NWH HAPPENINGS CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF SERVING!

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1 Volume 32 Issue 10 October 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS SERMON SERIES: CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF SERVING! IS JESUS REALLY LORD? October 6 Priority Matthew 6:33 October 13 Living It Out James 2:14-20 October 20 Celebrate 1 Chronicles 29:1-9 This month we find one of our Journey Groups making paper dolls for the K-love spreading love around the world. Robert and Monique Lindbergh, Lisa and Dayna, Chris, Patricia and Victoria. What a great gift with such a global impact! Praise God! October 27 No Fear Matthew 6:19-21, Northwest Hills United Methodist Church 7575 Tezel Road San Antonio TX

2 FROM THE PASTOR It s October, and the Pumpkin Patch dominates the scene! But while we re selling pumpkins, and much of the community sees us as The Pumpkin Patch Church, let s remember what Northwest Hills is really all about. We re called by God to be Building Up and Reaching Out. Building up faith, not just head knowledge about the Bible and God, but real relationships of love and trust toward our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Building up Christ-like character in each other, so our lives more and more reflect his will. Building up the church by inviting guests, introducing people to Christ and Northwest Hills. Reaching out beyond the walls of NWH, living out our faith at home, at work, at school, at play, in the grocery store, and everywhere else we find ourselves. Reaching out with the love of Christ, expressed with words and deeds. Reaching out in good deeds and service, holding a door for someone at Lowe s, praying for a mom wrestling her young children in the grocery store, visiting someone in the hospital, mowing the lawn of an elderly neighbor, watching for needs and meeting them in the name of Jesus. Reaching out by naming Jesus whenever the opportunity arises, especially effective when you re reaching out by meeting a need! The Pumpkin Patch provides us unique opportunities to Build Up and Reach Out. Come spend an evening in the Patch, especially in the second half of the month. You ll meet lots of people who are not connected to Northwest Hills and may not be connected to Christ. Wear a NWH t-shirt so they know you belong here. Show them Christian hospitality. Strike up a conversation. Offer to take photos with their cameras of parents with their children. When appropriate, offer them information about NWH ministries that might meet their needs. And if you discern a hurt or a hope, listen to their story and offer to pray for them on the spot. It s a way of Reaching Out beyond NWH without having to go anywhere. It will build up your faith. It might build up their faith. And it might even build up Northwest Hills. WILDWOOD FELLOWSHIP NEWS Things are happening for our mission outreach Wildwood Fellowship. We re beginning to see God open doors that will allow us to get out and meet the needs of the community in the Wiseman & Talley Road area. We would also like to welcome Brian Campbell as our new worship leader. Brian attends the 8:15 service at Northwest Hills with his wife and daughter and then heads over and volunteers his time and musical talent to this mission outreach. Please keep us and our community in your prayers as we continue to seek God s plan and mission for us. Phil Bland Associate Pastor FALL FESTIVAL IS COMING! The Fall Festival is Saturday, Nov. 2 from 11 am - 3 pm. This is our BIG community event every year and we need everyone to help! Whether providing food, working at a booth, directing traffic, we need everyone to help make this a success. Watch for sign up sheets or contact Darla Nelson ( ) or Rachelle Kight ( ) and say What can I do? See you Sunday! 2013 The Way Mission Team Construction team on The Way mission trip to Whitley Kentucky. OCTOBER 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS Page 2

3 THE WAY YOUTH MINISTRY MISSION TRIP TO KENTUCKY If you want a good Biblical example of why God prefers our obedience over sacrifice, read about King Saul s huge blunder in 1 Samuel, chapter 15. If you want a good modern day example of why, read this article about The Way Youth Ministry s mission trip this past summer to Whitley City, Kentucky, to serve in local ministries operated by Crossroads Community Baptist Church. The most obvious sacrifice in any mission trip is the sacrifice of time. In this case, the youth sacrificed precious summer vacation time and the youth sponsors precious work vacation days. However, after serving in the community the agreed-upon Monday-thru-Thursday schedule, the team was going to spend Friday going to the river, maybe going to a nearby national forest and taking it easy. But when a couple of youth found out that one of the ministry sites would be shorthanded on Friday, they realized that sacrificing time away from home was not enough. They felt we needed to pitch in and obey God s gentle tugging. It honestly felt wrong that we would stay in a non-profit organization and stay there one more night, just to party the next day, said Samantha Riddle. We were planning on going to a bluegrass concert and the river and - I don t know - something hit me that this feels wrong. We shouldn t do this. The ministry was The Lord s Café, which serves free lunches five days a week. It is run like a diner, with wait staff and sit-down meals. Except the volunteer wait staff also prays with all the customers. So at Samantha s request, and other concerned youth, the team worked one more day at the café. The decision to keep working was a good one. The Lord s Café ended up serving 225 customers that day, the most all week. They obviously needed the help. And others who did not work at the café worked to clean The Learning Center and get it ready for the next team. It made me feel really nice because I knew that I had reached out to at least one person, who was actually one of the wait staff, Samantha said. I just talked to her a lot and she really opened up to me. This was one of many examples of the way God worked through The Way team during late July and early August. The team split up into three work crews: One crew did construction. The construction team was headed up by Scott Penning and Tim Boezinger and consisted of youth Michael Wisniewski, Matthew Crum, Matthew Boezinger and Sully Baxter. One worked with children at The Learning Center and was made up of Katie Taylor, Ani Murawski and Kaitlyn Nesbitt. The café team was Paul Langer, Johnnie Weber, Samantha Riddle, Mikaela Langer, Josh Duke and Chris Baxter. In addition, when some youth and adults finished their day with their crews, they went on to help either the laundry ministry giving out quarters and visiting with adults and children at the laundromat or the Horizon Adult DayCare visiting, laughing, joking and dancing with senior adults. Then, they worked on a house of a local named Jim, whose house had burned down. In years past, the youth ministry traveled to Las Vegas, Arkansas, South Dakota and West Virginia through an organization called YouthWorks. Josh Duke, who went to West Virginia last year, noticed a difference between the more mission-trip-in-a-can feel of YouthWorks and this trip. It was different because everyone was focused on the service and we did more service than in the past, Josh said. We really got to connect to the community more than the past. Mikaela Langer, who has gone on mission trips with a different church in the past, pointed out that on previous trips, she felt disconnected from the community. On other trips, I felt like God was put in a box, Mikaela explained. Like God was for church, and work was for the work site, but here all I did was share my faith with people that really needed it. For those that visited and prayed with Whitley City residence, it was a huge test of faith. I was always insecure about going and praying with people I didn't know, or talking to them for that matter because they all looked sad and angry at the world, Mikaela said. But when I did talk to them, they opened up a lot. And they had a right to be angry at the world, but it set me on fire to know that I could brighten their day even just a bit. Josh also said that putting himself in a situation where he had to pray with others and open up about his faith was really difficult. Talking to people stretched my faith the most because I wasn't sure how to bring it up and stuff so I just prayed that my actions were enough to show God's love, Josh said. Overall, the Way mission team showed that it is good to sacrifice your time, but it is greater to go the extra mile to help the less fortunate. He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17. The construction team did various projects at The Learning Center, which is also where the church is located, as well as the sleeping areas for work teams. OCTOBER 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS Page 3

4 Natalie Long Children s Minister New Ministry Opportunities God has really provided some excellent partnerships for our children and the community. The Children s Ministry Prayer Team has been praying regularly for the service opportunity that God has in mind for the children. In His time, He has put the pieces together providing several excellent partnerships that will allow the children to give back to the community. Please join us in praying that God will be glorified through these partnerships, that the children will truly be able to help others and serve Christ in the process and that those we help will feel the love of Christ through our children. There are a lot of new opportunities for serving so please don t be overwhelmed when deciding with your children which they will be a part of. Pray with your children about all these opportunities and see where you and your child/children are feeling led to serve. Apartment Ministry SOAR has partnered with the Villas De Sendero apartment complex to provide service and fun to the large amount of children that live in their community. SOAR Children s Ministry will be coming to their clubhouse and pool monthly to provide fellowship and fun for their residents. This will be an excellent chance to build relationships with these individuals in hopes of meeting a need and hopefully getting them connected with our church and ultimately sharing Jesus with them! Our first community event we are having together will be Saturday, September 28, 1:30-3:30 pm. We are going to be meeting a real need in our community by holding weekly tutoring sessions in their clubhouse for their elementary aged residents. We will be providing a great service to those families and we hope and pray for God to bless this ministry. Children s Ministry is working to partner with our youth group for this ministry in hopes that some youth members might be able to assist some children in completing their homework. We are looking for individuals who are interested in helping children with their homework on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00. Please contact Natalie Long at Natalie@nwhills.org if you are interested in partnering in this special cause. Texas Foundation of Hope The Texas Foundation of Hope is an excellent organization that helps mentally and physically challenged adults in our community people with special needs come to this place daily to make beaded crosses that are sold to provide work for these individuals, some of the most vulnerable in our community. We are making connections with this organization and have been asked to bring some of our children to help those who are there making crosses. This will provide our kids with some hands on time with special needs people. Our children will be blessed when they give back to our community! The hours that we are available to go will be times when our children will be in school so we will go see them during our breaks (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, Summer, etc.) The first two times we will be going to help these individuals are Monday, November 25, 12:30-3:30 pm and Friday, January 3, 12:30-3:30 pm at the Friendship Church Fellowship Hall at San Pedro Ave. Please watch for a sign-up sheet at the Connection Center. Sterling House Card Making Many children of NW Hills have been learning to make hand-stamped cards for quite some time. One child had the idea to take our fun hobby and take it to those in need. The children of NW Hills will be going to Sterling House, an assisted living and nursing home facility, once a month, to teach them how to make beautiful cards. Our hope is that the children will bring the people at Sterling House joy and creativity and that our children will feel blessed by giving back. We will be doing this the last Saturday of every month from 10:00-11:15 am at 5996 Whitby Road. We are also pleased that this facility wants to have our children perform their Christmas musical for them. Sunday School Happenings We have found a new, excellent curriculum we are using called Gospel Project. This multisensory curriculum takes our children for a journey through the Bible in three years. We just started at the very beginning! Your children won t be bringing home information sheets but do have the opportunity to purchase cards with pictures and the story at the Bible Buck store which opens the first Sunday of each month. Also, don t forget to wear your SOAR shirts on SOAR Sunday (first Sunday of the month.) Please also wear them to fellowship events and service project days. Wednesday Nights Wednesday Nights are awesome at NW Hills! Our kids will be learning a musical called Camel Lot! They will be performing it for the entire congregation at the 9:45 and 11:15 services on December 8. Children have an excellent time bonding on Wednesdays too. We have something for children of all ages on Wednesdays so don t miss out! OCTOBER 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS Page 4

5 Here it is, October already, only three more months left in this year. Let s talk a moment, look back and think. Have you been fishing for God these past months, if not, why not? As I have looked back over this same period, I am proud to say, The Emmaus community has started to step up and renew their closer walk with God. Now the question to answer: are you an active part of Emmaus, or just a member in name only? As a group working together we are continuing to provide strong church leadership, showing our church membership who we are on the first Sunday of each month by wearing our Emmaus lanyards, displaying our loving support to those who seek and need our help, and being fishers of men through sponsoring new pilgrims on Emmaus walks. The fruits of our labor are showing by the new growth in the community. Just this past month we were able to add seven new ladies to our fold, and now this month we are on track to add a least six more ladies and four more men, but there is still time and room for more. Now that they are in our care, we must finish the job as any good fisherman would. We must maintain and watch over them as we bring them home. We can only do that through our loving support as they make that special trip we call the Walk to Emmaus. Another sign that our community is becoming more active was also shown last month. On Saturday, September 7, a number of our members made the trip to Corpus Christi to join in the Great Emmaus Gathering. All told there were over one-hundred members in attendance from all over south Texas. What a great day of fellowship as we shared in God s words and grace. Then on Sunday, September 8, we had another gathering right here at NW Hills for the Northwest San Antonio Community. I guess the best way to describe it was, IT ROCKED THE HOUSE OF GOD! The attendance was unbelievable, the food outstanding, and the music and service were what praising our Savior is about. This truly was a special time with God. Now as you read this, you are thinking this is just for those people who have gone on the Walk to Emmaus. Well let me tell you - YOU ARE WRONG. It is for everyone who wants to make the Christian life a closer walk with God. If you want to strengthen your life with Jesus and feel you are ready to make that special walk to get to know Him better then the Walk to Emmaus is calling you. As we have gone before you, we are now here to help and support you to reach your goal. If you are still not sure you are ready, then maybe a good place to start is at one of our gatherings. We welcome guests to come and meet us and join us in our special praise to God. We invite you to come ask questions, experience the fellowship and love; you may be surprised to see many of your friends among our numbers. These gatherings are held on a quarterly basis at different churches in the San Antonio area. In October we will have church members at both the ladies (Walk 1723, Oct 3-6) and men (Walk 1727, Oct 17-20). There are still slots open for both walks. If you feel God is telling you the time is right, then please contact me so I can provide the help you need to walk along that path with Him. De Colores GRATITUDE Lynda Byrd Chair In a recent article, excerpted from a book titled The Four Things that Matter Most A Book about Living, the four things are in no way unusual or even unexpected. The four things are: 1) Please forgive me, 2) I forgive you, 3) Thank you, and 4) I love you. No surprises, right? Without a doubt, each of these is about relationships and no one thing is more important than the other. It s mostly about timing and what is needed most in a given situation. Thank you is an expression of gratitude. Gratitude is that feeling we have when we have experienced something meaningful. Gratitude is that feeling we have when someone has affirmed us in a way that was unexpected, deeply personal and insightful. Gratitude is the simple acknowledgment of a beautiful sunrise or sunset. In the case of our drought laden San Antonio, gratitude is the welcome sound of rain and the smell in the air just before the rain falls. Perhaps you are thinking about some of those gratitude moments and experiences. Our acts of stewardship demonstrate our gratitude gratitude to God for the countless ways that He engulfs us with love, mercy, grace, and abundance; gratitude for our families and friends and the blessings they are through God s grace and His concern for our needs and well being; gratitude for a church family that teaches us, encourages us, and loves us. Gratitude has no season. Every day is an opportunity to be reminded of the things that matter most, and to be thankful. The Four Things that Matter Most A Book about Living, by Ira Brock. M.D. Tom & Vicki Bader OCTOBER 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS Page 5

6 Monthly Events CLASS 101, Sunday, October 20 3:00 to 6:00 pm What it means to be a Christian What it means to be a United Methodist What it means to be a member of Northwest Hills UMC This class is for anyone wanting to find out more about becoming a Christian, about the United Methodist Church, and about being a member of Northwest Hills Church. Class 101 is required before becoming a member of Northwest Hills. Class is led by Pastor David Trawick. There is a sign up sheet at the Connection Center if you wish to attend the next class or call the church office at to reserve a place. LADIES OF LEISURE Meets Every Thursday, 11:30 am The ladies meet each week at a different restaurant just for fun. If you would like to be included in the fun or would like more information, contact May Lang at (210) or maylang@sbcglobal.net. UNITED METHODIST MEN S BREAKFAST Saturday, October 12, 8:00 am Meet at the church and then drive to Denny s on 410 off Ingram Road. Contact George Hampton at TEXAS RAMP PROJECT Building Freedom for the Homebound Saturday, October 19, 7:00 am. Meet at the church. We build accessibility ramps for the homebound. So, if you like working with power tools and get satisfaction in doing a job that betters another person s life, this is for you! Sign up at the Connection Center. For more information contact Ron Gloyd at (210) CARD MARKING WORKSHOP Saturday, October 5 10 am - 12 pm, Fellowship Hall Join the ladies of Northwest Hills as we support Membership Care in making handstamped cards. You don't need any experience or supplies. Just come ready for a day of fellowship, fun and creative recreation. Watch for a sign up at the Connection Center or Natalie Long at natalie@ nwhills.org IT S TIME TO UPDATE DIRECTORY INFORMATION Have you moved in 2013? Did you drop your landline or change your cell phone number? The church is in need of updating our records so that we have current information. For the month of October, there will be directory sheets in the foyer for you to check to see if your information is up to date. Once we get the information collected, Debi will be printing an updated church directory. It will be available as a paper copy and as a PDF for your computer. Details will come in November. IT S MEMBERSHIP CLEAN UP TIME! Debi is cleaning out the membership role and is asking for your help. If you know of former members who have moved, joined another church or your grown children no longer attend, please contact Debi so that she can remove inactive members. PRIME TIME POTLUCK LUNCH Monday, October 28, 11:30 am Anyone age 60 and older is invited to attend. Bring a yummy dish to share and stay for a fun activity. OCTOBER 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS Page 6

7 Monday, October 28 9:00 am Mother s Day Out Staff Meeting 11:30 am Prime Time Potluck Lunch 7:00 pm Leader Training Wednesday, October 30 The Great Pumpkin Giveaway THE PUMPKIN PATCH WILL BE OPEN EVERY DAY FROM 9 AM 9 PM UNTIL OCTOBER 31 Saturday, October 5 10:00 am Card Making Workshop with Natalie Long Tuesday, October 8 7:00 pm Troop 228 Venture Crew Thursday, October 10 7:00 pm Girl Scout Service Unit Meeting Women of Faith Friday October 11 Saturday, October 12 8:00 am United Methodist Men s Breakfast Women of Faith Sunday, October 13 5:00 pm Board of Trustees Tuesday, October 15 7:00 pm Troop 228 Venture Crew Friday, October 18 The Way Youth to Digital Age Concert Saturday, October 19 7:00 am Texas Ramp Project 5:00 pm SOAR Pumpkin Decorating in the Patch 3:00 pm Class 101 Sunday, October 20 Monday, October 21 7:00 pm Finance Committee Saturday, October 26 8:00 am Boy Scout Leadership Training 10:00 am SOAR Service Day Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: WEEKLY EVENTS 12:00 pm AA 3:00 pm Youth Choir 5:00 pm The Way Youth Worship 6:30 pm Church Prayer Group 7:00 pm AA Women 12:00 pm AA 1:00 pm Needle crafters 6:30 pm Boy Scout Troop 228 7:00 pm AA 9:00 am Mother s Day Out 5:15 pm Worship Band Practice 7:00 pm AA 7:30 pm Adult Choir Practice 8:15 pm AA Spanish Wednesday: 9:00 am Mother s Day Out 5:30 pm Wed. Snack Supper 6:30 pm Wed. Night Activities 7:00 pm Hand bells 8:00 pm NA 12-Step Program Thursday: 9:00 am Mother s Day Out 11:30 am Ladies of Leisure Lunch 7:00 pm AA 8:15 pm AA Spanish Friday: 12:00 pm AA 7:00 pm AA Saturday: 9:00 am AA 10:00 am TOPS Weight Loss 7:00 pm AA Spanish World Communion Sunday, October 6 Columbus Day Observance, October 14 Reformation Sunday, October 27 Reformation Day, October 31 Sunday, October 27 The Way Youth to Switchfoot Concert OCTOBER 2013 NWH HAPPENINGS Page 7

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