Forty years ago, the story of Saints Church began not with a grand strategy or perfect plan, but with a simple, courageous “yes.” Pastors Michael and Maria Durso were faithfully serving in youth ministry at the Brooklyn Tabernacle when a small, struggling church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn reached out for help. Pastor Jim Cymbala, their spiritual leader, asked them to consider stepping into a new assignment. After prayer and seeking God’s will, they responded with obedience—and said yes.
Forty years ago, the story of Saints Church began not with a grand strategy or perfect plan, but with a simple, courageous “yes.” Pastors Michael and Maria Durso were faithfully serving in youth ministry at the Brooklyn Tabernacle when a small, struggling church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn reached out for help. Pastor Jim Cymbala, their spiritual leader, asked them to consider stepping into a new assignment. After prayer and seeking God’s will, they responded with obedience—and said yes.
That one act of faith has echoed through the decades. It was more than a relocation or a role change. It was the beginning of a movement. That “yes” led to the founding of Christ Tabernacle, which would later become Saints Church—a vibrant, life-giving community that has seen thousands of lives transformed by the gospel.
What began with about 30 committed believers has grown into a church family that spans generations, neighborhoods, and nations. But it didn’t happen all at once. It happened through a series of yeses—yes to prayer, yes to serving, yes to forgiving, yes to giving, yes to staying when it was hard, yes to going when it was uncomfortable. Yes to Jesus!
It’s easy to look back and admire the fruit of someone else’s faith, but what if the future of Saints Church depends on our own ‘YES’? What if the next chapter God wants to write in this house begins with yours?
You don’t have to have it all figured out. Pastors Michael and Maria didn’t. But they said yes anyway. And that yes—ordinary as it may have felt at the time—became the seed of something extraordinary.
Today, we stand on the shoulders of their obedience. We celebrate the journey of the past 40 years. And we look ahead, asking ourselves:
What is God asking me to say yes to?
Maybe it’s leading a small group. Maybe it’s mentoring a young believer. Maybe it’s trusting God with your finances, sharing your story, starting something new, or simply showing up when it’s easier not to.
Whatever your next step is, God is faithful to meet you in it. Your next ‘YES’ could change someone’s life—maybe even your own.
So as we honor the yeses that brought us here, let’s be bold enough to offer our own. Let’s lean into the call, the invitation, the tug on your heart you’ve been feeling.
Because the story isn’t over. Saints Church is still being built—by people just like you, who are willing to say yes to Jesus.
What's your next ‘YES?
Take your next step. Say yes. Let God do the rest.
@2025 SAINTS CHURCH. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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