In this episode of The Pastoral Associates, Matt Pressley and Kyle Huntsinger sit down with Gerard De Prete, owner of Chapin Bagels and a Staten Island, New York native, for a conversation filled with faith, powerful stories, and plenty of laughs.

Gerard shares his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, how the Lord worked through different seasons of his life, and stories from his time connected to the NYPD, including his experiences surrounding September 11, 2001.

But it wouldn’t be The Pastoral Associates without getting a little off track! The conversation also ventures into New York sports, professional wrestling, what qualifies as real Italian food, the importance of good coffee, and plenty of other random topics along the way.

It’s an episode about faith, life, tragedy, redemption, New York, and bagels—with a lot of fun mixed in.

Join Matt and Kyle for a great conversation with Gerard De Prete and hear the story behind the man who brought a little taste of New York to Chapin!

In this episode of In the Fold, we continue our series “Church Membership Matters” by focusing on the vital role of serving within the body of Christ.

Scripture teaches that every believer is saved not only by grace, but for good works. As Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to serve. The New Testament consistently presents the church as a body where every member plays a part, using their spiritual gifts to build up one another.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why serving is essential to biblical church membership

• How spiritual gifts function in the life of the local church

• What the “one another” commands reveal about mutual ministry

• How pastors and leaders are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry

• How serving becomes an act of worship within the gathered church

We also reflect on moments when the church served in powerful ways that revealed the beauty of the body of Christ working together.

Ultimately, this episode asks an important question:

What would change in the life of the church if every member saw serving not as an obligation, but as worship?

Join us as we discuss how serving shapes the health, unity, and mission of the local church.

Nikki Handeland dives into the meaning of Psalm 90 and some great application for us!