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Church on Wheels

This past week we received our bid from Church on Wheels to provide us with the equipment necessary for Northwest Community Church to host our worship services and children's ministry in the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club on Sunday mornings. At this point in the process, Church on Wheels, has been great to work with. They have been super prompt, courteous, and seem to really take pride in what they do. As promised their bid came in slightly higher than the final package we will be able to afford. Our task this week has been to pare the equipment list down to fit our budget.

Please pray that God will provide the funds necessary for us to purchase the equipment we need from Church on Wheels. We have estimated that we need an additional, $20,000 during the month of November in order for us to justify moving forward with the purchasing process. At this particular point, we do not know how God will provide the additional funding. At the same time, (this is the part that might sound foolish to some people) we are confident of God's leadership up to this point so we are just going to continue to trust him.

In other developments, we are excited at the lease we secured for the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. The staff at the club are some of the nicest people I have ever met and have offered to help with the church plant. Plus, I was able to meet with the business owner next door who is going to allow us to use his parking lot on Sunday mornings as we out grow the Boys and Girls Club lot...it never hurts to be looking down the road. We certainly serve a big God so why not dream big dreams of what He can accomplish if we make ourselves available to him?

First Monthly Service

Yesterday Northwest Community Church hosted her first monthly worship service in the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club as we prepare for our launch on February 21, 2010. We had a great time of prayer, worship, teaching, bagel eating, coffee drinking, and even a few rounds of ping-pong thrown in the mix. Afterwards, the launch team got down to business as we continued our discussion of vision, process, systems, and strategies.

Here is a graphic that illustrates the relationship of these important items:

Currently the launch team is working on the Worship Planning System which will define who we plan, implement, and evaluate our weekend worship services.

This week, we also brought in a consultant from Church on Wheels (Eric) to help us determine our equipment needs and facility layout options to convert the Boys and Girls Club into a church on a weekly basis. Eric was super helpful and gave us lots of good ideas/possibilities. We are looking forward to receiving the final bid from Church on Wheels in the days ahead. As we take each step along this journey, we are trusting God to give us the wisdom we need to move forward.

A Crazy Fun Week

A lot is going to be happening in the prenatal life of Northwest this week. For those of you who are lifting this church plant up in prayer, please pray specifically for the following:

1. Greg and Cassi Luka. They are flying in from Louisville, KY this week to help serve, get to know the area better, and attend our first monthly worship service. They will eventually be moving here prior to the official launch to serve as our small groups pastor.
2. On Thursday and Friday we are meeting with a consultant, Eric, from Church on Wheels who will help us develop a plan for being a portable church. If you have never heard of Church on Wheels, check them out at www.churchonwheels.com
3. On Sunday, October 18 at 10 am we will be hosting our very first monthly worship service in the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club! It will be very simple with no equipment. We will have a time of singing, worship, prayer and teaching as we focus our attention on Christ and the task he has given us to plant a new church. Afterwards, we will have a launch team meeting followed by some lunch.

Vision, Process, Systems, Strategies

Over the past two Sunday afternoons, the launch team of Northwest Community Church has been exploring the relationship between vision, process, systems, and strategies. Obviously these 4 words do not spark tons of inspiration in most people, but they are crucial concepts for us to grasp if we are going to launch large and prepare for growth. Here are the key principles we are learning:

1. Our vision (leading people to experience a new life in Christ) determines our process.
2. Our process (connect with God, live in community, serve people, grow in Christ) is supported by the 8 systems of the church.
3. Our systems will operate smoothly by implementing clear strategies.
4. Our strategies will allow us to fulfill our vision.

This certainly is not rocket science. In fact, the beauty of it is that it is quite simple. And that is what we hope to become...a simple church that leads people who are unchurched and possibly far from Christ towards experiencing a new life in Christ.

Website is Live

You can now check Northwest Community Church out online. Take a look. www.lifeatnorthwest.org

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