Everyone who loves to worship and glorify God, we invite you to the Day of Praise and Worship July 14 at Church of the New Testament.
Beginning at 1:00 pm.
From 3:30 pm. until 5:00 pm. Lunch (location and address where you can dine, you can get in the church)
From 5:00 pm. until 8:00 pm. the final part.
(P.S. Dress casual)

One day Firefighters kids camp

Will be held at Church of the New Testament

Registration will start at 10:30 on August 4, 2012

Welcome kids from 3-11 years old

More information   301-302-3799 (Marina)

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Registration will start at 11:00

***Cost $ 0.00 for member of the Church of the New Testament

$ 60.00 for non members (Make checks payable to:  Church of the New Testament)

More information   301-302-3799 (Marina)

>>>Download Permission<<<

The wildly successful Kony 2012 social media campaign demonstrated that artists, human rights advocates and legal professionals can work together to confront issues surrounding human trafficking, the legal protection of children, and international religious freedom.

In a move to further these efforts, Regent University School of Law’s Center for Global Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law is hosting its first “Media and the Law: Seeking Justice for the Least of These,” symposium on March 29-31, 2012. – the press center of Сhurch of the New Testament with the website to CharismaNews.

“This first symposium is an unprecedented forum for participants to explore partnership, training and advocacy on many human rights issues around the globe and within the United States,” says Ashleigh S. Chapman, administrative director of Regent University’s Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law.

The three-day conference will feature partners representing 100 human rights organizations, 60 speakers, legal professionals, government leaders, film producers, music artists, the Regent community and other guests that will be taking part in expert panels, networking events and musical performances, providing multiple opportunities for partners to engage and share their work around the world.

Keynotes will be given by veteran filmmaker Ken Wales, producer of Amazing Grace, the film based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, and Mexican Congresswoman Rosi Orozco, leader of the Counter Human Trafficking Force in Mexico and founder of Camino a Casa, a safe home in Mexico City for young women.

Noted presenters and panelists include principals from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Invisible Children, Anti-Slavery International, Open Doors, Voice of the Martyrs, International Justice Mission, Focus on the Family, Truckers Against Trafficking, the Polaris Project, and the A21 Campaign.

“The Center for Global Justice is honored to host so many leading experts and professionals, and we are confident the networking and discussions that will take place throughout the weekend will lead to both immediate and lasting impact on behalf of victims of trafficking, children who are hurting in our world, and individuals who are being persecuted for their faith,” Chapman says.

A lesbian couple in California has decided to give their 11-year-old son hormone blockers to prevent the onset of puberty, giving the boy time to decide whether or not he wants to switch his gender.

Pauline Moreno and Debra Lobel say their son Tommy wants to be a girl, so they’ve started giving him Hormone Blocking Therapy. The boy began taking GnRH hormone inhibitors this summer and will continue to do so until he is 14 or 15 years old, when he can determine which gender he wants to be, – the press center of Сhurch of the New Testament with the website to FoxNews.

Those who support the couple’s decision say the therapy itself has only minor side effects, but Jeanne Brooks, a psychologist and professor at Liberty University who specializes in child development, told CP via email that she questions the validity of their claim.

Brooks said testosterone plays a key role in the development of bones and muscles, and blocking the hormone could hinder normal physical development. There is also evidence suggesting testosterone impacts neural development as well, and plays a part in guarding against Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment and depression.

CNN reported on Tommy’s gender crisis in late September. Moreno and Lobel told reporters Tommy learned sign language as a toddler because of a speech impediment that prevented him from speaking.

When he was only 3 years old, he signed to his parents, “I am a girl.” The couple responded by signing, “No, no. Thomas is a boy,” but Tommy disagreed. Now Tommy goes by the name of Tammy, wears dresses to school and lives his life as if he were a little girl.

Joel Baum, director of education and training for Gender Spectrum, a nonprofit group based in California, told FoxNews.com the treatment Tommy is undergoing can help transgender children deal with their sexual identity issues.

“This is definitely a changing landscape for transgender youth,” Baum said. “This is about giving kids and their families the opportunity to make the right decision.”

But Brooks pointed out that adolescents are generally not considered mature enough to take on responsibilities like driving, getting married or drinking alcohol, so Tommy cannot be expected to make such a major decision at such a young age.

“Tommy deserves to learn the truth, he deserves a chance to being exposed to the truth, he deserves someone standing up and saying, ‘No, this is not your decision Tommy, God already decided and loves you just how you are,’” Brooks said.

Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies with the Family Research Council, thinks the use of hormone treatments on Tommy “should be considered a form of child abuse.”

He also questioned the influence of Tommy’s parents in the boy’s desire to be a girl.

“It’s certainly reasonable to ask whether having two mothers and no father in the household has influenced his preference for being female,” Sprigg told CP on Monday.

Sprigg, too, believes the boy will be too young to make a responsible decision about his gender at age 14 or 15. He also criticized the LBGT movement for what he perceives to be hypocrisy in their reasoning.

“The huge irony of the LBGT movement is that they would claim that a person’s sexual orientation, their choice of sexual partners, is something that is inborn and immutable that can never be changed, and yet a person’s biological sex, which is evident in their anatomy at birth … is something that can be changed at will. It just flips logic and common sense … completely on its head,” he said.

Jeff Johnston, a social policy analyst for CitizenLink, a Focus on the Family affiliate, says transgender activists have worked hard to convince the world that gender is a social construct, and that a person can transition between being male and female, but that isn’t the case.

“This ideology completely contradicts what the Bible says – that God made humans male and female in His image,” Johnston told CP in an email on Tuesday. “Men and women are different – they’re not interchangeable, and you can’t change from one into the other.”

He also said he knows individuals who once thought of themselves as transgendered but have “found truth and wholeness in Jesus Christ.” Sometimes children who struggle with gender identity disorder just need some direction, he said.

“It’s not healthy for a little boy to hate his body and disconnect from his masculinity. It’s not good for a little boy to live in the fantasy that he’s a girl. This is a situation that calls for helping such a boy – not dresses, hormones and surgery.”

A lesbian couple in California who say their 11-year-old son Tommy who wants to be a girl named Tammy are giving their child hormone blockers that delay the onset of puberty — so that he can have more time that he can have more time to decide if he wants to change his gender – the press center of Сhurch of the New Testament with the website to FoxNews.

The couple’s supporters say the Hormone Blocking Therapy has only minor side effects and is appropriate for a child who is unsure of his gender. “This is definitely a changing landscape for transgender youth,” said Joel Baum, director of education and training for Gender Spectrum, a California-based non-profit group. “This is about giving kids and their families the opportunity to make the right decision.”

But critics of the treatment say 11-year-olds are not old enough to make life-altering decisions about changing their gender, and parents should not be encouraging them. They say it’s too soon to tell what the side effects of the treatments may be, and they say Tommy’s parents, Pauline Moreno and Debra Lobel, are irresponsible for seeking them and allowing them to be administered.

“This is child abuse. It’s like performing liposuction on an anorexic child,” said Dr. Paul McHugh, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.

“It is a disorder of the mind. Not a disorder of the body. Dealing with it in this way is not dealing with the problem that truly exists.

“We shouldn’t be mucking around with nature. We can’t assume what the outcome will be,” McHugh said.

Dr. Manny Alvarez, senior managing health editor of FoxNews.com, said the hormone blockers also may pose a medical risk. “I think that it’s highly inappropriate to be interfering with natural hormonal growth patterns,” Alvarez said. “There are significant potential problems necessary for growth and development.

“Potential long-term effects can include other abnormalities of hormones, vascular complications and even potential cancer. I think that if this child – as he finishes his puberty and teenage years – decides to undergo a transgender procedure – then there are proper channels to do so.

“But to do it at the age of 11 — to me — could be potentially dangerous to the health of this child,” he said.

Tommy’s parents, Moreno and Lobel, say they support their child and feel this is the best way for him to find an answer to a question he’s been asking all his life. They say Tommy – whom they now call Tammy – began taking GnRH inhibitors over the summer so that he will remain a prepubescent boy until he turns 14 or 15. They say they want to give him more time to explore the female gender identity that he associates with.

Thomas began saying he was a girl when he was 3 years old, his parents said in an interview with the Daily Mail. He was learning sign language due to a speech impediment, and one of the first things he told his mothers was, “I am a girl.” They say they thought he was confused or mistaken, and signed back, ‘No. No. Thomas is a boy.”

But Thomas insisted, they said. He shook his head “no” and repeated what he had signed.
They said Thomas threatened to mutilate his genitals when he was 7, and psychiatrists diagnosed a gender identity disorder.

One year later, he began transitioning to Tammy.

After much deliberation with family and therapists, the child began taking hormone blockers a few months ago. The medication, which must be changed once a year, was implanted in the boy’s upper left arm.

Tommy will continue this treatment until he turns 14 or 15, at which point he will be taken off the blockers and pursue the gender he feels is the right one. He will then either start his puberty cycle as a boy – or begin making the full transition to a girl.

“There’s an increase of children who are telling their parents that they are a different gender. We’re trying to understand why there’s an increase,” said Diane Ehrensaft, a developmental and clinical psychologist and author of the book, “Gender-Born. Gender-Made,” who says the trend may be due to a more open society.

But while chemicals are giving children like Tommy more time to decide which side of the fence they belong on, some critics say that some children who question their identity at a very young age might change their mind when they start adolescence.

“Most transgender patients will say that they knew at 6 years old. But what we don’t know is how many others had those thoughts and feelings that went away once they hit puberty,” said Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, a professor at Boston University and a plastic surgeon who specializes in facial feminization operations for transgender men.

“While it may be a good therapy for those who’ve committed to transgender, it may not be good for those who might have changed their mind once they hit puberty and beyond.”

Walt Heyer, whose book “Paper Genders” details his own experience transitioning from a man to a woman and back again, agreed. “The blockers should NOT be introduced to a child,” Heyer said. “If they are going to make a transition, they should wait to do so when they reach 18 to 20 years old. When you start the therapy at that age you are not dealing with the fact that the mind is not fully developed.”

Heyer also cited a Dutch study that said 61 percent of individuals who desire a gender change are found to have secondary psychiatric disorders, such as depression or dissociative disorder, which he suffered from.

Other critics asked whether Tommy’s same-sex parents may be unknowingly influencing his questions about his gender.

“Undue influence on the child simply has to be ruled out,” said psychiatrist Keith Ablow, a Fox News contributor. “It’s the psychologically correct thing to do, the ethical thing to do and the moral thing to do.”

“Obviously, when two females adopt a male child, then assert that the child is not actually male, but is, instead, actually a female — like both of them. Everyone in the family should be psychologically evaluated in a comprehensive way before a step like gender reassignment is considered,” said Ablow.

DISTRIBUTION CENTER REPORT

At the June 2011 Mission Packing Project, 3,202 volunteers joined Global Aid Network® at its Distribution Center in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, to process and pack humanitarian aid for overseas shipment and mission projects.

Volunteers from around the country joined the effort to help those in need. By the end of the work project, they had processed the following for shipment:

• 255 Gospel Aprons
• 132 Blankets
• 8,344 lbs. of Used Clothing
• 34,503 lbs. of New Clothing
• 168,480 Rice and Bean Meals packed
• 135 Boxes of Disposable Medical Supplies (bandages, syringes, etc.)
• 137 letters written for CarePacks
• 13,809 New Shoes (pairs)
• 113,786 Harvester Packs (10 seed packets per pack)
• 30,300 gospel bead bracelets- a colorful tool for communicating the gospel message

We thank God for our friends who joined in the joyous time of fellowship and who gave of their time, their hard work, and their prayers to see this project accomplished.

Ongoing Packing Opportunities:
Join us at the Distribution Center during the year for ongoing packing projects. To find out more about volunteer opportunities, call us at 717-285-4220. Whether you want to serve as an individual, a family, a home school group, a church or a school group, there are jobs for everyone. Contact us if housing is needed

Upcoming Mission Packing Projects in Pennsylvania:

• October 10-15, 2011
• June 18-23, 2012
• October 8-13, 2012

October 10-15, 2011

Each year compassionate volunteers like you come from all over the country to help us sort, pack, and ship aid to people in need all over the world. your role will be to help us pack all of the humanitarian aid and gifts that God is providing through compassionate people, organizations, and even businesses. The GaiN distribution center summer project is from October 10-15th. Work runs from 8:30 to 5:00 daily, and, on Wednesday and Friday, it will also be open from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The GAiN distribution center is located at 1506 Quarry Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552. !!!You can also call me if you need a host home to stay for more than one day!!!

Get more information or sign up to be part of the team by calling Ann Yorty at 717-491-9817

With thanks to God for you,

Ann Yorty, Affiliate Staff, Global Aid Network

Instead of passing the plate for parishioners to fill with greenbacks, one church is handing out over $30,000 to members in what it’s calling a “reverse offering.”

Liquid Church in New Jersey is giving away plenty of Benjamins to churchgoers this Sunday morning. Each person will receive an envelope with the words “God Trusts You!” And that envelope will be filled with $10, $20 and $50 bills. Tim Lucas, lead pastor of the 2,000-member church, is currently preaching a four-part sermon series teaching biblical principles of finance regarding debt and living on budget – the press center of Сhurch of the New Testament with the website to CharismaNews. 

“Washington is broke, people are broke, and folks have lost faith that government can provide a lasting solution to economic issues,” says Lucas. “Every dollar in our economy is printed with the words ‘In God We Trust’ … but we want to challenge people with the idea that ‘God Trusts Them.’”

Liquid Church is also investing $60,000 of church offerings into three local recovery projects. Specifically, the monies will be used to bring relief to a Manville, N.J., neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Irene, restoring the Market Street Mission for the homeless in Morristown and boarding the New York City Relief Bus to feed the hungry in Paterson.

In all, a total of $90,000 in church collections are being sown into the lives of community members. The church has set up a web page with more ideas of how churchgoers might use the so-called divinely appointed dollars they receive.

“We believe our current economic crisis is a spiritual issue, which is why we are moving forward with God’s recovery plan,” Lucas says. “”Government isn’t the source of recovery—God is. Since God trusts His people, we do too.

A group of anti-Christians, eager for blood, brutally attacked a Gospel for Asia missionary with swords and other weapons.

On Friday around 8:30 p.m., Pastor Bashuda received a call from one of the believers in his church asking for prayer. He got on his bicycle and headed for the house when the attack happened – the press center of Сhurch of the New Testament with the website to CharismaNews.

As Bashuda rode his bicycle, he noticed a car coming toward him on the dark, narrow road. Bashuda pulled over to let the car pass, but instead, the car stopped, and five angry men went after the missionary.

Pastor Bashuda tried to race off, but they caught him and began beating him with swords. The brutal attack left Bashuda unconscious.

Thinking the Christian was dead, the group of men drove off, leaving Bashuda on the side of the road. Half an hour later, a man riding his bicycle saw Bashuda and checked to see if he was OK. He found out what village the pastor was from and rushed off to find help.

When he reached Bashuda’s village, he called to the first person he could find, saying, “A man from your village is badly injured and is lying down on the road.”

He and the villagers headed back to the place where Bashuda was lying helplessly. When the villagers recognized their pastor, they quickly brought him to the hospital.

Bashuda is currently in critical condition and desperately needs prayer. Please pray that the Lord will miraculously heal Pastor Bashuda of his injuries, bringing glory to His powerful name. Pray also for his attackers, that they will come to know the redeeming love of Christ.

We have heard so many things about this band, but the real story of its origin was a bit of a mystery. We decided to surprise Salvation’s fans by providing the history of this remarkable team.

The band formed under unusual circumstances in Brest, district of Vulka, Belarus, in December 1989. It was a year of “Perestroika,” a time of freedom, but with this freedom came a “vacuum.” During the Soviet era, many ideas, particularly those related to God, were not mentioned. Even in the churches during that time, fresh ideas were very few. The future Salvation band members, however, were united by the fact that they were young believers who had just become Christians.

They became friends who shared more than music, and it changed their lifestyle. They began to talk about God and to study the Bible, trying to find answers to many questions about the meaning of life. They participated in a youth group of the COEF church, and they prayed together.

All 12 of the friends were musicians. They often took instruments — guitar, violin, and saxophone — and played on the waterfront. Once, after finishing a song, the musicians heard applause behind them. Turning around, they saw 150 people! The people who were walking by stopped and listened to the message of the music. The friends began to realize something very important. All people, both young and old, and even those of different social standings, listen to music. God revealed that the purpose of Salvation is to spread His Word through their music. After that, they began to develop further as a musical team.

Soon the musicians were noticed as a band and were invited to go on their first missionary journey to Yakutia, Siberia. That was in December, 1989, during the Perestroika vacuum time, and these the young guys were actually talking about God. It was a sensation! This trip to Yakutia established the musicians as missionaries.

A year later in 1990, all the band members took a vacation together to go again to Yakutia to give concerts in prisons in the Yakutsk region. A few months later, the members of Spasenie left their official jobs devote their entire lives to bringing people the message of God. At first, the band rented musical equipment from friends. For three months they lived without any means, but the Lord did not leave them. The band eventually acquired its own equipment and a minibus. Since that time, they have played in many locations throughout Russia.

Gradually, they became interested in the issue of their gifts. When God gives a person gifts, it is not just for him to selfishly enjoy them. Every gift has a specific purpose. There were many conversations between the friends specifically about how God wanted them to use their gifts together, and it took a long time for them to discern what God really wanted from them.

Salvation’s first songs were taken from adapted from popular collections of Christian songs. Most of these pieces have a fairly long history and the exact authorship is not known. Salvation’s musicians significantly altered the style of the songs, infusing them with new energy.

After touring often in the cities of Russia, the group received opportunities to tour also in the U.S. and Europe. Most of the income from concerts and CD sales was spent for the purchase of a variety of new equipment. The turning point in the creation of Salvation was a trip to the African continent. Christianity in Africa has a unique style, and the talented musicians began to reflect this style. After this trip the band returned home full of new ideas.

In the late 1990′s, Salvation changed their lyrics and music so that their message about God would be easily understood by people who do not know God as well as those who are believers. In order to reach out to this new audience, the band departed from tradition and created beautiful songs, which point people directly to God.

After a conflict arose with the leadership in their church in Vulka, Salvation and their friends organized a new congregation, Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists “Salvation.” The church took up residence in the Palace of Culture in Brest, and the band has its own studio there as well.

During the life of the band, its composition has changed several times. For example, the addition of Dmitriy Golodko to the team was not just a coincidence. While he was much younger than the other team members, the leaders could see that he was attracted to the group for the right reasons. Unlike most people who grasp popularity for selfish or monetary gain, Dimitriy wanted to do what is right with God and to help in the group’s mission. According to the other musicians in the group, Dimitriy, who has been with them now for five years, has grown up before their eyes. They have been like proud parents to him.

At present, the constant band consists of six members:

Paul Shelpuk – vocals, violin
Igor Mucha – vocals, saxophone
Golodko Dmitry – acoustic and electric guitar
Peter Semeniuk – vocals, keyboards
Andrey Kovalchuk – soundman
Alexander Borisyuk- songwriter

The band enjoys helping individual Christian musicians and groups from different countries to grow in their ministry. Among many others, they have worked with Stanislav Yanchin, Dmitry Bronovitskaya, Denny Plett, and Brian Montrey.
In addition, Salvation participates in a charity concert together with New Jerusalem, Drozd and other Belarusian Christian bands. The most recent joint concert was at the “We Know the Lines of the Heart” festival, held September 16, 2007 at the Palace of Sports with the three most popular Christian group in Belarus, New Jerusalem, Salvation, and Dmitry Dauksh.. The bands came together to promote and support the highest spiritual values of hope, faith, and love.

Since their establishment in 1989, the band has released 18 albums and a musical entitled The Homecoming. Because they tour the U.S. and Europe regularly, millions of listeners are able to experience sincere and live heartfelt music.

Throughout its existence, Salvation has received many awards and nominations. While not a complete list, here are some highlights from their career:

2006 – Alfa Radio “Golden Ear”
2008 - Title of “national” team of Belarus.
2009 – Nomination in California’s contest “Just Pain Folks Music Awards”
2009 – Nominations for “Contribution to the development of Christian music “- Annual Award of the Gospel Music Association.
2010 – On Radio Brest launched another high-profile projects – the results of this year’s music – a festival “Know Who We Are,” where the group won in the secular music category. Also, Igor Mucha, lead singer, was named the best front man after securing 2,644 votes.

The band has also toured extensively in Western and Eastern Europe, South Korea, South Africa, the United States and Canada.

More information about the group, Salvation can be found on their official site, www.spasenie.com, and information about the concert tour 2011 in U.S. cities is listed on their official Facebook site, Spasenie Belarus.