NLC Connect - Jan. 21, 2026

January 21st, 2026

connect with God's Word

Even though it was foggy outside, the energy in Connecting Point was bright and welcoming! Thank you to our incredible volunteer team for your hard work in creating a warm and hospitable environment every Sunday morning.

Our worship set on Sunday was powerful and meaningful. Which song spoke to your heart this week?

We are grateful for Carlos Huerta’s heartfelt and impactful message in our January preaching series, “Money Shouldn’t Make You Miserable.” If you missed the service, you can catch the recording online.

On Sunday, we also celebrated 20 of our NLC Kids and Youth who completed their Advent devotionals with a Pizza with Pastor Lunch. We are so encouraged by their desire to grow in relationship with Jesus!

connect your calendar

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113

THURSDAY, JAN. 22:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT

Come meet and encourage others over coffee and snacks - Dining Room

10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NURSERY
10:00 a.m. - "Mission Possible" for kids & youth - Family Center Gym
11:15 a.m. - Family Meal - Dining Room (tortilla soup and a dessert will be provided by the Kitchen Team--please bring a salad large enough for 10 people to share)
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207

TUESDAY, JAN. 27:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
9:00 a.m. - LIFT Women's Bible Study - Room 114/115

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113

THURSDAY, JAN. 29:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
6:00 p.m. - Hymn Sing - Palm Village Chapel in Reedley

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Dining Room
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY

Communion
Sharing Hands Pantry donations welcome, as well as Deacon Care Fund donations

11:15 a.m. - Women's Ministries Soup Fundraiser ($5 per pint for a variety of homemade soups; proceeds help women attend the annual retreat)
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207

TUESDAY, FEB. 3:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4:
11 a.m.-1 p.m. - Fundraiser lunch for Open Gate Ministries at Palm Methodist Church
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113

Sermon series for January! If you missed a message, click on the link on the home page to watch it (or watch again!).

Soup'port our Women's Ministries by purchasing homemade soup!
Sunday, February 1, after the worship service
$5 per pint, with a variety of soups available

Are you interested in leading a GriefShare support group? Please contact Martha Sawatzky (559-859-1235) for more information.

connect through giving

Offerings Received last week (1/18/26): ..... $4,798
Offerings Received this year to date: .…. $161,399
Budget to date: ………………...........…..…...….. $161,385
Needed weekly to meet budget: …….…….. $8,069

connect to God through prayer

Pray for Mae Ewert, who is at Palm Village (skilled nursing room #401--visitors welcome) for rehab. Pray for Eugene Enns as he has surgery on Thurs., Jan. 22 and for Manuel Madrid as he cares for his wife Karen and waits for a surgery date, and for Eilene Moreno and Karen Madrid as they recover from surgeries. Kristel Salazar requests prayer for her friend Shelby, who had a miscarriage.
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. Pray for Martha Sawatzky as she seeks leaders for the next GriefShare support group.
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 (back in Peru living in a half-finished house with no windows or floors and lots of mosquitos and scorpions--goal is to finish it in 2 months before new school year begins; oldest son Isaac is living with an uncle in Dinuba as he finishes high school), Cecil & Tracy Ramos (Thailand), Jonathan & Joanna Gutierrez (Portugal), and Johnny & Denise Esposito (Cambodia).
Pray for peace as violence and war affect so many families and children around the world.

Connect to Pray & Go

Pray & Go is not door knocking, it is prayer walking. The purpose is to let our neighbors know that someone cares enough to pray for them.
The Bible tells us in Luke 10 that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs to minister to the surrounding communities. The disciples came back with joy and reported the amazing things that they were able to do in Jesus’s name.
Since the relaunch of Pray & Go in November of 2025, prayer teams have prayed for 137 households in our church neighborhood. (This does not include the apartments in the complexes that are prayed over as a whole). Although we are not knocking on the doors, sometimes someone comes to see what we are doing. This is an opportunity to share the love of Jesus by offering to pray for them.
Already the prayer teams have reported divine encounters with several people. One team member reported that a parent of a former student of hers was driving by and stopped and asked for prayer for healing from her recent shoulder surgery. This team was also able to pray in both English and Spanish for several ladies and their family member. The youth who meet on Sunday evenings also participated. They reported meeting some teen girls and inviting them to church. Praise the Lord!
Everything you need to participate is available at the table at the north entrance/exit to the Worship Center, including detailed instructions. Please contact Nori Naylor (559.768.5285) with any questions.
--Nori Naylor