through Pastor Troy to partner with people to reach their God potential.

This week we asked you to do several things as we prepare:

1. Sign up to bring your favorite food (we provided the dish, you provide what goes in it)
2. Make sure you bring someone along with you to service. If we just get together and have a good-old-time, we would have missed the opportunity we are all praying for. Don't miss this!
3. Come early! I know this is really hard for most of us, but please do whatever you have to do to make sure you are there by 10:30 with your food. An area will be designated for you to drop off your great tasting creation.

It is going to be a great time together. I look forward to seeing all of you there!

Pray for good weather!

ia

Baby Darwin is finally here

November 9th at 8:54am will be a day I will always remember. My daughter Ashley and Darwin gave birth to their first (our fifth grandchild) child.
Isn't he cute?
We have been having many discussion about this little boy. His father, being from the Dominican Republic, wants him to become a baseball player. Many decorations, clothing and toys already point him in that direction.

The grandparents are causing some controversy by getting little Darwin Soccer items and musical toys... specially drums stuff. Leave it to the Grandparents to always intervene and try and get there way. It makes for some fun times together.

As I held him today, I went back in my mind to when Jacob (picture above) was born. I rejoiced knowing that here we are building the future generations; and the question for me is: what will I leave behind for them to build on? This is what I know, what I do now may take time to have an impact, but it won't be wasted.

There is nothing more important than what we leave behind with those we love most; our families. It really is what matters most of all.



Mom is doing well, eager to get home and begin her new role as a mother. Thanks to so many of you who have been praying for us all. Thank you for sharing this time with us.

we love you all,

Igor and Grecy (proud Grandparents)

Bob's Trip to Cuba

The road to my God potential led me to Cuba...

I just got back from Havana, Cuba and I am fired up! God is working through FRC in Cuba. He has allowed us to come along side some churches there. We visited Iglesia Bautista del Cerro. This church was celebrating their new church building. A building FRC helped them build. This might not sound like much, but in Cuba, where most of the buildings are crumbling, that is huge!

At Iglesia Bautista del Cerro people are connecting to God, becoming like Christ and influencing their world. In a communist country where there is virtually no freedom, that is amazing! I talked with these Christian brothers and sisters. I felt their excitement and the joy in their hearts. Each one expressed how thankful they were to FRC. It was awesome to see them worship and fellowship in a new building.

We celebrated big time! Sunday morning, we worshiped for several hours. We sang, we prayed, we ate and we loved one another. It was standing room only and lasted for 3 hours.

Sunday night, we turned it up a notch. Remember I said that many, many buildings in Cuba are falling apart (the streets have horrible lighting too). Picture our taxi riding by these ugly buildings with hardly any light. Suddenly, you see Iglesia Bautista del Cerro with lights gleaming like a beacon on a hill. A brand new building in the middle of crumbling ones. God's house, sticking out in all of its glory for those who hunger for Him. That is how the night started for us. Then, we celebrated and glorified God with song, testimony and recognition. It lasted for 5 hours.

The Pastor called Garland, Peter and me to the stage. They recognized FRC for our part in their ministry. I will never forget the faces in the congregation, full of love and thankfulness. As I stood on stage with the plaque they gave us, I realized I represented every FRC Campus. We all share in what took place that day and what will take place in the future at Iglesia Bautista del Cerro. All the glory goes to the mighty God we serve!

Iglesia Bautista has 30 small groups and a seminary that is training 50 young people to become Christian leaders. There are plans to start a food ministry as another way to connect people to God. It is exciting to see God at work in Cuba.

Thank you God for using FRC to reach and influence the world.

Blessings,

Bob
Romans 10:13-15

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to write to Bob @ rselecky@bellsouth.net.

Trunk or Treating in the rain (more pics here)

When things don't go like you planned, do all you can, then trust God along the way. After many months of planning and praying, the day was here, and so was the rain and the wind. However, along with the rain and wind, came the people... from all over the place. Early estimates predict over 3,000 folks came out in-between the short stoppages of rain to celebrate.

One of the "new" participants this year had some great things to say on his blog.Check out Julio Anta, from Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense his experience on Trunk or Treat Anta News and Events.


I have already received emails from people saying they will be by this week to check out one of the services. Here's a comment from one of the attendees:


Hi Ashley

It was our first time at Trunk or Treat and our children loved it! We heard about it from some friends. It's a great idea and nice for the children to be surrounded by Christian love and get some candy while doing it. Unfortunately, I did not receive a card but that's ok, I will definitely be visiting the church soon. Thank you again for such a memorable Halloween for our children and for us as well.


I want to thank all of you who volunteered your time to work so hard and get wet and make this event possible. The way you greeted, gave out candy, sang and played music, set-up several times under the rain, and just would not give up, makes me extremlly proud and encouraged to be one of your pastors. I know without a doubt that God blesses those who labor; and we have experienced that firts hand at this year's Trunk or Treat event.

A big Thank you to all the schools who participated:

Eugenia B. Thomas k-8 Center Principal: Mayra Falcon
Doral Middle School Principal: Tatiana De Miranda
Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior High School Principal: Douglass Rodriguez

A special thanks to the folks at Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior High School for hosting our event for the second year. You guys are trully a blessings and I thank you for always being willing to support our efforts.

I look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday. We will be having Baptism in the Courtyard, make sure not to miss it.

Until then, God's best!

ia

Two great NEW Blogs

This Weekend we launch two great new blogs.

1. Pastor and and Stephanie have combined their blogs to bring you one united Gramling blog. check it out and get informed on what is