What a weekend! We packed, moved, and cleaned out our Hazel Dell Campus right after our morning service. It is always amazing to see the church come together in one massive force and move a mountain. It only took about two hours to unload 10,000 square feet of stuff! Thank you so much to all of you who came to help.

We are so excited about moving to Prairie High School next Sunday! I cannot wait to see all of our churches under one roof and experience church on a different level. We are asking God for a fresh outpouring of who He is and a new season for North Creek Church.

We have a Facebook invite on our page: www.facebook.com/CoffeeChurch, so that you can let your friends and family know where we are! While we spend the next season looking for a new building, we will need to rely on word of mouth more than usual.

Our final services at multiple campuses were all great as we finished up our LIFT series on Psalms. We will head into our next series on Sunday called “Everything Changes”. It’s a beautiful play on words as it is focused on how the Holy Spirit changes our hearts, lives, and futures, but clearly it alludes to the fact that our church is shifting in a massive way. I trust that you will thoroughly enjoy this series as we talk about the Holy Spirit and the incredible impact He can have in your life.

We have a new young adult group that meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of every month – 7-8:30 pm. It’s located at 11328 NE 51st Circle #65, Vancouver, WA 98682. If you are a young adult, Rachel would love to get you connected by emailing her at youngadults@coffeechurch.com. This is a low-key and great way to develop community with the some Godly younger people.

Our own growth groups will come a bit later this fall as we adjust to our new systems and allow you to meet some new friends as one church.

By the way, if you are in the market for a 50 inch television, email Mark@coffeechurch.com. We will give you a good price as we happen to have about 6 of these that we won’t be using.

Thank you for your faithfulness as we transition and grow! This is going to be such a great journey…because any journey with Jesus is one worth taking! LOVE YOU, CHURCH!!!!

It’s Just What We Do.

By stacynewell

September 12, 2015

Inspiration

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I was recently praying as Kari Jobe was singing on youtube in the background. My nine year old, Kennedy, walked in and immediately was captured by the music. She began to sing and mimic Kari’s “full body worship experience.” I sat silently watching the future standing before me for several minutes. Kennedy raised her arms, sang out every word with wild abandon at the top of her lungs, and praised her King as an uninhibited child would.

Finally I spoke, “Are you going to lead people in worship someday just like Kari?”

“Yes, Mom, I am.”

“Did Jesus tell you that?”

“No, Mom. He doesn’t need to tell me to do that. It’s worship. It’s just what we do.”

She turned and ran off singing her song to our risen Lord.

Tears flowed down my cheeks. She knows what many forget.

So, my prayer for you, at whatever church your feet may fall into tomorrow, is this: I pray you would remember. I pray you would worship with that childlike abandon. I pray you would sing out at the top of your lungs, and lift your hands to a King who saved you. I pray you would let God take over your worries, your plans, and your agenda for those precious moments that are set aside for Him.

Him. The creator of the universe. The releaser of prisoners and the birther of dreams. Our healer, our comforter, our Savior, our King. He is the Alpha, the Omega, the One and Only God. The author and perfector of your faith. The Holy One with the power to move mountains and unleash the rain from the sky. May THAT God rain His anointing on you as you worship.

My prayer is that your heart leaps out of bed in the morning, you run to church with great expectation, and you leave filled by the only Source that will ever satisfy.

That’s the kind of Christianity that changes you. Changes our community. Changes our world…. A Christianity that boldly gives praise to the One who deserves it.

See you in the morning.

September 6 Coffee Church Highlights

By stacynewell

September 8, 2015

Inspiration, Ministry

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The countdown to the merge is ON! We have just two more weeks in our buildings until we come together as ONE CHURCH at Prairie High School on September 27. My heart is full of expectation and anticipation as the Holy Spirit whispers to my soul about all that He can and will do with His Church.

If you would like to help with packing, we will be at the Hazel Dell Campus on Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. We’ll also be there on Friday for a while, so if that works better, shoot me an email and we’ll coordinate times. stacy@coffeechurch.com. We will also be working all next week to get ready for moving day on Sept. 20.

A pastor friend of our recently asked to be caught up on what we were doing and stared at us very wide-eyed as we told him we were selling all of our property and merging our campuses. Sometimes I forget how enormous this all is, because God has been SO good and as we listen to Him, He makes our path straight.

I’ve got two challenges for you in the next 20 days… 1) Read your Bible. I suggest one chapter in the book of Acts from now until the end of the book. 2) Turn on some worship music and pray for 15 minutes. Allow God to speak to you!

One thing I’ve thoroughly enjoyed about prayer lately is that I stopped coming with needs and making it a list of requests. I just worship Him and as I do, He is ministering to my heart. Then, as He brings your faces to my mind, I pray for you in the Spirit. It is amazing how He unfolds His perfect timing before me.

As I’ve been praying, there are two areas of our church that I feel like God wants to break in us. #1 – Worship. I think He has a whole new level of worship for us to experience together. I think He is on the edge of setting us free from our inhibitions and fear. What would your worship look like at the throne of Jesus in Heaven? #2 – Tithing. As I pray, my spirit is burdened because so many people are held in bondage to their money. He scripted a plan and when you walk in that, you will find freedom that you never imagined. Church! I am praying that you walk in bold obedience and see what God does in you!

Our sermon series for launch Sunday is called Everything Changes. We know that overnight the very face of North Creek will change. From the average attenders point of view, it will be in a new location, triple in size, and function with completely different systems. However, that’s not all we want to change. We want lives to change. We want the captives to be set free, the depressed to be unleashed, and power where there was once weakness. We want the disobedient to repent and the disillusioned to have eternal clarity. We want the presence of Jesus to be our purpose and be a people that rises up in His authority.

Begin to declare victory where there was once defeat because a Living God wants to unleash His power on your life! Let’s do this.

How to Pick a Great Spouse

By stacynewell

August 29, 2015

Family, Inspiration

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This week Mark and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary, so I thought I’d write a blog to those of you who aren’t married about some tips to help choose well in the most important decision of your life. If you’re struggling in your current marriage, you should not read any further as we are prone to being consumed with discontentment and the need to compare. The reality is that the marriage you are in is the one you should be working on! There is no sense in looking back on what you “should have done”.

Also, good to note….marriage is from God for a man and a woman according to Scripture. My lens is through the eyes of a Jesus centered marriage…the basics of a commitment to faith, prayer, and the Word of God are foundational and implied. So, here’s my thoughts on some good things to watch out for in a potential spouse:

1. Purity first.

Sexual sins harm and destroy marriages with violent force. After so many years in ministry, I can tell you this: many warning signs of those prone to sexual deviancy were very visible during dating relationships. Look for a person who wants to wait for sex until married, has high standards for their computer use, speaks appropriately of the opposite gender, has a history of purity, and who treats your body with respect. I’m not mincing words here: if you have a concern over some of the sexual comments, activities, or habits of someone, don’t enter into a dating relationship or marriage under any circumstances. Pornography addictions, affairs, and illicit activities are areas we dive into as pastors all too frequently with people and it is a pain that you will be wise to avoid if at all possible. If you are honestly evaluating your own life right now and seeing these tendencies, it is time to get help! It is possible to rely on Jesus, be surrounded with the right counseling/accountability and find victory in these areas. Until then (which will be a long process), you aren’t in a place to date and get married.

2. Financially disciplined.

The most argued about topic in marriage is money. Marry a person who tithes 10% of their income to Jesus or expect there to be issues. Malachi 3:6-12 talks about how God will take care of you if you are faithful:

⁶“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. ⁷Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

⁸“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. ⁹You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. ¹¹I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. ¹²“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Mark and I have never made a lot of money with both of us in full time ministry and church planting, but in 18 years we have paid every bill and never argued about finances. If your spouse doesn’t have the foundational belief of giving and the discipline to follow that up with sacrificial action, you are setting yourself up to be outside of the blessings of God. That statement should make you shudder. You will be wise to make generosity a standard for who you marry…and for yourself.

Also there are a multitude of other financial questions to address: does the person you’re interested in pay bills on time? Do you hide financial information from you? Do they have the history of interviewing well, keeping jobs, and getting good reports? Do they save money or spend it with little regard for responsibility? How much debt do they have and why? If they have nice things, but have a mountain of debt, you’re headed for a problem. Be wise in whom you connect your financial future to!

3. Stability is sexy. OK, maybe not when you’re 20, but when you have kids, jobs, bills, and mortgages…someone who does what they say they are going to do, shows up, and is emotionally level is VERY sexy. There’s a saying that the good guys always finish last. It’s true…their marriages finish last…when you’re old. So look for a person who is faithful, dependable, loyal, secure in who they are, prone to joy, not controlling, and not addicted to substances. (Again, if you’re struggling in these areas, get help!)

We often buy into the fairy tale idea of being emotionally swept off our feet with love. I definitely think that’s a part of the equation! However, we do have control over our decisions and if there was ever a decision to weigh out pragmatically…it’s marriage. I used WAY more of my head to date Mark than my heart. In fact our first date was like an interview between the both of us about how and why we believed about a TON of issues. It was almost embarrassing to discuss some pretty intimate topics, but we had no time to waste. I was not going to let my heart take me somewhere that I knew wasn’t going to lead me to the right place. I also relied on Godly people around Mark and I to have input. We went to church together, did ministry together, and allowed people into our world publically and privately.

If I had red flags on my key issues, I would have walked away (and Mark as well). I know this because I did it with several men that my heart pushed me towards. And I was right.

Marriage is a risky business even when you have high standards. Many of my friends over the years have realized secrets, discovered lies, and been blindsided by some awful realities. It happens in life, but the key is to avoid what you can avoid and allow Jesus to redeem the rest. He’s given you Biblical standards, offered you wisdom, and provided you with counsel. It is your responsibility to use that to make the best decision you can with the precious life you’ve been given!

August 23 Coffee Church Highlights

By stacynewell

August 26, 2015

History, Inspiration, Ministry

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It was my 18th wedding anniversary this week, so Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband! I say it all the time, but he’s the real deal!

This blog is FULL to the brim of announcements and celebrations, so brace yourself!

Our youth had a BIG week as they merged together on Thursday night with RAVING success! There was 117 people packed into the Link Church’s building over by Costco and they rose the roof with all the electricity in that place. It was so amazing to see it all come together in such a phenomenal way. Below are some pictures for you to see it for yourself. If you’d like to be a part of our youth, you can contact Kris Gray at kris@coffeechurch.com.

One way you can massively help our youth is to come on one Thursday night every 8 weeks and babysit our youth staff’s children during service. Especially if you have a teenager that is being loved on every week, I encourage you to give back by watching some incredible kids. We are looking for 5 people right now who will show up once every two months. Email Rachael@coffeechurch.com to sign up and get background checked.

And our other big news is that we have sold the Hazel Dell building and are planning to move our churches to Prairie High School in the next 5 weeks! We have a tentative launch date of September 27, which is our 9 year anniversary! We are excited to celebrate with a fresh start and a new direction.

In preparation for our merge, Hazel Dell will shift to ONE SERVICE at 10:00 am for September 6, 13, and 20th. That way we can have our volunteer schedule ready to go for the move on the 27th.

My 9 year old Kennedy got to teach KidCity over at Hazel Dell, while 9 year old Isaiah (Pastor Chris’ son) got to teach over at Battle Ground. Kennedy and Isaiah were the first two infants in our nursery, so it was ironic that they both unveiled their preaching career on the same day! 😉 Kennedy told her dad that he could stop preaching because that was her job now! We love raising up kids with focus and passion!

We are praying for all of our North Creek students as they gear up for Back to School. We believe these kids can make a difference at a young age and impact this generation for Jesus. Please be praying with us!

Do you know of any warehouse space that is available for us to store our entire church while we are mobile? Let me know! We need a reasonably priced space.

We also need some new volunteer roles as we go mobile. If you are interested in any of the following, would you email me at stacy@coffeechurch.com? We only need you to serve one Sunday a month, unless you’d like to do more! We are excited to begin dreaming, training, and implementing!

Sound/media setup – LOTS of equipment to move in early Sunday morning
Preservice babysitter – Our worship team and set up team come with children! We need a babysitter to watch the littlest of them while their parents setup and practice.
Greeters/Ushers – We need many more greeters who also help us usher as we will begin passing an offering plate in our new system
Parking/Security – We need people who will double as parking attendants and security personnel
Prayer Team – We are instituting a new prayer team that prays before service and is available to pray with people after service
Kid’s Workers – Check in, Nursery, Tiny Town, KidCity….we are expecting 100 kids to bless us with their presence on Sundays! While we have a strong team in place, we now need more to accommodate all that awesomeness.

More info to come and ways to help as we get deeper into this transition. We couldn’t be more excited as we run toward our future with great expectation! Jesus is our center and our focus, so there is simply an amazing adventure ahead!