What an intense day at New Community. We wrapped up our God's Idea Series today. It was the 10th week in the book of Ephesians and we landed the plane with Ephesians 6:10-18 (put on the full armor of God). Let's just say...God moved in a big way.
Let me set the stage for you...when everyone showed up this am there was a 12 foot wide, 4 foot tall above ground pool set up in the middle of our auditorium. It was heated and was the centerpiece of our convesation today. We discovered through the scriptures that when Paul says put on the Armor of God, he is saying put on Christ. We see in Galatians that the way to do that is to be baptized...to literally clothe yourself with Jesus through immersion.
Then, we had an open baptism for all who wanted to be baptized and to take that next step in their faith today...no waiting...no excuses...we had shorts, shirts and towels. There were a few people already scheduled to do this but once it was all said and done...16 people came foward and were baptized into Christ as we worshiped and sang together as a faith community. It was intense...so intense that if I had hair on my head...it would have been standing.
As I have taken time to reflect on this today, the only thing I can compare the emotion and energy to was the day New Community came to life 4 years ago. February 25th, 2007 was a game changer for Jackson County because NC was born...April 3rd, 2011 was a game-changer for NC because many people clothed themselves in Christ. This will impact their life, their family, friends and neighbors and will impact New Community.
Thanks to Chris McClay, Tim & Andrew Evans, Stephen Saxton and Patti Simpson for making the logistics of this day possible. The Church being the Church is a beautiful thing.
I cant wait to see what God is up to and to experience where He is taking us....TOGETHER. I love you guys dearly....grace and Peace!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
Can I just say, New Community Church rocks! It was an awesome day on campus. I am always amazed when God's people show up to worship and learn together.
Here are the highlights from today.
1. Part three of God's Idea: We answered the question, why the Church. We studied Ephesians 2:1-10 and learned that God gave us life in Christ so that the World will know the truth about God. You can listen to the message here. Here is the kicker...not only has he chosen the Church to show the world God's Love...he has prepared us to do it.
2. We had to set up extra chairs...that is always cool.
3. The Worship Choir was in the house...this always adds an extra layer of intensity to our worship gatherings. Thanks to each of you who showed early for rehearsal and for leading us this morning.
4. Personal Highlight: We launched a new starter group this afternoon at 5 PM. 10 couples...it was awesome. It will not take long for our big group to become two smaller groups poised for growth and for impact.
5. We have more community groups functioning than ever before. If you are looking for a place to connect at NC, groups are the place to do that.
6. We are selling NC Tee's every week for the next month or so. The proceeds that are generated from the sales of these shirts will be used to provide food cards for families that need help and offsett utility bills for families that are struggling. So, buy a shirt...do some Good.
7. Over 40 volunteers today leveraged their gifts and talents to serve our local church today. Teamwork makes the dream work. If you want to find a role to fill, email patti@newcommunityonline.com to get connected to a ministry team.
8. Next week, part 4 of our Ephesians Series: God's Idea. Invite a friend or neighbor and let's keep on rolling on.
Have a great week and remember to be the Church this week.
Grace and Peace...
Here are the highlights from today.
1. Part three of God's Idea: We answered the question, why the Church. We studied Ephesians 2:1-10 and learned that God gave us life in Christ so that the World will know the truth about God. You can listen to the message here. Here is the kicker...not only has he chosen the Church to show the world God's Love...he has prepared us to do it.
2. We had to set up extra chairs...that is always cool.
3. The Worship Choir was in the house...this always adds an extra layer of intensity to our worship gatherings. Thanks to each of you who showed early for rehearsal and for leading us this morning.
4. Personal Highlight: We launched a new starter group this afternoon at 5 PM. 10 couples...it was awesome. It will not take long for our big group to become two smaller groups poised for growth and for impact.
5. We have more community groups functioning than ever before. If you are looking for a place to connect at NC, groups are the place to do that.
6. We are selling NC Tee's every week for the next month or so. The proceeds that are generated from the sales of these shirts will be used to provide food cards for families that need help and offsett utility bills for families that are struggling. So, buy a shirt...do some Good.
7. Over 40 volunteers today leveraged their gifts and talents to serve our local church today. Teamwork makes the dream work. If you want to find a role to fill, email patti@newcommunityonline.com to get connected to a ministry team.
8. Next week, part 4 of our Ephesians Series: God's Idea. Invite a friend or neighbor and let's keep on rolling on.
Have a great week and remember to be the Church this week.
Grace and Peace...
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February 13, 2010
What an intense day at New Community. Our teaching series: God's Idea, is a raw look at the church and has asked the question, is the Church God's Idea. It has been a great two weeks in the book of Ephesians and I am stoked about the weeks to come.
Here are the highlights from the day:
1. It was a packed house today...not that it is all about the numbers, but it is cool to experience what God is doing in our church.
2. God wants to give the church (the body of christ) wisdom, revelation, hope and power. Be sure to check out the podcast here if you missed today.
3. We kicked off a new initiative today. We are selling NC tshirts. Two designs to pick from. We are selling T's for one reason...to give the money away. The proceeds that come from the sales will be given to families in our community that need assistance paying their light bill, purchasing gas or provide food for their families. In other words, the more shirts that are sold, the more families that get helped.
4. Lot's of 1st and 2nd time Guests on campus today. The resounding feedback we get is that NC is an incredibly friendly church. Way to go NC...you guys rock.
5. I felt like i was super intense today during the teaching time. God is giving me a burden to lead us to new levels as a faith community and our desire as a leadership team is for NC people to BE THE CHURCH...24/7. As I have shared before...it is time...let's rise up!
6. Our Tech Team (sound, lights, video) had a fellowship gathering after service today. It is good to see ministry teams getting together for fellowship. If you are looking for a team to join, this is a great one to be a part of. contact patti@newcommunityonline.com to get connected.
7. We had several volunteers step up today in the Children's Ministry for teachers that couldn't make it. I am always amazed at how people respond when they are needed...especially to love on our kids.
Next week, we move in to chapter 2 of Ephesians. It is going to be a rockin' Sunday to say the least. The worship choir will be in the house and we will keep rollin through this series.
Thanks for making it such a great day NC.
Grace and Peace...
Chris
Here are the highlights from the day:
1. It was a packed house today...not that it is all about the numbers, but it is cool to experience what God is doing in our church.
2. God wants to give the church (the body of christ) wisdom, revelation, hope and power. Be sure to check out the podcast here if you missed today.
3. We kicked off a new initiative today. We are selling NC tshirts. Two designs to pick from. We are selling T's for one reason...to give the money away. The proceeds that come from the sales will be given to families in our community that need assistance paying their light bill, purchasing gas or provide food for their families. In other words, the more shirts that are sold, the more families that get helped.
4. Lot's of 1st and 2nd time Guests on campus today. The resounding feedback we get is that NC is an incredibly friendly church. Way to go NC...you guys rock.
5. I felt like i was super intense today during the teaching time. God is giving me a burden to lead us to new levels as a faith community and our desire as a leadership team is for NC people to BE THE CHURCH...24/7. As I have shared before...it is time...let's rise up!
6. Our Tech Team (sound, lights, video) had a fellowship gathering after service today. It is good to see ministry teams getting together for fellowship. If you are looking for a team to join, this is a great one to be a part of. contact patti@newcommunityonline.com to get connected.
7. We had several volunteers step up today in the Children's Ministry for teachers that couldn't make it. I am always amazed at how people respond when they are needed...especially to love on our kids.
Next week, we move in to chapter 2 of Ephesians. It is going to be a rockin' Sunday to say the least. The worship choir will be in the house and we will keep rollin through this series.
Thanks for making it such a great day NC.
Grace and Peace...
Chris
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 23rd
I love New Community Church. It was an awesome day on campus as a faith community and it's only going to get sweeter as we move forward as a Church. I feel like today's conversation was intense. I believe that most of us know in our core that we need COMMUNITY with other believers, but we struggle with making time for it to happen in our rhythm of life. If you are willing to take this step, we are here to help you connect with other believers beginning in February. Here are the highlights from the day!
1. Part three of Killer APPS: Christ-centered friendships help Guard our Heart. We learned last week that a guarded heart aligns us with God. As we intentionally connect with other believers for fellowship, study and prayer...God shows up and grows us in our faith. Here are th passages we studied. Acts 2:42-47 and Colossians 3:12-17. We learned that having a sincere heart means having authentic relationships (when people know the real us) in our lives. We also learned that when Christ is the center of these relationships, we begin teaching and encouraging one another....which leads to a guarded heart.
2. More coats and blankets came in today for our winter initiative. YOU guys blow me away with your generosity and willingness to bring your coats and blankets to give to the under resourced. This initiative ends next Sunday, so keep bringing it.
3. Over 70 kids and adults in our preschool ministry and over 50 in our Elementary Ministry...it was an AWESOME Day in NC Kids. If you are not volunteering anywhere, or if you have kids in this ministry and are not serving....we need you to VOLUNTEER ASAP to partner with what God is doing...remember...teamwork makes the dreamwork!
4. As Dawn said, our pre-school volunteers were rock stars today and our student volunteers stepped up their game as well as God continues to grow this ministry.
5. I am always blown away by all the new faces and it is awesome to meet new people each week before and after the service.
6. We announced today that we will be launching "starter groups" in February. We are inviting everyone that is not in a community group to test drive a group for 8 weeks. Every group will meet for 8 weeks at a host home and the idea is that if you have never been in a group, this is a great way to "try before you buy" when it comes to group life. IF you want in, email stephen@newcommunityonline.com.
All in all, it was a great day at NC. God is really blessing our church beyond belief and I can't wait until our Pot-Luck next Sunday to share our next steps as a Church. It is going to be a cool night together as we eat and share together.
Grace and Peace my friends.
1. Part three of Killer APPS: Christ-centered friendships help Guard our Heart. We learned last week that a guarded heart aligns us with God. As we intentionally connect with other believers for fellowship, study and prayer...God shows up and grows us in our faith. Here are th passages we studied. Acts 2:42-47 and Colossians 3:12-17. We learned that having a sincere heart means having authentic relationships (when people know the real us) in our lives. We also learned that when Christ is the center of these relationships, we begin teaching and encouraging one another....which leads to a guarded heart.
2. More coats and blankets came in today for our winter initiative. YOU guys blow me away with your generosity and willingness to bring your coats and blankets to give to the under resourced. This initiative ends next Sunday, so keep bringing it.
3. Over 70 kids and adults in our preschool ministry and over 50 in our Elementary Ministry...it was an AWESOME Day in NC Kids. If you are not volunteering anywhere, or if you have kids in this ministry and are not serving....we need you to VOLUNTEER ASAP to partner with what God is doing...remember...teamwork makes the dreamwork!
4. As Dawn said, our pre-school volunteers were rock stars today and our student volunteers stepped up their game as well as God continues to grow this ministry.
5. I am always blown away by all the new faces and it is awesome to meet new people each week before and after the service.
6. We announced today that we will be launching "starter groups" in February. We are inviting everyone that is not in a community group to test drive a group for 8 weeks. Every group will meet for 8 weeks at a host home and the idea is that if you have never been in a group, this is a great way to "try before you buy" when it comes to group life. IF you want in, email stephen@newcommunityonline.com.
All in all, it was a great day at NC. God is really blessing our church beyond belief and I can't wait until our Pot-Luck next Sunday to share our next steps as a Church. It is going to be a cool night together as we eat and share together.
Grace and Peace my friends.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
January 16, 2011
POW...what a day at New Community. If you were here, you know it was a high energy, intense worship gathering as a faith community. It was week 2 of our Killer APP Series, and we talked about our first Killer APP: God's Word. Here are the highlights of the day.
1. We had our highest attendance since November. God continues to grow our church.
2. We got introduced to whiteboydj.com. If you missed the intro video: baby got book, you can see the entire video here.
3. We learned that A Guarded heart aligns us with God and the first step in guarding our heart is downloading God's word into our life regulary.
4. For a FREE online resource or FREE app for your smart phone, go to www.youversion.com. You can also go to this website to listen to the sciptures for free online: www.dailyaudiobible.com
5. I will write some more about guarding our Heart with God's Word on my blog this week, stay tuned to www.bigandsafelove.blogspot.com
6. There were over 100 children on campus this morning learning about the love of God.
7. Our Greeting Team had new volunteer leaders step up to keep moving this ministry forward.
8. Joey McCall got baptized today...it never gets old to see adults align their life with Christ. Way to go Joey.
9. It also never gets old hear stories about how God is using New Community to meet physical, emotional, relational and spiritual needs of people in our community.
10. Our Annual Pot-Luck gathering got rescheduled to January 3oth...5 pm. Be there OR be square.
Have a great week my friends. See you soon.
1. We had our highest attendance since November. God continues to grow our church.
2. We got introduced to whiteboydj.com. If you missed the intro video: baby got book, you can see the entire video here.
3. We learned that A Guarded heart aligns us with God and the first step in guarding our heart is downloading God's word into our life regulary.
4. For a FREE online resource or FREE app for your smart phone, go to www.youversion.com. You can also go to this website to listen to the sciptures for free online: www.dailyaudiobible.com
5. I will write some more about guarding our Heart with God's Word on my blog this week, stay tuned to www.bigandsafelove.blogspot.com
6. There were over 100 children on campus this morning learning about the love of God.
7. Our Greeting Team had new volunteer leaders step up to keep moving this ministry forward.
8. Joey McCall got baptized today...it never gets old to see adults align their life with Christ. Way to go Joey.
9. It also never gets old hear stories about how God is using New Community to meet physical, emotional, relational and spiritual needs of people in our community.
10. Our Annual Pot-Luck gathering got rescheduled to January 3oth...5 pm. Be there OR be square.
Have a great week my friends. See you soon.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
January 2, 2011
We kicked the new year off this morning at New Community. As you know, we moved back to one service as a church and let me tell you...it was an awesome Sunday on Campus as we came together to worship and learn this morning.
Before I get to the highlights from today, i want to just THANK all the VOLUNTEERS for getting things ready for our gathering today. The Logistics Team, set up our room, our tech/media team prepared all the media and screens, and our Cleaning Ministry cleaned our campus last week...We could not be the Church we are without YOUR investment of time and talent.
Here are the highlights from today.
1. We wrapped up our our Terms of Peace Series this am. We looked at Luke 19:1-10 and learned from Zacchaeus' story. Peace came to his house when he encountered Jesus. This happened because Zacchaeus positioned himself to see Jesus. As we do this, Jesus reminds us of our identity...this helps us have Peace with ourselves continually.
2. Stephen updated us on our Christmas Offering, not only did we reach our goal of 20K, we passed it by over three thousand dollars. We cant wait until next week to share the final number.
3. We kicked off a coat and blanket drive for the less fortunate. Dave Scheel and By His Hands Ministries will be collecting Coats and Blankets every weekend to hand out to those in need during this winter season. Bring your coats and blankets to our worship gatherings...You cant miss where to put them.
4. Falcons Won!
5. We openned a new pre-school environment (ages 3 and 4) for the little ones today. Thanks Pre-School Leadership Team!
6. We saw many new faces and first time guests on campus today as well as many folks returning from Christmas break and travel.
All in all, it was a great day. If you missed our gathering today...be sure to jump back in next week as we kick off a new series called "Killer Apps". Have a great week and I will see you all soon!
Grace and Peace...
Chris
Before I get to the highlights from today, i want to just THANK all the VOLUNTEERS for getting things ready for our gathering today. The Logistics Team, set up our room, our tech/media team prepared all the media and screens, and our Cleaning Ministry cleaned our campus last week...We could not be the Church we are without YOUR investment of time and talent.
Here are the highlights from today.
1. We wrapped up our our Terms of Peace Series this am. We looked at Luke 19:1-10 and learned from Zacchaeus' story. Peace came to his house when he encountered Jesus. This happened because Zacchaeus positioned himself to see Jesus. As we do this, Jesus reminds us of our identity...this helps us have Peace with ourselves continually.
2. Stephen updated us on our Christmas Offering, not only did we reach our goal of 20K, we passed it by over three thousand dollars. We cant wait until next week to share the final number.
3. We kicked off a coat and blanket drive for the less fortunate. Dave Scheel and By His Hands Ministries will be collecting Coats and Blankets every weekend to hand out to those in need during this winter season. Bring your coats and blankets to our worship gatherings...You cant miss where to put them.
4. Falcons Won!
5. We openned a new pre-school environment (ages 3 and 4) for the little ones today. Thanks Pre-School Leadership Team!
6. We saw many new faces and first time guests on campus today as well as many folks returning from Christmas break and travel.
All in all, it was a great day. If you missed our gathering today...be sure to jump back in next week as we kick off a new series called "Killer Apps". Have a great week and I will see you all soon!
Grace and Peace...
Chris
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 19th
Today was AWESOME at New Community. The worship choir was in the house, and they always add another great layer to our worship gatherings. Thanks to all of you who showed up early for rehearsal and used your gifts and talents to lead us in worship. Here are the highlights from the day.
1. Week 3...Terms of Peace. Having Peace with others. Check out the podcast mid-week if you missed. Here is a teaser: Jesus said, "do not suppose I came to bring peace to the world...".
2. Stephen updated us on our Christmas Offering, he added SIX pieces to our bunk bed. This puts us at over $15,000 toward our christmas offering goal of $20K. You guys rock. To check out one of the ministries we will be supporting with this offering, check out this video:
3. If you want to give to the Christmas Offering, but havent yet, you can go here to give securely online. Be sure to memo it "Christmas Offering".
This coming year is going to stretch us a church. As we move into our 5th year (hard to believe), 2011 will be one of maturity for us. Over the years, you've heard me use analogies like: we have moved through the infancy stage, we are in our toddler years...that we have to crawl before we walk, walk before we run. 2011 will the year that we become young adults in maturity.
God has GREAT things in store for us. I am excited to roll out the 5-10 year vision and strategy for New Community in the coming months. We have seen God do amazing things through the ministry of NC, but let me tell you...He's not done and what is ahead is UNREAL. So, stay tuned as we gear up for an intense ministry season of life-change, community impact and church planting. BRING IT.
Well that's all for tonight. It was an amazing day and it was a pleasure just to be in the room with the most amazing church on the planet.
With the big and safe love of Christ...
Chris.
1. Week 3...Terms of Peace. Having Peace with others. Check out the podcast mid-week if you missed. Here is a teaser: Jesus said, "do not suppose I came to bring peace to the world...".
2. Stephen updated us on our Christmas Offering, he added SIX pieces to our bunk bed. This puts us at over $15,000 toward our christmas offering goal of $20K. You guys rock. To check out one of the ministries we will be supporting with this offering, check out this video:
3. If you want to give to the Christmas Offering, but havent yet, you can go here to give securely online. Be sure to memo it "Christmas Offering".
4. Christmas Eve Service, this Friday night at 5:30 PM. Be here, bring a friend.
This coming year is going to stretch us a church. As we move into our 5th year (hard to believe), 2011 will be one of maturity for us. Over the years, you've heard me use analogies like: we have moved through the infancy stage, we are in our toddler years...that we have to crawl before we walk, walk before we run. 2011 will the year that we become young adults in maturity.
God has GREAT things in store for us. I am excited to roll out the 5-10 year vision and strategy for New Community in the coming months. We have seen God do amazing things through the ministry of NC, but let me tell you...He's not done and what is ahead is UNREAL. So, stay tuned as we gear up for an intense ministry season of life-change, community impact and church planting. BRING IT.
Well that's all for tonight. It was an amazing day and it was a pleasure just to be in the room with the most amazing church on the planet.
With the big and safe love of Christ...
Chris.
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