One Year
Hello Friends and Family.
We recently celebrated our one year anniversary of living in New York City. Although we landed in the city on May 13th, it wasn't until June 1 that we officially became residents of Brooklyn.
Beginning the rainy night of May 13th, we checked into a basement Airbnb with only a few bags and a lot of emotions. Upon settling into the apartment, we enjoyed a meal that a friend from our host church kindly had delivered — a warm welcome indeed. After we put the girls to bed and our adrenaline began to ease, physical exhaustion set in.
As I finally attempted to sleep that late night, I recall my mind had other ideas — doubt and excitement, fear and anticipation, "what ifs?" and "I can't waits!" — with no idea what tomorrow would bring, I drifted off, eager to find out.
. . .
Compared to the rest of the city, summer began early for us. Once Erin accepted a Cafe Manager position at Maman in SoHo, the girls and I used the summer to get settled into our apartment, familiarize ourselves with our neighborhood of Park Slope, and explore our new city. Depending on the humidity, our days looked like meeting people and playing at J.J. Byrne Playground across the street all day, visiting Erin at her cafe, touring museums, or venturing into new neighborhoods. I also found pockets of time for all the logistical matters that come with relocating across the country and establishing residency in a new city and state. Still, knowing that Rowan and Kinsey would begin school in the fall for the first time, I sought to savor those last few months with them.
Summer evenings developed a wonderful rhythm for meeting and spending time with neighbors at the park. Many nights, we prepared dinner at home or picked up a pizza and took it across the street to eat with others until the sun began to hide behind the neighboring buildings and brownstones. By the end of the season, Park Slope turned into our neighborhood and our apartment into our home as we established friendships with other families.
. . .
Like the leaves turning their colors in fall, so my emotions began to turn. The season's unveiling of its vibrant earthy tones also revealed the shades and shadows of my soul.
Scattered, worn, and weary, I was faced with numerous transitions and milestones — none more significant than Rowan and Kinsey beginning school. While such a joyful and exhilarating milestone, I simultaneously grieved the loss of daily life with my girls. For the past 2.5 years, since I am the primary caretaker, we had spent nearly every day together. Now, they were stepping into elementary school while I was also beginning my training with City to City NYC's Incubator Collective.
Confronted with multiple health scares, financial pressure, and long hours, the volume of my inner critic substantially increased. My fears of not being enough surfaced, doubting whether or not I could be the husband, father, and planter that God had called me to be.
Still, I was able to attend a one-day seminar with Alan Hirsch hosted by City to City NYC. There, I was introduced to the smaller way of church planting. Little did I realize that seeds were being planted in our minds and hearts for what was to come.
. . .
Winter brought about the worst of sickness our family has endured in our marriage. Unfortunately, we all caught the flu at the same time. Since school started in September, it seemed as though at least one of us was sick each week — the week before Christmas, we reached a new low.
Having been sidelined so much throughout fall and culminating in this mid-December flu, I stumbled toward Christmas and the New Year discouraged, feeling as though I had not done enough due to the "lost time."
On New Year's Eve, I was able to spend a few pivotal hours at Variety Coffee on 7th Ave, prayerfully reflecting on and journaling about 2025. In the midst of this time, encouraging words from Charlie Mackesy's wonderful The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse came to mind:
"A whole year, and what have I done?" asked the boy.
"You made it this far," said the horse. "You are spectacular."
That cold winter's Eve was a moment of release, a time when I felt the Spirit's gentle correction: stop, cease, rest, be.
Despite our illnesses and ailments, we were able to revel in and savor our first holiday season in New York. From Halloween through the New Year, the city's electricity combats the cooling temperatures. Beyond the lights and decor, what truly warmed our hearts was our developing friendships with neighborhood and school families. As the cold drove us inside, time in restaurants and apartments with friends led us to begin considering what God may be doing in our family's life.
. . .
As the late winter's snow folded into spring's blooming pastels, our family saw new opportunities arise. Since her cafe in SoHo was temporarily closing for remodeling, Erin was deployed to work throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn at other Maman cafes, assisting in rebuilding and developing teams and opening a new cafe. In March, we traveled to Tampa Bay, Florida for the Microchurch Conference. There, we felt confirmed in the groundwork we had been doing and the blossoming neighborhood relationships.
Our vision for church planting began sharpening as we felt drawn to the smaller way, longing for more tables and fewer pulpits. Language began naming our family's natural way of life. We continued practicing hospitality, trying to open up our apartment and our lives to others. We invested in folding tables and stools, giving us the flexibility to convert our long and narrow living room into an extended dining room.
While exploring what the smaller way of church planting looks like in New York City, we sought counsel and coaching from anyone who was acquainted with or who had attempted similar work in the city. We began meeting and dreaming with others who had pursued alternative forms of ministry in their neighborhoods — often in obscurity with no official church name, website, branding, or building.
This led us to get connected with No Name Collective. Affiliated with City to City NYC, the group consists of learners and leaders seeking to join Jesus in experimental forms of mission and non-traditional forms of church. The more we met with and heard the stories of practitioners throughout the city approaching planting and discipleship in a similar way, we felt reassured that the traditional Sunday-centric model of church planting was one of many pathways.
Many of the members have experience with Incubator Collective, traditional church planting, and vocational pastoral ministry. Some still are serving in said types of roles while others have gone co-vocational, attempting to strategically work in marketplace jobs for the sake of engaging and blessing their neighbors. A main motivator for people in this group is to be a part of connecting with those in the city who are unlikely to ever step foot in a Sunday morning church service.
Graciously, No Name Collective sent me along with a few others from New York to the North American Gathering for the Movement Leaders Collective, a global group of leaders within 100 Movements that "exists to help those leaders pioneer new frontiers, connect with peers, and equip the church for the journey ahead." In Alton, Illinois, we learned from and dialogued with leaders from all over the world who are actively pursuing opportunities for alternative forms of church planting.
What was intended as a three day trip turned into a four day trip including a 16 hour road trip from St. Louis, MO to NYC. Inclement weather led to numerous cancelled flights — gratefully, us four New Yorkers were in it together and took turns driving through the night! Upon returning, I completed year one of Incubator Collective — we are on break until fall when Year Two begins.
. . .
Summer is near, if not here, in New York. Erin's SoHo cafereopened last week. With it has come excitement and demand, changing our family's rhythm and schedule once again.
Although NYC Public Schools remain in school through June 26th, they don't return until September 10th. End of the year school trips and celebrations, seemingly 1–2 birthdays a week, block parties and festivals — the last month of school is teeming with opportunities to connect with neighbors and families.
The Championship run of the Knicks (Let's Go Knicks!) and the World Cup has demonstrated the unique energy and opportunity for community development and formation — New Yorkers love spending time together. As we look to summer break, we are planning on being at the park as much as time (and the heat) permit. We are committed to being a faithful presence at J.J. Byrne and befriending our neighbors, investing in a lot of summer park gear (water toys, bubbles, picnic blankets, lawn games, coolers).
One year in, although there are still many uncertainties — if we will stay in Park Slope or eventually relocate to another neighborhood, if people will join us in this forming mission, what supplementary career options look like for Tyler — much has been clarified.
New York is our home — God has brought us here. Now more than ever, New Yorkers are longing for a sense of home — a community of people to walk together through life and all that comes.
We don't know exactly what this looks like yet, but I'm not sure the apostle Paul knew exactly what local church gatherings would look like when he planted throughout the Ancient Near East either.
We do know that it is characterized by a community of radical welcome, seeing apartments, buildings, blocks, and neighborhoods experience and reflect God and God's kingdom. This involves neighbors around the table, invested in each other's lives, supportive of one another's ups and downs, and seeking to bring goodness and beauty to our city.
Meal by meal, train ride by train ride, work shift by work shift, water balloon fight by water balloon fight — seeds of the Gospel scattered and planted throughout our daily rhythms, prayerfully tending and hoping for the fruit of disciples to emerge and a church to be formed.
. . .
How to Pray for Us
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are deeply grateful for your prayers along with every text, call, email, DM, and letter.
Family health and sustainability: For our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health as a family to remain our primary ministry.
Clarity on neighborhood and model: As the microchurch vision continues to take shape, for wisdom on whether we remain in Park Slope or are called elsewhere.
Trinity Grace Church: For continued friendship, partnership, and mutual flourishing as we grow together.
Incubator Collective Year Two: Beginning this fall, for focus, stamina, and continued formation.
No Name Collective: For the relationships forming here to deepen and for this community to sharpen our vision.
Financial provision: For continued and new partnership as we pursue the work God is putting before us.
Erin's work: For her expanded influence and leadership at Maman and throughout the city.
Tyler's seminary studies: For endurance and a clear finish line, along with emerging writing opportunities — two more courses until completion.
A marketplace job for Tyler: One that is flexible enough to support training, family life, and caring for the girls during school breaks — extended breaks in particular are tricky!
. . .
We sincerely thank both our financial and prayer partners. The long work of becoming rooted and planting seeds of the Gospel in a neighborhood — let alone a city as vast as New York — could not be possible without your support.
If you would like to connect via phone, FaceTime, or Zoom, we'd love to hear from you. Please text the number below to set up a time.
With love and gratitude,
Tyler A. Saldaña
(Erin, Rowan, and Kinsey say hi too!)
917.710.0777
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