The Volunteers At Northwest Are Amazing

The volunteers at Northwest are amazing. Over the past few weeks I have witnessed several of our volunteers serve in ways that not only honors God but show others how much we value people.

I've watched as a team of ladies led by Ashley S. served 70 Firehouse Subs to all the teachers at Cooper Elementary and took the time to help the teachers prepare their rooms for the new school year. I've seen people like Kent, Cathy, and Cole D. along with Haley S. show up at Cooper Elementary during Open House to help serve and direct families. I've watched students like Spencer H. assist in the children's ministry even when he was not on the rotation simply because there was a need. But wait there's more. On that same Sunday I also watched Spencer come back into the cafeteria after the worship service and tell a new family how much he enjoyed teaching their child in children's church! I've watched couples like VJ and Brittany W. serve back to back Sundays on the A-team with amazing attitudes and show people how excited we are to have them come to church! I've seen Jeff and Jennifer P. step up in big ways and encourage others to get involved. I got to see Keslyn E. and Tom H. serve as point people for our setup process this past Sunday and do amazing jobs. I've watched as Tim B. and Dan F. have started using their gifts to help lead our church in worship. I watched Bynum, Sarah, and Andrew overcome technical difficulties and focus our people on worshipping God. I've seen Kurt and Rebecca S. and Becky G. serve faithfully and invite new families to join us at Northwest. And these are just a fraction of the ways our volunteers have served over the last two weeks!

The example of our volunteers reminds me of how crucial it is for each member at Northwest to feel valued and needed. In my humble opinion there are two things that will bring people back to Northwest and allow us to serve and invest in their lives:

1. Meaningful relationships with people who genuinely care for them.
2. Encounter with the living and personal God who loves them. 

It is our job as leaders to equip others and solve problems so that more and more people are able to experience BOTH! If you attend Northwest and have ideas for how Sundays could flow more smoothly, engage more volunteers, or focus people on Jesus Christ, please let us know. If you know of someone at Northwest with unused gifts and talents, then together let's find a way to get them involved. When we give our best efforts God is honored and other people are inspired to get involved. May we always give our best as an act of worship to the God who saves us.

Restored By God

On Easter Sunday and EVERY Sunday Northwest Community Church celebrated the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Why? Because we believe it is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that restores our relationship with God. We celebrated the fact that God does not want nor expect us to clean up our own mess.  God allows us to exchange our mess for the forgiveness, hope, and bright future found in Jesus Christ when we profess Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.  We discovered in Romans that once this exchange occurs, God begins to restore our lives from the inside out. And then as if you are watching a Ginsu Knife commercial the story gets even better... As God restores our lives he invites us to share the story of life-change with others. It's truly an amazing journey!

At Northwest, we believe it is our responsibility and privilege to reflect God's character and share the message of restoration with everyone we meet. In the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, I could not have been more proud at the way Northwest lived out this incredible responsibility and privilege.  I continue to hear stories from Northwesters who have recently stepped out of their comfort zone to serve a neighbor, reach out to a coworker, invite a family member, and open up their home to develop new friendships in order to earn the right to share the message of Christ with people who may be far from God.  As a young church we are learning that discipleship (showing people how to follow Jesus Christ) requires conversation, modeling, encouragement, debriefing, and practice, all of which happen in the context of relationship.

As we continue to build relationships and invest in other people, we are reminded that there are 3 moving parts in the discipleship process:

1. God’s Part (John 6:44)
• Draws people to Himself
• Justification and sanctification
2. Our Part (Colossians 4:2-6)
• Pray for others
• Live wisely
• Make the most of every relationship God gives us
3. Their Part (Matthew 19:16-22)
• Each person is responsible for either accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ
• Individuals must make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ; You can't do it for them

It is my prayer Northwest will remained focused on trusting God to do his part while at the same time doing our part in a way that points people to the only God who is capable of restoring lives.

Restored

Come join us for Week 1 of Restored at Northwest on Easter Sunday, March 31 at 10am. Together we will learn that God is a restoration expert specializing in restoring people.  If you have never experienced life at Northwest you will discover that we are a group of imperfect people who have encountered the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. God is knocking off our rough edges, giving us hope, and allowing us to live with purpose, meaning, and excitement. Along the way, we want to share this experience with an many people as possible.

Easter Sunday will be an opportunity for you to gather with others for worship and teaching designed to help you connect with God. Northwest will be a place where you can come as you are, meet new people, and pick up a fresh cup of coffee. The environment will be casual, friendly, and contemporary. As you enter Cooper Elementary, you will have the opportunity to check in your children ages birth – preschool at Northwest Kids. For parents of children ages K-5th grade, we encourage families to worship together until the children are directed to a separate time of Bible teaching during the service. Basically Sunday mornings at Northwest will help you and your family focus on the things in life that are the most important...your relationship with God and your relationships with other people. 

For more information check our website or on Facebook.

Northwest Kids

From the start Northwest has been modeled after the basic blueprint for the Church given to us in the Bible.  We believe that the New Testament not only describes how the early church got started, but it also prescribes how we are to function and operate today. For example, in 1 Cor. 12, the human body is used as an analogy to describe how each member of a healthy church is to be valued and needed.  In addition, Acts 2 describes the attitude of the early church as members made great sacrifices to serve each other and meet the needs of a growing church.  Likewise, we want to duplicate a similar culture so that every member feels valued, needed, and personally responsible for the health and growth of Northwest.  As the needs of a growing church fluctuate, we anticipate sharing specific needs with you and then watching as God uses our individual gifts and talents to meet those needs. 

Recently Cassi Luka, our Children’s Director, sent a letter out to all the parents with children involved in Northwest Kids. Cassi reminded us that over the past three years the children’s ministry has grown from only 1 child when we first launched to now averaging 20 – 25 children each Sunday morning.  Cassi and her team of leaders who consist of Keslyn Erb, Michelle Sanders, and Jennifer Powers have done an amazing job at adapting to the growth and staying focused on the vision of discipling children and equipping parents.   

Ideally a growing ministry of this size requires 23 adult volunteers each serving one Sunday per month. However, Northwest Kids currently has only 15 adult volunteers on the rotation.  Beginning on Sunday, May 5 the key areas of need for the children’s ministry will be:

• Nursery (Birth - Walking)
• Toddler (1 - 3 Year Olds)
• Early Elementary (PreK - 2nd Grade)
• Hall Monitors

As you can see, Northwest Kids needs 8 additional volunteers in order to meet the needs of a growing children’s ministry.  Over the next few days, please prayerfully consider if you would be willing to serve in this important area in the life of Northwest. Feel free to contact Cassi Luka at cmluka01@gmail.com or 502-939-8281 for further information and questions about how to become involved in what God is doing through Northwest Kids.