06/03/2025
A Farewell Letter from Pastor J.R. Nunez
Alive Church NYC | June 2, 2025
Dear Alive Church NYC family,
As I write this, my heart is full — full of gratitude, awe, some tears, and a whole lot of love. After 18 years as a church, yesterday marked our final online service. And what a journey it’s been.
It all started in 2007, when Pastor Ed Schefter followed God’s call to plant what was then New York City Church. I was honored to be on the original team as Associate Pastor. In those early days, a strong foundation was laid for the years to come. Ed and the team had a big dream - to see lives transformed by Jesus in the heart of New York City.
In September 2014, I stepped into the role of Lead Pastor. I still remember that moment clearly — equal parts excitement, reverence, and, yes, fear. But the Lord was faithful. Through setting up and tearing down every Sunday, some packed services and some not so packed. A lot of prayer & fasting. Through busy and quiet seasons, weddings and funerals, church parties and community outreach, God moved. God was with us every step of the way.
Then came COVID-19, and it changed everything. Overnight, we became an online church. And while the city locked down, the gospel kept going forward. You showed up — in living rooms, on phones, laptops, and screens. We couldn’t hug or high-five, but we stayed united. I preached in sweatpants and slippers more times than I care to admit, but you kept tuning in.
March 2021, we sold our home in the Bronx. Thinking it would be a quick three-month reset—we moved in with my parents in Central New York State. (Yes, all six of us. Four kids. Two adults. One bathroom.) Those three months turned into a year and a half. Somewhere in there, we held onto the hope that we might return to NYC, so we kept the church going online with that possibility still in our hearts. God bless my parents for graciously sharing their home with us!
After our time in Central New York, my family and I moved to Detroit, Michigan, trusting that God had something new ahead. Even from afar, I continued to pastor Alive Church NYC online — praying, preaching, and believing for revival wherever God placed us. And now, after much prayer, counsel from trusted leaders and peace, we’ve sensed that it’s God’s perfect timing to bring this chapter to a close.
As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” This season has simply come to an end. And it was a good, beautiful and fruitful one.
We ran our race well. We fought the good fight, we kept the faith, and we didn’t lose sight of Jesus.
Alive Church NYC changed my life. You changed my life. Pastoring you has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Truly. Thank you for trusting me, encouraging me, laughing with me, forgiving me, and walking with me through some of the highest and hardest moments.
Our family has joined the community at Cross and Anchor Church here in Detroit, led by Pastor Josh Bowers. I’m honored to have stepped into a new role as Assistant Pastor. God has provided a wonderful church home for us to continue to grow and flourish in — and I believe He’ll do the same for you.
So before I go, I need you to know this: In the Kingdom of God, it’s never goodbye forever — it’s always until we meet again. Whether its in this life in some coffee shop or around the throne of God in eternity.
Thank you, Alive Church. You were never just a church name — you were a living testimony to what God can do with a willing people in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. You are alive because Jesus is alive in you.
I love you deeply. I’ll never forget you. And I’ll always be cheering you on.
With all my heart,
Pastor J.R. Nunez
Alive Church NYC (2007–2025)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7
