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Dear New Venturer,
On Sunday (July 26th) I was privileged to introduce four men as candidates for elder at New Venture. We have engaged in a lengthy training period that dates back over three years for some of the candidates. Their introduction does not mark the end of training for these men, just another step in the process of lifelong learning. The eldership should never be taken lightly and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to equip and continue equipping those who assume this role.
The candidates introduced are Chris Kelly, Chad Blalock, Ty Hagins and myself. You say, “Wait a minute, can you be an elder too? I thought you were the preacher.” 1 Timothy 5:17 says, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” This verse contains several elements but the one I want to emphasize for this discussion is that it reveals that it is scriptural for the one whose primary work is preaching and teaching in the church to also serve as an elder.
This is the confirmation process we will follow. You are invited to respond anytime during the next three weeks with any objections or concerns you might have about any of the four candidates. Letters of support are also welcomed. Here are the conditions:
- The response must be in writing and it must be signed.
* We might need to contact you about clarification.
- The concern or objection must be based on a biblical teaching.
* We are not interested in objections based on personality
or personal preferences.
- All responses must be mailed by August 16 to the church
address, P.O. Box 73311, Richmond, Va 23235.
Any valid concerns or objections will be discussed with the candidate without discussion of the one who has submitted it. If there are no “deal breakers” the church will then be asked to devote six weeks to prayer and fasting for these candidates as we move toward their official ordination. You will be invited to join others in fasting one day each week along with specific prayer for these men.
If all goes well, on our fifth anniversary we will plan for the formal commissioning of these men, called ordination, to the leadership role of elder at NV.
If you would like, you may read a document adapted from “Leadershift” by Don Cousins that carefully details the role of elder and the structure we will operate under at New Venture. In short, the structure is elder protected, staff led, congregation serving, world served. Please take a few minutes and read through it. I welcome any questions you might have.
This is a huge step for a new church when we grow to the point of ordaining our first elders. We have been preparing and training for this for a long time. The preparing and training will not in any way end, however, it is time to take a major step in the direction of structuring the church according to God’s design.
Again, please communicate to me any questions you might have. And please begin now to pray every day for these four men.
Thanks,
Steve
P.S. If you would like to do some reading or studying on the eldership from the Bible here are some passages you might check out. Acts 14:23; 20:17-38; 1 Tim 3:1-7; 5:17; Titus 1:5-9; James 5:14.
Ty and Teresa Hagins with sons Dylan and Brendan
- Steve and Sharon Thornton with grandson Sawyer
Chad and Kristin Blalock with son Asher
The Biblical Model of Church Structure
Adapted from Leadershift by Don Cousins
The biblical church structure can be described with the following phrases:
Elder Protected
Staff Led
Congregation Serving
World Served
Elder Protected
In the New Testament the church’s “board” is referred to as “elders” (or “bishops” or “overseers”). Their name isn’t important; their function is. They exist to protect the body of Christ, and their biblical role as protectors is clear.
In Acts 20, Paul meets at Miletus with the “elders” from the church in Ephesus. He expected never to see them again (20:38), so this would be his final charge to them. He tells them, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (20:28). He warns of “savage wolves” that would come, “speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them”; so he admonishes these elders to “be on the alert” (20:29-31). A shepherd’s primary role was to protect his sheep from all danger, and this is no doubt the role Paul has in mind here.
Peter uses this imagery when he tells elders, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness” (1 Peter 5:2). He again draws the analogy between a shepherd’s role and an elder’s: Protect the flock.
Likewise the writer of Hebrews charges the congregation, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account” (13:17).
Read all the New Testament passages that speak of elders, and their role is clear: Protect. This implies that there’s danger; elders must protect God’s church from something. But what?
First, elders are to protect the body of Christ from false teachers and the doctrines they espouse (Acts 20:28-30; Titus 1:9). They’re to provide for the teaching of sound doctrine. In this way elders are ultimately responsible for the ministry of God’s Word in the church. This responsibility should not fall exclusively to the pastor or teaching team, as is so often the case. Elders should be deeply involved in the ministry of the Word. And while most may not be up-front communicators, they’re to play an active role in discerning what’s to he communicated. What is it God wishes to say to our church? What does He want to emphasize in this season of our church’s life? The elders should seek the mind of God on these matters, alongside the senior or teaching pastor who’s the main communicator.
Elders can also be extremely helpful in providing feedback on content that is taught. Of course the ministry of the Word isn’t limited to the pulpit. Elders should be attuned to the content communicated through visual media, drama, music, and even announcements. They should keep their eyes and ears open all around the church. Elders are protectors of the truth among God’s people, guarding against false teaching.
A second danger in the church that requires the elders’ protection is that of sin and its consequences. God is big on purity—to see that, we need look no further than the church’s beginnings. The church was still in its infancy when sin entered the camp: Ananias and Sapphira lied “not … to men but to God” (Acts 5:4), and their sin cost them their lives. God immediately took steps through Peter (an elder) to root out the sin and to send a message to the church that sin will be dealt with. As a result, “great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things” (5:11). The Bible is clear throughout its entirety about God’s position on purity and unity. Sin and division hinder the Spirit of God, so elders are called to guard the body against them. On a practical level, this means elders play a central role in exercising church discipline, thereby safeguarding the church from sin’s consequences.
A third way that elders are to protect God’s people is in times of difficulty or trial. This is done most often through prayer, as the apostle James instructs us:
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:13-15)
Although this unified, personalized prayer support isn’t always feasible in larger congregations, elders should make every effort to be keenly involved in praying over those who are suffering. People should receive regular opportunity to come to the elders for prayer.
I believe a case can be made that elders are ultimately responsible for the prayer ministry of the church. While the task shouldn’t be left exclusively to them, it’s their responsibility to make sure the church is devoted to prayer. A praying church is indeed a protected church.
Fourth, the elders are to protect the work of the church. The church’s mission is clear; Jesus spells it out in what we call the Great Commission:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:19-20)
It is the elders’ duty to ensure that the church is making every effort to fulfill the Great Commission. This group should be wrestling with questions like these: Is our church engaged as it should be with the surrounding community? Are we, as a body of believers, building relationships with those who are not yet members of God’s family? Are we finding ways to present the gospel, in word and deed, to the people of our community? Are the ministries of our church reaching out to meet the needs that exist in people’s lives outside our fellowship? Are we praying as a body for the salvation of others? The work of evangelism should be a front-burner issue for the eldership. This is the first dimension of the Great Commission.
The second dimension of the Great Commission—”teaching them to observe all that I commanded”—is often referred to as discipleship. Elders are ultimately responsible for the church functioning as the body of Christ, with every member serving and being served as God intends (see 1 Cor. 12—14; Eph. 4:1-16; and Rom. 12 specifically). In this way, members grow in terms of spiritual maturity. The focus of the church should be both inward and outward.
To measure the effectiveness of the elders, a church should ask the following questions:
- Throughout the ministries, services, and programs of the church, is the teaching of the Word accurate, anointed, and applicable to life?
- Is the church covered and bathed in prayer?
- Can the Spirit move freely because we’re united and free from the consequences of sin?
- Is the church operating as a true body, fulfilling its biblically stated purpose to one another and the unsaved world?
If the answer to each of these questions is yes, the eldership is serving as God intended.
An important note here: The eldership doesn’t serve as representatives of the congregation. It’s not their role or responsibility to represent the people’s views or to guarantee that their desires are met. Elders are to serve as representatives of God to the people and to lead the people into obedience to what God says.
Picture Moses as he meets with God on Mount Sinai. He wasn’t coming on the people’s behalf to give God a list of their “Ten Desires”; he was there to receive for the people God’s Ten Commandments. Moses then returned to the people to tell them what God said they were to do. In the same way, elders are to “meet God,” hear what He has to say, then lead His people to obey it—because it’s through obedience that their needs are met. This kind of “representation” is different than what we see in many churches today. We’ve mistakenly sculpted ourselves after the representative model used by our government. It’s a good model for government, but a poor one for the church. Jesus is the head of the church, for whom He gave His life; therefore we take our marching orders from Him. We’re to fulfill His desires, not the people’s. As we follow His leading, He’ll protect and provide for His church. Elders—as His representatives—will protect and provide for the church on His behalf.
Now perhaps you’re wondering about administrative matters. If elders focus their time and energy on everything I just outlined, who takes care of the organizational realities of finances, facilities, and so on that churches face today?
We’re to do the same thing Peter and the apostles did:
Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:1-6)
The apostles saw to it that another group was raised up to address administrative demands that would take them away from the ministry of prayer and the Word. Their particular issue— serving the widows—is very different than our administrative issues today: finances, facilities, personnel administration (compensation benefits, insurance), technology, etc. But the principle remains the same: Delegate these matters to another group who can manage them under the elders’ authority. There are godly and gifted people who are fully capable of managing these administrative matters so the elders are free to do the work God has called them to do. Typically those most capable of overseeing such matters tend to be different in their God-given makeup than those most capable of shepherd-like protection. These “deacon types,” who are impassioned about seeing the church function in an orderly fashion, are different than the “elder types,” who are most ardent about matters of protection. Further, whenever “deacon types” get in the eldership, the eldership seems to take on an administrative focus.
Staff Led
The biblical church is led by staff—but not only paid staff, which is an institutional definition of the word. By “staff” I’m referring to anyone and everyone in the church who’s being called upon to make an Ephesians 4:11 contribution—equipping gifts—to the church’s life. Any individual who fulfills the role of an equipper is a leader. You’ll probably need to call such folks something other than “staff,” because of the entrenched understanding of that word, but their function is what matters.
Let leaders lead. And leading means equipping. At some point we may need to identify all the people in our church who are responsible for equipping the saints for the work of service, and to make them a part of our staff. You can call them ministry leaders, team leaders, equippers, or something else that describes their role.
Although “staff” is an institutional term, every church and ministry has some “staff” people (paid employees) who are not called to function as leaders in an Ephesians 4:11 context. That’s not who they are by gifting, and it’s not reflective of what they’re being paid to do (their assigned jobs focus more on support or serving). Conversely every church and ministry has verse-11 leaders—”lay” leaders—who are unpaid and therefore not considered “staff.” We’ve allowed money to be the determining factor for identifying staff, but money should never be a distinguishing factor in the body of Christ.
Identify our leaders, our equippers—paid and volunteer— and do all we can to empower them to lead. Make clear to them that it’s not their job to do the work of ten people, but to raise up ten people to do the work. Then let the church know who they are. Do everything we can as an organization to give these leaders the resources they need to do their job effectively, including a measure of authority consistent with the responsibility they carry. When leaders are identified based on maturity and gifting and challenged to function as equippers, an “institutional church” will begin to make significant strides toward becoming a biblical church.
When seeking to measure the effectiveness of the “staff”, ask the following:
- Are those in leadership positions functioning as equippers?
- Are additional leaders being raised up and developed within the ministry?
- Is the ministry expanding because newly developed leaders are being deployed in additional leadership roles?
- Are more and more servers (those meeting needs) being identified, developed, and engaged in ministry service?
- Is the ministry increasing in its impact because more servers are actively involved in serving?
If you can answer each question with a yes, the staff is functioning as God intended it to. If not, you either have the wrong people, or you have the right people doing the wrong things.
Biblical leaders equip the servers for their work. This automatically results in the expansion of ministry.
Congregation Serving
The biblical church is organized to serve one another. It’s a community that takes care of itself. Listen to the apostle Paul:
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. (1 Cor. 12:7-12)
Every member of the body of Christ has at least one spiritual gift, and it’s to be used to serve others. “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
The body of Christ works as God intends only when every believer sees himself or herself as a contributor, not a consumer. But the very nature of how most of us “do church” seems to undermine this function. As church members gather on Sunday morning, more than 90 percent do so as consumers. They come to receive what has been prepared by the 10 percent. This is in stark contrast to what Paul writes: “When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification” (1 Cor. 14:26).
How different would our church experience be if everyone contributed something when we gathered together? Not only would everyone receive much more, but all who took part would be blessed by doing so, for “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Some would offer a teaching, some a word of encouragement. Some would bring an offering above and beyond their tithe. Some would offer physical assistance to those in need. Some would prepare food or bring some other tangible gift to meet a need. The list goes on and on. Even the very act of praying and asking God to give us something to contribute would impact our hearts and minds as we headed off to “church.” We would be better prepared to worship, better prepared to hear the Word, and even better prepared to serve. As a result we would all receive a greater blessing from our church experience.
The body of Christ should be visiting one another in the hospital. It shouldn’t matter that someone with the title of “pastor” did or didn’t come. If a pastor has a strong personal relationship with the one hospitalized, he’ll visit that person regardless.
At a memorial service the people who play leading roles should be those who “did life” with the one who has passed on. Chances are, these people have the most to offer a grieving family.
And when someone needs counsel, small-group communities should provide greater degrees of it.
In short the biblical church is a serving army. And when measuring their effectiveness, these are the questions to ask:
- What percentage of our congregation is making God famous through their faithful, fruitful, and fulfilling ministry?
- What percentage is serving in areas of ministry that reflect their passion?
- What percentage knows and is using their spiritual gifts?
- Are pastors and leaders free to focus on using their gifts because others are using their gifts?
- Are church members’ needs being met by the community of believers, rather than everyone looking to the institution’s paid staff to meet their needs?
If you can answer these questions favorably, then you’re a part of a serving congregation. Consider yourself blessed; this is how God designed the church to operate.
World Served
Finally the biblical church reaches out to impact—to serve—a lost and hurting world.
It was true in the first church:
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46—47)
The first Christians in Jerusalem were obviously committed to one another, yet this wasn’t an inwardly focused church. They were “having favor with all the people”—with those in the surrounding Jerusalem community. This church was letting its light shine in the lost and hurting world surrounding it, and the light shone so brightly that those on the outside couldn’t help but notice. Curiosity got the best of them. And when they came to explore, a community of people who cared engulfed them. The result was that “day by day” the Lord increased the numbers of “those who were being saved.” Here was “The Church of Irresistible Influence,” to borrow the title of Robert Lewis’s book.
For years church leaders have increasingly asked, “What needs to be done to bring about more conversion growth?” The desire for the church to become a vehicle for evangelism has reached fever pitch. This is good! This explains why leaders have traveled long distances, at great cost, to churches like Willow Creek to attend conferences and learn more. They want to see their communities come to know Jesus.
How do we bring about a greater degree of evangelism? While people have written dozens upon dozens of books in an attempt to answer this question, I’m not sure it’s any more complicated than this: Find a need and meet it. Our world has a need. The people of our communities have needs. The government can’t meet all the needs. The agencies and social service organizations can’t either. The greatest resource available to meet these needs is Jesus Christ, who works in and through His church.
Not long ago the church seemed to operate successfully under the motto “If we build it, they will come.” We constructed beautiful facilities, put on great services, and ran effective programs—and people showed up. Many of them came to know Jesus. But now, for various reasons, this motto no longer seems to work as it once did. The lovely facilities don’t have the same appeal. The services aren’t fully able to address life’s real issues. The programs don’t go far enough to meet needs that run deep.
Given today’s culture, the church needs a new motto: “If we go and meet their needs, they will listen.” What needs exist in the lives of those in our community? Summon the resources of the church to address them, then bring those resources to the people in need. Any church that’s actively making a difference in meeting the needs of the community will have “favor with all the people.” As a result there’s a good chance the Lord will add to your numbers day by day those who are being saved.
If we want to measure how we’re doing in serving the world, answer the following:
- How many identifiable leaders do we have whose primary role is to equip the congregation to serve a lost world?
- How many people do we currently have whose primary ministry role is leading others to influence a lost world?
- What percentage of the overall budget do we spend to minister to those who are not yet saved, and who don’t attend the church?
- What percentage of believers in the church has a regular and active participation in ministry focused on the community outside the church?
- What percentage of believers in the church (paid staff included) is actively building relationships with unsaved people?
The answers to these questions will probably affirm what you already know to be true about our church’s impact in a lost and hurting world. If we’re not satisfied with our answers, we need to do something about it at once—so we can answer differently a year from now.
The church that’s protected by the elders, led by the staff, served by the congregation, and serving the world is operating as God has ordained. It’s a church that will work and be a blessing to all.
Elders will be more than managers of human activity. They’ll see that they’re playing a critical role in a spiritual battle being fought before their very eyes.
Staff will know the joy of seeing God use those they’ve equipped to do the work of service. They’ll then be free to focus on using the gifts God has given them.
Members of the body will discover it’s more blessed to give than receive, as the Holy Spirit uses them to make a difference in someone else’s life. They’ll also discover that no endeavor is as exciting and fulfilling as building the Kingdom of God.
The elders, the staff, and the body will delight in seeing people come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. As one pastor stated, “Few things are more important to God’s people than knowing He’s at work in their midst.” Isn’t this what we all long for?
God has given us a blueprint for building His church. The closer we stick to it, the greater the results for all involved. Let’s lead, teach, and pray in such a way that a biblical church is built. Leave its ultimate impact to God.
Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6). May we plant and water well, removing every obstacle to the growth God wants to bring.
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We got off to a great start the last couple weeks on Kickball Wednesdays.
NEWS ITEMS
LAST CALL FOR 101 CONNECTING WITH GOD
The class is for those who want to know more about NV or take the next step in their spiritual journey. Those who have taken the class have absolutely loved it. A recent attendee said, “I thought all Christians were pretty much unintelligent people until I took the class. Now I realize they are really the most intelligent people in the world.” It holds enormous discovery potential for you.
The date is Sunday, June 28, from 12-3PM, right after our morning worship gathering. Lunch is provided. We will cover the entire seminar in one session.
The location will be right down the road from TCMS at the new St Francis, Bon Secures conference room on the mail level of the hospital.
Registration is as easy as A RETURN EMAIL.
KICKBALL WEDNESDAYS IS KICKIN
We got off to a great start this week on kickball Wednesdays. The weather was great the kickball was lots of fun and the cornhole was competitive, to say the least. Even the inflatables were lots of fun. Hope you can make it this week, 6:30-8:30 at the Ministry Center, 201 N Courthouse Rd. This is a great event for families as well as a tremendous opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors. Still looking for badmitting. Do you have the game? After all, it is an Olympic event.
JUST PRAYER
For those who would be interested in a time of just prayer you are invited to come thirty minutes early on Wednesdays to the Ministry Center and join others who will devote this time to praying for New Venture and the ministry of our church. We need to spend more time praising, petitioning and pouring our hearts out to the Lord in prayer. Beginning this week and throughout the month of July we will do so on Wednesday nights from 6 to 6:30. If you are planning on participating please be punctual. The prayer time will start right at 6PM
NEW INFORMATION DIRECTORIES THIS WEEK
If the copier cooperates we will have new and updated church info directories available in the lobby beginning this Sunday. Stop by and pick your copy up.
YOUTH NEWS FROM JOEY
Some middle school parents have requested a link to the printable Camp Rudolph registration form. Here it is:
http://www.camprudolph.org/WWW.Camprudolph.org/Important_INFO_files/2009RegistrationSmallVersion.pdf
Camp cost $180 and you have to mail it in on your own. If you do not get it in by the 1st week of July it will cost $200.
The mailing address is:
19320 Darling Drive, YALE, VA. 23897
Phone: 434-535-8147
We are going to Cameron Bailey’s camp week August 2-7th, and that will be for all 6-8th graders. I have gotten special permission from the dean to allow 6th graders to come. Plus I want the freshmen to come with us to EAST COAST ENCOUNTER.
Speaking of ECE, I need to know FOR SURE if your teen is coming or not by this Sunday, June 28. THE MONEY IS NOT DUE YET. But I need to know if they are coming or not. No backing out after you tell me. Once you say _______ is going I will be expecting money for them in the near future. I need to know this Sunday June 28th. As soon as I know how many I will be sending MACU a check and once I send the check I can’t get it back (just to let you know how it works).
We will be leaving on Saturday July 18th and we will be back on Friday afternoon July 24th. This event is $160 + extra spending money, NVCC will provide 1 dinner.
Here is the link to the registration form for ECE: http://www.rbcspecialevents.com/ECEDownload.html
CONGRATULATIONS
We congratulate Luke and Meghann Johnson, Heather Anderson, Tara Smith, Paul Brown, and Alexis Skipper who were baptized last Sunday at the end of our services.
BLOGGING
my latest blog entry is on “Overwhelmed with Wonder.” here’s the link. http://stevethornton.wordpress.com/
Enjoy the summer and the God who provides all things good.
Here’s my take on the golf tournament last Sunday. It was a tremendous event. Wayne did a great job of putting it all together. Many experienced golfers signed up, some beginners and some almost beginners. I was in the almost beginners category. In fact, it was my third game of golf ever. Since it was a “best ball” tournament (if you don’t know what that means ask a golfer) my personal goal was to have at least one best ball over the course of eighteen holes. That means out of approximately 150 balls to count I was aiming at one best ball. You have to understand, I was golfing on a team with three guys who golf all the time, Wayne, Dave Burrington and Scott Kuhn. I am the super-beginner on the team. Well, when it was all over I counted five best balls for me. That was five times better than my expectations. By the way, did I mention that our team took first place in the tournament? We did.
No, I did not blog about my golf game this week like I did my fishing trip last week but I did write about “What is the most important quality we can possess as a Christ follower?” Do you have any idea what that might be? Click here to read the blog entry. http://stevethornton.wordpress.com/. And if you will give me a little time I want to write a little about being “overwhelmed with wonder.”
IN THE NEWS
BAPTISMS THIS SUNDAY
We will have the baptistery at TCMS for our services on June 21 for baptisms at the end of the service. Some have already expressed their desire to be baptized on that day. If you have never been baptized as Jesus was and taught and would be interested in taking this step in following Him I would love to talk with you. Send me an email or call 874-3269.
BEGINNING OF KICKBALL WEDNESDAYS RESCHEDULED
Thanks to the rains, June 24 will now be the official beginning of Kickball Wednesdays at the Ministry Center from 6:30-8:30 PM. This is a great event for families as well as a tremendous opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to play kickball there will be other less assertive games like “cornhole.” does anyone have a badmitting game you can bring?
JUST PRAYER
For those who would be interested in a time of just prayer you are invited to come thirty minutes early on Wednesdays to the Ministry Center and join others who will devote this time to praying for New Venture and the ministry of our church. We need to spend more time praising, petitioning and pouring our hearts out to the Lord in prayer. For the month of July we will do so on Wednesday nights from 6 to 6:30. If you are planning on participating please be punctual. The prayer time will start right at 6PM.
NEXT 101 CONNECTING WITH GOD CLASS IN ONE WEEKS
The class is for those who want to know more about NV or take the next step in their spiritual journey. Those who have taken the class have absolutely loved it. A recent attendee said, “I thought all Christians were pretty much unintelligent people until I took the class. Now I realize they are really the most intelligent people in the world.” It holds enormous discovery potential for you.
The date is Sunday, June 28, from 12-3PM, right after our morning worship gathering. Lunch is provided. We will cover the entire seminar in one session.
The location will be right down the road from TCMS at the new St Francis, Bon Secures conference room on the mail level of the hospital.
The seminar will address five major items.
Is God for real?
Can the Bible be trusted?
What is God’s plan for my life?
What about this thing called worship?
How is NVCC organized?
Registration is as easy as A RETURN EMAIL.
Don’t forget, this Sunday is Father’s Day.
We stepped it up a notch in Hope Beyond Belief this past Sunday. We have been challenged and called to live a different kind of life as Christ Followers. We discovered what this different kind of life is like and how it shows up in our lifestyle. It is all because we have been “Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Jesus died the most heroic death so that we might live the most heroic life for Him. Here’s a link to the online message if you happened to miss it. http://relaxedchurch.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=57
For the first time in decades I went fishing this week with an “expert” guide. Read about the citation catch on my blog at http://stevethornton.wordpress.com/
NVCC GOLF TOURNAMENT THIS SUNDAY
Sorry, the field is all set up. We will just have to see who ends up in the drivers seat. This will be my third game of golf ever. The first one was two summers ago and the second last summer. Does that make me a once a year golfer?
BAPTISMS JUNE 21
We will have the baptistery at TCMS for our services on June 21 for baptisms at the end of the service. Some have already expressed their desire to be baptized on that day. If you have never been baptized as Jesus was and taught and would be interested in taking this step in following Him I would love to talk with you. Send me an email or call 874-3269.
KICKBALL WEDNESDAYS
BEGINNING June 17 we will reignite our summer tradition of Kickball Wednesdays at the Ministry Center from 6:30-8:30 PM. This is a great event for families as well as a tremendous opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to play kickball there will be other less assertive games like “cornhole.”
PARENTS OF ELEMENTARY KIDS
You can stay informed about what’s going on in KidVenture by checking out Abbey’s blog. You’ll find info about KV lessons, upcoming events and ideas for investing in your kids’ spiritual lives. Abbeysnotes.wordpress.com
NEXT 101 CONNECTING WITH GOD CLASS IN TWO WEEKS. Next 101
The class is for those who want to know more about NV or take the next step in their spiritual journey. Those who have taken the class have absolutely loved it. A recent attendee said, “I thought all Christians were pretty much unintelligent people until I took the class. Now I realize they are really the most intelligent people in the world.” It holds enormous discovery potential for you.
The date is Sunday, June 28, from 12-3PM, right after our morning worship gathering. Lunch is provided. We will cover the entire seminar in one session.
The location will be right down the road from TCMS at the new St Francis, Bon Secures conference room on the mail level of the hospital.
The seminar will address five major items.
Is God for real?
Can the Bible be trusted?
What is God’s plan for my life?
What about this thing called worship?
How is NVCC organized?
Registration is as easy as A RETURN EMAIL.
Enjoy the tremendous weather. See you Sunday.
