Today’s post is in honor of October 15th National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and dedicated to my friends who have babies in Heaven. You are each heroes to me for getting up in the morning, facing your grief and walking forward with the grace of Jesus shining through you.

Sometimes in this thing called life, we are thrown into the pain and suffering of this broken world with a front row seat. Perhaps the closest we will get to the heart of pain is the loss of a child.

As parents, love is birthed in us at the moment of conception. We begin to dream for, pray over, and protect fiercely this little baby that we cannot even see with our eyes, but whom we love with our very souls. Our perfect picture is a healthy baby that grows into an amazing adult who will surely bury us before we bury them. Anything short of that goal is almost too much for our frail hearts to handle.

Last week our dear friends, Daniel and Lisa, lost their baby unexpectedly late term in their pregnancy. It is in that moment when you feel the earth’s horrifying gravity a little too heavily and yearn for the sweet respite of Heaven. Words are too inadequate and we know that only Jesus can truly provide a soothing balm of peace in the darkness of grief. It is simply breath stealing.

Daniel and Lisa’s oldest daughter and our oldest daughter, Delaney, have become fast friends in the last several months. As a pastor’s kid, Delaney has been on the forefront of grief many times. She has been with us for too many devastating visits and has held the hand of several friend’s facing the harsh reality of loss. Perhaps that is why Delaney latched on to Emily’s grief quickly and carried it with her as her own. She delivered a gift to her friend, stood by her in small group, and cried over the sadness in her heart.

A few days later at Delaney’s cross country meet I watched my girl run in the distance and enjoyed seeing her long stride push past her own pain. She was running with literally everything in her body and I could tell she was focused on doing well. Delaney is not naturally competitive, but this day she was running with a new determination.

When we got in the car I told her that I was proud of her for trying so hard. I was stunned when her answer came from the back seat, “I was running for Emily. I just thought of her the whole time and did my best for her. When I was struggling, I thought, ‘Just keep running.’ And so I did.”

I wasn’t expecting that at all and the beauty of realizing that she was still carrying that grief on behalf of her friend caused hot tears to roll down my cheeks.

God’s own wisdom often comes from the most innocent of moments, doesn’t it?

I sat quietly in the front seat contemplating what Jesus was speaking to my heart. It had been such a long and difficult week and His sweet presence in the car was a welcome lift to my weary soul.

“Stacy, do you hear those words? When you feel pain, JUST KEEP RUNNING. When you want to stop, JUST KEEP RUNNING. When you don’t know what to do, JUST KEEP RUNNING.”

And that’s true for all of us, isn’t it?

Daniel and Lisa…JUST KEEP RUNNING.

Greg and Kristina…JUST KEEP RUNNING.

YOU…JUST KEEP RUNNING.

And the really beautiful piece of being a part of God’s family…You are not out there on the course alone. When you think that the grief might overtake you and the pain is too much, just remember that there are many people who aren’t just running with you…they are running FOR you. And they are fighting for you, praying for you, and pulling for you.

You aren’t alone. Just keep running.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

October 11 Coffee Church Highlights

By stacynewell

October 13, 2015

Ministry

October 4 Coffee Church Highlights

By stacynewell

October 6, 2015

Ministry

September 27 Coffee Church Highlights

By stacynewell

September 29, 2015

Ministry

1 Comment

WE ARE AT PRAIRIE!!!!!! Whoooo-hooooo! Jesus is SO good. Such a great morning as we joined the Battle Ground campus, Hazel Dell campus, and our Deaf Church together for the first time! I just sense that God is going to pour out His Spirit in a new and powerful way in our church and I come with great anticipation during the next season for North Creek!

Everything was SUPER smooth from start to finish all morning. Our Leadership and Volunteer team was absolutely outstanding at planning, setting up, problem solving and making a great morning for everybody. Thank you to all of our volunteers who are bending over backwards all month to re-learn our systems, give it their all, and do it with joyful attitudes. Everybody was simply awesome on Sunday morning, which made the little challenges completely easy to conquer. I am humbled to be a part of such an amazing group that is focused on the mission of Jesus.

Worship in the main auditorium was off the charts. I just wept in the presence of God as we corporately lifted up his name! I’ve been waiting with great expectation to be able to worship with our church as a whole and I soaked in that moment for as long as I could.

Kid’s classes were SLICK! I was so impressed as to how well run, secure, and fun each environment was. We learned ALOT when we were at Prairie for Easter service, so we strategized solutions for those issues and NAILED it! It was such a joy to have our kids learning about Jesus and making some great friends in the process.

Mark spoke on the Holy Spirit and the book of Acts. Would you take some time this week to read Acts and ask God to help you understand the role of the Holy Spirit in your life? He is a complex, but inspiring piece of the trinity!

Thank you to Alvina who brought our set up team some muffins. It was a great treat! If you’d ever like to drop off some treats early for our workers, just let me know at stacy@coffeechurch.com.

We are looking for some new volunteers in these particular areas: Security team, Hosts/Ushers, Tiny Town, and our Prayer team. If you are willing to serve on one of these teams, we would love to have you! Fill out the volunteer form at www.coffeechurch.com.

We are also needing some childcare workers for the youth ministry. Our small group leaders bring their amazing kids during youth service and they need to be taken care of while they invest in our teenagers. If you can do that ministry, email Rachael@coffeechurch.com. Thank you so much for seeing needs and meeting them!

We are gearing up for our own small group season. We will have a shorter session this time to allow our churches an easy opportunity to meet some new people who may have attended the other campus or who are new. They will only be six weeks long, which is a simpler commitment for most of us to make! More info coming this weekend!

Our Hazel Dell building is set to close next week. We are so excited for the new church moving in! That building served us well when we needed it and we feel like the church moving in will thrive there. God orchestrated this all so perfectly and it has been incredible to watch and be a part of! He is so faithful. We anticipate the same story for our Battle Ground facility as well.

Whew! It’s been a busy month and we very much look forward to getting into a new normal. That being said, I am grateful for the hand of God who moves all of the mountains in front of us. Our job is simply to walk forth in faith and boldness.

Love you, church!

Here are some pictures of Sunday. We all missed most of the pictures in the foyer, so we’ll have to try again next week!

Nine Years for North Creek!

By stacynewell

September 24, 2015

History, Inspiration, Ministry

1 Comment

Today is our 9th anniversary since the day we launched North Creek Church.

I can remember sitting in a conference in my early 20’s feeling so sorry for pastors who “had to” start churches. It looked like an awful lot of toiling and sweat. It is, by the way. Now, here I sit, nine years in to a startup church and I feel so blessed to have been a part of something so spectacular! Strange how the tables so often turn in our lives.

In honor of year nine, here are nine things I’m grateful for along the journey:

I’m grateful for changed lives. I love the stories of Jesus changing people and if you have the time, I can tell them to you through laughs and tears. I love to tell them because each life is living proof that God is still working in our world. As I walk through the halls on Sunday, the stories flood through me like a river as I lay eyes on each beautiful face.
I’m grateful for the people who have committed for the long haul. There is so much richness in my life due to the fact that we have chosen to plant our feet in one church with other people who choose to do the same. You’ll never find the perfect church. You’ll never find one that is easy to be at all the time. You’ll never find one that is free of ups and downs. But if you will commit to people for the journey, you will find satisfaction that you never knew existed.
I’m grateful for the growth in my own life. I’m a better person because God has used this church plant to refine me in some excruciatingly humble ways as well as some moments of His glory that were even more humbling to be a part of. I am so different now than nine years ago, it is difficult to comprehend.
I’m grateful for our “Church Plant Kids”. We had the privilege of starting this church on the backs of a small fleet of children. Now those same toddlers and kids are teenagers and adults. They are incredible….really incredible kids with solid morals and good heads on their shoulders. I give the credit to Jesus and to the partnership in ministry they have had with us. Church and Jesus have always been a wild adventure for them to partake in…not a boring spectator sport to stop in at. Honestly, going mobile at this season is an opportunity for some of you. If I had young kids, I’d seriously sign up for the set up team, drag their cute diapered butts to church at the crack of dawn, and let them serve alongside some great men and women.
I’m grateful for a flexible church. North Creek gets some award for riding this roller coaster with grace and joy. We’ve been in a school, we moved to a bar, we bought a building, we merged with a church, we’ve been multisite, we adopted a [rocking awesome] Deaf Church, our youth ministry meets in another church, and now we are selling everything and moving back into a school….next adventure is yet to be determined! But each step was with great purpose to pursue what God has birthed in our hearts. A church that sees only the mission of Christ and not the address is a church that is unstoppable.
I’m grateful for faithful givers. It takes guts to give away 10%+ of your income every month to a church plant. After all, most church plants don’t make it past the first couple of years. Yet, we have a multitude of people who faithfully trust God with their resources every month and it allows us to keep moving forward. I am grateful for the faithful who believed in us early on and still believe today.
I’m grateful for prayer warriors. Mountains move when the righteous pray. We lean heavily into the prayer warriors and they have our ears. Listening to the critics will birth in you confusion, but listening to the intercessors will confirm in your heart what God is speaking to you. The maturity of our church is dependent on how many people will commit to seeking God in prayer.
I’m grateful for our Leadership Team. We have said often that we would not do this alone. Our team is our greatest joy as we link arm in arm and face the challenges that go with leading a church. What a fun journey to take with such a talented and strong-willed team! I frequently say that my job is to chase cats as they all dream and go forth in a beautiful mixture of independence and unity. We are blessed. So blessed.
I’m grateful for the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a mighty one. I am so thankful for His power in our weakness and His wisdom in our humanity. There is no way to charge forward into the future without His presence.

Here’s to another nine years. It’s impossible to imagine all that God can do through the next season of North Creek. Greater things are yet to come! Thanks for coming with us!

Pictures from nine years ago. I’m sure I missed some people, but hopefully you’ll recognize some familiar faces!