Northridge Baptist Church Legacy Builders

January 22nd, 2012

2012-01-22T21:14:00.003-06:00

This week...
Discussed Jesus's encounter with the woman at the Mount of Olives in John 8:1-11.

Home Study: Honestly examining our lives before God is never easy. Carve out some time this week to think through your actions, attitudes, and thought patterns. You might want to read Psalm 51 prayerfully as you begin.

Next week...
Finding Forgiveness - Luke 7:36-50. The discussions are not dependent upon one another so come when you can!

Things to know about...
Fun Family Saturday Night
Who: The whole family
What: Pizza (5pm-6pm) and Bowling (6pm-7:30 or 8) with childcare for the bowling portion of the evening
When: Saturday, January 28th at 5pm, then the adults will leave at around 6 for some bowling and back to pick up the children between 7:30 and 8.
Where: Church then Bowling Alley
Why: Why not? Even if you hate bowling there is bound to be someone cool to hang out with!

Please RSVP by emailing fredel@santel.net by Thursday, January 26th if you will be coming. Everyone will then just chip in for pizza and the sitter, bowling will be on your own.

Prayer Requests...
~ Dave's family and friends
~ Lepke family
~ John safe travels and Renee and the kids while he is gone.

January 15th, 2012

2012-01-15T13:41:00.002-06:00

Not sure about you, but I feel "more smarter" knowing more about the context of the famous verse of John 3:16. :)

Today...
In our series of "Encountering Jesus", we talked about Jesus's encounter with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21).

Further Study...
In light of verse 14, read Numbers 21: 4-9. How does that story illustrate our spiritual need and what Jesus came to do?

Next week...
Caught in the Act. John 8:1-11. The discussions are independent of one another, so please come when you can!

Things to know about...
~ Friday, January 20th from 5 to 9pm - fund raiser for Brian Anderberg at Mitchell Christian. Pork Feed, music, raffles, etc.

~ Fun Family Saturday Night
Who: The whole family
What: Pizza (5pm-6pm) and Bowling (6pm-7:30 or 8) with childcare for the bowling portion of the evening
When: Saturday, January 28th at 5pm, then the adults will leave at around 6 for some bowling and back to pick up the children between 7:30 and 8.
Where: Church then Bowling Alley
Why: Why not? Even if you hate bowling there is bound to be someone cool to hang out with!

Please RSVP by emailing fredel@santel.net by Thursday, January 26th if you will be coming. Everyone will then just chip in for pizza and the sitter, bowling will be on your own.

~ Get your Casting Crowns concert tickets online for April 20th concert in Sioux Falls.

Prayer Requests...
~ Amy Lepke's mom has breast cancer
~ Brian Anderberg cancer

Have a wonderful day!

Fredel

January 8th, 2012

2012-01-09T18:38:00.002-06:00

Hello all...

Don't know about you , but there is something nice about getting back to regular schedules after all that holiday food and fun!

This Week...
We are starting a new series of discussions called "Encountering Jesus". The discussions do not depend on one another, so please come when you can.

The first encounter that we discussed was the woman by the well (John 4:1-30).

It never ceases to amaze me the things the Lord reveals as we dig into His word.

Next Week...
Searching for Truth: The story of Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)

Events...
Family Fun Saturday Night

Who: The whole family

What: Pizza (5pm-6pm) and Bowling with childcare for the bowling portion of the evening

When: Saturday, January 28th at 5pm, then the adults will leave at around 6 for some bowling and back to pick up the children between 7:30 and 8.

Where: Church then Bowling Alley

Why: Why not? Even if you hate bowling there is bound to be someone cool to hang out with!

Brian Anderberg Fundraiser

Who: The whole family

What: Pork feed, music, and fellowship

When: Friday, January 20th from 5 to 9

Where: Mitchell Christian School

Why: Come together for Brian who has cancer

Prayer Requests...
~ Brian Anderberg and his family dealing with cancer

Have a great week!

Fredel

December 11, 2012

2011-12-11T15:33:00.002-06:00

This week

Verse 1: Faith is being SURE of what we HOPE for and CERTAIN of what we do not see.

Today we discussed Hebrews Chapter 11 (aka the Faith Chapter). Casey gave us many scriptures to look up that are associated with this chapter and will help us to understand the full story and TRUE faith that people like Noah, Abraham and others demonstrated.

Self Questions for this week:
Abraham carried a child that God had promised to populate the earth with, a child Abraham had waited to be blessed with until he was 100 years old, with knife in hand to a sacrificial alter because God asked him to. (Gen 22) We have hundreds of promises documented from God to us in the bible. Do you believe them?

Next week
We will be finishing up Hebrews with Chapters 12 & 13.

Then Christmas Sunday and New Years Sunday there will be no adult sunday school. We will reconvene the Sunday after that doing a new study. Start talking to others that you think God is asking you to invite.

Prayer Requests
~ MCHS students who are spiritually struggling
~ Children's program tonight at 6:30pm
~ Aaron Terveen (Elissa Walz's brother) - transfer to Denver
~ Prunty Family dealing with cancer
~ Kari & Abby (Missy Ortman's friend) still in hospital

Ways to serve this holiday season
If you would like to help a shut in family or person this Christmas season by visiting, gifting, etc, please contact Traci Moore (traci.moore@k12.sd.us) to see what you can do.

Have a great week,
Fredel

December 4, 2011

2011-12-04T13:27:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful discussion today on Hebrews 10 and I don't know about you, but I left with a feeling of being blessed to have such wise people around me to help bring clarity to God's word! Thank you everyone for sharing your insight and questions.

Self questions for the week:
What thoughts have crossed your mind about quitting your faith race? List out the pros and cons. What convinced you to keep following Jesus?

How can you help someone this week who is struggling to keep the faith?

Prayer Requests:
~ Safe travels for Blake & Landon
~ Jason singing at the Capital - all the details and that the message would be heard
~ Christmas program leaders and the kids - December 11 at 6:30pm
~ Elissa's brother Aaron and caretakers
~ Missy Prunty - breast cancer
~ Missy's friend - Carrie & and baby Abby - sick baby in the hospital
~ Gina's family friend who is going through tough times

Next week: Hebrews 11
December 18: Hebrews 12
December 25: No mini-congregation
January 1: No mini-congregation

Today we talked about that Christ did not make us to have this Christian walk alone, but to do it together. If you are looking for more ways to connect and to do some more in-depth study of the word, please contact Pastor Paul and he can get you connected with a "small group".

Have a wonderful and blessed day,
Fredel

November 13, 2011

2011-11-13T13:13:00.002-06:00

We studied Hebrews 5:11- 6:20 today. "The Race to Maturity." We had a great discussion about some difficult verses. We felt challenged to continue our research and ask God to deepen our knowledge of His word. Gina Reynen mentioned a helpful website called www.blueletterbible.org for Bible study. Jessica Baas brought up an author, Rick Renner, who is also helpful in Biblical interpretation. You can sign up for daily emails on his website, www.renner.org

Prayer Requests:
* Praises for Mitchell Christian kids who accepted Christ as their savior this past week.
* Praise for Burke Perry's dad accepting Christ at 86 years of age!
* Amy Storm's brother Matt has a child who had to be hospitalized for a short time this week
* Misty's friend, Mandy - Recently had a new baby girl and has stage 4 cancer
* Melissa's aunt passed away - pray for her family to put each other first over their differences
* Jason Zehr - recently reconnected with a high school classmate, found out her husband passed away - pray for how Jason should reach out to her
* Northridge as a whole - pray for God to build a hedge of protection around His church and to guide us in these new phases
* Family night for Orange 252 on Wednesday
* Johnstons

Next week we will study Hebrews 7

Upcoming Event!
December 4th - Ryan and Amy Storm are inviting us to get together at their home at 4:00 that day for a Christmas celebration. This will be adults only and will be a fun time of fellowship. Please bring a $5 gift (gender specific) for exchanging.

November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T14:10:00.003-06:00

We read and discussed Hebrews 4:14-5:10. Here are a couple of questions to consider as you read the text: In what ways does our culture isolate us from the weaknesses of others? How can we resist being desensitized to the massive needs around the world?

Prayer Requests:
* Jason Gebhard's brother and family returned to their home in Africa where they are missionaries. Jason hasn't heard what state they found their house in after being vacant for a year, but knows they were excited to return.
* Youth pastor vote
* Orange 252 (Wednesday Night Children's Programming):
-Still in need of 2-4 helpers (preferably men) for 1st and 2nd grade
-This Wed. night (9th) they will be packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child
-Next Wed. night (16th) will be a family experience night
* Thanksgiving and Christmas - Remember the purpose for these seasons as we enter the busy time
* Dave Johnston - Family in ministry

Next week we will be covering Hebrews 5:11-6:20

If you are interested in getting involved in a small group please contact Pastor Paul.

October 23, 2011

2011-10-23T18:23:00.004-05:00

We continued our study of Hebrews, focusing on 4:1-13. The discussion revolved around receiving God's blessings and entering God's rest.

A few "housekeeping" items:
* We would like to send a Christmas package to our sponsored child, Foziya (we sponsor her through World Vision). We will need to send it soon in order for her to receive it close to Christmas. If you would like to include a small gift, some suggestions were pencils, bookmarks, and hair things. All items will need to fit in a large envelope. Please bring your gift to church next Sunday (October 30th). Melissa Waddell will be collecting the gifts.
* Pastor Appreciation Month is this month. We discussed giving gifts to our pastoral staff. If you would like to participate, give your money to Amy Storm next Sunday and she will pool our money to purchase something for each pastor.
* There will be no Sunday School next Sunday due to our youth pastor candidating weekend. There will be a question and answer time with Pastor Mike in the Sanctuary at that time.

Prayer Requests:
* Verity - not feeling well; prayer for healing and keeping the rest of the family healthy
* Pastor Mike Sourile - our youth pastor candidate
* Christmas musical - for things to go smoothly and for those helping to remember why they're doing it

We'll be back to finish chapter four of Hebrews in two weeks!

-Stacey

October 9, 2011

2011-10-09T13:10:00.002-05:00

It is 28 to 3 - Vikings are leading... doesn't mean too much :)

Today we studied and discussed Hebrews Chapter 2.

Next week we will be covering Hebrews Chapter 3. Hope to see everyone there!!

Prayer requests...
~ Storm's sister in law is doing better (Jill) - Praise God!
~ Brian dealing with cancer
~ Healing for Clint (person attacked at Thirsty's bar)
~ The Johnston family

"For the truly faithful, no miracle is necessary. For those who doubt, no miracle is sufficient."

Hoping your week is full of "recognized" miracles!
Fredel

October 2, 2011

2011-10-02T19:55:00.004-05:00

Happy October!

Congratulations Hofer Family and Lieber Family, and praise God for the dedications of Callie and Denairic!

We were not present for Mini-Congregation today, so thanks to Amy for providing some info to post here.

Today - Discussed Hebrews chapter 1

Next Week - Discuss Hebrews chapter 2 (please don't let it stop you from attending if you do not have a chance to read ahead of time)

Prayer Requests:

Johnstons - changes

Storms - sister-in-law, Jill, cancer

Youth Pastor - potential candidate

Orange 252 - still need male volunteers - praise for how well it's going

Thomas family - daughter Jalen was in hospital with abdominal pains

Men's retreat next weekend - safe travel, renewal, families at home

Have a great week,

Jason

September 25, 2011

2011-09-25T15:33:00.006-05:00

Good afternoon! Anyone else just watch the Viking lose? Seriously... Ugh... :(

Today we got lots of information about different ways we can serve at Northridge.

Gary Ellingson talked about Greeters and Ushers.

Kris Enga talked about the Nursey Ministry and gave several suggestions on how someone could volunteer... 1) Working in the Nursery, 2) Children's Check-in for the 11am service, 3) Toy cleaning, and 4) Nursery Coordinator.

Laura Bruns talked about child protection in our church and some guidelines for adults that are working with the children.

Contact nbcoffice@mitchelltelecom.net to volunteer or for more information on any of the above ministries.

Next week we will be starting a study on the book of Hebrews. Please read Chapter 1 of Hebrews and we will have discussion time on it next week. Even if you don't have it read, please come anyway!

Note: Praise God for Preston's baby dedication this morning (Chris and Missy Ortman's youngest son).

Hope everyone has an opportunity to get outside and enjoy this beautiful fall weather (except for Craig... haha).

Have a great week!

Fredel

September 18, 2011

2011-09-18T14:36:00.002-05:00

Sorry so long since the last post on the Legacy Builders Blog...

Today we met just to chat and have brunch, since we have finished our last study and have not started the next one yet. It was nice to see everyone and have a chance to visit.

Next week we will have a couple people come in to talk about ministry opportunities in the chuch.

See you then!

August 21, 2011

2011-08-21T14:04:00.004-05:00

We discussed 2 chapters of the "Outlive Your Life" book we have been reading.

Just 2 chapters left to discuss, but we won't do that for a few weeks because of all the upcoming things...

Sunday, August 28th
We will be meeting in the sanctuary to talk about Wednesday night kids activities. Come if you are interested to learn more about what the kids will be doing or for volunteering information.

Sunday, September 4th
No Mini-Congregations and only 1 church service at 11am.

Sunday, September 11th
We will discuss the last 2 chapters in the "Outlive your Life" book.

Also, for all you parents, it is Sunday School move up day, so kids will be moving up to their new classes. If you have any questions on where they should move up to or anything about Sunday school you can email the church office (email address is on the website www.northridgemitchell.org

Sunday, September 18th
To be determined. We can plan to just socialize and lay out the plan on how to invite others to the group and definitively plan a kick-off Sunday for our group!

Have a great week!!

July 24, 2011

2011-07-24T21:13:00.003-05:00

Today we discussed chapters 7 and 8 of "Outlive You Life"

Chapter 7, "See the Need; Touch the hurt", referenced Jesus' use of physical touch for healing and how that allowed him to make a personal and meaningfull connection with the ones he healed and the witnesses. We discussed how much impact seeing and listening to someone can have.

Chapter 8, "Persecution: Prepare for It; Resist It", talked about how we will face persecution for our beliefs. Our persecution may not be life threatening, but we can draw strength from examples of people who did risk it all for their faith.

Prayer Requests:
Melissa's Grandmother
Johnstons traveling to TN
Hannah and Caleb's move
Payne family's move
Young mother who is giving her child up for adoption

July 10, 2011

2011-07-11T07:13:00.003-05:00

We discussed chapters 5 and 6 of our book. Chapter 5 (Team Up) was summed up as "No one can do everything, but everyone can do something." Chapter 6 (Open You Door; Open Your Heart) led to discussion about how we need to work to be hospitable even if everything isn't "perfect." We don't have to have the perfect meal, or the perfectly cleaned house just an open door.

Prayer Requests:
*High school student traveling
*Heidi's grandpa
*Erin Olsen

We will discuss chapters 7 and 8 next week.

June 19, 2011

2011-06-19T13:08:00.004-05:00

First... Happy Father's Day all you Dads!

This week was a pretty small group and we discussed the 1st 2 chapters of "Out Live Your Life". Next week, we will continue with Chapters 3 & 4.

If you haven't paid for your books you can pay Jason or Fredel $14 anytime

Ways to Serve
~ Wednesday, June 29th
You can help Daniel & Kayli Sauer move if you can meet at their storage unit by Vern Eide Ford. All they need to do is move the boxes from the storage unit to the U-Haul truck. Please call Kayli at 402-657-8966 if you can come!

~ Meals - There is only 1 spot left to fill on Hofer's meal train on July 1st - go to www.mealtrain.com to sign up for that last spot. Thanks everyone!

~ Delivering Cookies - Our mini-congregation is planning to be a part of delivering cookies on July 10th and July 17th. Just meet at the church at 5pm on either of those dates and you will get further instructions then.

~ Bringing Cookies - You can bring cookies any time and just put them in the freezer at church. This goes on all summer.

Prayer Requests
~ Rockin on the Ridge next week Sunday
~ Heidi's Grandpa in the nursing home and prayer for her Grandma too
~ Ortman's friend dealing with suicide

June 12, 2011

2011-06-12T14:27:00.007-05:00

We will be starting the 1st week of "Out Live Your Life" book discussions on June 19th. We will be discussing the 1st 2 chapters.

If you already ordered a book...
The books are $14 - please pay Jason or Fredel Thomas

If you need a book...
Available to order from www.amazon.com (author Max Lucado)

If you don't read books...
Please still come and you can join in the conversation and discussion without having read the book!

Meals for the Hofers:
Jared and Stacey Hofer had their new baby girl "Callie" a couple of weeks ago and we are lining up meals for them using www.mealtrain.com (something new we will try). You will get an invitation link and be able to sign up for the date you prefer to bring the meal. If you do not receive an invitation, please email fredel@santel.net and we will get you added.

Serving Opportunities:
Work days at the Johnstons
~ Melissa will provide more information next week

Cookie Outreach
~ Making cookies - deliver cookies to the church freezer any time
~ Delivering cookies - Our group is planning to help deliver the cookies on July 10th and July 17th from 5-7pm. Please check to see if you will be available either of these 2 dates. We will discuss more next week.
~ More information available in the foyer of the church.

Children Clothing Drive
~ Our group will be partnering with the Luv Em team and their clothing drive for the Diamond Willow Ministries in Fort Thompson.
~ Kris E will provide us more information.

Prayer Requests:
~ Renee's Aunt Coral is in the ICU
~ Pastoral Vote
~ VBS
~ Kids Church Camps
~ Pastor Dave Church Camps
~ Erin and her upcoming Missions Trip

March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T16:44:00.002-05:00

This week we again met with Erin and discussed "Wonder questions".

We reviewed a list of questions that we can ask a person that will get them thinking about their faith. We also discussed how to engage a person in a conversation by talking about somthing that they are interested in.

Prayer Requests:
Pastoral Search
People in Japan

March 6, 2011

2011-03-06T12:36:00.003-06:00

Sorry so long since the last post...

Since the last post Erin O. has continued meeting with us for evangelism training(when weather and other events allow!). For those that are interested, and missed the first lessons, Erin has some pamphlets that can help step you through a conversation about your faith, and a worksheet that will help you prepare your personal testimony.

Please join for the last couple weeks, if you are able, as each session is quite informative, even if you have not heard the previous sessions.

Prayer Requests:

Pastoral search: current pastors and potential new pastors

Mission trip to Ukraine: clarity for those deciding to go or not

Johnstons: meetings this week for fundraising

Easter Season: That it will open doors for people to invite others to church, and that it will renew our thankfullness for the gift Jesus has given us

January 16th, 2011

2011-01-16T12:45:00.002-06:00

We are continuing to meet out in the main area and had our first session of Evangelism training ("Go" class) that is being taught by Erin Olson.

We will be doing the "Go" class for approximately 8 weeks:
Week 1: heart for evangelism, love vs. truth, getting to know one another
Week 2: What is the gospel, training on using the 4 Spiritual laws
Week 3: Writing your personal testimony
Week 4: Walking in the power of the Holy Spirit
Week 5: Asking wondering questions, taking advantage of everyday questions
Week 6: Positive Deconstruction
Week 7: Apologetics #1 - philisophical questions
Week 8: Apologetics #2 - logistical questions

We wrote down 3 names that we will be praying for during these 8 weeks for them to come to Christ.

We took a collection for the Ortmans to help defer travel expenses while they are gone. If you would like to give, please contact Amy Gebhard or Fredel Thomas.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Ortmans - Surgery was cancelled last week for LIncoln, but they leave again on Thursday to go again. Pray for health for the whole family. Lincoln has to stay healthy in order for them to do the surgery.
~ The Pastoral Vote taking place today
~ Dave's cousin with cancer (only 22)
~ Lieber's house in Minnesota to finalize the sale and praise for progress there.
~ Sauers family while Daniel is away
~ Amirrah to gain weight and to learn nursing quickly.
~ Will's dad diagnosed with cancer and doesn't know the Lord.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

January 9, 2011

2011-01-10T18:05:00.002-06:00

We met briefly to discuss our upcoming study "Go" that will be led by Erin Olson. Following our discussion of evangelism, we shared prayer requests.

* Starting our new study
* Chris, Missy, and Lincoln on their way to Iowa City. Lincoln's surgery will be this week, but they will remain in Iowa City for at least 2 weeks.
* Pastoral candidate and church vote
* Baby Amirrah - weight check on Monday - hoping to be over 5 lbs.
* Dave's cousin, Jared, found out he has cancer - he's 22 and is supposed to be leaving for Afghanistan

December 19, 2010

2010-12-19T19:30:00.002-06:00

We did not have an organized lesson today, but we did have a decent sized group and plenty of prayer requests.
- Renee's bed rest has got her to 34 weeks, she is shooting for 36 (or better)
- Sunday School class that is presenting their book "Saul to Paul" to use the book to witness to others
- New Pastor - candidating on January 9th, vote on January 16th
- Kids getting the real Meaning of Christmas
- January 11th, Surgery for Lincoln
- Gentleman who left church with the paramedics
- Car Accident by Ethan - car vs. semi - non-life threatening injuries
- House Fire by Waddel's
- Safe travel for everyone at Christmas
- people without family to spend Christmas with
- John S's brother coming home after 2 years in Iraq
- What we will study after Christmas

December 12, 2010

2010-12-13T19:17:00.003-06:00

This week we watched the second part of the video series "Indescribable" by Louis Giglio. It was entitled "Astronomical Grace."

Our prayer requests this week were limited due to time restraints, but this is what people asked prayer for:

* Ortmans - Lincoln has surgery on January 11th.
* Renee has been experiencing pre-term labor. She will be on bed rest for the next few weeks.
* Travel plans for everyone around the holidays
* Pastoral search

Have a great week!

December 5th, 2010

2010-12-05T12:36:00.003-06:00

We are meeting out in the main area again and we watched a video called "Indescribable: Significant Insignificance" by Louie Giglio.

The Universe is a big place. Astronomers estimate that it is 156 billion light years wide (keeping in mind that a light year is 5.87 trillion miles). This has led many to state that if earth is the only inhabited planet, it sure seems like there is a lot of wasted space out there. But what if the universe had a different purpose, other than just to house us? What if it was intended to communicate something to us? If we were to listen, what would it say about us and about God?

Question to think about...
1) Read Psalm 19:1-6. What does the universe communicate to us about God?
2) Why do we tend to lose perspective on how big God is? How does this impact how we approach life?
3) How can you remind yourself how big God is? What difference would it make in your life if you carried around the proper perspective of God's bigness?
4) Read Psalm 8:3-4. What does the universe communicate to us about ourselves?
5) Why do we tend to think of ourselves as bigger than we really are? When have you been reminded of your smallness?
6) Read Psalm 8:3-9 and Philippians 2:5-11. What is the source of our significance?

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Chris and Missy and their trip to Iowa with Lincoln
~ Praise that Leah is home from the hospital and prayers for the family as they still don't know what was wrong?
~ Fredel is scheduled to have the baby on Friday
~ Traci's mom's eyes
~ Pastor Search

NEXT WEEK
Next week we will be watching the video "Indescribable 2: Astronomical Grace".

We are given glances into God's grandeur when we stare out into the universe. Stars and nebulas and pulsars and galaxies all beautifully and intricately created by Him. However, contemplating the vastness of God can make it harder to wrap our minds around His grace. How can it be that a God this big, this creative, this imaginative, would stoop down, take the form of a man, and die a humiliating death on the cross? Could the One who made the stars also offer me grace?

Questions to think about for next week...
1) What are some specific things in God's created universe that amaze you? What are some things you have learned about God because of His creation?
2) Read Hebrews 1:1-3. How could it be that Jesus is a better reflection of God's glory than all the stars in the universe?
3) Jesus provided the way for our sins to be cleansed by offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross. What emotions surface when you think about the One whom all things were created through offering Himself as a sacrifice?
4)When did you first come to know about the grace offered by God? How was it communicated to you?
5) God's grace is big enough to cover all sins. How does the bigness of God's grace compare with the bigness of His creation? Are both equally amazing?
6) How can a better appreciation of the bigness of God's grace change the way you interact with God and others?

November 21, 2010

2010-11-21T12:18:00.003-06:00

Today we watched another Andy Stanley video discussing the reality of death for everyone whether Christian or not. It's not an "if"... It's a "when"... The fundamental question asked was not how many days do I have left, but instead "What should I be doing with the days that I have left?"

How would our lives be different if we lived everyday with the fact of death and eternal life with God at the center of our minds rather than just in the peripheral?

Along with the fact that we will all die, we will also head to a judgment day where we will be judged based on our faithfulness, not on our sin. Jesus already died for our sin. We all want to hear the words "Well done, good and faithful servant." It's definitely a time of year for serving...

So let's give willingly... let's serve whenever and where ever God leads us!

We ran out of time this week, so we didn't do other prayer requests.

We passed a bucket around to gather money for the remaining supplies needed for a thanksgiving meal being served in our old church building.

The letters to Santa fundraiser (details below) are due next Sunday!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

November 14, 2010

2010-11-17T17:43:00.004-06:00

The video we watched centered on the Biblical account of Jesus standing trial before Pilate. Pilate felt like he had control, and needed to remain in control even though it meant convicting an innocent man. We can all struggle with issues of control, and how differently would we live if we truly believed that God is in control of everything?

These were some of the prayer requests this week:
* Conrads - a death in the family
* Travel plans in the winter months and around the holidays
* Amy G's brother and family
* Amber's praise for Margaret's safe arrival
* JoAnn's coworker going to Haiti on a mission trip

Traci brought up this service project:
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota has a goal to get as many children as possible to write letters to Santa and deliver them to Macy's mailbox.
For each letter written and turned in to Macy’s, Macy’s will give MAW $1. For letters turned in on December 10th, Macy’s will give MAW $2.
If you bring your letters to the church, Traci will collect them Sunday, December 4th and will make sure that they get to Macy's by the 10th.

11-7-10

2010-11-07T15:49:00.003-06:00

Today we watched a video that talked about the story of the paralytic man being lowered in front of Jesus and instead of Jesus saying, "Pick up your mat and walk" and performing the miracle everyone expected. He said, "Your sins are forgiven." Jesus knew the man's true and immediate needs which is not necessarily what the man saw as his need.

We discussed questions like:
Have you had a time when you have wanted something, but instead got what you needed?
How do we discern our urgent needs vs. our eternal needs?
How does our prayer life change when we focus on our need for forgiveness?

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Pastor Search Committee
~ African Children's choir performing tonight at 7pm
~ Matt's Dominican Republic trip
~ Quinn's having their baby on Tuesday
~ Lincoln's health
~ Jason's Grandma - spot on her lunch
~ Hannah's travels and Caleb while she is away
~ Kids who are struggling and families during this time of year
~ Operation Christmas Child box recipients

Have a great week!! Rejoice, knowing that we are forgiven!!

Only 48 shopping days left until Christmas!!

October 31, 2010

2010-10-31T20:52:00.003-05:00

We watched a very challenging video, called "Thirsty," from our Andy Stanley series. The lesson centered on the woman at the well from John 4. We often strive to fulfill our thrist for God with other things. Here are a few of the questions we discussed:
With what or whom have you tried to satisfy your thirst?
Do you feel valued by God despite the mistakes you've made?
Do you believe that through Christ your thirst can be quenched? If so, can you
count on Christ to meet all of your needs?

Here are our prayer requests for the week:
*Jason G.'s brother and family made it safely back to the U.S.
*Craig & Sara are thankful for the meals and are grateful to have found daycare. Also, their house is not sold yet, but they have found renters.
*Kahl's house closing in 2 weeks
*Casey's stepdad doing well
*Melissa's grandma, Hilda, had blockages in her heart but she is recovering and doing well. The family is planning to get together over Thansgiving to celebrate her 90th birthday.
*Hannah going back to work tomorrow
*Lincoln goes to IA City on Wed. Surgery will possibly be this week or they will wait until Dec.

10/24/10

2010-10-24T13:34:00.002-05:00

This week we focused on the prayer needs of our group. We didn't watch a video, but will be continuing next week on "Defining Moments" with Andy Stanley.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Praise that Casey's stepdad caught a heart attack before it actually happened and he is doing well.
~ Continued prayer for Stacey and Tim as she has more tests done.
~ Pastor Search
~ The Johnston's as they begin their new journey
~ Jason G's brother and his family (Mark and Tina & kids) who will be returning this week to America from their African Mission.
~ Our kids and each other's kids

Have a safe and blessed week!!

10/16/2010 - Seeing is believing!

2010-10-17T16:16:00.003-05:00

Today Matt Howlet led our group. We watched another video in the Andy Stanley series, with this week's session called Seeing is Believing.
- His Big point is that people in Jesus' time (as well as us now) tend to focus on the unexplainable instead of the undeniable. He focused on John 9, "Jesus Heals" the story where he cures the blind man.
- A good question to think about is "What do you believe that you don't understand?"

Prayer Requests:
- Heidi's Grandpa is going on the Honor Flight trip this week
- Heidi is also traveling this week for a teaching conference (Pray for Casey with the kids too).
- Amy Storm was made aware of a child at their daycare who is being abused
- Search Committee
- Blake's Sister - strength and clarity in her decision
- Law Enforcement with all of the hunters around
- Men's Retreat guys - so they can bring the spiritual intensity home to their families
- Blake's continued responsibility at the Sanctuary

10-10-10

2010-10-10T11:35:00.002-05:00

It was a small class today, but we had some good discussion.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Craig & Sara had their baby (we will be doing meals)
~ Praise for the weather
~ Quinn's
~ Hit & run at the Johnston's
~ Lieber's house to sell in Minnesota
~ Kahl's house to sell
~ Safe travel home from teh men's retreat
~ Family that Missy is mentoring who lost their child
~ Traci's brother-in-law James, knee replacement
~ Dave & Steph and their transition
~ Pastor Search for our church

Traci volunteered for the Service project position. Please be in prayer about what our group should do!

Have a great week!

September 26th, 2010

2010-09-26T12:03:00.002-05:00

This week we continued with the next lesson in Defining Moments. In this lesson John 3:1-15 was discussed. This lesson talked about Nicodemus and how talking to Jesus changed his life and what he believed.

We had lots of great discussion over the questions after the video and ran short on time for prayer requests.

As always it is great to see new faces, and hope to see you all next week.

September 19th, 2010

2010-09-19T12:01:00.004-05:00

We started an 8 week series called "Defining Moments" by Andy Stanley. We will be doing a video and then have some discussion. No worries about missing or being behind as there is no homework, so come when you can!!

If you want to check out more information on this or possibly order the little book that comes with it you can go to store.northpoint.org

We are now meeting in the high school room, there are maps in the church to point you in the right direction.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Misti's friend Mary Lou - her husband and her mom
~ Stacey H.
~ BIG night for the kids starts Wednesday
~ Our pastor search, our current pastors, and our church
~ Prayer about where God wants you to serve within our group

Please let Casey know if you are willing to serve in any of the below areas.
1. Service projects - Taking ideas and getting project started for our group to go out and serve

2. Caring Person - in charge of organizing meals for when people have babies are ill or whatever.

3. Social Events - organizing a few events for us to get together for fellowship

4. Prayer & the blog - Prayer leader and updating the blog

5. Leading the Group or subbing for it each Sunday!

Have a great week!!!

Back to it...

2010-09-12T13:20:00.002-05:00

It was great to see such a large group there today! Welcome back! I'm excited to see what God has in store for our group this year!

This week we talked about prayer requests (below) and getting organized for the year.

NEXT WEEK
~ We will be talking about folks who want to head up a few things for our group.
Please be in prayer about how God wants you to serve.
~ Hands & Feet (Service Projects, Meals)
~ Group Social Events

~ Bring any ideas you might have for studies to do in the group each Sunday.
~ Bring any ideas for a kick-off event.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ The pregnant women in the group
~ Blake's sister & her daughter
~ Safety & Fellowship for the Men's Retreat coming up October 8-10 - Contact Blake Waddell
~ Amy's brother & sister-in-law - possibly relocating
~ Tracy's Mom's vision - Praise
~ Our Pastor Search
~ Lincoln Ortman - upcoming surgeries
~ Will's new business venture
~ BIG program (starts Sept 22nd)
~ Foziya (our sponsored child through WorldVision)
~ Tim's mother moving to town and praise for how well it went
~ Heidi's grandma recovering from surgery
~ Heidi's Mom's recovery

Update on Foziya...

2010-05-31T13:04:00.002-05:00

All:

Just to let you that I sent in the information for our group to sponsor Foziya through World Vision. The amount that I put us down for was $40 per month. The minimum amount was $35 so I put us down for a little more since I know we can do that pretty easily as a group.

When they receive the information I sent, they will send us a welcome packet that will have more info on Foziya, including her last name, some more particular and various other info. We will also get an update every month from World Vision as to what our funds are going toward in regards to Foziya. It also stated that we can expect to receive some information, such as a letter, from Foziya in about 3-4 months. We will have many options on things that we can do with her, including being able to send "small" gifts and such if we so choose. I will be sure to fill everyone in further once we receive the information.

Blake

May 2, 2010

2010-05-03T20:15:00.002-05:00

We were ahead of the sermons in Ephesians since Dennis Martin had preached last Sunday, so this Sunday we spent our time talking about our group's sponsored child and sharing prayer requests.

Blake shared some of the details of our sponsorship of Foziya through World Vision. In addition to monetary contributions, we want to remember to lift Foziya and her family in prayer and make a commitment to developing a relationship with her through letters. Blake passed out information on how we can correspond with Foziya and has all of the account information. Thanks for taking charge of that, Blake!

Our time of prayer was filled with many requests that are weighing heavily on people in our group. Please keep the following in prayer this week:
*Casey's mom and stepdad on a mission trip to the Ukraine
*Jackson Quinn's MRSA is back. They will see an infectious disease doctor in SF this week.
*Amy Gephart's nephew had 2 seizures recently for still undetermined reasons
*Impact Lives - Money to be raised and volunteers for packing. Also for Deb as she leads the event
*Safety for our kids as we approach summer
*Our future pastor
*Renee's mom - is pregnant and was told she possibly has cancer
*Kari's stress at work
*Caleb and Hannah's parents - traveling together to SD this week. Pray for safety and an enjoyable visit!
*Ministries at our church - Men's and Women's ministries; VBS coming up soon

April 25, 2010

2010-04-25T20:36:00.003-05:00

This week Traci led us as we discussed Ephesians 4:17-32. We focused on how Christians can live in unity and were challenged to put away our "old selves" in order to live lives pleasing to Christ.

Prayer Requests:
-Jon's grandma and great-aunt are both having knee replacement surgery on Monday
-Jon's uncle has terminal cancer and will be moving into hospice
-PRAISE - Renee's MRI results were normal!
-Amber's health concerns
-Hannah's last 3 days of class

April 18, 2010

2010-04-18T13:55:00.002-05:00

We discussed Ephesians 4:7-16 today and talked about how our spiritual gifts can be used for the glory of God...

We have been putting prayer requests first, so we have plenty of time for people to reveal what is on their heart. We have notecards and pens available for everyone to jot prayer requests down so we can be reminded to pray for people in our group throughout the week.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Traci's mom is doing well after her surgery last week.
~ Heidi's grandma Violet is recovering from surgery
~ Renee's sister Deanna had her Tonsils and Adnoids removed and is recovering
~ Waiting on Renee's MRI results
~ Traci's mom's family and their kids and the situation
~ Julie and the Howlett's
~ Stephanie's sister CHeryl is having a hysterectomy
~ A family in Mitchell who is having financial trouble and needs prayer for their marriage
~ Olivia - 10 years old has diabetes - her and her parents as they figure out this illness
~ Ruth's job situation
~ Foziah (our child we are sponsering as a group)
~ Jon's position change and God's will.

Have a great week everyone! See you next week!

Fredel

April 11, 2010

2010-04-11T13:40:00.003-05:00

We had another big group today! It is so great to see everyone... We discussed Ephesians 4:1-6 today.

We passed around the list for the email group today. We have been using Yahoo email groups and so if you want to email the group just use this address: northridgelegacybuilders@yahoogroups.com

If you are not on the group email list and would like to be, please email Karisa Hart - karisahart@gmail.com and she will get you added.

Our group is sponsoring a child from Ethiopia through World Vision.
Foziya is her name and she is 9 years old. She'll be 10 on July 2nd. Please add her to your prayers.
You can give any financial gifts to Blake Waddell or bring them to mini-congregation.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Blake's sister Jill is having reconstructive surgery this week Wednesday.
~ Traci's mom Sue is having tubes put into her eyes (yep that says eyes) this week Wednesday.
~ Ruth's job and where God is leading their family on the tuition front.
~ Prayer for baby Julie and her aunt and what next steps there might be for the Howlett's
~ Chris and Missy's extended family is having a tough time.
~ Praise that Jackson is feeling much better and they are home from the hospital

WAYS TO SERVE
~ Amy Kahl stopped by to ask that we be in prayer about helping out with Sunday School in the summer to give the teachers a break. She will be passing around a sign-up sheet next week.
~ Also Mary with the 2-3 year olds is in need of some volunteers to assist each Sunday (there are 15 kids in there).

March 14th, 2010

2010-03-14T21:05:00.003-05:00

Today we discussed Ephesians 2:1-10. We had great discussions about God's incredible mercy and grace!!

Next week we will be discussing Ephesians 2:11-22.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ We read a "Letter to the Editor" today and we need to pray for the author Eric.
~ Celebrate Recovery and where God wants Amber to serve
~ Stephanie's Mom has a biopsy on Tuesday.
~ Matt is in Korea, please prayer for safe travels and for Kari and the boys at home.
~ Jason and Fredel are leaving for Mexico this week - safe travels.

Hope everyone has a great week.

March 7th, 2010

2010-03-07T18:17:00.003-06:00

Austin "facilitated" :) our discussion this morning and we covered Ephesians 1:15-23. Austin did a great job leading our discussion. Thanks, Austin! For not knowing what facilitating means, you sure did a nice job facilitating!

Next week we will discuss Ephesians 2:1-10

Reminder that the Parenting Bible Study "Value-Packed Parenting" starts this coming Tuesday, March 9th at 6:30pm at the church. Hope to see you all there!! (more info on the church website)

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ March 19th, Will's sister has her court date.
~ Prayer for the Parenting Bible Study and it's impact on the church
~ Carisa's brother's Father-in-law died
~ Jon's cousin just got married and he's leaving for Afghanistan
~ Austin finds out soon if he will be going to college
~ Jennifer Jacks is getting close to having her baby
~ Matt Howlett is going to Korea on a trip
~ Howlett's and God's will for Baby Julie

Have a great week!!

February 28...

2010-03-01T07:07:00.002-06:00

Our esteemed leader Casey was gone this week, so Amy Storm stepped in as group leader in our discussion of the Book of Ephesians. We began with the following prayer requests:
- Austin has a phone interview Tuesday at 4:00 to see if he is accepted to college.
- Will Quinn's sister has violated her parole again and Amber has asked to pray that she is able to right her ways and find God.
- Will decided to take a new job
- Earthquake victims in Chile
- Jared's 96 year old grandma had a stroke and appears to be recovering
- Continued prayers for the search committee as they seek our church's new leader
- Prayers for the kids and adults who traveled to Dare 2 Share
- Prayers for Blake's sister Trisha who is having troubles in her marriage, help to give her the strength she needs to handle the situation
- Hannah's friends Sarah who's baby is coming home soon, still a month prior to the due date and Jenny as she is now home with her new baby.

We began a study on the book of the Ephesians and had great discussion this week on God's will for us and looked at versus 1, 1-14.

Austin agreed to lead the group next week.

February 21st, 2010

2010-02-25T08:33:00.002-06:00

We will be starting a study of Ephesians next week and will be discussing Ephesians 1:1-14.

We will discuss Ephesians 1:15-23 on March 7th.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Jon has a job offer and for guidance on what is best to do.
~ Melissa's cousin had a stillborn.
~ Our church search committee & Pastor Paul & Pastor Dave
~ Marriages of all those around us.

See you next week!

Feb 7th 2010

2010-02-08T19:32:00.008-06:00

This week we started off with prayer requests for the following:
- Amy Storm as she recovers from surgery
- Health for the Johnston family as they prepare for a trip to Florida
- Will Quinn as he is deciding to accept a new job or not
- Amy Gebhart's friends who adopted a 3 year old girl from Haiti, they brought her home on her 3rd birthday, but the transition is difficult as they had no time to adjust, they just had to leave with her and bring her home
- Hannah's friend Sarah and baby Landry are doing well, but Landry will be in the NIC Unit for several more weeks
- Hannah's friend Jenny had the mother sign papers to waive her rights, but they still must wait 5 more days to have it finalized
- Search Committee who is seeking to find our churches next leader.

Amber Quinn shared her thoughts about the Celebrate Recovery Program. She wanted to make sure that there was no misperception that it was for addicts only, but rather anyone who wants has had their life affected by some form of addiction and that wants to help deal with their issues and become closer to God.

Casey wanted to challenge us all to remember to pray for our spouses as it is very easy to forget to pray for the person who you are closest to and around every day.

Amber also announced that the Spring Fever Pool Party will be postponed as the weekend she had planned is the Life 96.5 Tubing weekend at Great Bear.

1-31-10

2010-01-31T13:42:00.003-06:00

We discussed that last G - Go and will have 2 weeks before we start the next series on Ephesians.

PRAISES
~ Sarah's baby Landry was born early, but is breathing on her own and is doing great!! She will be in the NICU for awhile until she can start eating better. Please be in continued prayer for them and for their safe return home.

~ Jenny's little boy Jake was born on Friday and they are with him now and looking to bring him home some time next week. Please be in prayer that they will be able to bring Jake home when the time comes.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Amy's friend Gloria is in her last few days at the hospital. Please be in prayer for her family and friends.

~ Search committee - please be in prayer for our new pastor and for the search committee finding that new pastor.

January 24, 2010...

2010-01-24T12:45:00.003-06:00

Again it was great to see such a large group today... As was suggested, let's be praying for the group and each individual as well as where we see God at work that we could join him with our many talents and resources!

PRAYER REQUESTS
Sarah is 31 weeks pregnant and is in the hospital. Please be praying for safety for the baby and Sarah and that she can stay pregnant as long as possible to give the baby more and more chance to grow!

Hannah's friend Jenny is leaving this week to go down to pick up her son through the adoption process. Please be praying for safety in travel, peace and strenghth through the whole process.

The Nydam's are currently in Ethiopa picking up their child. Please be in prayer for them.

Continued prayer for the Howlett's and baby Julie. Baby Julie and her aunt both survived the earthquake (Praise God!!), but there is still a ways to go before they can possibly come to America.

EVENTS
More news to come on a Men's outing either the end of February or beginning of March. Blake will be getting out the details when they are available.

The last Saturday in February (27th), anyone can come to the Days Inn Hotel for a fun day in the pool or playing games or whatever (some time in the afternoon). Really informal, just if you are looking for a day out with the family!

December 13th, 2009

2009-12-13T18:08:00.003-06:00

It truly was a blessing to see that nice large group this morning. I believe God has a plan for our group and he is going to have some amazing things lined up for each and everyone of us.

UPCOMING STUDY
We will be meeting next week and then not again until January where we will decide on a study that we are going to do next. Please bring suggestions or ideas to the group.

SERVICE PROJECTS
~ As most of you (since most were there today), we are talking about supporting the Howlett's in their adoption of Julie.
~ Traci Moore has volunteered to take the lead roll in this and engage others in getting involved with the assistance of Blake Waddell. Traci will be working with the Howlett's to determine what needs there are.

THE IMMEDIATE NEED:
The immediate need of the Howlett's is financial help for Julie and her Aunt to get to the city in order to get their passports and apply for their visa. As a class, we decided, that we as individuals could give as we feel led. You can either give to the church and direct them to give it to the Howletts or give it to Traci or directly to the Howlett's.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Big Brother / Big Sister program - it is just getting started in Mitchell, so we need prayer for the program and prayer for volunteers. If you would like to participate in any way as a mentor or financially, please talk with Melissa Waddell.

~ Hofer's little girl, Lauren (sorry, not sure how to spell it), is having surgery this week, please pray for the her, the doctors, healing and that everything goes well.

~ Blake's brother and wife are having their 3rd baby on the 15th. Please pray for everything to go well and for their whole family as they bring in their 3rd child under 3 years old.

EMAIL GROUP:
Sending an email to this address will reach everyone who has subscribed to this group.

northridgelegacybuilders@yahoogroups.com

November 22nd, 2009

2009-11-22T13:02:00.002-06:00

Well, it's that time of year again! Thanksgiving and the kick-off to the holiday season!! It's during these times that I feel so very blessed and thankful and so prompted by God to help others feel that same way!

I hope we will all feel challenged to get out and be so focused on thanks and praising our gracious God that our gratefulness might be contagious to those around us.

THIS WEEK
~ We discussed Unit 10 this week and had special guests David, Beth, and Zane Roberts who are going to be missionaries in Argentina some time this coming January.

Please have them in your prayers as they travel the midwest and get prepared to go on this most awesome God assignment.

NEXT WEEK
We will plan to have Sunday School and will be discussing Unit 11.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Hannah's friend going through a tough pregnancy - she is 21 weeks... Praise God! But still has a ways to go for the baby to be safe. Everyday she makes it is certainly a gift from God.

~ Hannah's friend that is going through the adoption process and have been accepted to get a baby February 14th, 2009. Please pray for the biological Mom and the baby and the whole situation.

~ Traci's uncle - mental illness - the family and his children need prayer for peace through the holidays

~ Matt and Kari are seeing some encouraging God movement in their work to get Julie from Haiti... Please continue prayer for Matt & Kari, Julie's aunt, and Julie so they can get here safely and quickly!

~ Marc & Tina (Jason Gebhard's brother) - missionaries in Africa - continued prayer through the holidays and for safety (and for their new monkey. :) You had to be there)

~ The Hart's - healing for Lexi's arm and praise for healing from her surgery.

~ Jen and Ben Klumb and there little boy who broke his leg.

~ Safety for Farmers (Ryan Storm) working hard to get their crops in before the snow flies.

~ Prayer for safe travel and a blessed Thanksgiving. Prayer that we can be examples of Christ and love in our families who might not be saved.

~ Will's sister - trouble with addiction - pray for her to come to Christ and for the rest of Will's family

~ Johnstons - Dave's Mom and Dad are in poor health and they have a lot going on with holidays, leading the church, etc.

~ Keep our church leaders in prayer and the people chosen to select our new pastor.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 8th, 2009

2009-11-08T12:24:00.002-06:00

Our discussion was great this morning! It is wonderful to get together and be encouraged by all the things God is doing in our individual lives!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

THIS WEEK
~ We discussed Unit 8 in our Experiencing God study
~ Melissa Waddell said that the Lifelight concert at DWU is this coming Friday, so if you are feeling led to volunteer, please contact her.
~ We talked about this website that has some pretty cool testimonies on it. www.iamsecond.com

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Continued prayer for the Howlett's and Julie (they are trying to adopt from Haiti)
~ Ben and Jen Klumb and their little boy Creighton who broke his leg
~ Healing for Mr. Mathis (Principal in Ethan)
~ Lexi Hart - healing for her shoulder
~ Amber and Will and Layla and God's plan for her.

SERVICE PROJECTS
~ Jason and Fredel have collected all the items from the church and will be donating them to DWU's clothing event. Thanks to all who donated! Those that brought totes for collection can now take them home.

November 1st, 2009

2009-11-01T19:19:00.003-06:00

Can't believe it's November already! Christmas will be here before we know it.

THIS WEEK
~ We discussed Unit 7 of "Experiencing God" study.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Terry (superintendent in Ethan) - he has cancer and has caught some of the stuff going around.
~ Ben and Jen Klumb - Their little boy broke his leg and will be in a cast.
~ Prayer for the staff in this transition - Especially Pastor Paul who has been sick
~ Matt & Kari - The Adoption of Julie from Haiti - Pray for Julie's health & care
~ Melissa's friend going through a tough divorce
~ Hannah's friend who is having a risky and tough pregnancy
~ Farmers and their crops
~ Praise God for Lexi Hart's successful surgery and her health.

SERVICE PROJECTS
~ We are joining DWU's clothing collection and will be donating all the items collected to their event on November 21st from 8:00am to 5:00pm. They are giving everything away for free. Jason and Fredel have collected the items from the church and will do the last of the collection November 8th and will deliver to DWU. You can pick up your totes that you donated after next Sunday.

~ Melissa Waddell talked about the Lifelight concert coming up in Mitchell November 13th and if you are interested you can contact her to see how you can volunteer to help out.

NEXT WEEK
~ We will be discussing Unit 8.

October 25, 2009

2009-10-30T07:57:00.002-05:00

SERVICE PROJECTS
We discussed our Winter Clothing Exchange and after seeing the flyers for DWU's large scale clothing drive that they are doing, we decided instead of having our own, to go ahead and donate all of our items to that cause.

We have quite a bit of stuff already collected from the church and we will continue doing that and get it donated.

We will be discussing Unit 7 of Experiencing God on November 1.

October 18, 2009

2009-10-19T08:46:00.004-05:00

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Kari Howlett - medical missions trip to Haiti
~ Matt Howlett & their boys while Kari is gone
~ Hannah's friends who are pregnant and going through adoptions
~ Jenn Jacks - healthy pregancy
~ Dominican Republic team
~ Blake's sister - starting radiation and retiring from military
~ Jackson's dedication today
~ safety for hunters this pheasant season

SERVICE PROJECTS
Reminder that our "Children's Winter Gear Exchange" is coming up on Saturday, November 7th.

More details...
www.northridgemitchell.org
Under Current Events on the left hand side - click on "Children's Winter Gear Exchange".

October 11, 2009

2009-10-12T09:19:00.003-05:00

THIS WEEK
~ Discussed week 4 of "Experiencing God"
~ Further discussed and assigned jobs for our Children's Winter Clothes Exchange

SERVICE PROJECT
Children's Winter Clothes Exchange
Saturday November 7th
9:00am to noon
Donate New or Gently used:
~ Coats
~ Hats
~ Gloves
~ Boots
~ Snow Pants

Donations excepted at the church collection areas through Sunday, November 1st.
Be sure and sign up to serve on a "team" for this event.
More Information on our website in the "Current Events" area.
Please contact Amber Quinn for more information.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ A safe return for the Impact Lives team from the Dominican Republic
~ Terry, Ethan Superintendent, has Hodjkins lymphoma
~ Kari Howlett, safety on her mission trip
~ Blake's aunt Terra and her mental health

NEXT WEEK
~ Discuss week 5 of "Experiencing God" study

October 4, 2009

2009-10-04T15:27:00.004-05:00

THIS WEEK
~ Discussed week 3 of "Experiencing God"
~ Discussed Clothing Exchange service project--October date is probably unrealistic--Need to confirm with the church that Nov 7th will work.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Kari mission trip to Haiti
~ Dominican Republic mission trip
~ Lexie Hart's recovery / praise that surgery went well

NEXT WEEK
Discuss week 4 of "Experiencing God"

September 27, 2009

2009-09-27T18:55:00.002-05:00

THIS WEEK
Week 2 of "Experiencing God" was discussed this week.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Harts surgery for their daughter this week
~ Dominican Republic Mission Trip
~ Kari to Haiti on Mission Trip
~ Pastor Jon and his family as they transition
~ The new pastor (whoever that might be)
~ Hannah's step-dad, friends adopting, friends high-risk pregnancy

NEXT WEEK
We will discuss week 3 of "Experiencing God"

September 20, 2009

2009-09-20T13:43:00.002-05:00

Welcome Back to our blog!

THIS WEEK
This week we discussed the 1st lesson of the "Experiencing God" church wide bible study.

We also discussed that they are looking for a larger room for the group to meet in and that until then, we should try to fill in all the chairs starting in the back of the room first leaving as many open chairs as possible by the doors so people feel more welcome to come in.

PRAYER REQUESTS
~ Medical Missions trip to Haiti for Kari coming up in a month
~ Dominican Republic missions team
~ Jared & Angie Klock and their daughter Anna (2) who has cancer
~ Blake's sister who is currently being treated for breast cancer
~ Amber's brother and the tough things he has been going through this last summer
~ Our clothing exchange service project and each person's roll in that
~ Perhaps a larger room for our group to meet

SERVICE PROJECTS
We discussed having a Children's clothing exchange and Amber laid out the different teams that we would need volunteers for. We will be passing the sign-up sheet around again during class next week. Please pray about where God is asking you to serve in this ministry.
1. Event Team - people who are there for the actual event, bagging clothes and receiving donations, etc.
2. Promotion Team - Communicating event details and such to the community and other churches.
3. Set up/Tear Down Team - transporting clothes there and organizing them
4. Collection Team - finding totes to collect the initial donations, possibly washing some clothes, etc.
5. Prayer Team

Other Service Project Ideas given on Sept 13
Serving the Elderly
Prison Ministry
Helping to support the Gebhard missionaries in Africa (Jason Gebhard's brother)
Other ideas? Please let Amy Kahl know at ackahl@hotmail.com

NEXT WEEK
We will be discussing Session 2 "Looking to God" of the Experiencing God Study.

Verse to Memorize:
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
~Psalm 20:7

Praying that each of us will look for God in every situation and serve Him one day at a time!

Have a great week!

Prayer requests for the past few weeks!

2009-03-26T21:50:00.001-05:00

3-15-09
1. Caleb's safety as he was called out on a SWAT call.
3. Karissa and Lexi safety as they were driving.
4. Jason's family in Africia as they move into their new home.
5. Thank you for Restoring Amy's health.
6. Raise up the city of Mitchell during these trying economic times.
7. Mary Jane's health as she is trying out new medications and struggling to come to terms with her loss.
8. Pray for all patients that are struggling with illnesses.

3-22-09
1. Pray for the officer killed in the line of duty last week. We also lift up all the wives of officers as they stuggle with the realities of their husbands jobs.
2. We pray for Casey's Aunt Faye in her battle against cancer.
3. Gary as he is struggling and that his family and ministry will turn to you in their time of need.
4. We pray for Diane and her family as they struggle with her fight against cancer.

2009-03-04T22:50:00.002-06:00

These are our prayer requests for this week...

1. Casey's Friend Scott's Dad, Gail Jacobson) is recovering from an accident and we pray for a full recovery and that Scott and Gail's relationship will grow stronger as they face this challenge together.
2. Continue praying for Caleb's family and their relationship with one another as they are struggling with his Mom's drinking illness.
3. Thank you for Ben and Jen Klumbs healthy baby boy.
4. We pray that Chris's friend will make wise decisions is her new relationship.

Casey is taking us through a book each week. Last week was Joseph, this next week is Matthew? (i think) Well anyways, hope to see every one there on Sunday!

Blessings!
Austin

Prayer Requests

2009-02-28T00:18:00.001-06:00

1. Thankful for Your Hand in Chris's mom's struggle with alcohol.

2. Please step in on Blake's brother in law and guide him to make smarter choices now that he has a wife and child.

3. We pray for safe travel of the youth group as they return from their trip.

4. We pray for Gary and Jane Heek and peace for their kids as they are going through a divorce.

5. We lift up Caleb's brother's to You so You can work Your magic into the family's life as they deal with their struggles.

Just a thought if you have a minute...

2009-02-17T21:16:00.004-06:00

What does 'spiritual growth' mean?

Spiritual growth is a lot like physical growth. To stay healthy and grow physically, we must eat the right foods, exercise, and get plenty of rest. You’ve heard that since you were a child. According to Scripture, especially passages like Ephesians 4:14-15, growing spiritually involves the same formula.

Christians must eat the right 'spiritual food': God’s Word. Yet many Christians try to survive on spiritual 'fast food.' That is, they watch Christian shows on TV, read Christian magazines, and listen to Christian music, while cutting the Bible out of their diet. But nothing builds the body—the body of Christ—like the Bible. Everything else is supplementary.

Exercise is another body builder. Christians exercise through resisting temptation, enduring trials, serving others, and telling others about their faith. Temptation and problems test our character; serving others stretches our faith; telling people about Christ strengthens our love for him.

Christians rest through worship. Our world has a tendency to pull us in different directions like a rubber band stretched to the limit. We need sleep, rest, and times of vacation to get our physical batteries recharged. In the same way, we need worship to keep us spiritually renewed.

Spiritual growth takes time—a lifetime! This means growing in a relationship, not just changing our behavior. Growing a strong Christian life means learning how to love Jesus more each day, staying close to him, and getting to know him better.

Ideas...

2009-02-10T21:52:00.002-06:00

Ok... I am slowly getting this blog thing. I will make it a point to get a list of the prayer requests and praises so we all can be going to the Lord with these needs.

Casey was asking for ideas concerning our next study , if you have any ideas (or if you want to lead!!!) please get with him.

Lets all pray for Pastor Jon as he leads us through the rest of the commandments... I don't know about everyone else, but I am learining a lot through this series.

Thanks for reading this weeks blog... I promise they will get better and more informative!

For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. ~ Romans 5:5, NLT

New Site, New Blogger

2009-02-04T22:19:00.003-06:00

Hey, it's been a long time... and because of that I am going to hand over the reigns on the blog to Austin. Sorry for the delay! Thanks Austin for taking over....

Casey