Community Corner

Four Fort Lee Churches Plan One Outdoor Worship Service

The second annual Gospel4FortLee, bringing together four area churches for a joint worship service is Sunday, Oct. 14 at Ross Dock picnic area.

The pastors of four local churches are planning the second annual Gospel4FortLee, an outdoor, joint worship service of churches that serve the Fort Lee area.

The event takes place Sunday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. at the Ross Dock picnic area in Fort Lee with lunch provided.

The joint worship service brings together the First Reformed Church of the Palisades, Bethany Well Church, Fort Lee Gospel Church and Maranatha Grace Fort Lee in what church leaders said last year they hoped to make an annual event and the launch of further efforts to better serve the community.

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Pastors Richard Lee of Bethany Well, Rick Spenst of Fort Lee Gospel, Dominick Apollo of First Reformed Church of the Palisades and Won Kwak of Maranatha Grace plan the now annual joint worship service.

Kwak said a portion of whatever offering comes from the gathering would go to the Fort Lee Department of Human Services as it did last year.

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“They have a fund that they collect for families in Fort Lee who are not doing so well and are in need,” Kwak said, adding that this year’s event will be similar aside from the location to last year’s—last year’s took place at Fort Lee High School, where Maranatha Grace used to meet before moving down the road to Englewood Cliffs, because of weather—but also build on it.

“Not that there’s anything novel that’s taking place when we compare it to last year’s,” Kwak said. “But I think potentially the unity that we have in Christ and in the Gospel is what we hope to display to those who come who are members of our respective churches, but also to the community.”

Kwak also said that he, Lee, Apollo and Spenst have established a good relationship and are always looking for “more options” when it comes to better serving the community.

“Four individual churches trying to do our own thing in bringing help and service to the community, we’re definitely more limited than four churches coming together and synergizing our efforts and our resources and seeking to bring joy to this greater Fort Lee area,” Kwak said, noting that since the inaugural Gospel4FortLee last year, the four churches also united in May to celebrate the National Day of Prayer.

“We prayed not only for our churches, but also the greater community as well,”

If you’re planning to attend the Gospel4FortLee at Ross Dock at 11 a.m. Sunday, be sure to bring your own seat. The rain date is Oct. 28. For questions or more information, email gospel4fortlee@gmail.com or visit Gospel4FortLee’s Facebook page.


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