Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Children's Christmas Recital
Those who performed were:
Ashley Cook - piano
Caleb Bauer - piano
John Bauer - paino
Abby Crump - violin and voice
Paige Brooks - voice
Elaine Ivy - violin and handbells
Lydia Ivy - cello and handbells
Billy Ivy - handbells
Carson White - voice
Joshua Bauer - voice
Cassandra Bauer - voice
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Training
Tina is ordained through the Church of God (Anderson) and has been working in children's ministry for 28 years. We are incredibly blessed to have Tina come lead us in training at New Life!!
Child care WILL BE provided. We just need folks to RSVP their attendance and how many children they are bringing. Breakfast will be served for all in attendance.
A special program is being presented for the kids at 10:00 a.m. Locally owned and operated pet store The Pet Jungle will be bringing in some exotic animals and teaching about pet care and the environment. The kids will also have a game time and be watching a movie during the morning.
EVERYONE from nursery volunteer through high school ministry is invited and encouraged to attend!
Jenni Sprague
Training--January 19, 2008
When: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: NLCC
Family Nights Kick-Off!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Another Family Tradition!
One of our traditions that the kids have really enjoyed is our annual trek to the tree farm. Brett is a stickler for the live tree—I think because of the childhood stories his dad tells of when Santa would bring a live tree on Christmas Eve. Every year, our family goes to the tree farm and the search is on for that “perfect” tree—too fat, too thin, too tall... And every year, our budget dictates more of a Charlie Brown quality tree than a White House one. But that’s part of the beauty of it—the imperfections are what make it perfect. And you can always put the ugly side toward the wall. Anyway, after we agree on a tree, which is never easy, we spend the next half hour playing a game of hide and seek in the tree farm, which is a blast. We have done it every year since Paige was a toddler. We’ve done it in warmer weather, in the rain, and in the flurrying snow. We’ve hidden in tree holes, run across deer grazing, discovered praying mantises, and annoyed lots of other tree shoppers, I’m sure. But it’s a must-do tradition for our family; I think that Brett and I will be out there just the two of us even after the kids are out of the house on their own. :o)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Day of Prayer
Thursday, November 29, 2007
What Are Some of Your Family Traditions?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Music Rehearsals - Time change
Another Chance to Serve!!
‘Tis the season. No doubt in the next couple of months you will consider giving some clothes away – maybe the sweater you get from Aunt Mildred, or the shirt from Cousin Bill. Or maybe your New Years Resolution will be to shed a few pounds. Whatever the reason, if you are going to give clothes away consider giving them to PREF – the Plainfield Re-entry and Educational Facility.
PREF is a Department of Corrections facility in Plainfield for men who are nearing the end of their prison sentence. At PREF the men can wear street clothes instead of prison uniforms so they can get used to being a person again instead of a number. Donating to the PREF clothes closet will provide clothes to wear in the facility as well as when the men go on work release. At final release they are given a suitcase with several outfits to start them off in their new life.
The clothes closet needs clothes and shoes of any kind in any size. The only restriction is no large logos on the hats or clothing. Donating new underwear and socks is greatly appreciated as well as coats and jackets, especially at this time of year. If you have a duffle bag or suitcase that you can donate, that would be appreciated as well. A list of needs is posted at church on the bulletin board by the Restrooms.
Please call Bob and Donna Watson (873-4709) if you have something to donate of if you have any questions. If you bring something to the church, please let someone know it is there for us to pick up. We will make sure that your donations get to Plainfield . Many of you have donated already and we thank you so very much.
Bob and Donna Watson
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Neff Family
Monday, November 26, 2007
Project Angel Tree
Also, remember to bring canned goods to help CrossWalk feed the hungry. Thank you to everyone helping with these ministries!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Indiana State Youth Convention
God is moving in our young adults, and we're so thankful for them and for those who help with the youth ministry/crosswalk ministry!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Music Ministry
Much is to be determined as we move forward, but all are welcome to take part!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Wednesday Nights, How You can Help!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Our Children and Youth
- 1 or 2 sheets of Star shaped stickers.
- 4 snow cone cups. Does anyone have a snow cone machine?
- 4 large paper boxes - that hold reams of paper.
- 3 dozen plain star shaped cookies for November 25th.
There's no better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than through the voices, hearts, and lives of children. Mark December 15th down on your calendar and plan to come to the New Life's Chilren's Christmas recital at 6:30p.m. Kids 18 and under are invited to participate and volunteers are needed to pull everything together. Please contact Joy Bauer for more information.
One of our ministries busting at the seams with happy, growing kids is Crosswalk! Our 5th-7th graders will continue to meet every Wednesday evening, now starting at 6:30 with games. So eat and be ready! For more information, you can contact Brett Brooks or Mark Henry.
The youth are off to State Youth Convention November 9-11th! "Expect the Unexpected" is the theme this year. Let's all pray that every single person present will be blessed, God would be glorified, and that downtown Indianapolis would become holy grounds. Contact Pastor John Crump (867-4717) for more information on our youth ministry, "Elevate."
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Calling All Scrapbookers!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Time Change Reminder
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Final Reminder
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hoover Family Thank you and Update
Things have settled a bit in our household, we are all on the south beach diet, and unfortunately now our children think dessert is an essential part of the meal. Their innocence now spoiled by the taste of forbidden fruit, knowledge of good and evil from the Dairy freezer…The Klondike Bar.
We are good. God is good. We are loved. And you are loved right back! Come to think of it God is Love. We are thankful to have a church family like the one we have with you. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. God has truly blessed us in being a part of New Life Community Church .
The Hoovers
Thursday, October 11, 2007
New Life Ministry Transitions
Worship:
I have put together a Worship Planning Team to help with the planning and leading of our worship services. At this time we are not going to "hire" a person to be our worship pastor but it will be a group effort in which I will provide specific oversight. Including myself, the planning team currently consists of Janelle Daniels and Mimi Klotz. Andy Denniston was initially on the team but stepped down due to time commitments. We are also considering other individuals with an evident heart for worship to be involved in the near future, especially someone with the skills and heart for leading the choir.
My guess is there are some of you wondering just how this change will affect the style or tenor of the worship services. Our goal is to continue to plan and lead God-honoring worship so people can experience His presence. I won't mislead you, there will be a "younger" spirit to our worship times. By that I mean, we do plan to use guitars, electric bass, piano and even drums (should someone have the skill to play) in our worship services. The organ will have its place in our worship times too. You can't sing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" with out the unique swell of the organ! Also, I think the "spirit" or feel of our worship times will have a younger character to it. Meaning worship times will be celebratory and participatory. Joy ought to characterize our worship and people should feel a sense of contribution and involvement to our services, not merely be observers watching others leading worship.
As a team we are committed to using any song-style or music form that will aid us in genuinely worshiping God. That means we will use hymns, choruses, and praise & worship songs to accomplish this. I think last Sunday's service is an indication of what our future services will be like. We sang a traditional hymn, a couple of praise & worship songs, and a well known older chorus. We can debate about how many hymns or praises songs ought be included but that would detract from the goal which is to honor God with what we offer in each worship service. I encourage you to prayerfully support our Worship Planning Team. Pray for God's Spirit to guide and inspire each worship leader as they plan and lead our times of worship. Pray that we will be a united congregation as we worship God together each week.
After writing all this I feel like words don't do justice to what I am trying to communicate to you. Jesus used to tell inquisitive people to, "Come and see." if they wanted to know more about Him and what He was up to. I invite you who are wondering what possible good can come from Fred's departure to "Come and See" for yourselves. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised and delighted with what God will do through the persons He's gifted in our church to lead our worship times.
Children's Ministries:
An area Fred had given recent oversight to was the children's ministry. He and a team of dedicated church members restructured and refocused our Sunday morning children's program. The result is a program that is well tailored to spiritually build up and train our children. Sunday's children's worship center is fun, engaging and biblically based. There are no major changes planned, only the desire to continue the course it's on and modify when necessary.
The current Children's Ministries Team consists of: Jenni Sprague, Landi Moore, Joy Bauer, Leslie Galema and Pastor John Crump provides pastoral guidance and input. They also plan to include some more individuals on the team in the future. Jenni has done a stellar job of providing leadership and focus for our children's ministry since Fred's departure. We can be thankful for how God has provided capable leaders for our church. Again, please pray for the Children's Ministry Team members to be led by God's Spirit as they plan and staff our children's programs.
Special Events:
Of the three main areas of ministry Fred gave direction to this one is just in the beginning stages of being accounted for. My plan is to create a team of gifted and motivated persons to take charge of this unique area of ministry. As for now Patty Nicholas has been providing guidance to this area and has indicated she would like to continue to do so on a Special Events Planning Team. This would be a wonderful opportunity for anyone who enjoys planning and providing dinners, hospitality, and special touches to serve our church.
If you have questions or concerns please talk with me, pastor John Crump or the Steering Committee members (Joe Davis, Andy Denniston, Kelli Brooks, Belva Nylander, Gary Murray, Paul Daniels). We will gladly make time to discuss the life, ministry and future of our church with you.
I want to conclude by quoting the words God gave to Moses in which Israel's priests were to bless the people as they ventured into their new life in the Promised Land. May these words be true of New Life Community Church.
May--
"The Lord bless us
and keep us;
May
He make His face shine
upon us
and be gracious to us;
May
the Lord turn His face toward us
and give us peace."
(Numbers 6:24-26)
It's my pleasure to serve you,
John Klotz
Senior Pastor
Elevate Youth Group Hits the Street!
It was a chilly evening so there weren't quite as many people out and about, but we each got a chance to walk up to somebody and try to strike up a conversation about our Savior. What a blessing! To be honest, I was petrified, but I had a little group under my care so that propelled me to just jump in and go for it. I nabbed a couple of junior high boys in hoodies. I wanted to be a good example, and in the process God showed me how easy it was to just talk to someone and share what Jesus means to me. John Crump and Bryant Hunt had a nice, long talk with a couple of guys, one of whom claimed to be agnostic but was open to hear what they said about Jesus.
The high point of the night for me was to see Collin, the newest Christian in the bunch, talking to three friends of his from school that happened to walk by. There they stood: lip piercings, pants sagging, and there Collin stood - sharing about Jesus. We all high-fived him and gave him hugs afterward. We told him he did the hardest job of us all by talking to people he knew! He said to me afterward, "I bet they'll throw those little books away. I bet they'll never come to church." I told him He might be surprised. God works in awesome, unexpected ways and what he did that night could have planted a seed that will sprout later to bring them to God. I reminded him about the member of the rock group, Korn, who became a believer - much to the surprise of his fans. I told him how countless people who proclaimed to be atheists, witches, agnostics, or otherwise when given the opportunity to consider Jesus and the Bible, have realized the truth and given their lives to Him. (Lee Stroebel, for example - we've been learning from his book "The Case for Christ" lately)
It was a joy to spend the evening with these beautiful, teenage people. I love them. I'm so proud of them for giving it a try, in spite of the butterflies in their stomachs and people sometimes turning them away. I'm thankful Pastor John took us out there and prodded us to give it a try.
"God, be glorified in our little effort last night. Be glorified in the lives of these wonderful young people you're teaching to be set apart and to stand for you. Be near to Mike, Collin's friend. Speak to his heart and let Him know that You're real and You love him. To YOU be all the praise!"
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes... Romans 1:16 NLT
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Plates for Becky
Monday, October 8, 2007
Connect
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Pastor Appreciation Month
Monday, October 1, 2007
An Amazing Morning
Monday, September 24, 2007
Farewell to Fred and Becky
Here is a memory Landi Moore shared of Pastor Fred's time with us.
The Christmas my nephew was 5 he was intrigued with the drummer boy. When Pastor Fred was assigning parts for the Christmas pageant, Nathan asked if he could be the little drummer boy. Pastor Fred said - well we've never had a drummer boy, but sure we can do that. He put an extra light in a little boy's Christmas that year!!When I started attending New Life, the thing that drew me most was the worship. It was so refreshing to be in the presence of the Lord. Thank you, Pastor Fred!!Landi
Fred and Becky are also known for their sense of humors. In honor of that, here are a couple of pictures, courtesy of the Henry's.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Farewell to Fred and Becky
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
New Testament Books
Sunday, September 16, 2007
An Evening of Chocolate!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Two Youth Take the Plunge!
Two weeks ago, two of our youth were baptized during the youth meeting held at Patty's house in Sheridan. We're so happy Hannah and Colleen decided to "take the plunge" and declare their love for Jesus.
Take these words of Paul to heart, girls:
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. I Timothy 4:12
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Let the Children Come to Me.
With the mention of "Children's Ministry," there are two main responses. Either you're officially submerged in that world and tune in, or most likely, you tune out because it doesn't apply to you. Maybe you were in that world but now your kids are grown. Maybe your kids are young and you need a break for church activities. Maybe, "I like kids but they're not so fond of me." Maybe you wouldn't mind helping, but you assume others are taking care of it. Or maybe you're just plain afraid of them, I've been there.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I Hide Thy Word in My Heart!
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Fall Kick-off
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Change in Service Times
September 9th is also our fall kick-off! After morning worship, we'll have our second annual "Heavenly Dogs" lunch so everyone come hungry. You've never had a hot dog as gourmet as this before! There are so many exciting, exciting things happening. This will be a chance to hear more and join in.