Since the inception of the Long Island Church of Christ, a Christian congregation which dates back to August of 1980, the church has exponentially grown in its attendance and now embarks on the groundbreaking ceremony of its new worship building. The installment is scheduled to take place by early 2021 in Hauppauge, NY. Its opening will mark the congregation’s 40th year of service to the communities throughout Long Island. In the Bible, 40 is a significant number that is symbolic for triumph at the end of a journey. The installment of the congregation’s ministry commemorates 40 years of triumph at the end of this season in its respective journey. The church’s reemergence will be a profound way to mark this occasion and begin its new work in the hamlet of Hauppauge.
The membership at the church represents diverse ethnic, social, economic, and academic backgrounds. The core of the congregation and their leadership share a common history and association from different colleges in New York: Adelphi, Hofstra, Stony Brook University, New York Institute of Technology, and SUNY Old Westbury. It was there that many of the members met each other, got married, and have grown strong and faithful families who have positively impacted their communities.
One member Danny Aponte, husband and father of two young boys, has expressed his excitement about the transition. He is hopeful that the church will be of service to its new neighbors. Ismael Caban and his wife Fidela, have been believers since 2004. They have chosen to travel with their family from the Bronx to be a part of this fellowship of believers and take part in its ministries. There are a host of inspiring testimonies of other members from across the wide geography of Long Island who are eager to tell the story of Jesus because of their love for God and their compassion for their fellow man. A few of the life changing initiatives that the church shared they are hoping to continue are:
- Sending missionaries to El Salvador, Central America. These missionaries focus on providing basic medical services, and on building infrastructure like bathrooms and showers.
- Holding clothing drives for those in our local communities and support local food pantries. We sent three barrels of emergency supplies to PR after hurricane Maria and this month of December we sent 13 boxes of new clothes, shoes and powdered milk to economically devastated areas in Venezuela.
- We also have our young people involved in serving our communities, like helping at the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless in Amityville, serving at our Summer BBQs at Belmont Lake State Park, and volunteering throughout communities and street fairs whenever those are held.
- The Spanish ministry of the church grew out of the local community outreach and went from a few members to now over 50 strong, forming part of hard-working families who love to give back to the community.
- The Long Island Church of Christ also teamed up with Churches of Christ Disaster Relief, The Churches of Christ Disaster Assistance, and the Roosevelt-Freeport Church of Christ, in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, to help serve communities that were devastated throughout Long Island and the metropolitan area. Sea Gate and Coney Island in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway in Queens, Sandy Hook in New Jersey and Massapequa in Nassau County were all part of these areas.
- Over 500 families and individuals were reached with disaster assistance, leading to a series of articles written in The Christian Chronicle about the Long Island Church of Christ:
- https://christianchronicle.org/thank-god-it-wasnt-worse/ 1/1/2013
- http://www.christianchronicle.org/article/road-notes-a-grown-up-college-devotional-and-a-big-christmas-tree-in-new-york 12/7/2013
- https://christianchronicle.org/a-grown-up-campus-ministry/ 4/18/2014
- http://www.christianchronicle.org/article/why-i-cant-stand-churches-that-work 4/22/2014
- http://www.christianchronicle.org/article/10-years-of-churches-that-work 5/12/2015
For the nearly 20,000 residents who currently reside in Hauppauge and are looking for a home away from home they do not need to look any further than the Long Island Church of Christ. There they will find believers who worship God in spirit and in truth, and a fellowship that embodies a group of people who are inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The members are dedicated to implementing a plethora of the same initiatives that have helped them to transform people’s lives for over 30 years of ministry. In the Bible, it says that the church is not a building structure but rather it is God’s people that are the temple of His Spirit (1 Cor 3:16). It also states that the world will recognize Jesus for the love that His followers have for each other.
The Long Island Church of Christ invites you to join them in the fellowship where you may experience the love that the Bible speaks of. They are currently meeting at 36 E John St, Lindenhurst, NY 11757 at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. The Sunday worship service is recorded weekly and streamed live on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Visitors are also welcomed to join the congregation for the groundbreaking ceremony of its new worship building on Celebration Sunday which is anticipated for early 2021. Keep up to date on the progress of the new church building through the organization’s Facebook page. The church hopes to rejoice with its visitors as they together stand within the gates of the Lord. (Psalm 122:1-2)
