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Doing Life Together

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February 13, 2014
Ministry
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Small groups are kicking off this week and I am so excited!  (Side note: it’s not too late to sign up…it’s worth it!)  Our group started and as I looked around the room there were so many incredible moments.

  • Three people in the group were invited to North Creek Church by three other people in the group.  Now they are walking side-by-side learning about Jesus together.
  • There were two people in our group that I don’t know very well…new opportunities for friendships are what life is all about.  I can already tell you multiple things I am interested in about each of them and I cannot wait to find out more!
  • I love having new faces, but I also understand that longevity at a church is a precious gift.  Some of the relationship in that room go back almost a decade already.
  • We talked a little about our religious history and we have every story possible from our pasts: being raised in an atheist home, a former Mormon, a lot of Catholic backgrounds, raised in a Christian church…  One person in our group said it best, “I tried another path, but in the end, I just wanted more Jesus.”  Hmmm…sums up my life mission as well.
  • Mark and I have cried deep tears of pain with several people in our group.  It’s one of my greatest treasures in life to have walked alongside people during difficult times and watch Jesus triumph in the end.  He ALWAYS comes through for people even when you think there is NO WAY that a situation can possibly be used for good.  He is faithful.
  • We ate together and enjoyed company.  I think Bible study is SO valuable…we plan on learning about Jesus in this semester, but I also know that God highly values community.  Don’t underestimate the power of just putting yourself in a room with other people on the same page as you.  It is never a waste of time.
  • Our kids hung out.  One young man in our group has been my daughter’s friend for her whole life.  Another girl just celebrated one year of attending North Creek after my daughter invited her to be a part.  They are developing godly friendships that honor Jesus.

So, those are just some of the amazing nuggets of awesomeness that come out of community.  We all have such busy lives, but I want to challenge you to make small groups and/or community a priority in your walk with Jesus. It never ceases to amaze me what I learn from other people!

February 24 Coffee Church Highlights

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February 26, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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Packed the weekend with fun things!

Friday night I had a bunch of ladies over for a game night.  So much fun to just hang out, play games, eat lots of yummy food with women I love and appreciate!  If you want on that invite list, sign up on our small groups link at www.coffeechurch.com under Rebecca’s group.  You’ll get an email once a month about an upcoming activity that you can attend if you are available!

Sunday went well!  I jumped over to Battle Ground for service and always love being on that campus.  I hung out with Jessica and taught 14 Tiny Town preschoolers.  It was a full class, but they did SO well.  God so evidently works in the hearts of children and it is a joy to watch!

We had our Annual Business Meeting on Sunday.  True to our nature, we don’t do the typical business meeting, but rather use it as an opportunity to hear from some of our staff about how their ministry is succeeding.  We do some of the “normal” stuff of talking about statistics and money, but our bottom line is always the same: how are we leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus?  That’s the question we strive to answer each year at our annual meeting.

Yesterday we had one of our staff member preaching in Ridgefield to fill in, we had one at a church in Hoquiam watching her daughter speak, we had one training sound techs in Oregon, and we had our own two campuses running as well.  We were spread out all over the place!!!

I’m memorizing James 5…it was hard to start, but I’m making great progress.  Everything in life worth doing takes work, so don’t get discouraged!  Keep trying!

I’m enjoying our small group and getting to know some new people in our lives.  It is always a blessing to open our home and dive into friendships.  It’s also a blessing to eat cake and banana bread!

One of the main focuses of our church is to spread out the work amongst the many!  Do you know that we have over 150 volunteers just in the hearing church?  That’s over half of our people who serve once a month, or in the youth group, or in help during the week.  What’s crazy about that is that we still don’t have enough help!  We have multiple people serving twice to cover the gaps.  Wouldn’t it be awesome to get all of the bases covered?  If you want to begin to volunteer, you can sign up at www.coffeechurch.com.

Here’s my challenge for you this week: Do the RIGHT thing.  Even if it’s hard.  That’s what we are challenging ourselves to do in our small group.  It’s quite the challenge, but if you consistently do the right thing, you really do open yourself up to a life of blessing and peace.  WORTH IT!

Feb. 3 Coffee Church Highlights

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February 6, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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I’m a bit late this week!  We’ve got a lot of plates spinning right now, so it’s a litte crazy!  We had a great weekend though!

photoCheck out this picture of one of our miracle babies in our Coffee Church cup.  Hanaye was born to Will and Sarah in December at just 4 pounds.  God has truly filled their cup to overflowing!

Congrats to Wayne and Jenny who celebrated 20 years of pastoring in Battle Ground last weekend.  That’s an awesome investment into a community!

Also congrats to Matt and Andrea who’ve been at North Creek for two years.  You are welcome to follow in Wayne and Jenny’s footsteps and stay for at least another 18 years!

Small Groups opened and are filling up!  You can sign up today at www.coffeechurch.com.   Our groups start next week.  By the way, our youth pastor, Kris Gray, will be hanging out with adults in Mike and Alecia’s group on Friday nights.  It’s a great opportunity to get to know her, because if a teenager is around, she might be paying WAY more attention to them.  If you want to be in a group that is full, email me at stacy@coffeechurch.com and I’ll get you on a waiting list.  Sometimes people who sign up can’t attend and we like to fill in empty seats!

We are working hard on relaunching the North Creek Learning Center, which is currently our preschool in Battle Ground.  We have lots of exciting announcements coming up about that, but if you have a 3 or 4 year old (as of this fall), we have an amazing year planned for them!  Stay tuned as Registration Packets will be out in February.

The lights out at the Super Bowl made every pastor I know feel MUCH better about the technical difficulties that happen on Sunday mornings…

We are baptizing at Hazel Dell this Sunday and Feb. 17th as well.  We’ll also be doing it at Battle Ground on Feb. 24.  You can register to get dunked at www.coffeechurch.com.  If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and a desire to follow Him, it’s time to do that!

Services on Sunday were awesome!  We are talking about MONEY!  I love this subject because I believe that if we think correctly about money, we save marriages, we prevent stress, and we change the world.  A great vision is only limited by the generosity of others.  Don’t believe me?  Try leading something that has the capacity to change the world and do it without finances.

Loved this Facebook post:  Giving blood tomorrow in honor of being present, want to know more about that check out coffeechurch.com.

I got to lead a small group of 4th and 5th graders in KidCity on Sunday.  The topic was how to handle temptation…great conversation for kids entering junior high right around the corner!  I am so glad to be a part of a church where adults will look into my child’s eyes and talk about the choices they are making from a Biblical standpoint.

Did I mention you should sign up for a small group?  Yeah, do that now! Be blessed!