Yielding a Harvest: Today’s Tentmaker

Photos by Elliot Sefaradi

Richie Cancel’s typical week is jam-packed: Between 8 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Monday through Friday, he teaches math first to 90 eighth-graders for the New York City Department of Education and then to 60 secondary school boys at a nearby Orthodox Jewish yeshiva. In the remaining hours, this tri-vocational pastor of Calvary Life in Brooklyn, NY, fits in personal devotions, catches up with missed phone calls, prioritizes a date night with his wife and family time with her and their five children, and keeps up with Bible studies and other activities with his church. Saturdays offer some time for rest.

Richie Cancel teaches a math class in Brooklyn, New York City, during the week. When not teaching, he juggles the responsibilities of husband, father of five children, and pastor of Calvary Life in Brooklyn. 

Despite his satisfaction from this ministry, fitting together all the pieces of this complicated schedule has been challenging for Richie, who planted Calvary Life three years ago.

Pastor Richie grew up in Brooklyn and moved to California during high school. He and his wife Sarah—his high-school sweetheart—were saved at Calvary Chapel South Bay in Gardena, CA, where they actively served. After returning to Brooklyn in 2000, they served at Horizon Christian Fellowship Brooklyn. The family stepped out in faith when God called them to plant Calvary Life in their home in a fast-growing Jewish neighborhood, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. A year and a half ago, the fellowship moved to another location.

Between 20 to 50 people attend Sunday services, Richie said. After each Sunday teaching, the congregation breaks into small groups to discuss the sermon before heading home. He explained further, “We focus on mid-week home groups. Not everyone comes on Sunday, but if you combine everybody, we minister monthly to 75-100 families. We have a lot of children, 15-20 ‘youth’ (high school and college) alone. For church planters like us, that’s a good showing.”

Challenges & Realities

The major challenge Richie says he faces is finding time for both family and ministry. “When you have two tentmaking jobs to provide for your family, you can’t spend the time you would like to with people in home groups and studying for Bible studies,” he acknowledged. “Every moment of your day matters.” He’s had to study for his Sunday teachings during his teaching breaks.

“Not having the time with people, or to study, you pray more. Your reliance on the Holy Spirit is different. You spend more time in prayer, prayer that God would multiply His presence, power, and provision in the little time you have.”

Bi-vocational ministry requires a great reliance on the Holy Spirit, Richie admits. “You spend more time in prayer … that God would multiply His presence, power, and provision …,” he explained. 

Richie praises his small church leadership team that shares the joys and challenges of this kind of ministry with him. They also serve as volunteers and hold other jobs. “It’s a shame they are all split in their callings—they can’t serve the Lord full time,” Richie admitted. “The church body does suffer because, in one sense, not any one of us are really available for the church. Sometimes it’s disheartening because we can’t be there for certain people in certain ways.” Discipleship efforts and the ability to meet the many needs in Brooklyn often suffer, he emphasized. “At the same time, the Lord knows the season we’re in. His grace is sufficient for our inabilities.”

[The Lord’s mercies] are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:23-24

The Lord’s mercies and provision encourage Richie through difficult times. He affirmed, “Between the Lord and my family, that’s what keeps me going. My personal time with the Lord grounds me, helps me to know that I’m to continue. Also, the grace of my family—they’re amazing.” Even the children, ages 7-19 and homeschooled, have roles in ministry. Before saying Yes to the call, he assured, “We prayed about it as a family for a year before we actually did it.”

Advice

Richie advises church planters and bi-vocational pastors to strongly prioritize marriage and family first. He added that they should be wary of ministry timeframes—the expectation that everything should be done by a certain time. “People get burned out, tired, and disillusioned. Remember that it’s all in God’s timing,” he urged. “Do not belittle the time you spend discipling your family and the few sheep you perceive you have. Jesus did wonders with just 12 men.” Finally, he reflected, “Have much prayer support.”

“I [Jesus] am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Richie concluded, “Abiding—this is the place where any servant will find grace, and strength to persevere.”

Learn more about Calvary Life Brooklyn at calvarylife.nyc

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Follow our series in which we highlight bivocational—and even trivocational—pastors who minister to others through secular jobs while faithfully serving their congregations.

From Farrier to Shepherd
Pastor Steve Feden, Calvary Chapel Fluvanna, VA

A Lighthouse In The Darkness
Pastor Dean Barham, Lighthouse Calvary Chapel, Manchester, NH

Rubbing Elbows with the World
Pastor Don Rypstra, Calvary Chapel Rochester, MN

Serving God at Work & Church
Pastor Steve Freeman, Calvary Chapel Living Hope, West Des Moines, IA

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