NLC Connect November 1 2023

This verse was highlighted in my Celebrate Recovery Pastors' Step Study this week. We're in Principal 3 - Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control. We each shared how we had come to accept Jesus and what that experience was like for us.
I accepted Christ as a child and felt the assurance of his love for me. At age 19 I came to know Jesus as my living Lord and not just my Savior who died and rose for me 2000 years ago. He was alive and living inside me by his Holy Spirit right now, empowering me to understand and do what pleases him instead of living life according to my preferences and priorities.
For me, that changed everything! My relationships changed. My career path changed. And the time I spent with God changed. Every waking moment I looked to him for companionship, direction, wisdom, strength, and courage. And he has been there to provide it and so much more. Yes, I have given up much to follow Jesus. Everything, you might say. And yet Christ has given me all of himself, and he is more than enough.
This month, consider what it means for you to say, "I no longer live". And consider what it means for you to also say, "Christ lives in me".
For Paul, he described what it meant to him in the rest of the verse: "And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Let those words prompt you to grow new or stronger faith in Jesus this month as you live in gratitude for the new life he has given you

Sundays from November 5th through December 3rd will focus on LIFE ON MISSION. Each one of the Elders will lead a Sunday on this topic, giving us encouragement to live our lives on mission wherever we are. Cecil & Tracy Ramos, our Multiply missionaries in Thailand, will be sharing their life on mission with us on Sunday, December 3rd.

• Nov. 5 - Pastor Mark - Open Gate
• Nov. 12 - Joshua "Chinoh" Aquino - Air Force
• Nov. 19 - Otto Ekk and Pedro "Pete" Martinez - CarePortal - MISSION MEAL & OFFERING
• Nov. 26 - Bruce Smith - Youth For Christ 
• Dec. 3 - Cecil & Tracy Ramos - Thailand

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Gathering - Room 113
6:30 p.m. - Worship Team Rehearsal - Gym

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2
5:30 p.m. - Celebrate Recovery - TESTIMONY from Christine - Small Groups - Cafe
6:30 p.m. - Dawning's Pregnancy Resource Center banquet - Ridge Creek Golf Course

THURSDAY-SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2-4
Pacific District Conference Convention - Butler Church, Fresno

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4
TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5
8:30 a.m. - GROWTH CLASSES 

• Salt & Light Class: The Book of Judges, Rooms 114-115
• WOMEN: Life's Healing Choices, Room 111

9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT (Dining Room)
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP - NLC CREW - NLC  KIDS - NURSERY

• Mission Month begins with focus on LIFE ON MISSION
• Pastor Mark speaks on Life on Mission from Matthew 25:10-46, with a focus on our partnership with Open Gate Ministries
• Communion Service

11:30 a.m. - DEACON MEETING - Community Room

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6
6:00 p.m. - CR Worship Team Rehearsal - Gym

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study on Malachi - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Rooms of Dinuba - West porch of Worship Center building
6:30 p.m. - Griefshare - Community Room

Received Last Week (10/29): ….......$2,327
Received this year to date: ……….$50,610
Budget to Date: ……………….......... $69,290
Budget Goal: ………........…...…......$400,342
Needed Weekly: …………........…….…$8,133

NLC Elders met twice in the last 10 days to pray, listen, and discuss a number of changes related to ministries at NLC. Here's a summary and changes you can expect:

• With Chinoh Aquino home from Qatar, he is taking oversight as elder for family ministries (children, teens, and their families). He is also taking leadership of the new NLC Crew youth ministry team, providing support and direction to those who are serving. One of the changes you may have already noticed is that students are participating in worship before they head over to Room 207 on Sundays. We will see more of these students participating on stage as Chinoh will be joining the worship team on guitar and mentoring these young leaders.
• Bruce Smith is taking oversight as elder over worship ministries, now that Stephanie has resigned to complete her bedrest and care for their expected newborn. Bruce is expanding the worship team by inviting and developing people already at NLC as musicians and worship team members. He is working with Brian Willems as our Celebrate Recovery team is already growing a worship team for Thursday evenings. Bruce will also be working with Don Warkentin to build on the growth of our tech teams as well. Are you interested in serving on any of these teams? Please talk with Bruce.
• You will experience a few other changes in regard to worship on Sundays. The lights will be dimmed no more than 50% during our gathering times to foster stronger connection with each other as members of the body and to provide safety as people move around the gym. Our worship teams will also be including a hymn each week to reflect our diverse family of faith in our worship.
• Nori Naylor has developed our Pray & Go Ministry into a self-service tool anyone can access and use to continue our goal of praying over every household in Dinuba. You can find address cards, doorhangers, sample prayers, and instructions on the table in front of the Pray & Go city map in the gym. Thank you, Nori!