A Pentecostal Home on Sutter Avenue
On a residential block in South Ozone Park, Queens, a modest brick building at 134-02 Sutter Avenue has been the steady address of Spirit & Truth Christian Church for more than three decades. The congregation is a multicultural, family-sized body that holds to Pentecostal teaching and gathers around lively music, fervent prayer, and the conviction that the same power described in the New Testament is still at work today. Worshippers who walk through the door on a Sunday morning will hear a West Indian rhythm carrying the room, hands lifted in praise, and teaching that the leaders describe as relevant to everyday life in New York City.
A Church Born Between Two Continents
Pastor Daniel R. Marimuthu, who holds a Bachelor of Theology from the Jamaica Theological Seminary, obeyed the call to ministry in 1973 and went on to pastor and plant churches in his native Guyana for nearly a decade. He founded Spirit & Truth Christian Church at the turn of 1989 into 1990 with his wife Deserene, after sensing that New York, and Queens in particular, was where the Lord wanted the next chapter. The church grew into a multicultural congregation of believers from the Caribbean, West Africa, and the wider New York diaspora, all gathering under one roof on Sutter Avenue.
Pastor Daniel continues to supervise four other churches in his home country of Guyana, in Tain and Bushlot (Berbice), Charity (Essequibo), and Linden (Demerara). His mission at Spirit & Truth mirrors that broader work: to reach the lost, to strengthen believers for a closer walk with God, and to take the message of Christ into the community, the city, and the world in obedience to the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20.
The Marimuthus have been married for more than forty years and are the parents of two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren. Their family life is woven into the texture of the church, where members often refer to one another as brothers and sisters.
The Sunday Rhythm at 134-02 Sutter Ave
The week at Spirit & Truth is anchored by Sunday morning worship, which begins at 10:30 AM and runs until 12:45 PM. The service is described by the church as a place to experience power, praise, and fellowship, and visitors are welcomed with the same warmth as longtime members. Music is led by HopeAlive, the church's combined choir and band, and the room fills with a sound the leadership calls lively and rhythmic; newcomers are gently warned that they will likely find themselves tapping their feet and clapping their hands.
Preaching is expository and Pentecostal in tone. The congregation believes in the full Gospel and in the manifestation of the power of God, and teaching is offered as both encouragement and challenge for the spiritual journey. Those who cannot attend in person can join the service online through the church's Facebook Live stream, which is posted every Sunday morning and remains on the page for later viewing.
Wednesday Bible Study and Friday Night Prayer
Mid-week, the building opens again on Wednesday at 7:30 PM for Bible study, which runs until 9:00 PM. The format is built around reading and studying a passage together, with discussion that the leadership says is geared toward growing faith in a deeper way.
Friday nights carry two parallel gatherings, both at 7:30 PM. The Prayer and Deliverance Service is set aside for extended prayer, with the expectation that God's healing presence will move among those gathered and that needs will be met through supernatural intervention. At the same hour, the E3 Youth Ministry meets for ages thirteen through thirty, with its own time of worship led by a youth worship leader and a rotating guest speaker series designed to help young people develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Children, Sunday School, and the E3 Generation
Children are not an afterthought at Spirit & Truth. Sunday School begins at 11:00 AM in the multi-purpose hall downstairs, and the children's church that follows at 11:30 AM runs in parallel with the adult worship service. The program is built for children ages four to thirteen, and the curriculum draws on Proverbs 22:6 (training up a child in the way he should go) and Ephesians 6:1. Teachers and volunteers describe themselves as loving, wise, kind, and humble servants of God, and the year is shaped by special programs such as Vacation Bible School, Christmas and Easter programs, Bible stories, worship, crafts, games, and evangelism.
For older youth, the Friday E3 gathering carries the slogan Reach, Teach, Win, Train, and Send Out for Christ. Beyond the weekly meeting, E3 hosts events through the year to foster team-building and interpersonal skills, and the group is a clear pipeline from Sunday School into the adult life of the church.
Sisters and Brothers: Women's and Men's Fellowship
Two monthly gatherings give the women and men of the church their own dedicated space. Women's Fellowship meets on the second Saturday of every month at 5:00 PM, drawing women who are new to the faith alongside those who have attended for years. The evening includes uplifting prayer times, conversation, and opportunities to serve, with the explicit goal of creating a safe place where sisters in Christ can share their joys, struggles, and spiritual journey.
Men's Fellowship meets on the third Saturday of every month at 6:00 PM. The first hour, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, is devoted to Bible reading and open discussion of a verse, chapter, or book, and is open to young and old believers alike. After 7:00 PM the gathering opens up: people of every religion and walk of life are invited in for a short devotion, a special speaker, open discussion, and then games and food together. The leadership extends the same invitation to newcomers that it does to members: come, bring a friend, and expect to be blessed.
HopeAlive Choir and Band
HopeAlive is the worship ministry of Spirit & Truth, made up of both the Spirit and Truth Choir and the Spirit and Truth Band. The team's mission is to lead the congregation in corporate worship and to pursue an active relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through praise. Beyond Sunday mornings, HopeAlive has ministered at other churches, concerts, and conferences, and frequently hosts Nights of Worship throughout the year. Members are described as committed to using their gifts and talents to exalt the name of the Lord for His glory, and the team's presence is central to the warm, expressive style of worship the church is known for.
The Soup Kitchen on the Last Saturday
Local Outreach is the arm of Spirit & Truth that turns the building outward into South Ozone Park. The signature expression of that outreach is a community soup kitchen held on the last Saturday of every month, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Volunteers serve those in need with soup, sandwiches, and fruit, and they hand out Bibles, gospel tracts, and inspirational books. The team also prays for the sick and presents the love of Jesus to each person who comes through the line, weaving evangelism and mercy into a single Saturday morning.
The church also points to its missionary heart beyond Queens, including a Kenya mission trip that supports an educational work at a youth center and welcomes mentors for the children served there.
Online: Sermons, Livestream, and Giving
For those who cannot be in the room, the church maintains a regular presence online. Sunday services are streamed live on Facebook, with recordings posted to the livestream page so that messages can be revisited during the week. A podcast section on the site carries sermon audio from guest preachers such as Jeremy Smith and Joe Turner.
Giving is supported through Tithe.ly, both as a direct donation and via the Tithe.ly mobile app, and through Zelle for those who prefer bank-to-bank transfers. The church is incorporated as Spirit and Truth Christian Church INC at the Sutter Avenue address, and gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Leadership and Mission
At the heart of the church's identity is the verse that gives it its name. John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth," is displayed prominently on the church's communications, and the leadership returns to it often when describing the tone of services. The stated mission is to worship God passionately, to grow in faith together, and to serve the community with love and compassion, with a variety of ministries designed to meet the spiritual needs of individuals and families at every stage of life.
For visitors and newcomers, the simplest description may be the church's own: Spirit & Truth Christian Church is a place to come and experience power, praise, and fellowship, on a quiet block in South Ozone Park that has been doing exactly that since the turn of 1989 into 1990.