YOUTH (The Place)

Every Friday night we have upwards of 30-40 students that gather for our Youth Bible Study. Some of those individuals call Polo Grounds home which is where we stand above right now. As we kick off our prayer tour with this location, we would like to pray for the following:

PRAYER POINT 1: For safety for those who call Polo Grounds home and for The Place to be a place of refuge and life change.

First, the safety of our students who call Polo Grounds home. There is a lot of gang violence in this neighborhood resulting in anxiety, fear, and even danger to many of our teens. We praise God for those who have found a family and refuge at our youth group, The Place and pray that even more would find a home there. We believe God is moving at The Place and desire for more teens to experience his love there!

PRAYER POINT 2: Education of students

Secondly, we would like to pray for our students and their schooling journey. NYCSchools are extremely competitive. In NYC, students must apply for High Schools as early as age 13-14. This is a lot of pressure for students to perform and achieve good grades. We believe God has a desire to bring peace to our students but also equip them for their academic careers.

PRAYER POINT 3: Family Relationships 

Many of our students who call The Place home have very high tensions at home. From abuse happening in the household to income struggles - our teens have experienced some very real things.  We want to take time to pray over their families. We believe God has a desire to move within the families of our students and are believing that life change will happen. We are praising God because we have already seen this happen with some of our teens! We have a few individuals who have had parents come to our church simply because their child attended the place. We are believing for more of these stories!  

TENSIONS BETWEEN NEIGHBORS

PRAYER POINT 1: Healing and reconciliation between families 

Right now we are in Carmansville Playground, a pivotal part of this community, mainly because of the Basketball scene here. In Hamilton Heights, various issues are contributing to heightened tensions among neighbors. Firstly, broken homes are a prevalent concern, with approximately 29% of individuals (around 6,000 people) being divorced. The situation exacerbates due to domestic violence incidents; in 2020 alone, 2,403 reports of domestic violence were filed in this neighborhood.

PRAYER POINT 2: For the young and vulnerable to turn to The Church instead of local gangs

Secondly, gang violence remains a pressing issue, with statistics indicating a significant challenge. In 2022, the crime rate stood at 9.1 property crimes per 1,000 people and 5.4 violent crimes per 1,000 people, underscoring the urgency for community safety.

PRAYER POINT 3: Wisdom over city leaders as they bridge the gap between the new and established in Hamilton Heights. 

THE GRACE PLACE

Here is where we gather for church every single Sunday! Since its establishment in 2016, The Grace Place NYC has embarked on a truly inspiring journey. Following our reopening in 2021, post-pandemic, our community has witnessed remarkable growth. With over 20 individuals baptized and more than 30 individuals committing to membership, we have witnessed genuine life transformations and the emergence of a strong, supportive community.

These accomplishments are particularly meaningful for a church that typically welcomes 50-60 people on a Sunday. Each person baptized and every individual committing to membership represents a unique narrative of profound change. These stories serve as powerful reflections of the boundless love of God that permeates our congregation.

PRAYER POINTS:

• That God would continue to grow our church and bring who he leads to our community.

• We are currently facing some financial challenges. We love the community God has called us to but as a lot of our congregation is low income, we really are only able to keep our doors open thanks to grants and a few larger givers. We believe God will continue to provide as we also seek other avenues of financial stability.

• Wisdom and guidance over Grace Place NYC team on how to shepherd and guide congregation.