NLC Connect - Dec. 17 & 24, 2025
connect with God's Word
LIFT Bible study holds their annual Christmas party. Their celebration looks JOYous!
Salt and Light Bible Class enjoys their Sunday morning weekly meetings. Interested? Come check it out!
Child Dedication is such a special time for our families. Thank you, New Life Community, for walking alongside these families as they guide their families towards Jesus.
Pastor Cody Fedor preached on Joy last Sunday. Missed the service? You can watch the recording on our website.
NLC Youth enjoyed a nativity paint night on Sunday night.
PC: Pastor Brad and Amanda Dover
Salt and Light Bible Class enjoys their Sunday morning weekly meetings. Interested? Come check it out!
Child Dedication is such a special time for our families. Thank you, New Life Community, for walking alongside these families as they guide their families towards Jesus.
Pastor Cody Fedor preached on Joy last Sunday. Missed the service? You can watch the recording on our website.
NLC Youth enjoyed a nativity paint night on Sunday night.
PC: Pastor Brad and Amanda Dover
connect your calendar
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, DEC. 18
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center (RSVP to Brian or Christina Willems if you plan to attend the Christmas dinner next week)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115 (end of series)
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
TUESDAY, DEC. 23: No Bible studies or Healing Room
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24:
6:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Service
THURSDAY, DEC. 25:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups' Christmas dinner (RSVP to Brian or Christina Willems) - Education Center
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28
(Salt & Light Class will resume January 11)
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
No Youth Group
TUESDAY, DEC. 30: No Bible studies or Healing Room
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31: No Prayer Group
THURSDAY, JAN. 1: Happy New Year! (Office will be closed)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 4:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Dining Room
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, DEC. 18
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center (RSVP to Brian or Christina Willems if you plan to attend the Christmas dinner next week)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115 (end of series)
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
- Come meet and encourage others over coffee and snacks - Dining Room
- 4th Sunday in Advent: Love
TUESDAY, DEC. 23: No Bible studies or Healing Room
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24:
6:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Service
THURSDAY, DEC. 25:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups' Christmas dinner (RSVP to Brian or Christina Willems) - Education Center
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28
(Salt & Light Class will resume January 11)
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
- Come meet and encourage others over coffee and snacks - Dining Room
- Guest speaker David Delgado-Lemus
No Youth Group
TUESDAY, DEC. 30: No Bible studies or Healing Room
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31: No Prayer Group
THURSDAY, JAN. 1: Happy New Year! (Office will be closed)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 4:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Dining Room
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY
- Communion Sunday
- Deacon Care Fund offering, & donations welcome for Sharing Hands Pantry
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207
Sermon series this month for Advent! If you missed a message, click on the link on the home page to watch it (or watch again!).
connect through giving
Offerings Received last week (12/14): …..... $6,882
Offerings Received this year to date: ..…. $120,151
Budget to date: …………..........………..…...….. $121,039
Needed weekly to meet budget: …….…….. $8,093
Offerings Received this year to date: ..…. $120,151
Budget to date: …………..........………..…...….. $121,039
Needed weekly to meet budget: …….…….. $8,093
connect to God through prayer
- Pray for Amanda Dover, whose uncle Troy passed away. Pray for Eilene Moreno (Mom of Aneesa, Amourah and Ali) who is recovering from surgery. Pray for Manuel and Karen Madrid as she has heart surgery on Dec. 18 and he is waiting for a cancer surgery date. Elva Cardona requests prayer for a 30-year-old family friend Dusty who has been diagnosed with leukemia and is undergoing chemo in a local hospital away from family. Kristel Salazar requests prayer for her friend Shelby, who has a high-risk pregnancy.
- Pray for those dealing with long-term health issues and cancer treatments.
- Also remember: Marilyn Chappell and other residents in Palm Village Healthcare, Harold Kruger and others in Sierra View, and Mary Salazar.
- Pray for those who have lost loved ones, especially during this Christmas season.
- Pray for those who are seeking employment.
- Pray for the undocumented in our community and those facing food insecurity and financial challenges.
- Pray for our missionaries: Pablo & Maricela Chavez (planning return to Peru, housing needed for oldest son Isaac as he finishes senior year in Reedley), Cecil & Tracy Ramos in Thailand, Jonathan & Joanna Gutierrez in Portugal, and Johnny & Denise Esposito in Cambodia.
- Pray for peace as violence and war affect so many families and children in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, in the Middle East, and in parts of Africa.
When JOY feels hard
Pictured above: Eva and her daughter Amelia before they light the third advent candle
A time where I can say joy was very hard for me or is hard is when my dad is gone for deployments or long periods of time. What makes it difficult is knowing honestly I could be the only male in the house and the fact that he’s not coming home later. Sometimes it feels heavy and lonely, and it’s not something I can just ignore or pretend doesn’t matter.
Though it is difficult, you can always find joy in something that seems impossible to enjoy, and for me it’s doing something that I like. Things I do can be like playing with my sisters, playing video games, or even calling my dad. Those small moments don’t make everything perfect, but they help remind me that joy can still exist even when things are hard.
Advent can remind us that joy is not pretending everything is okay, but it helps us think about the better positive things and not only the negative. The Bible reminds us of this in Romans 12:12, which says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Joy doesn’t mean the hard stuff goes away — it means holding onto hope while we wait.
--Samuel Aquino
A time where I can say joy was very hard for me or is hard is when my dad is gone for deployments or long periods of time. What makes it difficult is knowing honestly I could be the only male in the house and the fact that he’s not coming home later. Sometimes it feels heavy and lonely, and it’s not something I can just ignore or pretend doesn’t matter.
Though it is difficult, you can always find joy in something that seems impossible to enjoy, and for me it’s doing something that I like. Things I do can be like playing with my sisters, playing video games, or even calling my dad. Those small moments don’t make everything perfect, but they help remind me that joy can still exist even when things are hard.
Advent can remind us that joy is not pretending everything is okay, but it helps us think about the better positive things and not only the negative. The Bible reminds us of this in Romans 12:12, which says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Joy doesn’t mean the hard stuff goes away — it means holding onto hope while we wait.
--Samuel Aquino
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