New Year's Challenge

Many of us spend the first few days of a new year making a list of the things we want to accomplish, improve upon, or achieve in the coming year. This past Sunday, Scott Sanders challenged Northwest Community Church to think about our new year's resolutions a little differently. Rather than asking, "What do I want to accomplish this year?" Scott challenged us to consider,

What does God want to accomplish in my life in 2015?

So, there it is. A simple new year's challenge for you and your family. If you accept the challenge then carve out a few minutes this week to spend some quiet time alone with the Lord and ask Him what He wants to accomplish in your life this year. If you are married, talk about this question with your spouse. If you are a parent, talk about this question with your children. If you have a trusted friend, talk about this question with him or her over a cup of coffee. If you have no friends or family, then you definitely need to get plugged into Northwest quickly!

As you accept this new year's challenge, remember you have a church ready to help you grow in 2015. At Northwest we believe God has called us to lead people to experience a new life in Jesus Christ and we will continue to encourage people to live out the life God has made available to them. In 2015 we believe God wants to see people who were once far from God become connected with God through Jesus Christ. We believe God wants to see people who were once isolated learn to live in healthy, biblical community. We believe God wants to see people radically serve others in the name of Jesus Christ.  And we believe in 2015 God wants to raise up more leaders at Northwest who are capable of making disciples. Do not miss out on these exciting opportunities to grow with us.

Happy New Year! May God bless you and your family in 2015!

The Great Invasion Project

During our Power Along the Way series, Northwest is discovering that God provides His power and strength to us as we put our faith in Him.  We have seen that very seldom does God provide the resources far in advance but He has chosen to bless us and meet our needs as we walk with Him. Regardless of circumstances, our proper response to God's leadership is to trust and obey Him.     

In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham "I am going to bless you and all the families on earth will be blessed through you." Wow! Talk about a bombshell. At first glance, it appears that Abraham has been given a tremendous amount of responsibility. Following that conversation with God, Abraham may have even felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and that the blessings of future generations depended on him.  And yet upon further reflection, we see that all that was required of Abraham was to simply trust and obey God. God was the one with the ultimate responsibility. God was the one providing the blessings to Abraham. God was the one who would be providing future blessings to the nations and generations yet to come.  Abraham was simply to be the conduit of God's blessings.

Four thousand years later, God's instruction to us remains the same. God continues to to tell us "Trust me. Obey me. I will provide my power along the way. I am going to bless you so that you will be a blessing to others." And at Northwest we take these instructions very seriously. We believe God has perfectly positioned Northwest Community Church in Bella Vista, AR in order to be a blessing to Northwest Arkansas and the nations. In order to put these beliefs into action, Northwest is engaging in the Great Invasion Project. 

During The Great Invasion Project, Northwest is reaching out and blessing some of the hurting families from Cooper Elementary and our surrounding area with the love of Jesus Christ.  We are providing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, gifts, groceries, clothing, and other items to families in need as we invite them to get plugged in at Northwest Community Church. During the month of December Northwest will also be engaging in The Great Invasion teaching series as we reflect on the way Jesus Christ invaded humanity with His love on that very first Christmas. The Great Invasion Project will culminate on Wednesday evening, December 24th as we host a unique, family-friendly Christmas Eve worship gathering inside an actual barn in Bentonville. To get a sense for what the Great Invasion Project is all about, check out this recent video that tells the story of how God is working through others at Northwest.

This holiday season, do not miss out on all the opportunities God is giving you to be a blessing to other people. If you are not a regular attender at Northwest, but you would like to contribute to the Great Invasion Project, you may do so directly through our website. 

Message from the Leadership Team

Dear Northwest Community Church,

The Leadership Team would like to say THANK YOU for your faithful commitment to the vision of leading people to experience a new life in Christ. We are encouraged by the ways God is working, providing, and leading in the life of Northwest. It is a tremendous privilege to serve alongside you as we follow God’s leadership, share God’s story, and invite others to get involved in God’s mission.

Over the past several months God has been paving the way for Northwest to launch new ministries in the areas of international missions and student ministry. Our desire in each of these initiatives is to see more people transformed by the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Along the way, God has called Scott and Amilee Sanders to serve as our Pastor of Students and Missions beginning on December 1. In addition, God has already given Northwest opportunities to impact students in our community and has opened the door for us to partner with missionaries in Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Haiti in 2015.

As Northwest grows we have intentionally chosen to view the new challenges and expenses as opportunities rather than obstacles. For example, in 2014 God abundantly blessed Northwest by calling Jared and Adrienne Fincher to serve as our Creative Arts Pastor. In 2015, the Leadership Team is once again trusting God to provide as we seek to accomplish items such as building a house for our missionaries BJ and Jill in Papua New Guinea, funding our growing student and children’s ministries, and providing partial compensation for Jared and Scott who are both willing to make tremendous sacrifices in order to serve and be obedient to the Lord. As a Leadership Team, we see each of these items as opportunities for God to work in mighty ways and to grow Northwest’s ability to give generously and sacrificially.

In January Northwest will be mailing individual charitable giving receipts for 2014 along with a description of the exciting life-change that has taken place as a result of your tithes and offerings.  Please keep in mind that as a 501c3 your contributions to Northwest are fully tax-deductible.  Currently there are 4 convenient ways for you to contribute financially to what God is doing at Northwest:

1. Send a check in the mail to P.O. Box 5128 Bella Vista, AR 72714.
2. On Sunday mornings during our worship gatherings.
3. Online at www.lifeatnorthwest.org. Click on the “Give Back” tab. 
4. Setup an automatic bank draft by filling out the form on our website. 

Finally, we would like to invite you and your family to get involved in The Great Invasion Project at Northwest during the months of November and December as we serve people in our community who are hurting and may be far from God.

In Christ,
Will Blanchard, Greg Luka, Rob Sanders, Jeff Powers, and Jared Fincher

Abiding In Christ

A major theme God continues to teach me in my prayer life involves learning how to abide in Christ. Keep in mind that abiding does not mean we sit quietly, do nothing, and contemplate warm fuzzy thoughts about Jesus. Abiding actually means to obey, observe, follow, keep to, hold to, conform to, adhere to, stick to, and stand by. While abiding in Christ certainly produces fruit and peace in our lives (the aspect of abiding most talked about) there is also an aspect of abiding that calls us into action. Abiding is never passive. Abiding is active and involves a conscious decision on our part as followers of Jesus Christ. 

Right now in the life of Northwest there are plenty of opportunities for us to stop abiding and start acting on our own power and determined will. Needs are everywhere and uncertainty abounds in the form of both blessings and challenges. For instance God is blessing Northwest with new leaders (Scott and Amilee Sanders), new ministries (5th and 6th Grade, Student Ministry, and Missions), and new families. At the same time, we are being hit with new challenges such as students coming from tough family situations, neighbors far from God, and increased financial demands. But here's the deal, our directive does not change. WE ARE TO ABIDE IN CHRIST. If a million blessings come our way, we are to abide in Christ. If a million challenges come our way, we are to abide in Christ. 

One of the most incredible things about Jesus is the fact that the Son of the Living God has invited us to be his friend! We have been invited into a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior...let that sink in for a moment. But wait! The deal gets even sweeter. Christ tells us we do not have to muster up our own strength to follow and obey him. Jesus provides the grace and the strength necessary for us to love Him and serve others if we are willing to abide in Christ. 

Will Blanchard