180 Church New Location

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Grecy and I are so excited for our new 180 Church home at Doral Middle School. Yes, we will be there starting on:

Sunday, August 2, 2009
service times are: 10:00 AM (English), and 11:30 AM (Spanish).

Doral Middle School is located at
5000 NW 112th Ave. in Doral.

One of things I have found out through this journey of starting 180 Church is that God's way are always perfect. While some of us (me), may take a longer road to get there, eventually we get there... one way or another.

Just a week ago the principal at the school allowed me to post these signs. I'm grateful to God for His provision and the opportunity to begin this new ministry here in Doral. I went by the school yesterday and noticed all the work they are doing to make the place look nice. The Stage looks great and so does all the floors. In addition, we are doing a landscape beautification project this week to spice up the entry. The church purchased 30 Foxtail palm trees, shrubs, sod, and mulch for this effort. The City of Doral has agreed to help with making the holes on the property. A group of students from First Baptist Church of San Antonio will be here working all week in this project. First Baptist San Antonio has been gracious enough to fund this entire project.

It reminds me of this great verse:

Matthew 6:33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.


If you like to come by and check it out, it will be an honor to have you visit with us. If you are already plugged in at your church, that's where you need to be.

Looking forward to what lies ahead,

Igor

Update, Update, update!!!!!!!

Friday, May 29, 2009

The questions is, what is not happening in our lives lately? Lots of stuff to report:

1. First, we are getting ready to go on vacation. I'm so excited for that, and so is everyone who is going on the trip. Grecy, Jacob, Ashley and baby Darwincito. We are traveling to Argentina and Uruguay. We are so ready for this trip. Lots to do, many plans to recharge and disconnect.

2. Ministry is been difficult lately, but I have seen God's hand more than ever. Doing a series on fearlessness, I think it is intended more for me than for those who are listening. It uses Old Testament characters to explain God's faithfulness and the bravery of those who trust him in very difficult circumstances. This week I'm in the book of Daniel speaking about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo found in Daniel 3. When we return from vacation, we have some great things in store for the church. More news to come in July... stay tune.

I'm planning to restart my blogging efforts, after a long break. I have a lot to say and dream about these days. God has been so faithful and always so good. His faithfulness never ceases to amaze me. I'm eternally grateful to Him for the opportunities He gives me each day.

Come check us out this week at 180 Church. Click here for more details.

Hope to continue to catch up with all of you again real soon.

ia

This Year's Doral Relay for Life

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Well, after many months of planning, the Doral Relay for Life event is now offically history. As the first year Event Chair, this year's event was a huge blessings for me.

I got the opportunity to work so many great people, who love to give their time and talents to making a difference. I have learned so much from so many people, and now I get to start all over again and do it one more time.

All the numbers are not in yet, but to date we have collected around $105,000 and counting. I want to thank all the volunteers who cam out and helped. A big shout out to my committee, who worked so hard for over six months to make this happen.

The 180 Church team came out and participated by having their own tent and selling pork sandwiches, arroz con leche, tamales (my dad made them), water and soft drinks. We raised over $1,600... great job!

If you want to be considered on the committee or qwould like to start your own team, drop me a note at igalonso@comcast.net.

More pics to come in the near future.

Thanks,

Igor

No Cafe con leche here

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

If Cuban food was so bad for you and fatning, why are so many people here in Green Bay obese? Well, so much for that theory.

nyways, it is cold, cloudy, wet and ugly here today. This reminds me why I'm a tropical kind of guy. That's why I like coming to places like this so that I can be more appreciative of where I do live.

Which reminds me, don't we do that with people and things too?

Just a thought!

Can't wait to get back to the crazyness of S. FL and my darling wife!

I miss you more than I miss the weather!

Enjoy the rain if you are in South Florida, it's not too bad!

To Blog or not to Blog, that is the question.

Monday, April 20, 2009

It's been right around 4 1/2 month since my last blog. I had one persone who asked, why have yo not blog anymore? Well, that leads me to this special blog on this April 20th, 2009.

I'll make it short and to the point. I have just not fealt like writing lately. That simple.

Regardless of the reason, I'm back now and do plan to continue to blog from time to time. I willing to make a daily, weekly or monthly committment, but will blog more frequesnt than every 4 months.

So, for those of you who care, check from time to time and get an up to date status on what is happennig in my life... home, work, and ministry, all right here.

This week: Leaving toi Greenbay, WI today for business. I will be back Wednesday night just intime for the Doral Relay for Life event. Go here for details!

Stay tune for more.

Blessings to you all,

Igor

Welcoming the New year

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year! Well, 09 is finally here. With it comes an opportunity to look fresh at things and plan for what we want to accomplish that perhaps we have been wrestling with for months or years. That's one of the things that is great about the New Year.

For me, since I'm always looking into what is next, it is just one more reason to take a closer look at my life and ask myself: where do I see myself at the end of the year?

I have definitely experienced many changes this year... a new job, new ministry, new friends, and a reestablishing of old ones. Through it all two things I value most have been constant:

#1. My Family. The relationship with my wife Grecy of 24 years is the most precious to me. Seeing my young adult kids deal with life's decisions and being there to assist them is also a huge blessing; even when it is through difficult situations.

#2. My relationship with my Lord. He has been my true source of strenght and wisdom every step of the way, so many times. I need Him every day to help me keep things in perspective and to make decisions that honor Him. This year I want that experience to go to another level, and by doing that make a bigger difference in this world.

To remind me, I have selected these verses:

Psalm 139

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

I want His presence to guide my every decision. How about you? This is the real way to have a Happy New year!

seaworld with 7

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Time sure goes by quickly doesn't it? Seven of us went to seaworld this Saturday for a time away from the normal day to day.

Along for the ride where three of my kids, igor, jon, and Ashley. Two grandkids, Eman and Darwin. A good friend of the family Silvia. And last but certainly not least, my wife Grecy.

Throughout the day it occurred to me that what was once routine, had now shifted to nothing less than a very rare time together.

I definately enjoyed the day and getting to be with each member of my family, recognizing how quickly things do change in life.

My goal for the day was accomplished: enjoy the day for all it had to offer, and that I did. My guess is there may be similar days to this, but done like it.

Thank you lord for change, it forces me to enjoy the moment!

Thanksgiving with who?

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving it's a time to spend with people. It represents an opportunity to sit around the table and not only give thanks, but also share with others. I hope you are doing this today with those you call friends and family.

For me it is a very special Thanksgiving. For the first time in 9 years all of my kids are having Thanksgiving with us. I can't tell you how grateful I am for having them all together.

Igor who was just released from the Air Force and who was also awarded the Purple Heart this week, is here with us.

Jon who has been living on his own for about 5 years now is also joining us.

Ashley and Jacob who are still at home will be here to share the day with us as well.

Additionally, we have several friends and their families joining the festivities. Here's a rundown of all our guest:

1. Silvia and Jarek Pastor (friends) (2)
2. Concha and Pedro (In-laws) (2)
3. Roman and Mirjiam Iselin and there families (friends)(6)

All in all, we will have about 20 people over.

I'm thankful today for friends and family. I thank the Lord that we can take time to give thanks with the people we love.

Who are you spending time with today? It's not too late to invite some!

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

Kicking off a new 4 week series @ 180 church

Friday, October 24, 2008

This week we kick off a new series entitled: Vacio. (in English it means empty). Like an empty ball with no air, a glass with nothing to hold, a home with vacant rooms, our lives can feel empty even though we may be surrounded by many people.Over the next several weeks we will be discussing why we feel empty and how we can get filled so that we can be and do what God created us for. A ball has to have air to bounce, a glass has to filled with liquid to make itself useful, a house has to have people to make it a home, and you and I need God to be complete.

Come and be a part of what God is doing at 180 Church. We are a start up church meeting here in Doral. We Would love to have you as our guest!

I get to Do the Invocation tonight

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Mayor's State Of The City Address

PRESS ALERT

WHAT: CITY OF DORAL
MAYOR JUAN CARLOS BERMUDEZ
STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
"DORAL - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE"
A REFLECTION OF THE CITY'S FIFTH YEAR

WHEN:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 7:00 PM

WHERE:
DORAL GOLF RESORT AND SPA
LEGENDS BALLROOM
4400 NW 87TH AVENUE
DORAL, FLORIDA

I got the call a few weeks ago to open up in prayer at this Year's City of Doral "State of the City Address". This is my first time getting this opportunity, I'm really excited to represent our new church on this platform.

I pray that God would use my 30 second prayer to make a difference in the lives of the leaders in this city. These are the folks who have influence and who can make a difference.

Thank you Lord for openning this door and allowing me to be your instrument.

You too can make a difference by getting involve and representing our Lord in whatever endeavor you are involve in.

I'm grateful to be taking the church to this community,

Igor

4 week update

Monday, October 13, 2008

Yes I know, I have been really bad about blogging lately. It is not because I have nothing to write about or that there is nothing happening in my life worth blogging, I just needed a break from the routine of blogging for the sake of saying... there you go, I have blog today. I know in the blog world, that is not cool.

Either way, here is my 4 week blog update.

The BIG announcement, we are co-pastoring, with Gaby and Karina Gil, a new church plant here in Doral. The name of the church is 180 Church. Currently it is a Spanish work, with hopes that eventually we would be a better representation of our community and go to some format of Bilingual (Spanish/English). We are still uncertain of what that would look like, but I'm sure we will figure it out.

We have a location we are renting at 1900 NW 84th Ave in Doral. We are meeting every Sunday at 11:00am. This weekend, in only our second week, we had 50 in attendance. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 786.394.3686. We are excited about reaching this community for Christ.

We have several Starbucks events scheduled for November and December. We are praying and believing to grow to 200 people by the end of the year. Our vision states our purpose clearly, and it is:

"Leading people to redirect their lives towards Christ"

"Dirigiendo a las personas a un cambio hacia Cristo"


In case your wondering, what's in the name? We wanted a name that could be translated without a translation. So, we came up with a number. The number 180 indicates a change of direction, that's what we want people to experience... a life redirected towards Christ.

Until next time, God's best!

ia

3 weeks in review

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Well, it's been quit busy for me lately.

First of all, let me just update you on my job situation. It is fast moving, complex, and in some ways fun. almost everything is done via email and conference calls. Meetings are led by folks in other parts of the country or city, often times with a Power Point presentation or Web Base Excel Sheet. Lots of numbers, strategies and confusing acronyms.

One of the interesting things I have discover is that everything has been abbreviated to shorten the words that are used in a conversations. It also makes you sound smarter when you use this acronyms and no one else knows what you are talking about.

In fact I just tried this on a couple of people, and like I expected, it work really well. I used the acronym "HDL" in a text and the answer was: what is HDL? I knew I had them! In case you want to know it stands for "honey Do List". Fell free to use it.

This week I spent the week traveling to Orlando, Tampa, and FT. Myers before coming back on Thursday night. I was glad to be back home.

On another note, my son Igor and grandson Eman will be here on Tuesday. They are moving down and will make S. Florida their home. It's a long story, one that I'm not prepare to discuss at this point. I have lots of feelings and thoughts about this. I will share once I have been able to prayerfully take them through that process. For now, I would ask you to pray for them and us as we make the necessary adjustment. We are all ready and excited to have them here!

Lastly, here's where I am on the church thing. It's been a hard adjustment thus far. Frankly I thought it would be easier than it has been, but it hasn't. I know I'm a called man of God and that He is not done with me yet. I'm trying to make the transition the best I know how for others and myself. In my journal the other day I just wrote for God to help me to trust him every step along the way. He is doing that. I'm comforted! I look forward to the future and God leads.

Next week I travel to Minneapolis, MN for a 3 day sales meeting. I get to present in front of all the other VPs and Senior Staff. I look forward to the challenge and opportunity.

Question: How do you handle change? Do you resist or welcome it? Drop me a note.

Thanks for reading. Many blessings to you all out their.

Igor

Hispanics... who are they?

Friday, August 22, 2008

I just read this very interesting blog post by Juan Tornoe from Hispanic Trending. It basically points out the importance of online marketing to Hispanics and the differences that exist between Hispanics in different areas of our country.

For the church as an institution that needs to connect with the culture, what does this mean? Read the post and then write me your thoughts on this, i would love to read what you think.

why me?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Have you ever asked yourself that question? I have. When I do it is usually from the view point when something has not gone my way or when some unforeseen situation has rudely interrupted my life. If you are like most people, you know what I mean.

But what about for all the good stuff in our life? You know, the stuff that we get to enjoy even though we had nothing to do with it.

For example, one of those for me is just the privileged of living in this country... the good USA. While I know it is not perfect, I realize how bless i am for being a citizen of this great country. The main reason for my realization is the fact that here we have opportunities, plain and simple. And even though our economy is currently not the best it has been, I still get to enjoy the freedom and seek out opportunities for myself. What a country!

Last month while on our family vacation to Dominican Republic we visited with my daughter's sponsored child through world vision. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.


This picture represents the why me of this post. My grandson Darwin seen here with my daughter Ashley and her husband Darwin, and Pablo the sponsored boy from Neyba. My grandson born of a Dominican father and a Cuban American (American by birth of Cuban decent), and Pablo born to Dominican parents living in one of the poorest of areas in the DR. Why the disparities?


As I sat there with this family, it occurred to me that this could have been me and that somehow God delivered me from a similar environment many years ago when I lived in Cuba. God also whispered... Igor you are the answer to these people's future. What?

God wants to use each and everyone of us to bring hope to this generation. If you are not sure how and are overwhelmed with the challenge, welcome to the adventure of pursuing God. The cool thing is God always makes a way.

What is the one thing you would love to do for God but are too afraid, indifferent, or busy to try?

Jott.com does it again....

Monday, August 18, 2008

Jott.com does it again. This is a blog, a voice blog from my cell right to my blog. Pretty cool huh! For more information on how you 2 can do this, just go to Jott.com and follow the instructions. Hope you enjoy it. God bless. listen

Powered by Jott

Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior HS back to school BBQ

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Saturday's back to school BBQ was a huge success. An estimated attendance of over 2,000 parents and students were there to enjoy all the fun, food and live music.

The FRC Doral band rocked the house as well as provided many of the resources used to make the event happen. i.e. popcorn machine, snow cone machine, clowns, Cafe Pillon, A large BBQ, hot dogs and buns for 1,000 folks, Guitar Hero competition, gave away t-shirts and Starbucks gift cards. Total cost around $800, opportunity to influence the community... priceless.

The picture shows the school mascot (the bison) wearing a FRC Doral t-shirt... is that cool or what?

As a result of the effort, both our students and Spanish ministry had an all time high attendance. Way to go guys!

Our Student ministry had a Guitar Hero competition. Many students came by our student ministry table to compete and hang out. The winner had to attend the service on Sunday morning to collect his prize; a Nintendo DS.

It is really a big blessings to be able to partner with the school in this way. A big thanks to Principal Doug Rodriguez and the entire staff for allowing us to serve the community in this way.

A big thanks as well to the team who served at the event. You guys made it happened!

Question:

If given the opportunity to serve your community, what ideas do you have to make it a win win situation?

My Oldest son Igor is here in town visiting. It has been about 5 years since he comes down and spends time with us. That's him sitting at the end along with my wife Grecy at a Marlin's game. Yeah we are both bald!

It is really great to have him here. He has been helping with all of our activities... i.e. back to school picnic, set up at church and all the weekend stuff we are always so busy doing.

I'm really so proud of him in all that he has accomplished. He is a great father and husband, ad a hero for serving in Iraq. I love him dearly.

He will be moving down in October and here for a few more days looking for a full time job.

If you are looking for someone or know of a company that is, please drop me note and i will make sure he contacts them before he leaves.

Yesterday's outreach at the HS was outstanding. I'll post some pics and make some comments about my observation on my next soon tonight.

Have a great Sunday,

ia

New series starts today @ a campus near you.

a BIG announcement...change

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Today Grecy and I came before the church and made the BIG announcement. Earlier in the week, on Tuesday evening to be exact, Pastor Troy had made the announcement during our quarterly leadership meeting. During the past week, I also had the chance to meet with several of our Doral leadership team members and discussed with them our decision. It was now time to let the rest of church know.

We came up at the end of each of the services to let everyone know we would be stepping down from the campus pastor role. I say we because even though I am the one on staff, the role of a pastor, has and will always be a couple role.

In case you are reading this post and have no idea what I'm talking about, let me just share it with you now.

I have accepted a job with a major health insurance company. I will be taking on my new role starting on August 25th, 2008. Going forward we will remain at the Doral Campus as one of the pastors there, helping with the transition and serving in several different areas on a volunteer basis.

We are very excited about this new opportunity God has extended to us. We look forward to what God has ahead for us and anticipate many continued blessings. I want to be very clear here, we will remain at the campus serving this community like we have been from the very start of the Doral Campus.

I ask you to join me in praying for the next Campus Pastor at Doral. God already knows who He is, we just need wisdom in choosing him.

I love you all and look forward to continuing to serve with you.

igor

"building towards your God-Potential"

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Here are the final pictures of the Garcia project. We were all blessed to be able to be a part of this project. Thank you all for your participation, you all made a incredible difference by your involvement. I'm so proud to have served along side you. enjoy some of the pics.

Are you ready for the next one?

Great opportunity to learn from great leaders

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Leadership Summit from Flamingo Road Church on Vimeo.

Garcia's Project update

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

we just got back from vacation late last night. we had a great time getting away as the pictures show (see below). while we were gone, Pete and Mirna Melo, along with the FRC Doral team, continued to work on the Garcia's "building towards our God potential project".

I'm so proud of each of you who gave of your time and financial resources. You guys all went above and beyond what I ever expected. i'm honored and proud to do ministry with each of you. Read the melo's blog here for more information. I will post some before and after pics soon.

a few times in our lives we get the opportunity to bless someone, this one was one of those times. i look forward to seeing what God does next.

stay open and flexible for what God size opportunities will be there next.

blessings,

igor

eman back in icu

Saturday, July 26, 2008

please continue to pray for eman. he is back in icu as the doctors are considering another surgery. read here for the details.

Platano is KING here.

Friday, July 25, 2008

We have been spending a few days here in the DR relaxing and recharging our batteries. it's been really good to get away and hang with the family. we spent the first few days in Jarabacoa, a beautiful mountain area.

after a few days there, we traveled 3 hours to Puerto Plata, a beach front area similar to the the west coast of florida, only with mountains surrounding it.

we are now back in the city, santo domingo, before we head back home on Tuesday night. i will post several pictures for you to view soon.



One of the things that is extremely obvious here, is the people's love for the platano. in fact i think they have more way to cook the platano here than in any other country that i'm aware of. here are just a few ways the dominican cook their platanos:

1. Mangu
Boiled green plantains smashed with a little sprinkle of salt served with onions.

2. Mofongo
Green plantains fried and smashed with Garlic and pork rings.

3. Verde fritos
fried green plantains smashed and refried.

4. Maduro fritos
ripped fried plantains


Do you have other ways to cook platanos? I would love to know.

eman update

Friday, July 11, 2008

Eman has been placed in a regular room... praise God and took his first steps today. For those of you who are praying out there, thank you very much, you prayers are making a difference. for more accurate and up to the day information information, go to the alonso's blog.

My baby girls bday and thougts on time

God has always had His hand in my life and blessed me in so many ways. 2o years ago, on July 10th, He blessed me with a beautiful little girl named ashley... time sure goes by quick.

she is not a baby any more, but i still see her as such and wonder where have all the years gone?

This is Ashley with her husband Darwin. the blessings have continued however, not only has she blessed me with a great son in law, but also with a beautiful little boy; Darwin jr.

You know what, time goes by fast, really fast. before you know it, life has gone by and all we have left are the memories. So, make them count!

Solomon the wisest man who ever lived wrote this about time:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven... (make yours count!my words)

Lord forgive me for all the wasted time I have misused. forgive me for not always being a good steward of this most precious resource. help me to embrace every minute of my day as if it were my last and make lasting memories with those who you put on my path here on earth. Thank you Lord for blessing me in so many ways.

How about you? does something drastic need to happen in your life to really recognize the value of your time? when was the last time you stop and enjoyed the air you were breathing? Appreciate what you have today, God has blessed you in many ways as well.

thank you ashley for being my daughter and for continuing to bless me with the next generation. I love you very much! Happy Birthday!

dad

eman update

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Today eman went into surgery at around 8am central time. The surgery took a little more than 4 hours to complete. Doctors were very concern with his lungs due to the fact that for years they have been working with minimal blood flow going through them. as a result, they feared that the lungs would not be able to handle the new blood flow.

i'm grateful to report that eman is doing well in recovery. His lungs have responded well, and he is showing signs of improvement. additionally, the doctors removed scare tissue from his heart which reduced his heart size to about 50%. They were also able to drain 5 liters of fluid from his abdomen.

all this in laymens term is good news. I thank all of you for your prayers and ask that you would continue to lift eman and the rest of the family during this time.

eman told that when he got well, he was going let everyone know what God did for him. that he wanted to use this experince to bring hope to many people. God is so good!

thank you all for showering us with your prayers.

blessings,

ia

Eman update

Monday, July 7, 2008

Here's an update from Charity, my daughter-in-law, regarding eman.

Thanks for all your prayers,

ia.

The surgery will go until around 12:00, but we will know within the first 2 hours what things are going to look like.

Please keep Emmanuel in your heart and prayers tonight and tomorrow.

Emmanuel is doing well, he has his good friend Tucker White here with him, and they are having fun together.

The Whites and their church family have been just an unbelievable blessing to our family.

If anyone would like to send Emmanuel a card, he would be thrilled: Here is his address-

Darlingboy Bupeamie
619 19th Street South Room W542
Birmingham AL 35249

Happy Bday to the love of my life!

Today is my honey's bday. To date, we have celebrated 24 birthdays together, i'm thankful for each one of them. Enjoy your day today, you are as beautiful as ever. I love you dearly! Happy Birthday!

igor

eman's surgery tuesday, july 8th

Sunday, July 6, 2008

eman's surgery is schedule for this coming tuesday. i want to ask all of you reading this post to take a couple of minutes and pray for him.
many people have gather together to lift eman in prayer. many have also committed to fast as well.

In case you don't know, eman is my oldest son adopted son from Liberia. he was given up for adoption by his father because he needed life saving heart surgery. this surgery was not available to them in their country. That surgery is going to happen in just a couple of days. God is so good!
you can find out more about his story by going to this site.

thank you all so much for your continued support.

blessings,
igor

Happy 4th of July to all!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Here's where we"ll be today. If you are in the area, stop by and pay us a visit. we are the group with the BUZZ!

Parade begins at 10:00 AM at the Doral Costa Office Park
(9800 NW 41 Street - HSBC Bldg.) and will travel west to NW 102nd Avenue,
then north to Doral Park, 5300 NW 102nd Avenue

Concert
J.C. Bermudez Park – 3000 NW 87th Avenue
5:00 – 8:30 PM
• Rides • Games
• Food & Beverages
• Face Painting
• Balloon Artists
• Entertainment

Fireworks and Laser Light Show
9:00 PM
Don’t forget to bring your picnic blanket and chairs.

FREE PARKING
& ADMISSION
HEADLINER 7:30 PM
Carlos Oliva and the Judge’s Nephews
(Carlos Oliva y Los Sobrinos Del Juez)
OPENING ACT 6:45 PM
Dear Dad, Yours Truly
2008 DORAL BATTLE OF
THE BANDS WINNER

We will be having cafe Pilon, snow cones, popcorn, glow in the dark necklaces and our very own Jazz Trio. Lot's of things to too! I look forward to seeing you all there!

This Summer at FRC Doral

Friday, June 27, 2008

Mark these dates:

There is nothing more important to the church than reaching out to the community it serves. Here a several opportunities for you to do just that. Don't hold back this summer, get involve and meet the people who make up FRC Doral. These are some of last year's pics... check them out.

July 4th City of Doral's Celebration and Parade
7/11-7/13 Garcia's "Building towards your God-Potential project
8/16 Ronald Reagan Senior HS Back-to-school Barbecue

 

Are you in? Make your comment(s) and let me know.

jacob turns 17! Happy B-day!

Love you lots... dad

 

On Wednesday night we kicked off our first official First Impressions meeting. We had a great time discussing the importance of making the First Impressions ministry a top priority. We had 26 people attend, of which 17 committed to serving in one of the First Impressions ministry for the coming ministry year. I'm excited to get a chance to serve alongside you all as we look forward to seeing God bring us more people.

We also had a lot of fun too. These folks in the picture took me up on the challenge of creating a design out of chewing gum that embodied one of each of the six FRC Ethos. We put together 6 teams of 4 for this effort and gave them 7 minutes to create their sculpture. All four participants were able to chew gum, but only one was able to handle the gum a be the "artist". Some of the artist, names will not be revealed, had to use gloves… not sure why.



The judges, made up of Grecy, Silvia, and myself, voted on the winner. And the winner is: "Thinking"!

Check out the pics and let me know what you think.

FRC Doral— Building towards Our GOD Potential

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Garcia Family
Jourguen, Elaine, Maria, Jourguen Jr., A.J. and Christine
The Garcia family was blessed with a 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath house. This house was given to them by Elaine’s late grandmother. Though it was a blessing, it came with a tax debt and need of major repairs. During the past years, the family has tried to make the house more livable by doing some repairs. Due to lack of financial resource, they have had to leave many things undone. There is still much to be done in order to make this house a home for the Garcia family. You can make a difference in their lives by getting involved and building towards your God-Potential. There are several ways to get involved. We have listed them below. The total cost for this project is $8,000. Please prayerfully consider how you can show God’s love to the Garcia family.

Project breakdown:

Drywall $1,000
Paint $500
Kitchen $2,500
Bathrooms $2,000
Flooring $1,000
Doors & Misc. $1,000



If you or your company would like to give to this project, please make your tax deductible check payable to Flamingo Road Church— FRC Doral project.

Mark your calendar:
Sweat Equity Days
Friday, July 11—6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday, July 12—8:00 am—7::00 pm
Sunday ,, July 13— 2:00 pm— 6:00 pm

Project Coordinators:
Peter & Mirna Melo
305-724-4531
305-609-3738

Construction Manager:
Pastor Derwin Brigham
786-412-9141

alonso update

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

We have been really busy for the last couple weeks. They say a picture speak louder than words. If that is true, here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

On Sunday, June 8th, my dad celebrated his 80th B-day. We did a surprise party for him. He really enjoyed having all the family together. I love that man!

Then on Monday, June 9th we left to visit my son in North Carolina. Drove all night, non-stop. Eman is scheduled for surgery at The University of Alabama Hospital. Read more details here. You will also be able to view the Baptism video. I was able to baptize Eman on this trip. God is always sooo good!

Enjoy the pics!

Coming August 12-15 to Doral... EXTREME WEEK!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Are you feeling Moody? New "Moods" series starts this weekend!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Moods Promo from Flamingo Road Church on Vimeo.

Pray for Eman

Monday, June 2, 2008

The young man here in this picture is my Grandson Emmanuel. We call him Eman for short. My son, Igor and his wife, Charity, adopted him from Liberia in November of last year. They knew God had put Eman in their lives for him to have a chance at life. Eman was born with a heart condition. He is one of 11 children living in a remote area in Liberia. His Father knew this was his only hope.

Basically, his only chance to live was to come to the United States. My son and daughter in law adopted him knowing what this may mean, and they did it anyways.

Right now Eman is at the Duke University Hospital in the ICU. He had a procedure today and will be in the hospital for 2 weeks. After the two weeks, the Doctors will attempt to repair a heart valve. According to what the Doctors are saying, the procedure has a 20-30% chance of success.

If this does not work, the last resort for Eman is to go on the heart transplant list. I hate the sound of that! I spoke to my son today and pray for him. He was shaken and in tears, and even though they have known this may be the course, it is still so hard to deal with.

If you are reading this post, please stop right now and pray for Eman and the family. I know God has a perfect plan and no matter what happens, He will use this experience for His greater good. Thank you so much!

For more updates, check out there blog

FRC Doral Volunteer Appreciation 08

Friday, May 30, 2008

Last year we started a tradition at FRC Doral on Memorial day, it was to say thank you to all of you who serve so faithfully. I was encouraged to see so many of you come out with your families to participate. The competition was tough but ultimately, a new team was crowned for beating out all the other teams. Congratulations to the red team and all of the other teams who participated. But most importantly, we all had a great time together as we gave thanks to God for all that He has done.

Check out some of these pics and enjoy.



By the way, that Paella was incredible!

Thank you all once again for serving as you do and for was giving God your very best week after week! This year we had over 50 adults and about 20 kids, I know God will continue to bring us more people as we remain faithful to reaching this community for Him.

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

Thursday, May 15, 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

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

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?

Friday, May 9, 2008

It Matters/Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

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!

Friday, April 25, 2008

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

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

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

Thursday, March 27, 2008

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?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

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.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

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

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

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

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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

Thursday, February 28, 2008

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

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

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

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

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"

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

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....

Sunday, January 27, 2008

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.

Monday, January 14, 2008

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?

Tuesday, January 1, 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!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

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

Friday, December 21, 2007

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

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

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

Thursday, November 22, 2007

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

Sunday, November 18, 2007

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"!

Monday, November 12, 2007

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

Friday, November 9, 2007

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)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

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

Friday, October 26, 2007

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 happening with the Gramlings.
The unvealing is this Sunday, October 28th. Go here for the details.

2. Pastor Troy is also starting a new blog by the name of potentialblog. Go here for the details on this one.

These two blogs will be another way for you to learn, interact and become informed on what is happenig at FRC. Pastor Troy and Steph will just love it if you stop by and say hello. Make sure to leave an encouraging word or comment when you do.

God's best,

ia

They are finally home

This past Monday, Aries, Darling Boy (Emmanuel), and Charity made it safe to their home in North Carolina. It was a grueling trip, but thank God they made the trip safely. Pictures will come later.

Aries and Emmanuel, as we will call him from now on, are adjusting well. Here's an email from my son explaning the siblings interacting:

Aries loves her baby dolls and is very quiet.

Emmanuel loves gameboy (he calls it small TV) and will eat any kind of fish

They both eat alot and are very grateful and appreciative of things. Antonio and Roman follow their big brother around like a shadow. They share with each other all the time. The boys also show Aries all her dolls and all the kitchen toys she can play with. No one fights with one another.

Thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to pray as Emmanuel has a long road ahead with his medical condition. Charity has just visit a Heart Specialist from Duke University on Tuesday. I'll keep you posted as soon as we know more.

If you want to read more about this story, go here:

Be grateful to God in all things!

ia

Meet Aries, our second grandchild from Liberia

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Aries Quapoulee (September 14, 2007)
Sweet and caring Aries. Aries (pronounced Ay-Reese) has been a real blessing at Acres of Hope and has done well since day one at the orphanage.
Aries is quiet, but not necessarily shy. She doesn't need to be the center of attention but is comfortable speaking what's on her mind. She has a maturity consistent with a child of about 10 years and socially does very well.

Aries is doing well in school, though technically she is behind. She would probably be at about a first grade level. She cannot read yet. Aries cooperates well in her lessons and takes her education seriously. She learns fast with one-on-one tutoring. Aries is also very creative and enjoy arts and crafts. Outdoors Aries prefers to stand by and watch the activities than to jump in and participate.

Aries is generally very good-natured but sometimes pouts when she asked to do something she doesn't want to do. Besides this she has no significant behavior problems.

Aries is a sweet girl who play swell with other children her age. She is very caring, and protective, and loves to look after younger children. She will do very well with younger siblings.

Aries is a maturing girl who is developing into a young woman. With this has come an increased sense of modesty and a slight shyness towards new people and relationships. It will be good for Aries to have her new mother come alongside her and help her understand the changes she is going through.

Aries is excited to be adopted to America by Igor and Charity Alonso. She loves to look at her photo album and was thrilled to receive the gifts from her parents. Aries wears size 8-10 clothes and size 5 shoes.

Aries will be home with her new parents, along with Darling Boy (Emmanuel), on Monday, October 22, 2007. Thank you all for your continued prayers!

ia

Trunk or Treat @ DORAL

Monday, October 15, 2007

In just 16 days we will be celebrating our second Trunk or Treat event here in the City of Doral. We are almost complete with all of the trunks. as of today, we have 44 trunks already registered, that means we have open space for only 5-10 more trunks. we are getting the local support we need from most of the schools in the area. Check out these pictures taken this weekend at Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior HS where the event will be... pretty cool!

Make sure to make your plans be there for all the fun!

From # 12 to # 10... new update

Friday, October 12, 2007

After several new calculations, it is official, Flamingo Road Church is ranked #10 as one of Americas Fastest Growing Churches.

For more information on how we got there, go here.

Congratulation to the team work all your hard work and dedication!

ia

A short story from a far away land

This is Darling Boy, our new Grandson. He is 13 years old now and will be coming home to America in just a couple of weeks. My son Igor and his wife Charity made the decison to adopt him after visiting the orphanage in Liberia several weeks ago... with a lot of prayer!

Darling boy, whose new name will become Emmanuel (b-day is on dec. 24th), has a congenital heart condition. His father gave him up for adoption after exhausting all possibilities of him getting the medical attention he needs in Liberia. He will soon be here to join my son, Antonio and Roman (brothers)and receive the life-saving medical care he needs.

We are all very excited about our new addition, specially Darling Boy (Emmanuel). We thank God for allowing us to be your grandparents and welcome you with open arms.
Aries will also be coming home, but not until a few more weeks (that's her in the picture above). I can't wait to meet her also.



I'm so proud of this young and courages family. Most people talk about making a difference like this, these folks actually are doing it. Your faith to trust God through this process encourages me.

Welcome home Darling Boy!

ia

311 on 10/7... a new record

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

This past weekend we finally broke the 300 barier. For several months and through the summer, we had gotten so close. Some weeks we were so close we could smell it, at times making silly predicitions in my head about when that day would finally come. Well it did! Now a moment to thank God:

Psalms 145:7 (CEV)
They will celebrate and sing
about your matchless mercy
and your power to save.

Thank the Lord for bringing us together to achieve a God-size vision. we celebrate together and rememeber these times while looking forward to what you will do. Thank you pastor Troy for leading the way. Thank you Doral team for going after it like you do. It is a priviledge and an honor to be your pastor and to serve alongside you.

Bring on 500!

One of America's fasterst growing church

Friday, October 5, 2007

The biggest piece of knowing we are one of America's fastest growing churches is that you and I are a part of it. You and I get to watch all of these new people (this may be you reading this now) come to FRC and make this the church it is. God in His infinite wisdom allows this to happens, and now that you are here, we get to continue to extend the invitation to others.

Thank you pastor Troy for leading the folk and helping us along the way. Check out the list and thank the Lord for all the people who are making the journey along with us.

Thank you to the entire Doral team for serving as you do, you make me proud to be one of your pastors.

Thank you to my family, and specially to Grecy for her support and dedication. I love you guys!

Most of all, thank you Father for helping us have your heart for this and other communities we get a chance to reach.

Congratulations to all the churches who made the list and are making a difference for the kingdom.

Here's the top 12:

1 Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida
2 Calvary Community Church
3 Elevation Church
4 New Life Church Conway
5 Valley Bible Fellowship
6 Fellowship Church
7 Thomas Road Baptist Church
8 The ROC
9 Redemption World Outreach Center
10 Champions Centre
11 Crossroads Community Church
12 Flamingo Road Church

For more information, click here:
Celebrate and enjoy!

To God be the glory!

Update from Chicago

Sunday, September 30, 2007

It has been a great couple of the days here in the Chicago area. After the conference on Friday, we drove to Chicago (short distance, long time on the road) for a couple of days in the city. In addition to the weather being spectacular, the team had the opportunity to visit several church services in the area.

On Saturday night we visited www.communitychristian.org (CCC). This church has 8 campuses, according to their website, around the Chicago area. They do a great job with their systems of duplicating themselves for multi-site. After service on Saturday night, we met with a couple of guys on staff. Thank you Sean and Bill for joining us for dinner.

This morning we visited www.harvestbible.org. Raul did a little research last night and discovered they were having the grand opening to their Elgin campus. The campus was impressive in size. At the 9am service, all 2,000 seats were occupied. It was a celebratory service with great energy and emotion.

In order to make it to Willow Creek Church www.willowcreek.org, we had to leave before the end of the service at Harvest Bible Church. We were all extremely excited because Pastor Bill Hybels was going to be teaching.

Willow Creek is perhaps America’s most influential church. I say that not because their size, though they have an attendance of over 20,000 people at 4 different locations, but because of all the church leaders they have been able to train and encourage over the course of their existence. Pastor Hybels was able to share some of his vision today, how his Yes to God has guided him over the years. And how we can recover from having made bad choices in our lives.

He ended the service speaking about his daughter and how she, after several years of bad choices, has been able to reestablish her life with God by saying Yes to God and no to herself. God knew I needed to be there today to hear those words.

On a personal basis, I was encouraged today!

I look forward to getting back tomorrow. To my Grecy, I love you and miss you. Can’t wait to see you and spend time with you. Thanks for holding the fort in my absence!

Going back to Miami,

Ia

Granger Conference

Friday, September 28, 2007

I'm here at Granger Community Church for a two day pastor's conference on innovation. It is always refreshing to come to such events, specially when it provides opportunities to learn and share with others who made the trip along with you.

God is doing a great thing here at Granger Community Church. check out their site at gccwired.com. The staff is a great group of folks who really love God and want to make a huge difference... sounds familiar?

The scenery is nice and open, lots of corn fields. The weather is exceptional this time of year, 50-70, even though in a few month everyone here will be thinking of us in S. Florida. South Bend, Indiana in only a few miles from here. That means this is Notre Dame country. In a way, We have not heard much about the team, it may have something to do with their current record (sorry, I could not resist. In the world of competition, we can easily go from hero to zero. Regardless of the record, these folks really love their team.

Conference has been good so far. After lunch today Pastor Troy will lead a session. If you are able to tune in, check it out at mynakedpastor.com.

For all of you back home @ the Doral Campus, I love you guys. Thanks for stepping up this weekend and making it happen. I look forward to getting back on Monday to my family.

I miss you all,

ia

See the candy...bring more candy

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Yesterday I received a call saying: "where do you want me to drop this off"? The call came from one of our Doral members David Santibanez. David has been so gracious; he is blessing us with about 20 boxes of candy to get us started. Thank you David!

This is only the beginning folks. We need a lot more candy to make this Trunk or Treat event the best ever. Three schools in the area have already agreed to partake in candy drives; Eugenia B. Thomas Elementary, Doral Middle School, and Ronald Reagan/Doral Sr. High School. These three schools will be collecting candy and also inviting all the students to come out and participate in the event.

If you attend the Doral Campus, please bring candy so that we can make sure to have an awesome event for this community. Remember, it is not about the candy or the event, it is about connecting with the people God has placed here for us to reach.

One, two, three, here we go:

1. Bring some candy
2. Register to have your own trunk
3. Invite your friends and neighbors

God's best,

ia

Trunk or Treat...Bring those candies

Friday, September 21, 2007

You guessed it, the time has come to start bringing in those bags of candy. This year's Trunk or Treat event will be filled with lots of candy and an exciting schedule of events. Last year over 1,500 folks come from the community of Doral to partake in the festivities. The buzz already in the area is already creating a lot of excitement and anticipation.

That is why we need all of you out there to start bringing your bags of candy this weekend. A location will be set up to receive all your bags in the court yard during both Sunday services at the Doral Campus.

You will also have an opportunity to register your trunk. Our goal for this year is 50 trunks, and let me just says, they are going fast.

I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday @ 9:30 or 11am. Don't forget to bring your friends as well.

ia

My Dad and the 3 lessons

Thursday, September 20, 2007

That's my dad in the pic. For a few months I had wanted to get with him one on one but had not done it. There always seemed to be something getting in the way; or at least I let it. Earlier this week I finally called him and invited him to spend a part of the day as I ran several errands... he agreed. Actually, my daughter Ashley reminded that I had not called him to invite to a Marlin's game. So with some guilt in my voice, I made the call. He declined my invite to the Marlins game (can't say I blame him), but accepted the invite to breakfast.

My dad is 79 years old and going on his 50th wedding anniversary in January of 2008. His real name is Ramon, but we call him Mongo. By the way, every one named Ramon is also called Mongo. Don't ask me why, that's the way it is for Cubans. I'm proud of him because unbeknown to him, he has taught me the best lessons of my life. Here's a short list:

1. The value of commitment. I have seen him being committed to my mom when things were really tuff. I experienced his dedication to his job, even though it was not too glamorous or exciting. His work ethic went beyond the call of duty, passing on having fun for doing what the job required him to do.

2. The value of serving. Faithfully and without complaining, he has served his wife and family all these years. Never complaining or expecting people to do the same for him. He is still doing it!

3. The discipline of self-control. When faced with the temptation of lashing out, his example is always vivid in my mind. Be quick to listen, and slow to speak.

These are just a few of lessons my dad taught me. I'm still learning them as life passes by. I'm glad to have spent a few hours with him this week. It helped me reflect on who I am and the impact we fathers have on our children.

Most of all yesterday helped me to experience the bond that exists between the father and the son. If you do not have a close with your father, and are able to reach out to him, make the call today. Please don’t get me wrong, our relationship is not even close to what I would have hoped for, but it was a special time nevertheless. I hope to continue to make that call.

Remember, our heavenly father who is always willing and able, is waiting to comfort you when we call on Him. If that is you right now, just take the time and ask him to do that... and He will.

ia

A NAKED weekend

Monday, September 17, 2007

This weekend we kicked off our new series mynakedpastor.com. Pastor Troy and Stephanie spoke about commitment as an antidote to fighting. It was really cool to see all the people’s response to making a commitment in their marriage, relationships and to God. This weekend we had 277 folks in attendance, many of you stepped up and came forward… way to go Doral!

This sets us up for a historic 5 weeks in the life of the church as we start 15 small groups at our Doral campus and get ready for beach baptism this weekend.

Remember:

Attend all five weeks
Join a Small Group
Invite a friend

I will be posting more this week about some of the cool things we are planning for this fall. Hint… we had this event last year here at Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior High School. Stay tune… more to come!

IA

The time to join a Small Group is now!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

There is no reason not to join a Small Group in the Doral Campus. We have 14 Small Groups starting on the week of September 15th. This is also the week we kick off “mynakedpastor.com” series. I want each of you to make an extra effort to come to church this weekend and meet those who will be leading these groups. There is a group for everyone regardless of what your age or marital status. Here a short list for your consideration:

Small Group Facilitators:
Couples: Robert and Maria Selecky, Roman and Miriam Iselin, Peter and Mirna Melo, Michael and Connie Fernandez, and Cesar and Tainna Tapanes
Singles: Francisco Sastre and Julieta Reyes
College: Kyle Johnson and Ana Sanchez
Ladies: Sara Reyes, Silvia Pastor (Spanish)
Coed: Alejandro and Silvia Meza, Valois Colmenares (Spanish), Angela Sanchez (Spanish), David and Janell Ray (Winter Park, FL)

Like I said, there is a small group for you. These leaders will be available this weekend after each service to get to meet you. Please stop by and say hello and sign up to participate starting the week of 9/15.

My thoughts on diversity

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

What is diversity? Is it:
Acknowledging the difference of people around us?
Accepting it?
Celebrating it?
Coexisting with them?
Sharing time?
Collaborating?

… it is all of these and much more.

The key word in understanding diversity is different. The challenging piece for all of us in this is that we do not do different well. Different means something I do not understand and because I do not understand it the best I can do is separate myself from it.

For some of us going to Miami is being diverse. The same is true for those in Miami crossing the Miami-Dade/Broward county line. For others it is going to a Chinese restaurant, or some other type of restaurant that serves something other than what we are used to. I think the key is that being different takes us into the unknown... out of our comfort zone.

Personally it looks like this: when was the last time I spend time with someone different than me? Ouch! To think of it, I can’t really remember. I’m tempted to go to the same places to eat, with the same people and order the same old boring stuff I had the last time I was there.

Organizations that are smart are recognizing that diversity is more than skin deep. Not because it is politically correct, but because it is the right thing to do. When I interview for a job, I want to be recognized for what I can offer the organization with my talents, not the fact that I’m a male Latino.

Here are America’s top Diversity Companies rated by Diversity Magazine.

No. 1: Bank of America
No. 2: The Pepsi Bottling Group
No. 3: AT&T
No. 4: The Coca-Cola Company
No. 5: Ford Motor Company

For more information on this topic go to www.diversityinc.com

Driving Change Cont...

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Chapter 4: Rising to the FedEx Challenge
"The well-run companies (organizations... churches) have a bias for action."
-George Lamb, UPS CEO 1980-1984

As I read this chapter, it reminded me of what my thoughts were as we began the Doral Campus. When faced with competition, and the church definitely has it, what do you do? First of all, I realized that competition was anything that took away from people being at the campus. Whether they wanted to sleep, go to the beach, shop, or just stay home with their families. Those things competed with where we wanted them to be. Our job then was to help people see that we as a church had something to offer worth their time. A change in perception.

With that in mind, we took a proactive approach to making personal contact via community events and whatever other opportunities where available. We will keep being a proactive church for His glory! That's how we are doing it; this is how UPS does it:

1. Team building is essential for organizational success. According to UPS, "exposure to other jobs helped the pilots understand that every job is important in creating a service environment, and that all employees are valued in their contribution to organizational success."

2. Get on board or get off the tracks. When opportunity comes, it seldom waits for anyone. Seeing opportunity and then acting upon it is one of UPS biggest strength. Whether it was overnight packages or creating their own airlines, UPS moved quickly to establish itself as a market leader.

Competition is all around us. We can't afford to wait for the right moment, that day may never come. The time is now!

ia

Are you ready FRC Doral?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

With the start of the new school year, is the start of some tremendous opportunities here at FRC Doral. I hope you are ready because we are putting together the BEST FRC season ever. With a record breaking summer in attendance both at Doral and overall, we are looking forward to continuing being the "Buzz" of the town.

Here is what we are gearing up for in Doral:

September, 2007
5th - First Wednesday @ 7:00pm (Cooper City)
9th - Connection weekend... sign up to participate in a Small Group
15th - FUEL class from 11:30am - 3:00pm (Doral Campus)
16th - Beginning the "mynakedpastor.com series
(Spanish: mipastoraldesnudo.com)
23rd - Beach Baptism 3:00pm FT. Lauderdale Beach (all campuses)

October, 2007
3rd - First Wednesday (Cooper City)
31st - Trunk or Treat (Doral Campus)

November, 2007
7th - First Wednesday (Cooper City)

December, 2007
5th - First Wednesday (Cooper City)
15th - Christmas Express
23rd - Christmas Services 9:30am, 11:15am, 5:00pm Spanish and 7:00pm.

This are just several of the highlights of the season as we get ready for Christmas. I beleive God is going to continue to bless us by bringing us your friends and familiy members this season. Pray along with me for all those people in our lives that still need to establish a relationship with the Almighty God and that God will use you to build a bridge for them to experince FRC. Who do you know that needs to be sitting in one of those vacant seats?

That is why we do what we do.

ia

God always answers prayers

Monday, August 20, 2007

God is awesome! A week after receiving the passports, news came in that the visas were ready to be issued. My daughter-in-law, Charity, will be traveling in a couple of weeks to Liberia to finalize the paerwork. Thank you all for your continued prayers. Pray that the rest of the process will continue to be smooth. They are very excited to bring the girls home. I can't wait to meet them and watch them grow up.

God is Good!

ia

Ronald Reagan/Doral SR. High School Picnic

On Saturday, August 18th, we had the second Ronald Reagan/Doral HS back-to-school barbecue. It was a great opporutnity to partner with the school and meet people in this community.

Many invitaions were distribiuted to students and parents, and several families did in fact visit this weekend. Check out the pictures fresh from the weekend.

According to our estimates, over 2,000 folks came out to partake in this great free event. Thank you all for your participation, you are making a big difference in the city of Doral. A BIG thanks to The folks at Ronald Reagan HS for allowing us the opportunity to help in this event. We are looking forward to next year!

Driving Change… The UPS Story.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

I’m not sure why I picked up this book a few months ago other than the fact that it caught my eyes at first. After looking at the table of context their at the book store, many of the chapters caught my attention even more… so I purchased it.

In case you did not know, UPS started over 100 years ago in Seattle in 1907. Through the company’s 100 year of existence, it has gone through more radical changes than perhaps any other major corporation in the world. Let me just say, I’m glad I pick this one up.Here are their major transitions during that time:
1. Synchronizing Global Commerce
2. Achieving the biggest and fastest airline star-up in history
3. Popularizing common carrier service
4. Delivering retail products for urban department stores

Here are some by chapter highlights of how they did it; along with my personal thoughts:

Chapter 1. The “BIG idea” Culture
Whether they are the drivers, trucks, the on-time service delivery standards, or whether it is the good-old-fashioned business principle of putting the customer first, UPS has created a culture that embraces these principles through the world. They have created a culture and as a result of this culture, they have gained a competitive advantage.

Chapter 2. Constructive Dissatisfaction and the quest for continues improvement
“You are far more interested in prompting what is bad than in crowing about what is good. You are constructively dissatisfied.” –Jim Casey, UPS founder at a UPS Management Conference, 1956
a. Create a culture of “constructive dissatisfactions.” Sounds familiar? Becoming satisfied is the same as not having a dream. When we don’t have dreams we get comfortable and that’s when we do not grow as individuals or as an organization.
b. The little things matter – perhaps most of all. I like this one, because it is something that we are all about. Jim Casey liked to say, “Service is the sum of many little things done well”.

Chapter 3. The common and uncommon carrier: Accomplishing Transformation
“We can constantly look forward to change. Not change for change’s sake, but for the opportunity to improve.” George Smith, UPS CEO, 1962-1972
a. Pre-work Communication Meeting (PCM) all across the world, wherever there are UPS facilities, all UPS drivers gather together for a PCM for three minutes.
b. Create your own luck. Bottom line here is: “don’t be a victim of your own situations”, take advantage of the current technological and social trends and make adjustments to improve your organization (church).
c. Help employees understand the company’s “Narrative.” If you think helping someone understand the vision is hard, imagine several hundreds or thousands? We have to educate and help people understand where the company is going – and what’s in it for them in order to achieve fundamental change.
d. Express empathy towards employees. Empathy is nowhere to be found in an annual report or employee manual. But, for transforming organizations like UPS, it is a way to help the bottom line. Empathy helps employees deal with transformation, thus increasing retention rates and loyalty.

As I read about all this I can't help it but to think of our organization, the church. There are so many similarities and so much to learn from what others have experince outside the church. We also learn about models churches that are doing some incredible things, but organizations like UPS can really enlighten us with some of their lessons. Interestingly their are more similarities than we may think. How many churches do you know have gone global yet?

That's all for now. More chapters to come in my future postings. keep reading, keep learning, keep praying, keep growing. until next time!

ia

Pray for Peru (One Church Where YOU Are)

I'm sure most of you know by now about the terrible earthquake in Peru. Please make sure to pray for all the people affected directly or indirectly. Pray that God will comfort them like only He can and for His people to be a source on encouragement and support. Pray that our Lima Campus, lead by Stephen and Dorcas, will find all the resources they need to minister to people in this great time of need. You can drop them an encouraging word at: steve.guschov@flamingoroad.org

ia

FRC Doral Student Ministry

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

(excuse the Cowboys cap, he is really just a little home sick)

I'm so excited about what is going on in our Student Ministry here at the Doral Campus. This past week we had 25 in attendance. That is so huge because it is still summer and the ministry is only 6 weeks old. David and Vicky are doing a great job, along with the 2 Ceasars, Daniel, Tai and Debbie. You guys are the pioneers making the way for future students to come and make an impact in Doral.



David just started his blog a couple of days ago. Go check out his blog at:
daveaguirre@blogspot.com

This Saturday from 10:30-2pm we are partnering with Doral High School for a huge back to school barbecue. It is going to be a great time of fun and connection with the students here. Update will be coming soon! All 1,100 students and their families are invited to participate. The church has provided:

A barbecue
500 hot dogs, 1,000 cups, 2000 napkins
500 mustard and ketchup packs
500 Gatoraids
candy
Oo0psy the Clown along with free popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones
The company Frutisima will be providing free natural juices and fruit bars
Pillon cafe will be offering free cold and hot coffee drinks (got to have it)
Starbucks Coffee and Passion Fruit tea
Live music by The Jazz Trinity and the FRC Doral band.
500 small backpacks with our name and logo to the Doral students and an invitation to attend our student ministry. Wow, we are going to rock the house!

Stop by and check it out, this Sat. at Ronald Reagan HS from 10:30-2PM.

ia

A rough beginning for Juan Angel

Monday, August 13, 2007

This past Monday my good friend Juan Angel Castro, pastor of Centro Evangelistico in San Salvador came to visit for a couple of days. After picking him up at MIA, we arrived home at around dinner time. As he was getting the bags from the car, he somehow caught his thumb with the car door... ouch!

The incredible thing was he did not say anything to me until a few minutes after coming inside the house, a mark of true Godliness. For the two days he was here, he dealt with the pressure and pain caused by my car door.

Finally, before he left on his way to the Willow Creek Conference, he allowed me to make a small hole on top of his nail to release some of the pressure. Here are some lessons from his two day stay:

1. Never let the guest carry their own bags, thus preventing an injury and a potential lawsuit.

2. True Godliness is exhibit by your propensity to handle pain without using harsh words or expressions.

3. Leave all kinds of surgery for those who are qualify... I also fainted in the process.

4. True friends don’t let experiences like this keep you from visiting again. Juan Angel promised to come back, and even extended an invitation to visit San Salvador.

ia

The sandals belong to:

In case you were wondering, these toes belong to none other than Pastor David Lema. David really surprised me when he showed up at church last Saturday night at Cooper City with Jeans and sandals. I must admit, he looked good and I, along with those who noticed, was impressed.

Actually what is really most impressive about David is how he and his family serve the Lord. Every weekend they are plugged in serving God throughout the Doral Campus. They have really grabbed a hold of the vision God has given FRC.


David, sandals or no sandals, you are a cool cat in my book!

ia

Coming soon to a campus near you

Thursday, August 9, 2007

I'm so excited about the up and coming new series "mynakedpastor". Don't worry, this will still be a rated PG series, but the realness of it all will no doubt impact a culture that is desperate for spiritual nakedness. The countdown has begun and it is time for you to start praying about who you will be inviting to come and check out one of our services. It will be one of the most influential series we have ever done.

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ia

Who can it be?

Monday, August 6, 2007

You are not going to believe who this person is. I love and respect this person a great deal, and over the last several years, their family has made a tremendous contribution while serving at FRC Doral. This past Saturday night however, I was surprised to see him wearing what you see in the photo. Who is this man? If you can guess correctly, you may win something... just give it a try. If you where one of the people there on Saturday night, you are not eligible to participate. Drop me a note if you think you know.

Who can it be?

ia

A prayer need for my son and his family

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Some of you may know our oldest son Igor. He serves in the US Air Force for the last 8 years. He is married to Charity and have two beautiful little boys; Antonio 4 and Roman 3. Cute right?

Igor and Charity are two of my heroes. One of the reasons is that they have been in the process of adopting these two little girls from Liberia for the last year and a half. They are almost at the last stage of this process, but really need your prayers right now. They have perservered through many challenges, but God has provided for every need so far. Please read Charities post below and please make time today to intercede on their behalf. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

ia

Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Please Pray
My dearest friends, family, loved ones, and prayer partners, please join me in praying for the country of Liberia. Satan has such a stronghold in this country-

We found out today that the embassy is Liberia has put a new consular into office (2 year term) at the US embassy in Liberia and she is doing everything in her power to stop adoptions all together.


Our timeline with the girls is very uncertain at this point because this woman literally has our girls' visas in the palm of her hand. There has been alot of corruption, alligations, and illegal activities with some of the other agencies in Liberia, and now AOH is paying for their mistakes.(AOH has never had ANY allegations of any kind)

Please pray for this woman-that her heart would be softened to adoptive families, and that she would not lump all of the agencies into one ball of punishment.
As it stands now, this could signifigantly slow down us getting our girls home, and could stop adoptions in Liberia altogether.

What a way to kick-off the ministry season

Last night was our first “First Wednesday” of the ministry season. If you are not sure what that means, it means it is really when people settle down from the summer break and normality settles in. For the church it means we experience our biggest opportunity to invite new people and present them with the best news they could ever receive about God.

Grecy and I could not stop talking about how many faithful Doral folks where there last night. Based on our count, we had over 70 of you make the drive from Miami-Dade across the border to experience last night. And let me just say this: Pastor Troy, welcome back! We are blessed to have you be our pastor and lead us in this way. It was an inspiring time for the future of FRC and vision God has given us of 50/100,000/150,000,000. FRC Doral, way to go!


If case you missed it, you can catch it on our website in a couple of days or just pick up a CD/DVD in our resources table.

Thank you all for the energy in which you love and serve others. It is a joy to be doing ministry with each one of you. I look forward to experiencing what else God has in store for us all as we chase after the vision He has given FRC.

ia

A great FRC Doral Weekend

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

What an awesome weekend it was. First on Saturday we got together and had a great time at Doral Park. It was great to see so many of you come out and share your afternoon with us. We enjoy great food, awesome music by The Jazz Trinity and a great opportunity to meet each other. We also had some healthy volleyball competition among several teams. I just happen to be on the winning team…. sorry Heredes. Many of you brought food to share and most importantly, your friend and family… great going.

This weekend service was incredible. Pastor Garland came down from Cooper City to teach and encourage us on how to pray. This weekend was particularly special because I got to meet so many new people. All of our hard work is starting to pay off, as many new faces come in saying they saw us at Starbucks or at some other event in the area. This weekend we had 278 people between both services. God is doing a great thing and you and I happen to be a part of it.


For the remainder of this year and going into 2008, we have many plans to connect with people in our community. From new teaching series to events in the community, the best is yet to come. I encourage you to begin to pray for your friends and neighbors by name; asking God to give you the right moment to invite them to church. There is a special message for each and every one of them. As you pray, God will be guiding His spirit in you to know when to take the step and invite them.


Thank you all for making FRC your church and being part of the vision.

ia

Back from the DR

Friday, July 27, 2007

Our family just got back from a vacation to the Dominican Republic. It was our first time there and let me tell you we were pleasantly surprised. Here are my takeaways from the trip:

1. The scenery is similar to that of Cuba, only you have stores with actual food in them, newer cars, small malls, and much more congested traffic. There are stores and vendors all over the place selling just about anything you want... tropical fruits, phone charges, cashew nuts, limoncillo (from the leech nut family, and more.

2. The traffic is quite crazy. If you think Miami is bad, you have not experience DR. The streets are in relative good conditions, even though, the traffic laws commonly ignored. Many motorcycles roam the streets and sidewalks... oh yeah; they do not have to obey the traffic laws. The incredible thing is during our stay, I did not see 1 accident.

3. The people are extremely courteous and polite. They love America and many speak English as their second language. Many seek a college career, while also maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit. Most have some sort of business they own, even if they work for someone else.

4. The music of the country is Merenque first, followed by Bachata in most recent years. Artist like Johnny Ventura and the group 440 with Juan Luis Guerra have made it popular worldwide.

5. The food is excellent. Not too much beans and rice. Mostly Platanos (Plantains) cooked in many ways. Boiled and smashed (Mangu, fried with salt (totosnes), Fried and crushed with pieces of pork, chicken or sausage. this is called Mofongo... my favorite. Lots of tropical fruits... mango, pineapples, and papaya.

6. The language is Spanish. Of course, not all Spanish is created equal, so they have their own expressions and accent. One word that is commonly used is "Baina". This word is my favorite Dominican word because it can be used for just about anything. If you want to talk about something you don’t know the word to, you just call it "Baina". In some miraculous way, everyone knows what you mean. For example, you can say: hey go get me that baina over there on top of the table... you will have the baina in no time.

Well, those are my takeaways from the trip and the beautiful country called Dominican Republic. Just like any country, they have the same spiritual need as we do here in the states... the need the saving power of Jesus. While there are some churches, non are like FRC, who knows, perhaps we will have a campus there one of these days?

Until the next time,

ia

Monday, July 9, 2007

We are in the planning stages of our first FRC Doral Family Picnic scheduled for Saturday, July 28th from 3-6PM. Like I said this weekend, the pressure is on to see how many non-church friends you can invite to this fun event. Remember, the person with the most invitees will receive a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant. I hope you are up to the challenge.

Here's the rest of the details:

When: Saturday, July 28th 3-6PM

Where: Doral Park 5300 NW 102nd Ave

Park discription: This 14-acre state-of-the art neighborhood park features spectacular sports fields, a multipurpose recreational center, and is an ideal venue for celebrations, festivals and community events. Doral Park features:
five hard surface tennis courts
three regulation size and one junior size basketball courts
two artificial turf sports fields with lights
two sand volleyball courts
a fitness walking/jogging trail
restroom facilities
pavilion
shaded playground

What to bring: A side dish and dessert for you and one other family. we will provide the rest.

We will have FREE hamburgers and hot dogs, two jump houses, snow cones, live music by "The Jazz Trinity" and lots of competion (Friendly). Remember we are trying to be good examples.

Make sure you make plans to be there! It is going to be a great time together.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Today is a special day because it is Grecy's B-Day. For the last 24 years we have been celebrating together. I pray God will give many more to come. Thank you for being my sweetheart. Happy B-Day! You'll have to guess how old she really is. If you want to wish her a happy birthday mailto:igalonso@aol.com.

I love you honey,

ia

Impacting the community of Doral

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Yesterday was one of those days you just have to say… Thank you Lord!

The Parade: we started gathering at 9:15AM… Latin Time and traveled from NW 41st and 92nd Ave to NW 55st and 102nd Ave. Along the way, 35 FRC Doral folks and 21 motorbikes from The Florida Sportsbiker’s club join the fun. Together with our team shirts, we proudly greeted people and gave them gifts along the way. Many of the city officials were impressed that we had such a great turn out.

The Concert/Fireworks: While the concert was rained out, the event finally got going around 6PM… and got going it did. Several thousand people came excited to finally be out of their homes. What a way to make an impact! Together we gave:

1,000 personal invitations
2,000 glow sticks
Hot and cold Pillon café
Endless bags of popcorn
Ooopsy Ths Clown painted many beautiful faces
Several hundred registrations came in for a free iPod. Winner to be announce soon.

I’m so proud to have experienced this with all of you who make FRC Doral your church. In fact, I’m even prouder of each one of you. Even though it rained and you could have stayed home cozy and dry, you came out and made a difference for the kingdom. Thank you for loving God and loving people as you do. I pray that this Sunday we will already start seeing the fruits of our labor. Enjoy the pics.

ia

First Impression turned bad

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

You heard it before, your first impression is the one people remember the most. That is true.

Last week I visited a kosher market in the Cooper City area for lunch. I was very impressed with all the attention to detail. They proudly exhibit their ORB certification throughout the store. The food presentation was incredibly impressive. Every detail was considered. The store was impeccable.

I proceeded to walk to the deli area to order a sandwich. At the time there were two customers waiting including myself. The lady before me had just ordered and was waiting for her order. Behind the counter were two individuals. One was helping the lady while the other was busy tending to making the place look good while I waited.

As I continued to wait, the deli person helping the lady began to argue about a certain work-related issue with his co-worker... I still waited. As he hands the lady her order, he continued to argue and not even look at her. He even ended up putting two prices on her order and then proceeded to hand it to me by mistake.

After finally getting the order into her hand, it was my turn to order. I ordered a tuna wrap, but was informed wraps were not available that day, so I settled for a wheat pita. As my order was being filled, The gentlemen's cell phone rang. He proceeded to talk on the phone through the completion of my order. I was finally able to get my sandwich and headed to the cash register to pay. So much for the beautiful presentation.

My lesson for the day... first impressions are only the beginning to a memorable positive experience. If we are not careful, we will put all our attention to the details of our surrounding, and then forget who we are doing for.

Every week we work really hard to create the best environment we know how so that people can give their lives to Christ. Sometimes, I confess, I forget that the customer is standing right in front of me and that I do not need to be organizing the bibles or anything else, just take care of the customer the best I can.

Let's not forget why we do what we do as a church. When we are open for business, nothing is more important than the customer. That is why we exist.

ia

I don't like doing that!

Don't you just love going to the dentist. That's where I found myself this morning after a couple of years of neglect.

Last week was Grecy's turn. She had to go in on an emergency because her tooth had finally had enough. After several days on antibiotics, she went back and took care of the problem. She has recovered nicely thank you.

Isn't like us to prolong the things that aren't much fun? We know we should practice them, but we don't always have the desire to follow through.

That's where discipline comes in. Are you spending time with God on a daily basis? Are you cautious about eating right? Do you have a regular diet of good books to read? Are you working towards improving the relationships in your life? Do you routinely engage in physical exercise? When was the last time you said I'm sorry? All of these take discipline.

Read Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Pleasant no, what I should have done two years ago… absolutely. The secret... just do it! Stop procrastinating and make the changes necessary to build yourself to reach your God-Potential.

God's best,

Ia

FRC ETHOS

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

In case you did not know, ETHOS is defined as: the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period.

This is who we are as a church culture, or at least, who we are becoming. These characteristics were introduced by Pastor Troy for the very first time to the staff and leaders that make up the FRC family on May 31, 2007

In case you missed it, here’s a quick review.

Thinking – Where am I thinking?
Diversity – Is there someone NOT like me?
Movement – Which direction am I going?
Potential – Is this the best I can do?
Environment – How does it make me feel?
Collaboration – Who am I doing life with?

To many these may just be a group of words that may not mean much. To us who make up the FRC family, these words define who we are. They are inline with helping us reach our
God-Potential. As we strive to make this “ETHOS” part of who we are, we will also be in the process of reaching our God-Potential.

More about this in my future blog postings. I would love to read what your thoughts are on these topics. Feel free to post your comments.

Until next time... keep thinking!

ia

Happy B-Day to Jake

On June 21st, we celebrate Jacob's 16 years on planet earth. Jacob is the youngest of four that make up the Alonso familia. I'm really proud of this young man in how he has been able to adapt to living in Doral.

While he is definitely of Cuban decent, he is 100% American. Maybe 85%. Raised in Broward county post hurricane Andrew, Jacob had such BIG adjustments to make moving down to Doral to start the FRC Doral campus in May of 2005. This year he raked in 7 bands awards at Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior High School. That is more than anyone else in that program. The most prestigious of those awards was the award, only one given, for "Musicianship of the Year"... way to go Jacob!

Thankfully we live in Doral and have an array of fine restaurants we can celebrate in. The gift certificates we have had for over 6 months are finally going to be used. They are for the fine Brazilian churrasqueria "Texas de Brazil". By the way, it is located right outside of Doral @ Dolphin Mall. If you are ever in the area, look me up. Happy 16th birthday Jake… keep doing a great job. I'm proud to be your dad!

A memorable day at Ft. Lauderdale beach

Monday, June 11, 2007

This past Sunday, June 10th, 210 Flamingorites said yes to a new way of life with Christ as hundreds sheared on and celebrated. For the Doral campus, 16 folks made that commitment… way to go guys! Here’s a picture taken from the beach that day. In the picture is me and Pastor David Ray, and gaby Gil, our Spanish pastor at Doral. For me it was one of those days that reminds me of why I do what I do. Thank you Lord for the many changed lives!

FRC Doral summer happennings

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

No lazy days of summer for us. We are embarking our greatest summer yet at FRC Doral and we want you to be a part of it. Mark your calendars for all of these exciting events happening right here in our community of Doral. Great opportunities to have fun, serve our community and reach people for Christ.

June-23, July 21, & August 25 –

Hurwit Crisis Center 10am - Noon

We will be sharing the love of Christ with children ages birth through 13. We will share snack time, play interactive games, and go to the playground, etc. For those that want to share your love but are unable to attend, please help by providing the following items:

1) Store bought snacks and juice boxes

2) Clothes & Shoes – For children from Birth to 13 years old

3) School Supplies

4) Toys and Books

5) Food - Non-perishable items like canned goods and snacks

For more information contact Mirna Melo at mommy19@bellsouth.net

July-4- City of Doral July 4th Celebration

FRC Doral will be participating in the City of Doral Parade and 4th of July Celebration Event.The City of Doral as asked FRC Doral to help with student volunteers for the event. We need 10 – 15 volunteers. If you would like to volunteer for this event you must be approved by the City of Doral. In addition, our FRC band will be performing opening for Nestor Torres. Last but certainly not least, we want to be well represented in our booth. We will be serving Cuban coffee, bottles of water and raffling an ipod.What an awesome way to give back to our Doral community. Check out the video from last year’s event http://www.cityofdoral-fl.gov/. For more information contact Julieta Reyes at frcdoralteam@yahoo.com

July 28 – FRC Doral Friends & Family Picnic 3pm – 6pm

What is summer without a picnic shared with friends and family. We would like for you to take this opportunity to invite your family, friends and neighbors to get to know your FRC Doral Family. A $50 dinner gift certificate will be given to the family that brings the most guest. FRC Doral will provide the drinks and games for everyone. Pack your picnic basket with enough food your family and some extra to share with another family and join us at: Doral Park 5300 NW 102nd Avenue.

August 18 – Ronald Reagan/Doral Senior High School Family Bar-B-Q

Doral High School will be having a back to school family Bar-b-q and has asked us to help. Every weekend we benefit from the generosity of administration of Doral High. What a wonderful way to show them how much we appreciate their support. Here are some ways that you can get involved they need cooks, servers, helpers, etc.

These are all great opportunities to reach out and get to know those we are doing life with here in Doral. Don't miss out, get involved and make a difference.Come by the 411 table and sign up this weekend. We are well on our way to reaching our goal of 50/100,000/150,000,000.

Perception

Friday, June 1, 2007

I just started reading a book recommended by friend of mine who started a church in Tampa. His name is Hal Mayer and the name of the book is 'The 22 immutable laws of marketing'.

One of the chapters is on perception. To the consumer, perception of a good or service carries more weight than the truth. In other words, what we believe about that product of service will determine our actions, even if we have not had a personal experience ourselves; or whether it is based on truth or not.

That idea made me think about the church. What is the perception out there about the church? Chances are, for the most part, the perception is probably not what we would hope. If that is true, then my job is all about working to change that perception. So, how does that happen?

After attending service, I love to ask first time visitors this question: How was your experience with us today? I often here it was nothing like what they expected. This past weekend this experience become more real than I have ever seen, when two families I have been inviting for two years came for the very first time. My relationship with them was a direct result of being involved in the community through the Relay for Life event in the City of Doral where I live.

Here's what I've learned so far:

Use every means possible to shorten the distance between their perception and the truth. At the Doral campus, I do this by engaging the community through service.

Here's an example:
Starbucks events… several times a year, especially during the Christmas holiday.
Community events… Relay for Life, 4th of July celebration, Trunk or Treat (Halloween alternative).
Servant evangelism… at schools, water distribution, other opportunities.

Doing life with those around you means doing life with those around you, in and out of the church. Don’t give up changing the perception of the church in your community. Look for opportunities to shorten the gap between what people think of the church and the live-change that we get to experience. I have to go now for a 4th of July city planning meeting.

Until next time,

Entering the blogging world

Friday, May 25, 2007

How appropriate to write about confession on my very first post, since it is exactly what I’m talking about on this post. Here’s my confession: I confess that I have been trying to ignore the pull to start my very own blog. The page has been ready for about 6 months, but I was not. I confess it was mostly because of my lack of understanding. Who would read it? Who is it for? Why waste time, when I could actually be talking to people in person; I reasoned.

Now I realize that those things really did not matter as much as for me to have a forum to share what was happening in my life. So, if you are one of those persons with extra time and willing to spend it reading my blog, I hope you can find it worth your while. Wow, that felt good.

Now that I got that off my chest, have you heard what all the buzz is about? The www.ivescrewedup.com website is a huge success. The latest network to dedicate a report to it is CNN. Check out this video and share with your friends. This is a great way to share our church with people in your circle of influence. Don’t waste this opportunity!

Click the following to access the sent link:
Video: Confessing your sins online*

Next Thursday, May 30th 7 and 9 AM, Telemundo will air their report on the morning show. Of course, this report is in Spanish.

Until next time!