It's a Girl & NCC Turns 1

This has been an exciting week in the Blanchard home. On Monday we found out we are having a baby girl this summer. The ultrasound was amazing and so much fun. Sarah is about 20 weeks along in the pregnancy and is doing great. Also, this week Northwest Community Church celebrates the first year since our official launch date. On Sunday we will have a bbq lunch after church and would like to invite anyone who has prayed for and invested in the life of this church plant to join us. Our worship service that morning will focus on thanking God for the life-change he has produced as well as focusing on the vision he has given to NCC. Our prayer is that God will help NCC remain locked in on leading people to experience a new life in Christ for years and generations to come. If you are unable to join us for worship this Sunday, please take the time to pray health over our church. And if you would pray for our baby girl that'd be great too.

God is Good

This past year has been one of the most exciting years of my life. We started off 2010 by launching Northwest Community Church and we ended the year with Sarah being about 3 1/2 months pregnant. In between those significant events in our life, God has shown his goodness and mercy to us on a weekly basis. I am humbled by the quality and spiritual depth of the people God has sent to serve at NCC. I truly feel as if I serve alongside the greatest team of people in the world. Below is the letter we will be sending out along with the contribution statements for 2010. -Will

Dear Northwest Community Church,

The Leadership Team would like to thank you for your participation in the launch of Northwest Community Church in 2010. Your continued prayer support, service, and financial contributions are being used by God to lead people to experience a new life in Christ in Northwest Arkansas. As always we expect God to do great things through His Church and pray that the launch of Northwest Community Church is the beginning to a series of church plants yet to come.

It’s almost hard to believe that Northwest Community Church is approaching our first anniversary on Sunday, February 20^th. This past year God has shown us his goodness and mercy by providing all the necessary components required for us to start a church from scratch. Enclosed you will find your financial contribution statement for 2010.

At Northwest we are big on identifying the next steps towards spiritual growth. If you want to maximize your growth this year, prayerfully consider the following:

1. Have I made worship at NCC and community groups a top priority in my life?

2. Am I willing to serve faithfully in an area of ministry?

3. Am I willing to become a consistent, percentage giver at NCC?

4. Do I share the vision of my church with friends and family in the community?

If you will commit to those four items, 2011 could very well be one of the most exciting and growing years of your entire life.

In Christ,

Will, Greg, Rob, and Kevin

Vision Night and Letter

The following post contains a recent letter the Leadership Team of NCC sent out to all our financial and prayer partners in 2010. We remain extremely grateful to God for allowing so many people to be involved in what He is doing in Northwest Arkansas. And remember that this Sunday night, December 5th we are hosting our Vision Night at 5:00pm at the BGC to share with the church the vision, strategy, and direction for 2011. Plus we will have subs from Jimmy John's so bring an appetite.

Dear Northwest Community Church Partner:

The Leadership Team of Northwest Community Church would like to thank you for your continued prayer support as well as the financial contributions you made to the launch of Northwest Community Church. We are grateful for the opportunity to plant an Acts 2 church focused on leading people to experience a new life in Christ.

Since our official launch in February we have averaged 50 people in our Sunday morning worship services at the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. The exciting fact about that number is that many of the people worshiping with us on Sundays were totally unchurched prior to attending Northwest Community Church for the first time. In addition, we started four community groups this year that serve as our primary vehicle for ministry and discipleship. In order to attract new people we remain committed to a lifestyle of evangelism that is focused on developing friendships with people who may be far from God by intentionally looking for ways to serve our friends and neighbors. Whether we are helping kids at the Boys and Girls Club decorate pumpkins or providing logistical support for a local mountain biking festival, our church is committed to getting out into the community to serve and build relationships with new people. It is our love for God and his love for people that compel us to step out of our comfort zones, follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings, and connect with people who may have never encountered the love of their heavenly father.

As we approach the end of the first year, we ask that you do three things:

1. Continue to pray for the church’s effectiveness, health, and sustainability.

2. Come join us for a worship service and witness firsthand what God is doing at NCC.

3. Consider making a year-end financial contribution in the life of a new church.

Thank you for your involvement in Northwest Community Church. Upon receiving your contributions receipts in January 2011, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

In Christ,

Will, Greg, Rob, and Kevin

Casting the Vision of Church Planting

Beginning tomorrow Sarah and I are going on a 10 day trip across parts of TN and GA casting the vision for church planting. We will be speaking in and/or meeting with three churches and one parachurch organization who have decided to invest in the life of Northwest Community Church as we lead people to experience a new life in Christ. It is always a privilege to talk with anyone who understands the value of the local church. Like others, we believe that healthy local churches are the hope of the world and we are honored to partner with likeminded people who want to see healthy churches planted that will one day help plant other local churches. In fact, there are very few things in life that get me more excited than to talk about healthy, life-changing, gospel-centered, Acts 2 style churches.

We will conclude our trip by leading a fall retreat for Northway Student Ministry (NSM) from Macon, GA November 19-22. As always, I am excited to speak to a group of high school students who desire to live out a radical faith. My talks to NSM will focus around David Platt's book "Radical" which has proven to be a very convicting read for me over the past several weeks. In fact, Northwest Community Church better get ready because we are definitely going to read this book together in 2011. The funny thing is that the group of students I will be speaking to from NSM will be larger than our entire church!

Please pray for us as we travel. Pray that God will use us to pour into others and cause people to see the Kingdom benefits of church planting. Pray too for Northwest Community Church as they continue to lead Bella Vista to experience a new life in Christ.