New Sermon Series: Core Values

At New Life we have five core values that make up the structure and foundation from which we seek to serve God and each other. These core values express who we are and how we seek to accomplish the vision and role God has given us to fulfill in our community and world. From August 29th through September 26th our sermon series will be covering our core values, their foundation and examples in scripture, and our calling in each of them.

The schedule for the series is as follows:

August 29th – Adoration our calling to worship

September 5th – Belonging our calling to pursue community and fellowship

September 12th – Compassion our calling to serve and minister to others

September 19th – Discipleship our calling to grow as Christians

September 26th – Evangelism our calling to share the gospel

Please join us for the messages on Sunday morning, and download them from our “sermons” tab if you happen to miss one.

Center for Advanced Biblical Studies offers class on scripture

How did we get our present-day Bible? Can we be sure that the Bible is a reliable and trustworthy document? Have inspired books been left out of the Bible? What about the apocrypha? What do we mean by “inspired” writings? How can the Bible be the Word of God if it was written by men? Does the Bible contain errors? Is Scripture still being written today? If not, why not?

If you are interested in exploring these questions, Pastor Brian is offering the first course for the Center for Advanced Biblical Studies (CABS) this fall on the Doctrine of Scripture. The class will meet every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8:30pm beginning September 2 in the New Life sanctuary. The cost for the class is $50, with a discounted rate of $40 for members and regular attendees of New Life and $25 for pastors and students. If you’d like to pre-register for the class, you can sign up in the foyer. If you want more information about the course schedule, format, requirements, and topics that will be addressed, see the course syllabus in the foyer or talk with Pastor Brian.

A Week at the Edge

A couple weeks ago I wrote to the congregation asking for prayer for our junior high youth who were heading off to summer camp. I wanted to take a moment now and let you know how God used your prayers and our week at camp to glorify Himself in the lives of our youth and leaders.

First of all, for those of you who may have missed the previous Lifeline article, let me give some of the details of the week we spent at camp. For the past four years we have attended “the Edge” a camp that meets on the campus of Covenant College in Chattanooga, TN. It is a PCA camp that is organized and run by several different youth pastors. The entire structure of the camp is meant to facilitate relationships between youth pastors/leaders and their youth. Each day we had morning and evening worship — both of which consisted of singing, skits, a lesson, and group devotions. The guys and girls split up in the morning for group devotions and in the evening we all met together to discuss what the kids had learned and anything God might have been teaching them throughout the day.

Though we had numerous fun activities, even a day at a water park in Atlanta, for me the best part of each day was the evening devotional. We were tremendously blessed to have such an attentive group of young adults who took in each lesson and used their personal time during the day to thoughtfully approach God in response. Not only that, but they were also willing to talk with the group about it! Each night our discussions deepened both in spiritual content and openness about life and faith.

On Wednesday we had “Commitment Night,” where the kids are asked to take a serious analysis of their relationship with God. I really (see “Camp” on page 3)appreciate the way this night is orchestrated. They plan it in the middle of the week so that there aren’t many influencing factors, such as realizing this is the last night of camp; and instead of keeping the kids inside and playing loud or emotional music to get them hyped up, they send them out into the campus to spend time alone with God. The kids are asked to write on a slip of paper a message to God and choose one of four words to describe their current relationship with Him: repenting, returning, remaining, or running. After about 15 minutes, the kids return to the chapel and place these slips of paper at the foot of a wooden cross to symbolize the openness we have to approach God through the shed blood of Christ. Two of our girls took this opportunity to dedicate their lives to living boldly for Christ.

2 Timothy 1:5-7 speaks of God’s covenant being passed down from generation to generation as it becomes alive in Timothy’s heart. What a humbling privilege it was for Jessie Jordan and Jessy and me to experience God working in the hearts and minds of the junior high youth and use our meager efforts for His glory. Thank you so much for your prayers and dedication to our children, without which the week at camp would not have been so fruitful!

In Him,
Adam

Breaking the Communication Barrier — Mexico 2010

Beeep! “In preparation for landing the pilot has illuminated the fasten seatbelt sign, at this moment please fasten your seatbelts and put your tray tables and seatbacks in their upright and locked position.” Having flown man other times, this message was so routine it practically seemed like white noise. This time, however, the message was not accompanied by the usual metallic clink of seatbelts fastening, instead I heard the sound of people walking through the aisle. Just then I saw Lynnette Alston, one of our teammates from Tennessee, walking up the aisle talking to people. As Lynnette reached my seat she hollered out in a booming Southern drawl “We can’t land before I get to say g’bye to y’all!” We had a very short layover in Georgia and we didn’t have time to say goodbye in the airport, so Lynnette was determined to get her goodbyes out even at the risk of being attacked by the flight attendant.

In many ways this scene embodied much of what the week in Mexico was about. This being the fourth year we have taken a team to Monterrey, our relationships are growing significantly in number and depth. Each year people seem to be fairly reserved at the beginning of the week and it takes a day or two for us to come out of our shells, but this year it was amazing to see how everyone seemed to pick up literally where they left off. It was a homecoming of sorts as we greeted our dear brothers and sisters from Mexico and Tennessee.

As I marveled at the community and family we have developed, I noticed for the first time the unique communication that occurs among the team and the Mexican people. I am not speaking of a verbal communication, because by many standards that is a significant barrier for many on our team; but there is a stronger purer communication that is seen and experienced through facial expressions and nonverbal cues. Perhaps the fact that we do not have the crutch of verbal communication focuses our entire self on the task of communicating what is on our hearts, and when you witness this firsthand it is an overwhelming experience.

I sat in my seat on the plane thinking about the past week. I thought of all the kids we reach out to through VBS and the basketball camp and the seeds that were planted in their hearts. I thought of all the women that were touched by the crafts, fellowship, and the testimonies they heard from the women on our team. I thought of our dear friends at Bethel and in Tennessee and how hard it is to say goodbye after spending such an intense week with them. It occurred to me then that perhaps one of our biggest crutches to truly communicating with each other is our ability to speak. We beat around the bush, we play games with our words, we bury our thoughts and desires in our expressions; yet when faced with the task of communicating love through a language barrier, we focus every fiber of our being on that task and experience intoxicating results. As I lamented the fact that we were now returning home most likely to regress to our old ways, I was suddenly jolted by Lynnette getting right in Nathan Bergman’s face and planting a big Southern g’bye kiss on his forehead. This was followed by the flight attendant saying, in a very exasperated tone, “Ma’am, please take your seat — we are about to land!” At this I smiled and thought maybe every year, as we see and experience God working through us in Mexico, we take a little bit of that openness and boldness back with us; and that’s what makes this trip such a challenge and a blessing each year.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. God has done so much Kingdom work and challenged and changed our hearts each year we go down!

In Him,
Adam

Summer Adult Sunday School Offerings

Throughout the summer we are offering two Sunday school classes.

Pastor Brian will be leading a summer Sunday school series entitled “Rendering Unto Caesar: God’s Purpose for Government and the Christian’s Relationship to the State.” The lessons will focus on what the Bible says about government and how both the church and the individual Christian relate to the state.

Dr. Jim Spiegel will teach a 6-week Sunday school class on the subject of atheism. Among the issues to be addressed are these: Why is atheism a growing movement in our society? What is the biblical explanation of atheism? What arguments do atheists use to undermine belief in God? And how should Christians respond to atheists? The text for the class will be Jim’s new book, The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief.

Please consider these options as you seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of our God and His Word.

Testimony of God’s Hand at Work in Monterrey, Mexico

As many of you know, I recently returned from Monterrey, Mexico where I attended the Project Orientation Training (POT) for our annual missions trip. The trip covers many details and aspects of our summer trip and the other PCA churches serving in Monterrey. However, it largely consists of connecting with the church we serve with and making plans for our summer programs together.

This will be the fourth year our church has gone to Monterrey to help a young, small church in the lower economic neighborhoods run their VBS as well as several other ministries. I fell in love with this church five years ago when I served as an intern in Monterrey. I was deeply moved by the church’s passion to share the gospel with their neighbors and community, and their sacrificial love for each other.

It is such a blessing for me to see how our church has connected and developed relationships with people that don’t speak the same language and come from a very different culture. It is also such a blessing to return each year and to see how much the people have grown in their spiritual lives. Just as a child seems to grow by leaps and bounds when you don’t see them every day, it’s the same with this church. Every year we see people gain deeper and closer relationships with Christ.

I want to share with you about Hugo and Mari. Hugo is quiet and serious, but you can tell has a sweet and generous heart. Mari is always laughing, so it is easy to connect with her and instantly love her. Neither one of them grew up in a Christian home and
Bethel Iglesia was the first church they have attended. Mari was invited by her next-door neighbor and she instantly felt like she had gained a family. She began attending regularly with her then 3-year-old son, but it took several months before her older sons, then 10 and 12, joined her. Slowly they became connected in the church and gained an
understanding of the gospel.

In 2007, our first year in Monterrey, when I was there for POT, I was introduced to her husband. There was a lot of excitement in the church because they had been praying for months that he would come, and this was his first Sunday. When we returned in July, he had still been attending regularly and was heavily involved in helping with our ministries for the week.

Last year Hugo, Mari and their sons were baptized, and in addition to being baptized, Hugo and Mari were married in the church as new believers. They had not previously been officially married, but had a civil marriage.

Hugo is in the Mexican military and is on the front lines of the drug war, where his life is always in danger. He spends many months away from his family serving his country. We got to see him briefly last year and assured him we were praying for him. He testified that he knew where his confidence lies and if something were to happen to him, that the Lord would protect his family. He reassured us not to be afraid for him, but to know that God is faithful.

This is just a snapshot of what the Lord is doing in this precious church in the poor suburbs of Monterrey. This is the reason we go each year, in hopes of seeing more families enter the church and discover God’s love and grace through his people and in hopes of deepening our relationship with these brothers and sisters. Thank you for your prayers while I was gone. It is always such a blessing to see how the Lord is at work.

Our Responsibility to Our Youth

Spring is in the air, track and baseball are in full swing, and the Mexico missions team is raising support again. This being our fourth year going back to Monterrey, (July 10–17) I am sure for many the excitement and newness of the trip has worn off. However, I would like to express two reasons why the trip is not only still exciting but serves a vital role in the life of our congregation, and challenge all of you to commit to praying for the team as well as prayerfully consider supporting us financially.

First of all, in January we had our annual meeting where we discussed, among other things, the church budget. During the meeting several members asked why we don’t spend more money on missions. It became evident that many of you have a desire to see the gospel furthered and kingdom work accomplished here in Yorktown as well as all over the world. We came out of that meeting with a resolve to give more aid to missions work, and in response to this the session added $1,000 to our foreign missions budget. This money is being used to aid Campus Crusade’s trips to East Asia and increase our support of the Pfeils in Japan.

We are now asking you, as members of the congregation, to help us support the annual Mexico missions trip. It is so exciting to see how God continues to strengthen the relationships and sense of family among New Life and Bethel Iglesia, the church we work with in Monterrey. The more we continue to partner with these people the smaller our cultural walls become and the more entwined our worlds and spiritual lives become.

Secondly, when Pastor Bob baptizes a child, he asks us: “Do you, as a congregation, undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?” Each time we, as a congregation, respond “we do.” We have made a commitment to our children, to our families, and to God to do all that is in our power to nurture the growth of His children.

Each year the Mexico trip has a tremendous impact on our teenagers to become more serious about their faith, to see the world through a gospel-centered lens, and experience having to rely on God in ways they never have before. And this year we have an even larger team with several students joining us from other churches.

Last year, one of our teenagers was describing to me this realization that had occurred to him while in Mexico. He explained that for the first time he had this confidence in scripture and in the gospel that he had never experienced before, and he felt that against all odds he just knew the gospel was true. This is a beautiful example of a young man experiencing assurance of salvation in a new and exciting way. Similarly, half of our foreign missions committee consists of high school youth that are now taking seriously kingdom work on a global level. If you take seriously the commitment you have made to our children and nurturing their spiritual lives, please support the Mexico trip in any way you can.

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’” (Jer. 1:4–5)

God has been at work in our lives and the lives of our children from before the beginning of time, and He is calling us to partner together as a congregation and as a global church to see the gospel spread and nurtured in our lives and communities. Please support the Mexico trip with your prayers and finances and watch how God will use it to grow our congregation, further His kingdom, and enrich your spiritual walk.

In His grace,
Adam & the 2010 Mexico Team

If you are interested in supporting the Monterrey Team, please contact contact the church office.

New Sermon Series on the Psalms

It is sometimes hard for Christians to discern the proper place that their emotions should have in their spiritual walk. This becomes especially challenging when we struggle with negative emotions, like fear, despair or the desire for revenge. Should a Christian have these kinds of feelings? And if we have them, what do we do with them?

With these questions in mind, our next sermon series at New Life will be called, “The Psalms: The Cry of the Soul.” God in his mercy has given the Psalms to his people partly so we would know how to express our emotions, both positive and negative. So, starting April 25, Pastor Bob will begin a nine-part series exploring the different kinds of psalms and the way they apply to the struggles of living in a fallen world.

When the series on the Psalms is completed, we will continue our annual summer tradition of doing a short Q&A sermon series, so you might start formulating your questions now.

Plans in Place for the Community Garden

YORKTOWN, IN—Almost ready for occupancy, 1,600 sq. ft. of country living, located on small hill overlooking river. Perfect for families willing to reap what they sow. Must be willing to trade a little work, minimal expenses and some patience for fresh-picked produce and the chance to help others.

Does this sound like a come-on for a real estate deal that is too good to be true? It’s not. Last spring, some members of NLPC tried to start a garden plot just outside the kitchen door and there were a few tomatoes and peppers grown during the summer of 2009. This summer, I hope more families take part in the garden and we declare a bounty come August and September, sharing the overflow with Muncie Mission, the YWCA or other charities involved in feeding people.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to grow your own vegetables; you worry about the quality of the produce in supermarkets; or you just want the freshest food possible for your family—signing up for a garden plot is for you. If you live in an apartment, deed-restricted home, or have a small lot, this is an ideal solution for gardening.

With weather permitting, I hope to begin working the ground April 24 or 30, renting a heavy-duty tiller and enlisting help from those interested in farming in getting the plot ready to plant as soon as the threat of frost is past (usually the first weekend of May). Renting the tiller will probably be the only cost related to using the church’s garden plot. Or, if we can find three to five people with normal tillers who would be willing to let us use them for a weekend, our cost drops significantly.

Signup sheets are on the bulletin board in the hallway and if you have any questions please contact the church office.

Join the “Pray for an Atheist” Campaign

By most estimates, there are 20–30 million atheists in the United States.  This is a staggering figure, especially since so many atheists are quite hostile to Christianity and all things religious.  It is also astonishing given the fact that the evidence for God is so clear.  The Bible says that all of creation testifies to the reality of God (Ps. 19:1, Rom. 1:20), so why are there atheists?  To this question also the Scriptures speak clearly, as the Psalmist says “the fool [the “morally deficient”] says in his heart there is no God” (Ps. 14:1), and the Apostle Paul notes that they “suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom. 1:18).

So if atheists willfully suppress the truth, apologetic arguments will likely have little effect in persuading them to believe.  So what recourse do we have when it comes to responding to the growing numbers of atheists in our culture?  In a word, we can pray.  The Holy Spirit is strong where we humans and our arguments are inadequate.  He can melt even the coldest heart, as he did with some well-known former atheists, such as C. S. Lewis and Lee Strobel.

Do you have a friend, colleague, or family member who is an atheist?  Do you pray for him or her consistently?  A number of Christians have designated the month of April as “Pray for an Atheist” month.  Will you join the movement?  There are no meetings, fees, or any other commitments involved.  Simply commit yourself to praying for an atheist at least once daily for the whole month of April.

A Facebook page has been dedicated to this initiative, where Christians can post prayers and mutual encouragement as they pray.  If you use Facebook, simply follow these steps: Search for “Pray for an Atheist” on Facebook; become a “fan” of the page; pray for an atheist by name each day during April; encourage your Facebook friends to join you.

Those interested in this subject should consider purchasing Jim Spiegel’s latest book, The Making of an Atheist, which is available on New Life’s book table

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