Multi-Ethnic Ministries

CURRENT SURVEY

 


Pastor Bledi Leno 
Multi-Ethnic Director
516-627-9350 Ext 141
Email

 

 


Sandy Salas
Administrative Assistant
516-467-5215
Email

 

“The Playbook” for Multi-Ethnic Ministries Theological Foundation:

 

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the messiah and savior predicted in the Old Testament, who redeemed humankind and inaugurated God’s righteous rule over creation. All who believe in and align with Him are the people of God, called to preach the gospel and to live and promote kingdom values until Jesus returns.

 

Implications:

 

Our message is theocentric. Our message leads to the making of disciples. Our message is transformative in the life of a believer. Our message fosters unity in community and holistic restoration of nature and society. Our message is Good News!

 

1. Why does Multi-Ethnic Ministries exist? (Our Purpose)


To extend God’s kingdom among New Yorkers of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, helping them to live in loving relationship to God and each other.

 

2. What does Multi-Ethnic Ministries do? (Our Mission)


We provide ministerial support and facilitate outreach to the multi-ethnic churches and communities of the Greater New York Conference territory.

 

3. How will we succeed? (Our Strategy – These 3 anchors provide clarity and enable us to avoid distractions that may set us off our strategic course)

 

A. We will design high impact ministries that effectively communicate the gospel to local communities.

B. We will promote and facilitate discipleship among our churches.

C. We will provide support to empower and equip our leaders.

 

Pastoral Cohorts

 

Upstate:

1. Tony Mazzella

2. Victor Dyman

3. Conrad White (also in English Min)

Manhattan:

13. Todd Stout

14. Tito Charneco

15. Bogdan Filip (Lay)

Brooklyn:

22. Andri Dyman

23. Sampson Appiah-Kubi

 

Westchester & The Bronx:

4. Steve Cassimy

5. Bill Wayne Jamel
7. José Zacarias (Lay)

6. Wayne Jamel

8. Daniel Zabaleta

9. Nazih Yacoub

10. Emmanuel Osei

11. Okezie Erondu

12. Joseph Sarkodie

 

Queens:

16. Emanoil Kumanov (Lay)

17. Steve Siciliano

18. Rodolfo Bautista 

19. Samuel Masih

20. John Lee

21. Bogdon Platon

Long Island:

24. Michael Mirra

25. James Mangum

26. Eusebio Smordoni

 

 

MULTI-ETHNIC PASTORS

LIFE SKETCH
   

BLEDI LENO - I have served in the Greater New York Conference for the past 16 years as pastor and in the last 8 years as the Multi Ethnic Ministries Director. I’m passionate about God and people and finding ways to meaningful spiritual encounters. My life and ministry journey have taken me from Albania to England, Brazil, the US and around the world providing an enriching international experience. 

As an intern with the GC Global Mission since 2018, I have also done ministry in places such as India, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Korea, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, etc., providing exposure to world religions and cultures.

The years spent here at GNYC have afforded opportunities to do urban ministry, establish centers of influence, organize church planting & church revitalization systems and concentrate on creative outreach and evangelism. 

Having studied Theology and Business in Brazil, I later did my MDiv at Andrews University and currently a DMin candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary. 

I am married to Gabriela and we have two sons, Matthias and Arthur.

ANDRII DYMAN - 

ANTHONY MAZZELLA - Served as a Bible Worker, Teacher, Pastor and Counselor all in the Greater NY Conference since June of 1984. Pastor Mazzella is a native New Yorker who was born in the Bronx and has served in various multiethnic churches in 3 of the 5 boroughs, Westchester and Upstate. He is married to Beverly since 1981 and has two adult children and 7 grandchildren. He loves singing and playing guitar.  His undergraduate degree are in Music and Religion. In addition, he has one Masters from Andrews in Theology and Secondary Education. His other Masters degree is in Clinical Social Work from Yeshiva University. Pastor Mazzella loves helping people grow into the best version of themselves.

BILLY JAMEL - 

CHRISTAIN GENAO - 

ISAAC BOATENG - 

JASON THOMAS - 

LLOYD SCHARFFENBERG - 

MICHELLE ODINMA - is the Associate Pastor at Church of the Advent Hope, located in Manhattan. With a background in education, she lives her passion for Jesus through teaching, preaching, and singing. She’s persuaded that there can never be a dull moment in life when you’re surrounded by good food, good music, and good people.

RODOLFO A. BAUTISTA, JR. - is a third generation minister and grandson of one of Philippine Adventist Pioneer pastors--the Roda brothers. His father and brother are also pastors. Jun is married to a dentist and have 3 children.  His training includes public health, government relations, communication management, leadership& organization, chaplaincy, interfaith relations, ux design for social impact, Proj Management, and law.

Pastor Bautista served the church since 1995 as ADRA-ACS Project Manager, a college administrator (director for student services), Bible and values education professor for both Adventist and government colleges, church and district pastor, urban church planter, international evangelist, government chaplain and consultant, conference Legal Affairs Director and PARL Director.  His ministry motto is "broken and spilled out". 

SAMPSON APPIAH-KUBI - 

SAMUEL MASIH - Tenaciously working since 40 years in the Southern Asian Community for our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ

STEVEN SICILIANO -  is a native New Yorker who, at age nineteen, had a life-changing encounter with God while hiking in the Hudson Valley. Two years later he joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church and, ever since, has either worked in outreach ministry or studied for mission and ministry in places as diverse as the California state park system; the San Francisco Bay Area; Bangkok, Thailand; and Metro New York. He has a BA degree from Weimar College with a double-major in health and religion, an MDiv from Andrews University, and an MA in Community Health Education from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

“Pastor S,” as his members call him, has been working in the Greater New York Conference since June, 2003. He is married to Maria Elena Tablante Godoy, a renal dietitian-manager at the NYU Langone dialysis center in Mineola, New York.

 

VICTOR DYMAN - Born in Ukraine. P.K. Married to the love of my life. Two sons and two daughters.B.Th. M.A. in Religion. M.Div. D.Min. Bible worker, Pastor in Southern Ukraine. Pastor, District Pastor, Practical Theology Instructor, Dean of the School of Theology, in Russia. Pastor in Michigan and GNY Conferences, US.

PAOLA BECHAR - It has been a privilege and an honor to have pastored churches in Brazil, to have served as an administrator in Senegal, West Africa and to have ministered in California and now in Multi-ethnic ministries in New York. Selma and I have been married for almost 37 Years. Our adult children live in California.
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Additional links on this topic:

Life Hope Center at Bryant Park

More Multi-Ethnic Ministries: