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October 20 Coffee Church Highlights

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October 22, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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What a jammed-packed full weekend it was!  So much to highlight this week!

Mark and Jim preached on prayer at Battle Ground on Sunday.  It was a great reminder of the power that talking to Jesus about our hopes, dreams, and needs provides for us.

Chris spoke on the Holy Spirit at Hazel Dell, which was a wonderful description of what can be a confusing topic.  Sometimes we complicate the Bible even more than we need to!  When you break down what the Scriptures actually say, you can find a great deal of clarity for yourself.  Yet another great reason to read the Bible!

Did you know that if we preached one chapter of the Bible every week it would take 23 years for you to learn about all of the chapters…IF you never missed a Sunday?  Yeah.  So, if you aren’t reading the Bible on your own, we are in trouble!

We also had a chance to go and look at the potential new building for the Hazel Dell campus.  So far we have gotten some great feedback.  All of the responses we got were “Yes” or “Maybe”.  The “Maybes” were based on some concerns that are very valid, such as appropriate wheelchair access and the size of the auditorium.  The good news is that we have researched enough so far to have a pretty good solution to all of the problems that were noted.   We are scheduling a Question/Answer/Financial Info meeting next Sunday night from 5:00-6:00 pm at the Hazel Dell campus.  We will have stats, pictures, and info, as well as an opportunity for you just to ask any clarifying questions you might have.

We apologize to those who came and the doors were locked already for the Open House.  I’m not sure how to explain that other than to say that there are a lot of players (with a lot of different perspectives) in the game and sometimes that makes the game challenging.  Despite any challenges, we will continue to do our best to provide this congregation with the tools and information that you need to make a great decision for the future of North Creek Church.  Good plan, huh?

There’s lots of excitement about the upcoming concert on November 5 at our church (see previous post).  I’m excited about the music, but I’m MOST excited that ALL the proceeds go to support Charity Water.  They provide clean drinking water all around the world.  Sometimes I try and think about how desperate I would feel if my kids didn’t have clean water…honestly, I start tearing up a bit and pulling out my checkbook.  Bottom line: I have too much and those in poverty have too little.  Remember that when I try and sell you a $50 cup of drip coffee at the concession stand.  Just kidding.  Maybe.  You can buy your ticket online through this Facebook Event LINK.

Also, if you are interested in decorating for Christmas, would you email me at stacy@coffeechurch.com?  We have “normal” decorating needs and then we always have “abnormal” needs, like people who are good with hammers and reclaimed lumber.  Maybe a chainsaw.  Yeah…

There are miracles in the house every Sunday.  I look around the room and just can’t believe all that God is doing.  What is He doing in your life?  I’d love to hear all about it!

Hey, if you want to get baptized, you can find the form at www.coffeechurch.com.  That’s how you can let the world know that Jesus is still doing miracles!  We are ready for you ANY Sunday!

Be blessed!

 

 

Two Things Coming Up!

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October 18, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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There are two calendar things coming up that are really important to the mission we are on to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus.  They are on two opposite ends of the spectrum, but we’d love for you to engage in both!  Here it is!

Potential New Building Visit

We have an opportunity to buy a church property just 16 blocks from our current location that would serve our church for the next season of ministry.  We have an Open House scheduled for Sunday, October 20 from 4 to 6:00 pm where we will have a chance for you to walk around, hear the stats, and give some input.  You don’t need to be there for the whole 2 hours, but plan to give yourself at least 20 minutes to walk through.  Also, you are welcome to bring your kids!  The address is 811 NE 88th Circle, Vancouver, WA 98665.  From Hwy 99, turn on 88th towards I-5.  Whether you are from the Hazel Dell campus or from Battle Ground, we value your input!

Charity:Water Benefit Concert

Tour

We have a concert scheduled for November 5, which will be amazing!  Even more importantly, it’s for a great cause!  Charity:Water provides clean drinking water for people all over the world, which saves lives every day.  We look forward to supporting them!  You can purchase a ticket and then bring some extra money for some over-priced-for-a-purpose concessions and an opportunity to donate.  If you can’t make the concert, just mark your giving for Be Present via Sunday giving or online at www.coffeechurch.com.  We’ll be glad to direct your money to this world-changing cause!

Although a church building and drinking water seem very diverse, both are an opportunity to Be Present in a unique way.  We would love to have you as a part as we seek to change the world right down the street and around the globe!

How To Read the Bible

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October 11, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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We are in the middle of a series called Hunger at church that I am thoroughly enjoying!  Part of it is very simple in the fact that is an attempt to inspire you to pick up the Bible and read.  As we were discussing this with our team a month ago we asked them about their own spiritual disciplines and what works for them.  It may encourage you to know that there were 20 people with 20 different answers to how they approach Bible reading.

The one thing that we agreed on was that regardless of how you approach getting into the Bible, it is fundamentally necessary for a committed Christian.

My story is that I didn’t grow up going to church, so I vividly remember my journey of Bible reading that began when I was about 11.  In fact, I still have the first Bible I was ever given with it’s deeply highlighted pages and a missing cover.  It was just a New Testament, but it included a Bible reading plan, so I started with that.  I really didn’t know that the Old Testament existed for years, so I just kept re-reading the New Testament with the same reading plan.

When I started going to youth group, I got my first complete Bible and my youth pastor told me to read it.  So I read it.  The whole thing in one year!  I will be the first to admit that I didn’t understand much of what I was reading, but something magical happened in the midst of my habits…I became confident in the pages of His Word.  I knew what books were being referenced in church and I could flip to where that book was.  I began to feel like the Bible was a piece of me and found great comfort in my minimal familiarity.  The Bible was no longer far away from my scope, but it was an old friend.

At 18, I went to Bible college so raw in my Biblical knowledge, it was probably hilarious!  I was surrounded by a lot of people who had grown up in Sunday school, and there I was, learning about David and Goliath for the first time.  I went from an A student in high school to getting my first C in Christian Doctrine.  I was swimming just trying to catch up to the timeline of events and main characters, but I was loving it!

It was in my senior year of college that I decided something that would change my life forever….I would never miss a day of Bible reading again.  No matter what was going on or how tired I was, I would ingest the Bible like a good meal.  My framework would be at least one chapter a day, every day.  I have continued that for the last sixteen years, including when I was in labor with my kids and a few days with the flu when I could barely hold my head up.

After 25 years on this journey of understanding the Bible, I will tell you that I still feel so inadequate in my understanding that sometimes it makes me laugh.  However, on the same note, I have a great deal of comfort in the fact that I’ve spent a quarter of a century trying to understand God and all I have to show for it is that I’m really small and He is really big.  I’m not sure that’s such a bad thing to boil down to in this life!

So, here’s my tip for you today…do something.  Just pick up the Bible and look through the Table of Contents.  Get familiar with the 66 different books held within it’s pages and then choose one to read.  Read it whether you understand it or not.  And then tomorrow, do it again.  What you’ll find is this…you’ll begin to change.  Maybe not today or tomorrow, but over a lifetime you will see the Words of God mold and shape you in a profound way.  So face the confusion and jump in!  You can do it!

October 6 Coffee Church Highlights

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October 8, 2013
Ministry
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Great weekend, as always!  We have such kind people at our church who I look forward to seeing every week.

We are in full swing with our next series on Hunger.  I am LOVING it as we talk about seeking after righteousness and making our spiritual lives a matter of priority.  Good stuff!

As we have announced, we are still in process for a potential building for Hazel Dell.  It’s a slow start as we navigate a commercial building purchase, so if you feel like you are missing something…you’re not.  That being said, we need you to be praying right now.  First and foremost we want to do whatever God wants us to do, so in the “meantimes” of life, we can be praying for His wisdom.  You can drive by the building at 811 NE 88th Circle whenever you want to.  Times/dates to see inside are still in limbo, but they will be coming!

All of our small groups are off and running for a great semester.  I am really looking forward to hearing about how God uses each one to mold and form lives!  There is value in everything from Bible studies to Bowling Leagues in the Kingdom of God.  He uses our brushes with His people to make us more like Him.

Mark and I’s small group is focused on finances, so that will be a lot of fun!  Money is taught so poorly in this country that by the time you figure out about interest, saving, and spending, you probably already have credit card debt and you’re probably only about 21 years old.  It’s a shame!  There is freedom in living a Biblically-structured financial life.  We are looking forward to the next 9 weeks with a really wonderful group of people.

Speaking of being more like Jesus, are you ready to get baptized?  We have a portable hot tub that we fill for baptisms any time!  You can sign up HERE.

We also have a thriving email prayer ministry that you can be a part of.  If you have a prayer need or would like to be added to the email list to pray for people, just send us a note at prayer@coffeechurch.com.  Over 200 people pray for those needs that come through!  There’s power in our prayers!

We have a lot of new volunteers making their way onto our team this fall.  Thank you so much for serving at North Creek!  We LOVE having amazing volunteers involved in the lives of people of every age.  It makes everything more fun when there are a lot of people!

Well, so much to do and so little time!  Make every moment count and do it all for Jesus.  Have a great week and be blessed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 29 Coffee Church Highlights

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October 1, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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It was National Coffee Day on Sunday, which means we should probably have had a marching band or something at the Coffee Church…Do you ever wonder who gets to declare a day something?  It was nice of that person to honor my favorite drink.

On another note, we had two great sermons last weekend.  Battle Ground heard about being a part of God’s best plan to save the world, His Church.  Hazel Dell started off the Hunger series about learning to seek after righteousness.  Looking forward to more in October!

Small groups kick off all this week!  SUCH great groups of people that I am sure will enjoy getting to know each other and experience life together.  It’s going to be a good semester!  If you missed signups, we’ll open a whole new round in January.

We also made a big announcement at church about a potential move for Hazel Dell.  We have an opportunity to buy a building (811 NE 88th Circle, 98665).  They have come down significantly on the price to a point where we could buy it and have the same mortgage payment as our current rent.  We will be doing our best to get you details quickly, but we are just at the beginning of this process, so stay tuned for some times/dates for info meetings and opportunities to see in the building.  Here are some facts for you:

  • Facility has approximately 10,493 SF of space (5,252 SF on main floor, 5,241 SF upstairs).  The upstairs is not ADA (wheelchair) compliant, which it needs to be, so we need to have an architect let us know the costs of solving this issue.
  • It’s location backs up to Interstate 5 and its access is off Highway 99.  It is 16 blocks south of our current building.
  • It was renovated into a church in 2007 and contains an auditorium, office space and multiple classrooms.  The interior is in good condition, but the auditorium is smaller than we’d like.  We need to look at options to help with this issue.  The kid’s and youth space would be a significant upgrade.
  • Building sits on 1.4 acres and is zoned General Commercial (GC) with generous parking, but the parking lot is a mess.  If you are a fan of blackberry bushes, this might be your church…

Right now we are renting our current building.  Our attempts to potentially buy it have been rendered impractical when you weigh out what they would like to sell it for and the necessary renovation costs to make it appropriate for assembly use.  In light of that, we have been actively searching for a solution that would allow us to move forward in creating a building that is clean, well-maintained, and meets our needs for the next season of North Creek Hazel Dell.  As a church, we will spend the next 45-60 days deciding if this new building meets that criteria.  We covet your input at every turn.  We’ll be using this blog, facebook, and email to let you know when you see the building.

Exciting things ahead for North Creek Church!  Thanks so much for your prayers!  We love pastoring this church!