Specific Prayers for Northwest

This past Sunday was an especially great time of worship together at Northwest as we concluded our study of Nehemiah and prepared for our move to Cooper Elementary. At the close of the worship service our church spent some focused time in prayer asking God to give us a radical obedience to his leadership in our lives and to use us to make his name famous in Bella Vista and to the nations. Here are the 3 prayers we prayed:

1. God help us remain desperate for you and your word.
2. God draw families to Northwest and give our church new eyes to see people we can invite to come experience what you are doing here.
3. God please allow Northwest to be involved in a movement that makes your name famous in Bella Vista and among the nations.

During your quiet times with God this week we ask that you partner with us and pray similar prayers over Northwest.

Moving to Cooper Elementary

Northwest Community Church is excited to announce we are moving our Sunday morning worship services to Cooper Elementary beginning Sunday, November 6th at 10 a.m. While we have been very grateful to lease the Bella Vista BGC over the past year and a half, we are pumped about the new location for the following reasons:

• Cooper is centrally located in Bella Vista – allows greater visibility of our church
• Over 700 children attend Cooper – opportunity for investment in more young families
• New, spacious building – allows our children’s ministry to grow
• Drastically reduces setup and teardown time due to available storage space

As we make the transition, we are asking our church to pray in the following ways during the month of October in preparation for the move:

• Pray that our church would continue to give generously as we take a financial step of faith to afford the new lease.
• Pray that all the logistical details would go smoothly
• Pray that more volunteers would step up to serve as we grow
• Pray that we will remain patient with one another in all circumstances

Cooper Elementary is located at 2 Blowing Springs Rd Bella Vista, AR 72714.

The Gospel Travels Best on the Tracks of Relationship

This past Sunday Northwest had a baptism service and welcomed a new young family into the life of the church. Baptisms are always exciting because they represent the lives of people who have been forever changed by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, I never get tired of hearing people's stories of how Christ got their attention and began working in their life. Inevitably, 99% of the stories involve God using a friend or group of friends to point people to faith in Jesus Christ. Yesterday's testimony was no different. Yesterday at Northwest, we had a front row seat to watch how God used several people from our church to lead others to experience a new life in Christ. Things like biblical teaching, worship, community groups, and ministries are all vital to the life of a healthy church. However, we must always remember that those things should function in such a way that they enhance our relationship with God and with others. Why? Because the Gospel travels best on the tracks of relationship. And without the Gospel, church would be a waste of time.

The Beauty of the Local Church

This past Sunday we started a new series at Northwest entitled Build Community. We will spend the next 6 weeks studying the book of Acts as we discover how the early church overcame enormous obstacles and has been able to have a global influence for 2,000 years. Of course the real beauty in the local church is that it is not simply a human institution. The local church is the body of Christ and we are to literally do the ministry, teaching, serving, and ministry of Jesus as if he were here physically. Consequently, when the local church is healthy and acts the way it is supposed to there it is a beautiful thing. Check out this video which shows Northwest Community Church along with dozens of other local churches serving the city of Joplin, MO last month after a devastating tornado. Watch how Christ followers spring into action, convert a church building into a logistics headquarters, and serve with no-strings attached all in the name of Christ. The local church is a beautiful thing!

Northwest Community Church serves Joplin:

http://youtu.be/-BgV3QQqSw0