January, 2023
Dear Praying Friends,

Rehoboth! After nearly three years of moving from place to place, it feels like we have finally come to say Rehoboth.

In the beginning of Genesis chapter twenty-six, Isaac was having a hard time. He even considered fleeing to Egypt as his father Abraham had once done. The Lord, however, told him to stay in the land and reminded him of His promises. Every time, when it would seem like Isaac was getting established though, trouble would arise and he would have to move to another area within the land. After the herdmen of Gerar had twice disputed his right to wells which he had dug, Isaac dug a third well, which they didn’t contest. Isaac named that well Rehoboth. He named it that because he thought “now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

I am not certain why the herdmen didn’t contend for that well, nor why Isaac expressed such confidence at that time, but I think I know a little bit about how he felt.  He felt like he could, for the first time, really put roots down and expect long-term growth.

I don’t know how long we will be allowed to stay at the VFW hall that we recently moved into, but I do believe that it is the place where God has made room for us and a place in which we will be fruitful.

Not only has there been a lack of conflict at this new location, but there have been encouraging signs that God may greatly bless us with fruit at this location. Never before has our church had as many new visitors in such a short amount of time. Almost every week, someone new shows up. Strangely enough, they have not even come as a result of our outreach efforts or online presence. Almost everyone has come as a result of seeing our little A-frame signs that we set up on the street corner and in front of the building on Sunday mornings. One Sunday morning, as I was unloading a few items from our van, I was approached three separate times by people who were interested in knowing if they would be allowed to visit our church the following week. At times, evangelism has seemed like our best attempts to drag people to church, but at this location, it really seems as if God has been drawing them independently from our efforts.

I would beg you to pray that God continues to bring people under the preaching of His Word and that we would soon begin to see some souls saved, baptized, and added to the church. These have been some exciting times for us, but the work is just begun. We want to see fruit that remains and disciples that are reproducing.

I am convinced that there is a vast harvest in the Bronx and a sea full of fish to be caught. Please pray that our barns will soon be bursting and our ships sinking under the weight of fish!

Serving in “da Bronx”,
The Hamilton Family
Ben & Andrea, Elaine, Nolan, Liberty, Nehemiah, Henry, Peter, and Finn