Well we are pretty close to the big day. Christmas is almost here. Join us Christmas Eve at 9:15pm and 10:30pm for our celebration services. Hope to see you there.

Been just a little while since last post. I was on vacation with my wife. Had a wonderful time.

It was great to come back to church and see the place looking like Christmas. I don't really get into the gift buying and all the hoopla that goes with it. Our family usually spends a small amount on gift cards for the kids and then just enjoy spending time with the family.

I hope that each of you take some time this holiday to truly enjoy who is around you. They will not be around forever.

We will have Christmas Eve services at 9:00pm and 10:15pm. Bring the kids in their pj's and come have a inspirational time as we sing and celebrate our Savior's birth.

Christmas Ladies Night Out is this Friday starting at 6pm. You can still purchase a ticket by calling the church office. 721.2300

Have a great week!!

Lots of things going on around us during the holidays always makes me look for that one spot that I can go to and be still. Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to be so busy for people. It makes my head spin. Hard to sleep. Wake up thinking that I forgot something. Whew.....

I am so glad to be able to stop sometimes and just be still. Look for that place today. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit!!!

Bedlam Blood Drive is this Sunday. Don't forget to bring your driver's license to check in. It will be located in the gym.

Thanksgiving is next Thursday. The church office will be closed the last half of the day on Wednesday the 25th.

Christmas Decoration night is on the 2nd of December. Just be at the church at 6:30pm ready to decorate.

Talk to you soon.

chris

Ladies, there is a potluck dinner for you this Thursday evening at 6:30pm in the cafe.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Join us on the 15th of this month for a great time of fellowship and community as we break bread together. It will begin at 6pm down in our Cafe area or Watermark as we call it. Bring what ever your family likes to eat and enjoy what everyone else brings as well.

Hope each of you have a great day!

Rain Again! Looks like we may be mowing until Thanksgiving.

Hope that you are having a great week. I enjoyed a week of vacation last week. I just spent it working around the house and playing with kids. What fun!

Trunk or Treat is this Sunday October 25th from 3pm-5pm. Lots of games for the kids and food for everyone. Hot dogs, cotton candy and popcorn. We will have it in the back parking lot so invite your neighbors and family to come with you. I'll be doing a booth called "Guess Your Speed". We will have a radar gun and some baseballs ready for youngsters to guess how fast they can throw the ball. It will be fun.

Small groups are going great. Hopefully you have plugged into one on a Sunday or Wednesday. They really are great place to fellowship and learn about God's word together.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Chris

Thank you all who brought clothing to the Newchurch Clothing Exchange. We had over 250 people from our community come in to receive free clothes. It is a wonderful opportunity for our church to reach out. Great Job Newchurch!

Remember that our parking lot is now open around the south side of the church. Both roads on each side of the church are two way so you don't have to worry which one you enter in.

Don't forget about "Trunk or Treat" on the 25th of this month. It will be another great time of community outreach.

Hope each of you has a blessed week!

Had a great friend spend the night with us the other night. He is a pastor from Jinga Uganda. He also visited with our young adult group at our home. It was a great time of prayer and fellowship.

Clothing exchange went very well Friday and today. Over 200 visited on Friday alone.

So far no sickness in my home. Hopefully not yours either. Wash your hands. Alot!!!

Hope you are doing well. It has been a couple of busy days here at church. Voyage Teams got off to a great start. If you have not visited one please take an extra hour this Sunday and come to a Voyage Team. You can get a complete listing on the web site or just pick up a brochure at the information desk on Sunday.

Thank you for your special comments about Sunday. It was a great time!

The clothing exchange will be October 8Th and 9Th. Come get some free good used clothes if you need them. We will be handing flyer's out to a few schools and community. If you need to drop off some clothes you can do that beginning this Sunday. Bring all items to the gym.

The ladies will be separating them into sizes and gender next Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30pm until 8:00pm.

See you at church Sunday!

Wow! Could it quit raining just for a little while so I can mow my yard? lol

This coming Sunday morning we will kick off all of our new Voyage Teams (Sunday School)

Voyage Teams are a great way for you to get connected with the body of Christ here at Newchurch. A complete class listing, times and places will be available soon on the web and also a brochure at the info desk this Sunday. the information desk is located inside the atrium

Rain has delayed the finishing of the parking lot. There is just a little bit left.

The Preschool, Youth and Adults are able to meet in their new space. The children will begin meeting in one of their new rooms very soon. They will actually take over the old youth room. We are going to spruce it up a bit before the kids get in there.

I look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday. By the way. I had an awesome birthday.

I hope that each of you are present this Sunday. We are at an exciting time here at Newchurch. Lots of discipleship classes will begin on September 27th. Be at church this Sunday to find out about all of the Voyage Teams.

Oh, by the way. I turn 45 Sunday.

Love you all

Hope Monday was a great day for you!

Sunday was pretty cool with most of the new space opening. I have not seen a human traffic jam at church in a long time. Some of the space by the carousel was a little crowded. I think once the back parking lot is open and the rethinking of youth exit after second service it will run smooth.

Did any of you notice anything this past Sunday with the new space? I would love to hear from you so that we can see through your eyes.

"Speed Grouping" will be coming this Sunday. It will be a great time for each of you to get involved in a Voyage Team (Small Group). Be here Sunday Morning to find out what this is all about.

Clothing exchange is coming up again in October. 9Th and 10Th to be exact. You can begin to bring clothes starting October 4Th. This is a great outreach for our community. Free clothes!

Hope all is well with you. I had a great Labor Day. I spent it working around the house which I rarely get to do.

I came in to church this morning for our Men's Iron Shop and noticed that someone else had been working yesterday. Looks like someone is moving all of the kitchen articles to the new kitchen. We will be having "Cafe" this Wednesday night. 5:30pm-6:30pm.

The youth must have been busy also. They were moving to their new room over the weekend also.

Looks like things are coming together quickly. Parking lot should be done by the end of the week. I don't think we will be able to drive on it for another week or two.

Get into the word today!!

Can't sleep!

Well another wonderful early morning for me. Guess it is because Boatfest is here. Still last minute details running through my head. I know everything is done but still just thinking.

Don't forget today is Boatfest. You can still pick up T shirts if you have not purchased one yet. Baptisms will be at 1pm sharp. If you are going to be baptized you will need to sign in at the baptism table.

If you have kids there will be moonbounces, facepainting and snow cones. Ok, even if you don't have kids come get you a snow cone.

Free burgers and dogs and some extras.

Hope you have a great day Newchurch.

Been praying for you.

Oh what a feeling!

Lots of exciting things going on here at church. I am here a little later because of Learning Center Open House. Lots of new faces trying to find their classroom and who their teachers are. We have added new classes to this school year. We even have a waiting list of children. Wow! Lindsay and Amber. Your doing great!

This is always the busiest week for me because of Boatfest. I am Just putting the finishing touches on a few things.

New space should be open in a couple of weeks. Can't wait.

I hope that each of you count your blessings everyday. God is sure good to each of us.

Keep up the great work for the Lord!!

A small section of concrete was poured Monday. It is located under the porte cache in the back. I am excited because this is where we will be serving food from for Boatfest Sunday.

We also had some sand delivered Monday for the beaches at Boatfest. It is all coming together to be another great Boatfest Sunday

Those of you who have been following our youth ministry should be updated that Adam Carter and Sonny Priest are now our Youth Pastors. They will be working together as a team in that area.

We also have a new 5th and 6th grade ministry coordinator. Her name is Carrie Oller. We are very excited about the new ministry opprotunity for young people

Hope that you enjoyed the series teaching "Encounters". We will be kicking off a new series in the next couple of weeks call "Bull's Eye"

Have a great week!!!

Late Night Saturday!

Well just thought that I would encourage each of you to be in church tomorrow. It is always a great time of fellowship when we are together. I hope that each of you has had a great weekend!

We will be putting back packs together tomorrow after third service. Hope you can join us. Lunch will be provided.

See you Sunday.

Two for Tuesday

Yep! The new parking lot is still just dirt. The rain won't go away it's still here for another day!

I am a little anxious about Boatfest coming with all this dirt and all this rain. Could make for a fun and slippery day. Hope not!

Two things that I wanted you to think about for Tuesday.

1. What is the main priority today for you?
2. Why is that your main priority?

I would love to see your comments for today!

Is God in there somewhere?

I had a great time with my wife Valarie last night doing some pre marriage stuff with another couple. I really liked having her there. It is always a joy to be able to do things with my wife because rarely do we like to do the same thing. Just thought I would share. Oh! and thanks to my older boys who watched their little bro.

Talk to you soon!

Here are a couple of pictures of the new kitchen stove and also the dining area. The floor is a polished concrete. It looks a little dusty right now but you should be able to see yourself once complete.

Hope each of you have a great day.

August is here and School is just around the corner. We just about have everything that we need to finish the back packs for Wiley Post Elementary. Our Women's ministry will have a Ladies Night Out next Thursday the 13th. They will be separating all of the supplies and getting them ready to put together on Sunday the 16th after 3rd service. If you would like to help just show up in the gym after church. We will have pizza for you to eat also.

Promotion Sunday is August 16th. Some of your kids might be going to a new class so be prepared that Sunday.

Construction is going great. Most all of the inside of the building is done. A few doorknobs and fixtures are all that is lacking. Toilets, drinking fountains and kitchen equipment have been coming in this week. If you have not taken a walk through on a Sunday Morning please do so.

I believe this week is the last week for the Encounters Series. It has really been a great series this Summer. Remember that if you missed a Sunday you can always pick up a cd at the information desk or just contact the church and we can mail you one.

Boatfest is August 30th. We still need some people to help with the races. Timing, staging and registration are areas in which help is needed.

Boatfest T-shirts should be going on sale this Sunday.

Also if you would like to be baptised during Boatfest please let me know.

Words for Wednesday

Wow! Two days of VBX under our belt and one more to go. It has really been a great two days. Our children's ministry has done a wonderful job of planning, decorating and teaching. I have especially liked the music during the evening service. A little techno always gets my old muscles moving.

Construction News:
The new parking lot has been slowed a little by the rain. Still shooting for a couple of weeks until completion. Painting, ceiling tile installation and a few odds and ends still going on inside. It really looks great. We purchased some chairs for the youth room yesterday so they should be happy they won't have to sit on the floor.

Ministry Update:
Beginning August 16Th we will have a new 5Th and 6Th grade ministry. There is a new room for them to meet in but just in case if construction is not done by that day they will meet in the gym. August 16Th is also promotion Sunday. So if you have children know they may be in a new classroom that day. I'm sure you probably have been receiving info on that day already.

Missions:
We are still getting ready for handing out backpacks the week of August 17Th to Wiley Post. The Women's ministry will be separating supplies on the 13Th and then we as a church will be filling the backpacks with supplies on the 16Th.

Our missions pastor has been leading a ministry downtown on Saturdays. This is a city wide opportunity for people to help. They are helping beautify an area known for prostitution, drug dealing and many other things. They are truly doing a great job of sharing the gospel message in a verbal and physical sense. Keep up the great work!

Personal Note:
I am doing good. Finally got some needed rest last night. Tough getting old!! Val and the boys are doing great! Val has been busy with some theater stuff and the boys, well.............. they just like to fight and wrestle. I think I finally gave up for the very first time in one of our wrestling matches the other day. Man, I was just wore out. I think it surprised the boys a little, they are used to my never give up attitude.

Hope each of you have a great day!!

Sunday High Noon

Another Sunday afternoon playing with AJ and building trains. We also played a little nerf gun wars. I think Sundays are so cool at Newchurch. We spend the morning in worship and fellowship and then evenings are spent with the family.

I hope that each of you are doing just that. Spending time with the family.

Tomorrow night starts VBX. Vacation Bible School Extreme

OK! I was thinking today about all of the things that I love about NEWCHURCH

I know my typical answer would be the people. Instead of leaving you with that general answer here is why I love the people.

0. Willing to be a open vessel ready for God to use them for His purpose

1. Are open and honest about their life and struggles

2. Truly care about others

3. Willingness to be open to change

4. Smiling faces

5. Servant hearts

6. Desire to learn and be teachable

I'll stop there because I could keep going and I am flat tired. Plus I need to build some train tracks with AJ.

See you Sunday!

Sleepy Tuesday

Well another Tuesday and what a wonderful one it is. Ladies Ice Cream Social is going on right now. Looks like about 35 or more ladies. I just borrowed a cookie from some nice lady. It was really good. 

Men's Iron Shop was great this morning. Getting into God's word is great! Thanks guys for always being willing to be there. 

Children's ministry is gearing up for VBX. We will be handing out fliers Wednesday morning for about 20 minutes if anyone would like to help. Just going to cover the apartments across the street. It happens next week Monday Tuesday and Wednesday evening. 

I so much enjoyed having "Gravity" at our home last week. This is the younger single adult ministry. Lots of great things going on there. We had a ton of food. 

The interior doors came in today for the new part of the building. It will be fun watching them get attached to each classroom. 

Man the youth room is big!!

chris

Monday, the day after Sunday!!

Well it was a great Monday at church. Lots of stuff going on inside and out. They (construction workers) are preparing the ground around the back and sides of the church for the parking lot. Each side of the building will have a double lane drive so that cars can easily pass. It will look great!

Ladies, the ice cream social is Tuesday night at 6:30pm. It is planned to be held outside in the shade, but because of rain it might be inside the atrium of the building.

Thanks for all of you that I was able to visit with yesterday at church. I always have fun on Sundays.

Ill post a few more pictures of the construction Tuesday.

Chris

Here is the new Adult classroom wing. Looking South down the hall. 13 new classrooms

Today is a sad day. We will be celebrating the life of one of our members Debra Baker. Wonderful women. The service is today at 2pm at Newchurch.

Remember that this Sunday the 19th of July we will still be hearing the word of God in our series "Encounters". Tommy Woodard one of our teaching Pastors will be sharing His word in a lesson called "An Encounter with the Sisters". As always it will be an exciting time.

Ladies don't forget about the Ice Cream Social this coming Tuesday evening. I am sure there will be lots of homemade ice cream to enjoy.

The building is coming along great! Hopefully it will be done sometime in August.

Hope each of you have a blessed day!

Chris

Vacation Bible School is coming right around the corner. July 27th -29th 6:30pm-8pm. Sign you kids up for this great time.

Men don't forget that we meet each Tuesday morning at 6:15am for bible study. Right now we are going through the books of Corinthians.

chris

Just starting to blog. Trying to help everyone stay up to date on stuff going on at church. Hope all have a great week.