April 2026 Missions Update
THE TRAINER FAMILY - MISSIONARIES TO BROOKLYN NYC
Hello from the Trainers…
Welcome from the Trainer family - Stephen, Carrie, Ryan, Liam, Sean, Audrey, and Nathan! We're missionaries making disciples in Brooklyn's Coney Island and Brownsville neighborhoods. These newsletters are our way of keeping you close to what God is doing here. Thank you for being part of this with us!
We lead Graffiti Ministries Brooklyn, and our ministry model is best described as “meet the need first,” coming alongside people with practical help like our free GED program. These acts of service and the relationships they bring allow people to see and hear the gospel.
GED Stories…
Our flagship ministry is a free GED program we offer in both Brooklyn communities we serve. Most of our neighbors don't have a high school diploma — nearly half in Coney Island, and closer to two-thirds in Brownsville. Through our Learning Center, we first meet the need by offering free GED classes with no age limits and no minimum reading level, because meeting people where they are is where everything starts. From the classroom, relationships grow into first steps of faith. Alpha courses, Bible studies, and house churches take our students from a practical need met to a life transformed by the gospel.
Crystal sent these results just yesterday!
Crystal enrolled in our Brownsville GED program last semester. She is originally from Trinidad and immigrated to Brooklyn with her family several years ago. Like many Caribbean ladies in NYC, she worked in the home health industry, but a severe back injury meant she needed a new career.
Crystal knew her lack of a diploma was holding her back from many job opportunities, and she contacted Graffiti Ministries for help. In addition to our free GED program in Brownsville, she started attending Bible studies after class as well. I’ll never forget when, after a Thursday Bible study, Crystal said, “I really enjoyed this today!”
We are so proud to say that as of yesterday, Crystal is not only a growing believer in Jesus, but she also has her diploma!
Below is a review for our GED program Crystal left on Google when she was around the halfway point toward her diploma. We love to hear these stories of the encouragement and care our students feel!
“Graffiti Ministries is great you work at your own pace and Stephen is great he encourages you because of him I went and took and passed 2 of my test we are working on the next 2 don’t wait give Graffiti Ministries a try you will be pleased”
Graffiti Partners on the Mission Field!
This Spring we have hosted several mission teams from our partnering churches. These short-term missionaries have joined in God’s ministry of reconciliation here in Brooklyn by being the hands and feet of Jesus! We met the need first and made the gospel available to our communities through servant evangelism projects, GED program outreach, and hundreds of volunteer hours through our school-based partnerships. We also fed the hungry, helped two families move, and served alongside community-based organizations to beautify the neighborhood!
Baseball Chapel
This Easter Sunday, we kicked off our third season of ministering to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the minor league “High-A” affiliate of the NY Mets. Stephen serves as their chaplain and leads three chapel services at the ballpark each home Sunday, as well as mid-week ministry visits. It is a privilege to disciple these young men during such an important and consequential season of their lives!
Biblical Community
At Graffiti Ministries Brooklyn, we are committed to “meet the need first,” but that never means meet the need only. Meeting needs in Jesus’ name builds relationships that, in turn, give us the trust and permission necessary to share the gospel, which is everyone’s greatest need! We are continuing to disciple new and growing believers in our communities through our “Graffiti Group” house churches, where our people find the kind of Biblical community we read about in Acts 2:42.
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
We need your help, so we can keep meeting the need first…
We LOVE these opportunities to tell you all about the radical life changes we continually see here in Brooklyn! Through outreach, education, and discipleship, people in some of the hardest parts of our nation’s largest city are finding hope and meeting Jesus.
It’s not nearly as fun to talk about the finances required, but the truth is, that is a big part of the reality as well. It would be impossible for us to serve our communities without you.
Did you know that Graffiti Ministries Brooklyn receives no denominational or missions agency funding?
Everything we do, every GED class, every Bible study, every meal shared around a table, happens because individuals, families, and churches choose to partner with us. That's it. There's no safety net and nothing behind the curtain.
Over the past two years, we've lost a significant number of monthly donors through normal life changes. This is perfectly natural as people face moves, job transitions, and new seasons of life. That's the reality of partnership-funded ministry: attrition is constant, and right now we're in a season where we need to rebuild.
We're praying for new monthly partners across these giving levels:
A lot of people feel that because they can’t give huge amounts, they can’t make a difference, but that’s not true at all!
The vast majority of our current partners give $100 a month or less, and every dollar goes directly to the work. If what you can give feels small to you, let us tell you — it isn't. God has a long track record of taking what we think is too little and multiplying it in ways we never saw coming. Any gift matters and together they make big life changes possible!
If you would like to become a new monthly (or one-time) partner, or renew your past partnership, you can find all the details on giving by card or check right here
Let’s Stay in Touch!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this quarter’s ministry newsletter! We send these out just four times per year to avoid crowding your inbox, but we do have plenty to share in between as well. Please follow us on our socials below, and if you are not already, subscribe to this newsletter to make sure it lands in your inbox next quarter!
