The Halfway Point... Adrian Dixon, Lead Pastor. July 2016 Volume 14 Issue 7

Transcription

1 July 2016 Volume 14 Issue 7 T h e N e w s l e t t e r o f N o r t h s i d e C o m m u n i t y C h u r c h The Halfway Point... Adrian Dixon, Lead Pastor It s hard to believe that we re halfway through I can remember as a kid my parents constantly telling me how fast time goes by. I didn t really believe it, but as we all know, they were right. I m reliving those moments with my kids now. Our daughter will be starting Kindergarten in August. Just last week, she proclaimed, Dad, August is never going to get here. Before we know it, summer vacations will give way to stores putting up Christmas decorations. Everything seems to be moving so fast! I believe it s important to take time and reflect on the things we see happening around us. As much as I try to do this, I find myself continually thinking about what s on the horizon. I spend way too much time thinking about what s next rather than being grateful for what I ve seen and experienced. As we turn the corner to the second half of 2016, I want to stop and thank God for the things we ve witnessed and experienced as a church community during the first half of this year: We ve witnessed 4 people accept Christ as their Lord and Savior We ve witnessed 3 people baptized into the faith We witnessed over 70 children at this year s Vacation Bible School We celebrated 14 years of ministry in Eastern Wake County We witnessed 3 children dedicated by their parents (William Brown, Elizabeth Garrison & Elijah Dixon) We ve had 20 people join the church through partnership We held our 3rd annual Daddy/Daughter Dance We completed a church-wide study on Transformed: How God Changes Us We had 60+ people spend a weekend together for our annual church retreat We were able to bring Dan Thorpe back on staff as our Pastor of Student Ministries We ve been privileged to walk alongside and support Brandon & Rachel Barnes and their family while Brandon battles leukemia We held a ribbon cutting for the Compassion Project (our first tenant moves in July 9th) We ve witnessed a new ministry begin in the Children s Choir We had more first time visitors than in any other 6 month period We bid an affectionate farewell to Jon & Candy May as they moved to Campbellsville, KY We ve celebrated with 3 families and their new additions (The Lee s, The Barnes & The Thorpe s) We re anticipating the arrival of 4 more additions (The Coley s, The Kearney s, The Murray s & The Dixon s) We had the resources to pave the Second Avenue parking lot and sealcoat the existing parking lot It s in taking time to reflect and remember that we have a front row seat to see how God is working. In fact, it s actually in remembering that we can look towards the future with hope - Philippians 1:6, And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. May we continue to see the good works of God!

2 Chest of Joash Preview Ever since Northside started back in 2002, we ve had a yearly focus on stewardship. We don t use the word steward very much in our society, but the principle is that for everything we re given, we operate as managers or stewards, not owners. The Chest of Joash stewardship campaign is the only time during the year that we talk about money and the church. The Chest of Joash stewardship month is a four week teaching series on biblical giving. It concludes on Chest of Joash Sunday when we ask all those who are partners and who regularly attend Northside to consider giving a gift above and beyond their normal level of giving. Over the years, the annual giving done on Chest of Joash Sunday has allowed us to move into our first permanent space on First Avenue, to complete landscaping requirements before we received our Certificate of Occupancy. Last year, over $30, was given on Chest of Joash Sunday to install sump pumps in the Lower Level and completely replace our HVAC system. This year will be no different. Gifts given on Chest of Joash Sunday will be used to accomplish three very important tasks: 1. Pave the Second Avenue parking lot (completed in May with anticipated Chest of Joash funds) $14, Install new projector in sanctuary and display board for praise team $8, Repair Lower Level walls (sheetrock, baseboard, paint) $15, From initial conversations and proposals we have received, we are estimating that the costs will total approximately $40, to accomplish these tasks. Please begin praying now about how God might have you to be involved on Chest of Joash Sunday. Welcome New Partners! Please give a warm welcome to these individuals who made the commitment to join Northside Community Church during the month of June. If you have questions about joining Northside, please connect with Pastor Adrian Dixon. Jonathan Garrison Dr. Page Wages Diane Ferello Jamie, Rita, Aidan & Colt Almond

3 Upcoming Events Guy s Movie Night Attention guys! We re planning a dinner and movie night starting at 6:00 pm. We ll be eating dinner catching Independence Day 2 at North Hills. To RSVP, please sign up in the lobby. Backpack Drive Starts July 24th We re hoping to collect at least 30 backpacks (full with the necessary school supplies) to help those in need. The need is fairly broad; ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade. General school supplies are needed. Below is a list of items needed: 1/3/5 subject spiral notebooks, composition notebooks, zippered pencil pouches, wide ruled notebook paper, color pencils, crayons. We ll be collecting supplies until August 14th. Items can be left in the church lobby. Church-Wide Agape Meal Mark you calendars for our next church-wide agape meal. Bring your favorite covered dish as we celebrate what God has done the first half of Pastor Adrian will be sharing some updates on the Compassion Project, church safety/security and Chest of Joash opportunities. VBS Thank You! by Dee Belvin Thank you does not begin to cover the amount of gratitude I have for each of you that were a part of the VBS team. Each year, VBS is a success because of all of you coming together to be the body of Christ. Every contribution was important to make an impact on the lives of the children we had in our care & teaching last week. You did so much! You prepared lessons & supplies at home, danced & sang in music, donated snacks, thought up creative ideas, blew up balloons, led children through rotations, organized materials, gave hugs, taught Bible study, cut & glued & baked & painted, splashed water on kids, put bandaids on cuts, completed paperwork & registration, cleaned & swept & mopped, drew fish & other sea creatures, helped when loose teeth came out, washed paintbrushes & towels, and LOVED children. What a week of pointing children to Jesus, and how Jesus sees, Jesus knows, and Jesus saves! We had 77 children come through Northside's doors during VBS, and 27 of those children do not consider Northside to be their church home. Please pray for these families to feel God's love through us and to want to return to be with us on Sunday. Thank you to each person for the way you helped with VBS...I praise God for how you shared your gifts with Him and our children.

4 July 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Guy s Movie Night 6:00 pm Team Middle / High School Youth 5:00 6:30 pm Boy Scouts Team Middle / High School Youth 5:00 6:30 pm Boy Scouts Team 24**/31* **Agape Meal *Holy Communion Middle / High School Youth 5:00 6:30 pm Boy Scouts Team

5 Congregational Support Our Elders are available for any spiritual needs you have. Our Deacons are available to assist you with your physical needs. These individuals are able to assist you this month. July Elder Adrian Dixon July Deacons Brian Belvin Tammy Massey Need Prayer? requests to: Safety & Security at Northside On June 28th, individuals from the church met with Knightdale Police Chief Lawrence Capps to discuss the implementation of a safety/security plan at Northside. One of our Deacons, Brian Belvin, will assume the role of leading and developing this important ministry. If you are interested in learning more or being a part of the safety & security team, please plan to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, August 2nd at. Questions? Contact Brian Belvin at brian.belvin@gmail.com. June Stewardship Attendance Offering June (64/60/66) $3, June (106/104) $4, June (82/94) $4, June (87/119) $4, Average Weekly Attendance: 196 Total Amount of Tithes $16, Amount Needed Per Week $4, Average Weekly Tithes $4, YTD Budget Overage $8, The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to fear the Lord your God. (NLT) Deuteronomy 14:23c New Staff Addition At the May Elder s meeting, the church leadership discussed the need to hire an individual or company to maintain the cleaning of the church facility. For the last three years, we ve had faithful individuals volunteer to help clean the church. As the church has grown and people s schedules become busier, the cleaning responsibilities have fallen on a select few. Elaine Adams, a longtime church partner will join the church staff on July 1st as our custodian. Elaine and her late husband Eric were instrumental in this ministry when we first moved to First Avenue. Many of the guidelines and policies we follow were developed by Eric and Elaine. Be sure to welcome Elaine to this new role. We re very thankful to have her on board! Jacob Baldwin Andrew Friedrichs Jesse Poole Lonnie Baker Rhea Wiggs Tim Hawkes Birch Montgomery Carolyn Schatz Lily Johnson Kinsey Mathis Laney Mathis Carly Thorpe Jonathan Adams Tom Carrothers Shirley Hill Matt Davis Xander Swan Jennifer Taylor Chris Hellriegel Tyler Atkinson Mary Catherine Nichols Candler Thornton Payton Long Tammy Massey Jackie Coley Dan Thorpe Reece Mathis Carole Carrothers Cassidy Narron July Birthdays July 2nd July 3rd July 4th July 5th July 6th July 8th July 9th July 9th July 14th July 14th July 14th July 15th July 17th July 17th July 21st July 23rd July 23rd July 23rd July 25th July 27th July 27th July 27th July 28th July 28th July 29th July 30th July 30th July 31st July 31st Did we miss yours? Please let us know. info@northsidecommunity.com

6 Mission: Northside Community Church Mission Values Our mission is to meet our community s changing needs by living the unchanging Gospel of Christ. Values: Fidelity We are committed to Biblical truth and prayer Authenticity We are committed to creating an environment where people can come as they are Compassion We are committed to heartfelt concern for the needs of others Engagement We are committed to intentionally pursuing involvement in our community Staff: Adrian Dixon, Lead Pastor adrian@northsidecommunity.com Eric Dixon, Pastor of eric@northsidecommunity.com Dee Belvin, Pastor of Children s Ministries dee@northsidecommunity.com Dan Thorpe, Pastor of Student Ministries dan@northsidecommunity.com PO Box 1139 Knightdale, NC 27545