08/15/2026
August 14, 2016 … Regal United Artists in Farmingdale … theater 3, seat E4.
I’ll be honest, I came into that first watch party in a very dark season of my life. I was battling depression, with a su1*ide note left in the glove compartment of my car. I came in on the verge of giving up on Christianity as a whole. But God had other plans for me that were beginning to unfold — and it started that day at V1 Church
I had spoken with Pastor Mike previously, and I think I ran across a Facebook post about the church starting up, basically a 5-minute drive from where I was living at the time. I still remember meeting him in the parking lot of the Starbucks ☕️ as he was on his way to pick up some coffee to have available for visitors that Sunday 😂.
It was me giving God one last chance to show me that there was still a healthy church community that preached the Bible unapologetically, where I could grow in relationship with Christ, not religion. From the moment I walked in, I was welcomed immediately.
Thank you Nicole Pantino , Sean David , and Kayla Luc — the warmth of your welcome that day were my first impressions that would help me call V1 Church my HOME.
What God ended up showing me was a group of people who showed up for me before I ever asked them to. Who prayed for me and with me before I knew I needed it - many of whom have sat with me in some hard seasons of my life.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) — that’s exactly what this community has been and continues to be for me.
There have been countless moments since then — the kind you don’t realize are pivotal until years later.
I’m not the person who walked in that first Sunday. I was reborn, freed, and delivered, and have been using what God has gifted me with for His Kingdom ever since. I wouldn’t trade a single moment — even the ones that were hard to live through at the time.
thank you Mike Signorelli Julie Signorelli for your consistent YES
Evan Wilson Anthony Colon Pastor Chase Fleeman Carlos Contreras - thank you for being brothers to me (especially in the TOUGH talks)
