Ministry Update
I know most of you only want to see pictures, videos, and news about our baby, but I'd like to remind you about what God is doing here through our family!
The Fall season is in full swing and winter is fast approaching. Snow has topped the mountain that looks down on our house and it's been raining for four or five days in a row. That's a big change from the summer when we had about four total days of rain.
Another interesting thing that happens in the Fall is that people come back. As the temperature drops and the skies cloud up our attendance seems to swell. This past Sunday we had pretty full house. We usually forget to count, but Tom and I agree that it felt like a "70" day, (meaning there was probably about 65 people:-). There are many new attenders that have been coming more and more frequently, and we are seeing visitors just about every week.
This past Sunday we held our first new members class this year with four people attending. This was my first time to teach it so I didn't really know what to expect, but everything went well. We already have five more people that want to go through the class to become covenant members at NorthStar.
I'd like to take a moment to praise God. All of the good things that are happening at NorthStar are due to God working among us. To be honest we don't have a good, clear plan for bringing in new people. We don't have an organized outreach program. We don't do mass mailouts to the community. We don't have a senior pastor. All we have is a website, some directory listings, and word of mouth. We don't have a fancy new building (in fact the building we meet in does not even look like a church). We don't have a dynamic children's program to draw in parents. We don't have a lot of things. But we do have a place where Jesus is worshiped in spirit and in truth. We do have a place where people are doing their best to love each other. We do have a place where the Gospel of Christ is preached without compromise according to the Word of God. The glory of God is revealed when He uses the "unable" to do what He alone is able to do.
So all in all, I'd have to say that we are blessed. Here are some things to pray about. Our pastor search process is inching forward. It is easy for a search team to get discouraged as the months drag on. Pray that God will provide for our church's increasing support needs as our music minister is losing part of his funding this year. Pray for the overall ministry of the church. We need wisdom and guidance in every area.
Thanks for taking a moment to read some non-baby related news.
The Fall season is in full swing and winter is fast approaching. Snow has topped the mountain that looks down on our house and it's been raining for four or five days in a row. That's a big change from the summer when we had about four total days of rain.
Another interesting thing that happens in the Fall is that people come back. As the temperature drops and the skies cloud up our attendance seems to swell. This past Sunday we had pretty full house. We usually forget to count, but Tom and I agree that it felt like a "70" day, (meaning there was probably about 65 people:-). There are many new attenders that have been coming more and more frequently, and we are seeing visitors just about every week.
This past Sunday we held our first new members class this year with four people attending. This was my first time to teach it so I didn't really know what to expect, but everything went well. We already have five more people that want to go through the class to become covenant members at NorthStar.
I'd like to take a moment to praise God. All of the good things that are happening at NorthStar are due to God working among us. To be honest we don't have a good, clear plan for bringing in new people. We don't have an organized outreach program. We don't do mass mailouts to the community. We don't have a senior pastor. All we have is a website, some directory listings, and word of mouth. We don't have a fancy new building (in fact the building we meet in does not even look like a church). We don't have a dynamic children's program to draw in parents. We don't have a lot of things. But we do have a place where Jesus is worshiped in spirit and in truth. We do have a place where people are doing their best to love each other. We do have a place where the Gospel of Christ is preached without compromise according to the Word of God. The glory of God is revealed when He uses the "unable" to do what He alone is able to do.
So all in all, I'd have to say that we are blessed. Here are some things to pray about. Our pastor search process is inching forward. It is easy for a search team to get discouraged as the months drag on. Pray that God will provide for our church's increasing support needs as our music minister is losing part of his funding this year. Pray for the overall ministry of the church. We need wisdom and guidance in every area.
Thanks for taking a moment to read some non-baby related news.
Hello friends,
ReplyDeleteThe update is exciting, I pray for you guys and thankful for your willingness to be wherever God has you...
... but come on... pictures of Laurel are what keeps everyone coming back... Treasure every moment you guys have with her.