Our Mission:
“LEADING THE URBAN CULTURE TO CHRIST BY CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIP.”
We are a dedicated group of people who believe in the vision of church as community. Join The Elements on a journey of hope, friendship and sanctuary in Christ.
MANY HAVE ASKED, "WHAT DOES ELEMENTS MEAN?"
ELEMENTS :
- a component or constituent of a whole or one of the parts into which a whole may be resolved by analysis
- one of a class of substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means.
- any group of ...people singled out within a larger group by identifiable behavior patterns, common... interests, ethnic similarities, etc.
- Element refer to units that are PARTS OF A WHOLE or complete substances, systems, compounds, or mixtures.
Element denotes a fundamental, ULTIMATE part. A part that goes into the making of a complete system or compound. A necessary part of the whole.
Apply that to God (3 in 1) and you'll get it. Apply it to His Body (the church) and you'll get what Elements means.
Efrain Alicea aka Brother E - Lead Pastor
Efrain attended a Catholic school and was heavily involved in church activities. As a young man he ran a youth retreat program under the auspices of the Catholic Youth Organization in New York City. At this stage, he was yet to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
On May 4, 1991, he visited Iglesia Sion Pentecostal, a small Spanish Pentecostal church in the South Bronx. It was here that Efrain dedicated his life to Christ. He soon became the English Sunday School Teacher and Youth Director, beginning his youth efforts with a core group of only four young people; in less than six months this number had grown to over sixty attendees each Tuesday.
1993 was a significant year for E. He began to write down lyrics which he believes God gave him during prayer. Later, he began to match the lyrics to a classic secular hip hop beat known as Big Beat. Although hip hop had been popular for 20 years, its Christian manifestation was largely unknown in New York. As Brother E, Alicea quickly became prominent in his field. He believes in the importance of reaching young people by "speaking their language", and considers himself an urban evangelist.
Beginning in June 1993, Efrain, under the name Brother E, began rapping several songs that God had given him. He formed a ministry called Power & Dominion, recruiting teens from his church and forming a band that ministered in the Tri State area. Since 1993 he has seen thousands come to Christ through Gospel Hip-Hop. He realizes the importance of reaching youth “speaking in their own language.”
Joyful Noiz, one of the few emerging Christian hip hop groups in the mid 1990s, inspired Brother E to form a ministry called Power and Dominion (PAD). This consisted of Brother E on the microphone, some teenagers who played bass and keyboards, an intermittent singer and a drum machine. By 1999, PAD had contributed three songs to a compilation CD, All IV Jesus. Later, he also collaborated with Bert Bocachica and Manny Badillo in a ministry called Brothers Inc. 4 Da' Lord.
As a result of his ministry as an urban-evangelist through hip hop, Brother E has been a major contributor to the Storytellas ministry at Crossroads Tabernacle under Rev. Joseph Henry Cortese. The Storytellas ministry is a Gospel Hip-Hop/Rap ministry that encompasses music, rap, dance, drama, comedy and multi-media in evangelistic efforts. The ministry is evangelistic in nature, ministering in the streets during the Summers and in various prisons in the Tri-State area.
In 2007, Efrain was appointed the Associate Pastor at Promised Land Church in the Bronx under the ministry of Rev. Sixto M. Carrion.
In 2008, Efrain, Erika and a dedicated core team planted The Elements, an urban church in the heart of the Bronx. The mission statement reads: Leading the urban culture to Christ by cultivating relationship.
Brother E also serves as the Assistant Director of Rap Fest, Inc., a free, open-air, annual Gospel Hip-Hop event in the South Bronx that brings together Gospel Rap Ministers from all over the world.
Efrain has studied as an undergraduate student at Columbia University and also graduated top of his class in 1995 from the Spanish Eastern District (S.E.D.) of the Assemblies of God Bronx Bible Institute. In 2006 Efrain became a chaplain with the United Chaplains State of New York where he also served as an instructor teaching on Urban Chaplains. He holds a Masters in Theology from The Christian University. Currently he’s receiving church planting training with Redeemer City to City (formerly the Redeemer Church Planting Center begun by Redeemer Presbyterian Church under the leadership of Dr. Timothy Keller) in their two-year Urban Incubator Church Planter training program. He's also a member of the Urban Coaching Network under the direction of Tommy "Urban D" Kyllonen.
Efrain is married to Erika Alicea. They were joined on August 16, 2003. Erika is a teacher with the public school system in New York City and leads the Children's Ministry at Elements called Sharing is Caring. Efrain is also the father of Jason Noel and Isabel Rose Alicea.
Erika Alicea - Chlidren's Church Director
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Erika Alicea is one of many here at Elements who is a testimony to this Bible verse. Erika grew up in the Children’s ministry at Crossroads Tabernacle and, as a teen, became a helper in Sunday School. After rededicating her life to the Lord in 1999, she soon became a Sunday School teacher herself and has been serving in this capacity ever since. Erika is also a public school teacher with a BS in Elementary Education and a MS in Education.
"It is the desire of the Sharing is Caring Children’s Ministry to raise our children knowing the Gospel so they may have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, regardless of age, and that they in turn may be a light to their families and friends." 
Jay Cabassa - Worship Leader
Jay Cabassa was born in the South Bronx, the youngest of four brothers and the older of his five sisters. Raised by his mother, a servant of the Lord, Jay knew from an early age that he wanted nothing more than to seek the will of God through his gifting of singing. Jason is a man after God’s own heart.
Music has always been apart of his life. As the youngest boy he always looked up to his older brothers who were local hip hop DJ’s. He always had a huge love for hip hop and soul music.
Jay has sung with such notable ministries as the Rhythm and Praise Choir, Harvest Fields Worship Team and NuSoul Generation.
What makes Jay sing gospel? Christ!! He’s been through his share of pain as a young man but the love of Jesus has seen him through. He says, “I do this because today’s music is not a reality for people, it’s like there is one writer and one concept. I want to be a part of changing lives through music. When I sing I want the words Christ has given me to pierce hearts. I want people transformed.”
He married his lovely wife Sarah in 2005. They reside in the Bronx with their beautiful daughter Genesis Sarai Cabassa.
Manny "DJ NuMan" Badillo - Worship DJ / Sound
Manny has been a DJ since 1980 but God called him into the Gospel DJ ministry in 1999. His calling and function as a Gospel DJ is to spin at outreach events like Coffee Houses, street services, Youth services and Christian concerts. He has ministered for such ministries as The Salem Coffee House, Brothers Inc. 4 Da’ Lord, Brother E and Jay Cabassa. He is now also the DJ for the worship team at The Elements.
Manny has been married to his wonderful wife Nelddie for 19 years and they have two children. Manny says, “I take the gospel DJ ministry very seriously because I feel music has a very powerful effect on many people. The music I play should always have a gospel message or else I don’t feel I’m fulfilling my calling as a gospel DJ.” 
Celeste Wallace - Administration
Celeste found the Lord at the age of 24 through a book that was recommended by a college friend. She has been serving Him faithfully ever since.
She was born in the Bronx and was raised in upstate New York and Western Massachusetts . Celeste returned to the city to finish her education and graduated from Hunter College with a BA in Sociology. Celeste says, “I’ve always had a heart for the BX and its people.”
1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve but the same Lord to serve. And there are different ways that God works through people but the same God. God works in all of us in everything we do. Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person, for the common good.” Celeste truly believes there are no small tasks in God’s kingdom and that includes the day to day operations of a church.