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December 16 Coffee Church Highlights

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December 18, 2012
Family, Ministry, Team
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It was a very different weekend than we had planned at North Creek.  In light of the shooting tragedies in our nation, we changed the messages to reflect both our grief and our hope in Christ.  Bottom line: when we come face to face with the darkest evil, we do not cower, but proclaim the love of Christ.  Love wins in the end.

I hugged a lot of crying people on Sunday.  It’s OK to be emotional and feel that grief!  Just balance it out with the determination to spread the hope of Christ as well.  We, as Christians, carry the weight of change in our country.  We must be the ones to show up, speak up, and boldy march into the worst situations.

I taught our preschool class at Battle Ground on Sunday with my old friend, Janelle V.  Super cute kids with LOTS of distractable energy!  Gotta love our Tiny Towners!

Our staff/board Christmas dessert was on Sunday!  I looked around that room several times and thought, “Wow. Our church is BLESSED with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.”  Do me a favor and write one of them a letter or note about what you appreciate about their ministry.  You can find all of their contact info on www.coffeechurch.com.  They serve with an unstoppable determination and grace.

Invite a friend to church this Sunday!  It’s Christmas and we’d love to have them join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

We dropped off a MOUNTAIN of toys to Sarah J. Anderson Elementary on Thursday, thanks to all of you!  They couldn’t believe that we just kept unloading more and more toys.  Sarah J. serves a lot of low-income families and your gifts will help to bless about 350 children.  Amazing!!!!!!

I walked into my daughter’s school yesterday and started weeping when I saw the police officers.  I know…that’s a little extreme.  But what I saw in front of me was goodness.  More people put their lives on the line for our protection, than people who try to rob us of our security.  I felt the same way when I saw the teachers as well.  We must always focus on the people in our lives who strive to bring peace, grow our lives, and try to make a difference!

We want to say a big “Thank You” to all of those involved in the Christmas Concert last week!  It was such a beautiful way to usher in the Christmas holidays.  It took an absolute ton of work and people, but it was so worth it!  Way to go!

My oldest daughter is home sick today.  She actually said, “Why couldn’t I be sick tomorrow so I don’t have to miss school?”  Maybe she’ll grow up to be a teacher!

Remember to send us any of your “Circle Maker” stories!  You can email them to me directly at stacy@coffeechurch.com.  We look forward to celebrating all the things that God did in our lives in 2012.  He is good!

Be blessed!!!!

 

December 2 Coffee Church Highlights

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December 5, 2012
Ministry, Team
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coffee church lightsWhat a weekend!  On Saturday we decorated both campuses!  Thank you to so many of you who showed up to help.  “Work” Days are often the times when friendships are formed and stories are written.  I LOVE ’em!

We got A LOT of comments about how beautiful the Christmas “Chandeliers” turned out.  Here’s the trick: Hula Hoops criss crossed with fishing line where bulbs hang randomly down.  Before you start bulbing, wrap your hula hoop with icicle lights.  They are time consuming, but inexpensive.

Our stage also consisted of a really cool wood structure that will continue to be a part of our stages in the future.  And here’s the eye-deceiver at Hazel Dell….the back wall is PAINTED to look like wood.  It’s not real.  I bet you’ll come back to church next Sunday just to see what I’m talking about.  You’ll tell yourself that you thought it was real wood.  Alecia Krause is our genius painter!

I had a young lady ask to be baptized on Sunday.  If you are ready to be baptized as well, you can fill out a form at www.coffeechurch.com.  We have a portable hot tub so anytime you are ready, so are we!  I love baptisms!!!!

We had a new Tiny Town teacher this weekend.  Thanks to Michelle for jumping in!

Mark preached at Battle Ground and the Deaf Church this weekend.  Always a privilege to be at our Deaf Campus.  I don’t know sign language, but it’s another reason that I am a Facebook fan!  Such an easy way to communicate with the hearing and the deaf.  If you are not my friend, find me!

Speaking of Facebook…our last small group was filled with a lot of Facebook junkies.  I noticed that many of them became fast friends because they had an additional way to communicate on a regular basis.  I had never had that happen before, but thoroughly enjoyed watching it!

We got a new baby at Battle Ground yesterday!  Congrats to Tatiana!!!

coffee church teamOur staff team did a video shoot this weekend for some of the upcoming Christmas events.  We laughed, we cried, we ate fudge…  We have such an amazing team!  We were missing a few of them, but nonetheless, we had a good time.  Thanks to Brian Enquist of Home Video Studio of Vancouver for filming us and to the Swensons for having us over to destroy your house.  Have I mentioned that I appreciated the fudge???  Cause I did….a lot.

It’s December!  In honor of the Modern Family sermon series, spend this month reconciling one relationship before the new year.  I know it’s not always that simple, but what if it is?  What if the worst relationship in your life can be exponentially better with a phone call?  This is life, so it might get worse, but the risk might also be worth it….you’ll never know until you try.

Now, I’m off to make that phone call…  Be blessed!

November 18 Coffee Church Highlights

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November 19, 2012
Ministry
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My highlight this week is that Mark made it!  He woke up in the middle of the night SICK with the flu.  Our Sunday schedule was as follows: Throw up, preach, throw up.  A lot of people asked me why he was still preaching even though he was so sick…well, he’s a pastor at the core of his being and he believed in his sermon.  He wanted to preach it and that he did.  He delivered it strong and with authority, which was the dichotomy to when he got home and slept for the next 18 hours…

On another note…people do so much for our church that goes unseen!  Mylissa is our shopper, Ron cleans up outside, the Tilley’s donated a day to do a deep clean, Adam is our new “honey-do” volunteer (Sorry, Adam, for the ridiculous title), and the list goes on…it is amazing to have Behind the Scenes servers who give and give!  Thank you to all of you!

We had a new guest yesterday who said she wanted to start a relationship with Jesus.  That’s why we get up in the morning!  Thank you to those of you volunteer and give so that people can have their “AHA! Moments”.

My small group is coming to a close next Monday.  It never fails to happen…I find amazing things in each person that I really like.  That is my favorite part of groups – putting random people in a room and getting to know their stories!   I’m sure some of them will be back in our next group and some will try another group, but I am SO thankful that I got to dive into their lives for a season and get to know them.

Yesterday one of the Battle Ground groups brought 7 baskets for Thanksgiving Dinners.  We were able to bless some families – not necessarily who NEEDED the food the most, but all of whom NEEDED the reminder that they are important to God and their church.  THANK YOU to that small group who went out of their way to make people feel loved.  Here’s some of the Facebook notes we got about it:

Thankful for the generous, giving hearts of my church family ♥ North Creek is the best!!!

Juuuuuuust got my socks incredibly blessed off me by my church. *serious warm fuzzies ya’ll* I’m soooo sooo thankful! Thank YOU, North Creek Church for {Being Present} in my little families lives!!! I’m already plotting how to pay it forward.

Our family is feeling so loved and blessed by our church family at North Creek!  THANK YOU Coffee Church for BEING PRESENT and being AWESOME! 🙂

If you’re feeling the desire to be generous, stock up on toys and jackets for our upcoming Be Present Give.  More information coming, but there’s your warning!!!!

If you are looking for an end-of-the-year donation, please consider North Creek as well.  We took on a mountain with the merge, and although we are on track to be solid and stable by the one-year mark, it’s been a big financial adjustment to need double the income from a year ago.  Worth it?  Yes.  Learned lots?  Yes.  Want to launch more campuses in the future?  Yes.  Crazy for the mission of God?  Yes.  Drink too much coffee?…

We had a group of 35 people go to Winter Jam on Friday night!  Everybody had a good time and it was another great opportunity to meet people you might not have previously known!

On Thursday the youth had a guest speaker who was our former student.  Courtney Huskisson is one amazing woman whom we are proud to have gotten to invest in for a season!  Thanks for coming back to preach and showcase what a life devoted to Jesus looks like!

The K-2nd Grade boys had a giant nerf gun fight party after church yesterday in Hazel Dell’s auditorium.  That’s why we don’t decorate with fancy, breakable things…

Way over my word limit for the day, but it’s not my fault that God is doing so many cool things…. Be blessed!

 

 

 

November 4 Highlights

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November 5, 2012
Ministry
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Daylight Savings time weekend is always one of my favorites!  Everybody seems to be much more chipper with an hour of extra sleep!

Chris did an amazing job finishing off the Be Present Kickoff at Hazel Dell (you’ll see way more Be Present stuff as we head into the future!) with a sermon about giving anyway.  Let go of all of the mentalities you have about why you can’t be generous and find ways that you can.  Also, remember the local church.  We’ve talked a ton about other organizations, but remember that the church is God’s first love.  If you aren’t giving to His Church, pray about how you can!

Mark started our next series, Modern Family, over at Battle Ground.  That will be a fun one as we talk about families and grace.  Nothing is more interesting to navigate than family relationships, but they are important and worth it!

We walked a Children’s Director from another church through how we run our systems yesterday.  We think very differently about volunteers and how we can get a lot of people involved and avoid burning out.  We have the greatest mission to accomplish, so we must take care of those who are serving!  It is always a good thing to have to explain why you do things they way you do.  Thank you for coming, Debbie!

Lots of visitors through the doors this month (and every month)!  Make sure you take a minute and introduce yourself to somebody that you don’t know every Sunday!  It is literally one of the most important ways you can partner with us.

Kids classes are bursting!  It’s been fun to watch them swell with excited little faces.  We love our North Creek kids and believe in their futures!

Are you interested in getting baptized?  You can signup online at www.coffeechurch.com anytime.  We have a portable hot tub, so pick a date and we’ll get you dunked!

Lots of great things going on and lots of ways to be involved inside and outside the doors of North Creek.  If you’d like to volunteer on a Sunday morning, take a minute and fill out a volunteer application at www.coffeechurch.com.  It’s a great way to get to know people and make new friends while making a difference!

Hope you are blessed this week!  We love being pastors and we love knowing you.  Thanks for making ministry a joy…

 

 

 

Oct. 28 UNBELIEVABLE Highlights

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October 29, 2012
Ministry
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What an incredible weekend!  It’s that feeling where you put your neck out on the line and it actually works.  Well, not only works, but blows every goal and every expectation out of the water…good feeling!

A couple of months ago we begged the Blood Drive organization to give us two drives in our two locations because our people WILL show up.  And show up they did.  Their first goal for us was 25 people at each site who would register.  They upped our goal to 30 as the signups began to rise.  I am proud to say that 39 people AT EACH SITE registered to give yesterday.  Not only that, but we easily could have done about another 10 at each campus if they could have possibly fit more in.

Seventy-eight people crammed into the blood donation center and out of that came 49 pints of life-giving blood…Nearly 150 lives will be saved in the next two days because of your willingness to donate.  And many of you who couldn’t get in are planning to go to the office and donate this week.  AMAZING! 

Thank you!  Thank you for rearranging, waiting, giving, not giving because they turned you away, laughing as you laid there literally bleeding for people, and SHOCKING us all with your support.

Not only did the blood drive go far beyond our wildest dreams, but the food drive was strong and steady all morning as well!  Kids marched in to the building with heavy bags of canned goods with sweet little smiles on their faces!  Both campuses filled their crates to overflowing and people keep asking if it’s too late to give!  Go ahead and bring it next week, too!  We’ll never hold you back!!!

AND…then we had our first ever church potluck on top of all of the chaos.  There were enough pastries in our churches to build a tower to Heaven out of muffins!  People were eating, drinking coffee and having a great time all morning.

Church, from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate you!  We are so aware that great things happen when a lot of people get together and go one direction at the same time.  On Sunday, you did that.  We have no doubt that the ramifications of this one day, and many others to come just like it, will say to the world, “Jesus reaches out to the hurting…sometimes with our hands, our blood, and our effort.  He cares and He changes your circumstances and your lives.”

We’re not done yet.  Be Present isn’t going away and it wasn’t a one-time wonder.  Stay tuned for our next life-changing mission, and in the meantime, come up with a few of your own.  Be Secretly Incredible!

63140_10151217938016460_2022917103_nfood drive