Sunday Sermon, The Prophet and the Sons of Worthlessness; 1 Samuel 2 & 3 (Livestream)

 

Sunday Sermon, Jesus Our Redeemer; Matthew 2:13-23 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Youth Group

Youth groupers!  I hope you can join us this evening through Zoom for our online Christmas celebration!  

We will start at 6:30.  Here is the link info.  See you soon :)
 

Topic: Youth Group

Time: Dec 16, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88294524609?pwd=NEhXY2hIV3c2em9qNVJCeTg3Zm9pUT09

Meeting ID: 882 9452 4609

Passcode: GK7w6r

Sunday Sermon, The Ultimate Gift; Matthew 2:1-12 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Youth Group

 Students, come join us this evening at 6:30!  I look forward to seeing you :)

Topic: Yout Group

Time: Dec 9, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86303213567?pwd=eXRLbXpiODJLRHJZWnJpZk9SeE5vdz09

Meeting ID: 863 0321 3567

Passcode: nLL7Fd

Sunday Sermon, God Will Raise His Prophet; 1 Samuel 1 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Youth Group

Trekkers, we will be meeting online for youth group for the next several weeks, but we'll still have fun together.   come join us for Youth Group Wednesday evening at 6:30 for games, catching up and a lesson.  

I'm excited to see you!

Topic: Youth Group

Time: Dec 2, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85007822483?pwd=QmFwMm5sL1NTdmdMY3FOSTNGMCt2QT09

Meeting ID: 850 0782 2483

Passcode: qy1ZMj

Sunday Sermon, Be Discipled, Disciple Others; Matthew 28:19-20 (LIVESTREAM)

 

What is Church Membership?

 It’s Not That Kind of Membership

Recently I became an Amazon Prime member.  They had a student rate offer, and with the number of books I buy for school, it made sense.  There are many perks a Prime member receives that extend beyond the average Amazon customer; Prime video, Amazon music, free 2-day shipping, etc.  Yet, the moment the cost outweighs the benefits—I will cancel my membership. 

This is often how we think of membership in our culture.  We think of service providers or clubs and all the perks membership provides.  This is not a fruitful way to think about church membership, however.  Church membership is less about the perks received and more about the commitment given.  Its less like being the member of an exclusive club with all the benefits and more like being a band of soldiers in a common fight—advancing the Kingdom of God together.

A Membership Like Marriage

Another helpful analogy is marriage.  After all, the church is Christ’s bride!  Unlike a membership I can easily cancel at any time, the covenant I have made with my wife is until death.  It is a weighty thing, less focused on perks and more focused on commitment. 

Marriage and Church membership seem peculiar to a culture averse to commitment and addicted to self-benefit.  According to a Pew Research study conducted last year, 69% of adults say that it is acceptable for an unmarried couple to live together even if they never plan on marrying.  That percentage jumps to 78% among adults 18-29.  From 2013-2017, 59% of adults ages 18 to 44 said they were or had at one point been in a cohabiting relationship.  Worldly wisdom would say this makes good sense.  After all, you don’t buy a car before test driving it, so why would you commit to live the rest of your life with a person without testing the waters first?  If you can get all the perks without the weightiness of marriage, why bother? 

For the Christian, everything we do has a greater purpose—to glorify God and enjoy him forever.  This includes marriage.  Marriage reflects spiritual realities.  It reflects God’s nature as a relational God who created his image bearers for committed relationship.   It reflects Christ’s character; a savior committed to his bride, the church.  Beyond that, marriage provides the security of covenant commitment rather than the shaky foundation of an easy out when challenges arise.  Statistics show that those who marry before living together are far more likely to have a relationship that lasts.  The same Pew research study showed that married couples have a deeper level of trust, closeness and satisfaction within their relationship across the board.  Most importantly, for those who desire intimate relationship, marriage is obedience to God.

Much of what compels someone to neglect marriage also compels them to neglect church membership.  If one can receive the perks of church attendance without the weightiness of membership, why bother?  What are the benefits; a deeper level of time commitment, financial giving, responsibility, and submission to the church body vs. showing up when it suits me and getting involved to a degree that matches my comfort level?  Worldly wisdom easily points to option 2 as the most desirable.  And yet, committing to a local church through membership parallels the blessings of marriage in a growth of trust, closeness and satisfaction in one’s relationship to the church body.

Concerning marriage, while culture would say leave as soon as the cost outweighs the benefits, Jesus only allows divorce in instances of marital unfaithfulness.  Concerning a local church family, people often leave for many different reasons—the style of music and preaching, the length of the service, desired programs, leadership’s response to COVID-19, relational conflict, etc.  A pastor friend shared with me that one long-time attender of his church quit because the light in the sanctuary was too dim!  However, like spouses in a committed marriage, church members are committed to the local body.  There are few healthy reasons a church member would ever consider leaving their church; a long distance move to a different community, a clear call from God to become a blessing to another church body, or because the church has begun practicing spiritual unfaithfulness—teaching that which is contrary to God’s word.

Church membership is not for the faint of heart.  If you are married, you likely didn’t make such a weighty decision on a whim.   You counted the cost, and then gave yourself to your spouse with great joy—the commitment intensifying the value of the relationship.  While marriage increases commitment and commitment intensifies joy, so it is with church membership.

Why must I be baptized as a believer to become a member?

In order to become a member of New Journey Church, you must to be dunked under water as a crowd looks on.  Pretty strange, I know.  And yet, this is no hazing ritual.  Why does New Journey church require believer’s baptism as a prerequisite for church membership?  When we look to Scripture, we see baptism as the clear sign God established for his followers to communicate the reality of their covenant relationship with him; into the water, a sign of death with Christ, and out of the water, a sign of being washed clean and raised up to new life.

During the celebration of Pentecost in Acts 2, when a small group of followers in obedience to Jesus waited in Jerusalem for the gift he had promised them after his ascension, they prayed and the Holy Spirit descended upon them in tongues of fire.  Immediately, they began to proclaim the gospel in different languages; languages they didn’t know!  Those who had come to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost heard them speaking, and marveled at how this could be.  Peter shared with them an impromptu sermon proclaiming Jesus.  Many were convicted asking what they should do.  Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (vs. 38).  Later we are told, ^“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (vs 41).

From the very beginning of the church, we see that baptism was the sign of membership within the body of believers.  First, there is a receiving of the word—belief.  This is followed by baptism, and that by being added to, or recognized, as members of Christ’s church.  We require baptism as a prerequisite for local church membership because baptism is what God established as the sign of membership in the church universal.  It is an act of obedience to God’s command.

Keeping with the analogy of marriage, a wedding ring is an outward sign that communicates the covenant a married couple has promised to each other.  On my wedding day, my closest friends stood with me as I pledged my love and faithfulness to my new bride.  I know they would confront me if I were ever unfaithful to Emily.  The covenant promise of marriage made before God and man naturally provides accountability.

Likewise, God has given his church this outward sign of Baptism to communicate an inner reality.  Baptism and church membership communicate the same things—a commitment to Christ and his church.  Both invite accountability to Christ’s kingdom values.

What is the Benefit of Church Membership?

Accountability is perhaps the clearest benefit of church membership.  By clearly communicating to your brothers and sisters in Christ through baptism and membership your desire to walk faithfully with God and his people, you are inviting accountably to walking that path.

Scripture presents it as a given that to belong to a fellowship of believers implies the necessity of confrontation if one begins to wander from obedience to God.  We see an extreme example of this in 1 Corinthians 5 when a man had an adulterous relationship with his father’s wife (likely his step mother).  Paul calls on the church (notice not just church leadership) to confront this man and if he does not repent, to “cast him to Satan”.  This means being put out of the fellowship of believers and treating him like one still in need of salvation (because his behavior may indicate that in fact, he is).   

The harsh language and response (cast him to Satan and remove him) that the local body of believers was called to demonstrate toward this man may rub us the wrong way in our inclusive and tolerant culture, but it is intended to have a restorative effect—to awaken him to the seriousness of his sin and stir his desire for right relationship with God and his church once again. 

Embracing church membership is a recognition of how easily we each can be swayed to drink from the broken cisterns of muddy water the world seeks to quench their thirst.   It’s a public profession of desire for a family; brothers and sisters who will point us back toward the Living Water.  Its embracing discipleship, and giving discipleship.  Its committing to seek God’s Kingdom together.  It’s stirring one another’s affections towards God so that He may be glorified.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers.  Another joy and responsibility of church membership is the weightiness of providing direction for the church through together listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and pressing into God’s word.  Yes, one way we see this is through church members voting on important decisions for the body.  Recognize though, this is not about getting our way, but seeking Christ’s way.  Like the Lord of the Universe who washed the dust covered feet of his disciples, when considering direction for the local church, we do so with humility putting others before ourselves. 

Are you ready for church membership?  Remember, its not about the perks…but I guarantee the joy you will receive is greater than 2-day free shipping.

Fosston Community Thanksgiving Service 2020; Psalm 46

 

Sunday Sermon, Immanuel (Part 2); Matthew 1:18-25 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon, Immanuel (Part 1); Matthew 1:18-25 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon, A Time For Everything; Matthew 1:1-6, 16-17 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon; Seek His Kingdom (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon; Feet Planted Firmly in Mid-Air, Psalm 107 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon; God is Your Father - BE BOLD, Luke 11:1-13

I apologize for getting this up late!  Em and I were out of town this weekend, and I simply forgot to load the sermon.  Here it is.

--Tyler 

 

Sunday Sermon; Living Life on Course, Desiring God, Psalm 16 (LIVESTREAM)

To Glorify or To Enjoy Forever?

 

Sunday Sermon, Living Life On Purpose, Romans 12

 

Sunday Sermon, Doing Kingdom Business; Bloom Where You're Planted, Luke 19:11-27

 

Sunday Sermon; It's All About Attitude; Matthew 20:1-16 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon, Washed in the Water; How we Proclaim our Identity (LIVESTREAM)

For further exploration on what the Bible says about baptism and how different faith traditions understand it, here are two articles that describe the two views of baptism.

Sam Storms, a fellow Baptist, defends Believer's Baptism Here

Kevin DeYoung, a Presbyterian, defends Infant Baptism Here

Sunday School Questions:

1. Do infant baptism and believer’s baptism communicate the same thing?

2. In the book of Acts we see believers immediately being baptized following their newfound faith in Christ.  Is there ever a good reason to delay baptism after conversion?

3. Some mistakenly conclude that baptism brings about salvation.  Where do you think this mistaken understanding comes from?  How would you help someone who says they are a Christian because they were baptized as an infant understand what it truly means to be a Christian?

 
 

Brynlee's Baby Dedication

Jonathan and Nicole met for a sweet time with family this Saturday morning as they publicly dedicated their precious little Brynlee to the Lord.

As their church family, we invite you to watch the dedication service as well so that you can join in the celebration.  More than that, would you commit in your heart to walk alongside Jonathan and Nicole as they strive to raise their daughter to love and serve the Lord?

 

Sunday Sermon, The (Re)Born Identity; John 3:1-21 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sharing Sunday; Testimonies and Prayer

 

Sunday Sermon; What's Truly Valuable, Luke 16:1-23

 

Sunday Sermon; The Hound of Heaven, Luke 15 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sunday Sermon, "Hey!"--Jude; Jude 1-25 PART 2 (LIVESTREAM)

 

Sermon; "HEY!", Jude 1-25 (LIVESTREAM)

Sermon; One Debt, Two Debtors, Luke 7:36-50 (LIVESTREAM)

Sermon, The Art of Hearing and Seeing; Matthew 13:1-9 (LIVESTREAM)

Sermon, Thirsty? John 4:1-42 (LIVESTREAM)

Sermon, The Sufficiency of Christ; Philippians 4:10-23 (LIVESTREAM)

Sermon, Habakkuk Part 3 (LIVESTREAM)

The Church Irreplaceable; Why God’s People Must Gather

Luke Lundell found this great article considering why it is we meet together in person as a church, and why it is appropriately frustrating to "do church" through a screen.

You can read the article here.

Helping our Friends in Hutori

For those of you on the prayer chain, you heard the tragic news that earlier this week, Oleg Ustenko's house burnt down.  Oleg is the son of Pastor Vasiliy, the pastor of our sister church in Hutori, Ukraine.  Oleg serves as a pastor himself in Irdyn.  He has a wife, three children and a baby on the way.

A GoFundMe Fundraiser has been set up by his cousin to help the family through this tragedy.  

Here is what she has written.

On June 22,  my cousin’s family who lives in Ukraine lost their home due to a fire caused by a lightning strike. Everything burned down within minutes  before  fire trucks could even arrive.  Praise God everyone was able to get out of the house safely before it was too late.

They’re a family of five and expecting another baby in a few weeks. The father, Oleg, is a hard working man who works full time and serves as a lead pastor voluntarily in his free time. Now they’re left with nothing except smoke damaged pots and pans!

Their community, family and friends are coming together to help with basic needs like food, clothing, shelter at the moment but it will take another decade to be able to rebuild their home. There’s  no resources in Ukraine that can help them get back up faster. If you have it in your heart to help them by either giving anything or sharing this post it will be a blessing to this family!

All donations will go straight to this family!!!
Thank you so much for all your support!

I invite you to prayerfully consider making a gift to the family through this GoFundMe account.  You can follow this link:

https://gf.me/u/ya8cki

If you use social media, please consider sharing this link so that others can see it and give as well.

Thank you

(NOTE:  GoFundMe keeps 2.9% of what is raised and $0.30 of every donation.  Knowing this, if you would love to know that the family received $100 from you, consider giving $103.30 to offset the GoFundMe costs)

Update (6/26/20):  I just learned that someone who knows the family and lives in the US will be traveling to Ukraine shortly, and can bring any financial donations collected.  If you would like to avoid the GoFundMe fee, you can write a check to New Journey Church and put "Hutori Fire" in the memo line.  All the money collected will go directly to the family.  Thank you in advance for your generosity to this special family in this difficult time.

New Life Bible Camp info

Hello New Journey,

With New Life Bible Camp opening in July, many of you may have questions as to what things will look like in our current Covid-19 climate.

The New Life Bible Camp Facebook Page will have a Live Stream to answer questions tomorrow evening at 7:30 PM CST with camp director, Seth Maxwell. 

You can access it here:  https://www.facebook.com/newlifebiblecampmn/

There is a cap for the number of students allowed at camp this year due to Minnesota guidelines.  As of now, there is space for 9 more girls and 14 more boys for Elementary camp happening July 6-9th.

You can register your students for camp at https://newlifebiblecamp.org/

Other youth camps will be Teen camp, July 24-26th (Tyler will be speaking), and Soccer camp, July 27-30th.

Sermon, Habakkuk Part 2 (LIVESTREAM)

Sermon, Habakkuk (LIVESTREAM)

Racism and Corporate Evil: A White Guy’s Perspective – Tim Keller

With all that has happened in our country these last few weeks, there are many voices of division and many perspectives on how to properly respond.  I've tried to be considerate in what is appropriate for me to share here on our church blog, and what is more suitable for me to share personally through social media, recognizing that what is placed on our church blog automatically is seen as endorsed by our church and that it would be unfair for me to present my personal perspectives here when perhaps not all the leadership in the church would share my perspective.  For this reason, I have chosen to share most of my thoughts through my Facebook account rather than here.

With all of that being said, the issues surrounding race are too close to the Father's heart for us as a church body not to dialogue about.  Below is a video by Pastor Tim Keller that I believe is of great value to us as a predominantly white congregation.

There are several in our church who are currently doing a Tim Keller Bible study.  He is gifted at looking at culture through the lens of Scripture.

Graduation Quilts

For those of you who didn't get the opportunity to see the beautiful quilts our quilting ladies made for our graduates, here are a few photos.

What a special ministry these ladies have in blessing our graduates every year and others throughout the year with such a tangible expression of love!  Thank you ladies.

Honor Grad Celebration Livestream

Sunday Sermon with Jerry; Livestream

Honoring our Graduates

This Sunday we will have the opportunity to honor the graduating seniors of New Journey Church and to bless them as they pursue their future endeavors.

There are two ways we will be celebrating the accomplishments of our graduates.

Live Stream Service (2:30)

Because there are those in the families of our graduates who are immune compromised, out of respect for them, we will not be holding our Honor Grad celebration during the church service, but will have a livestream service at 2:30, where I will interview the seniors and pray over them.  We invite you to tune in on the blog, website, or YouTube page. 

Drive-By Service (3:00)

Shortly after the livestream you are invited to our drive-by service in the parking lot.  Tables will be set out with baskets for each senior so that you can drop off cards and gifts, roll down your window, and offer words of encouragement, prayers, and well-wishes.  Once again, out of respect for the families of the seniors, we are keeping this a drive-by interaction at the request of the graduate's families.

Please be praying for each of our graduates in this unique season of life made all the more unique this year.

The ruggedly handsome, Treydon Boushee

The lovely, Hannah Noel

The lovely, Katrina Jackson

Philippians and the Newspaper; How God's word Interprets this Moment.

Theologian Karl Barth once said that we should hold the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.  I can’t imagine life in our nation right now for those holding the newspaper alone.  Newspapers point to the bleakness of reality.  As we watch a virus continue to take 20 lives in our state a day, as we watch footage of George Floyd dying under the knee of an officer as three others stand idly by, and as we see news footage of low income apartments and immigrant owned restaurants and businesses burned to the ground, we are filled with grief.  As Christ followers, we know that just as newspapers point out bleak reality, the Bible also points to reality.  The Bible shows that darkness won’t reign forever.  Night has broken with the rising of the Son.

We have been going through the book of Philippians these past months in our sermon series.  I chose this particular book because Paul writes it from a place of tangible suffering.  He is imprisoned, apart from his dearly loved friends in the Philippian church.  Even more so, he anticipates potential execution.  From this circumstance, we’ve seen several focuses come to the forefront of what Paul wants to share with his Philippian brothers and sisters in Christ. 

The world around us faces suffering with hopelessness.  As we interpret our suffering (the newspaper) through the lens of hope (the Bible), Paul invites us to find a treasure the world would never expect: joy.  Paul is filled with joy as he recognizes that his imprisonment has served to advance the gospel, and he rejoices that ultimately, he will experience deliverance because of his faith in Jesus (1:12-26).  We find ourselves in the midst of pandemic, with a global health crisis and economic upheaval.  The bitter pangs of racism, violence, and rioting stain our nation.  How could these possibly be fertile ground for joy?  As Christ followers, we know this darkness isn’t the entire reality. As the world scrounges for a vaccination to Covid-19, we hold the ultimate cure to helplessness and loss.  Christ has won and he will redeem this broken world.  We find joy in knowing that we hold the only hope the world needs and its ours to freely share!  Paul calls us to shine as lights in the world in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (2:15).  Oh, what an opportunity to shine brightly in the darkness!

  Another theme Paul draws out is unity; that the Philippians would stand firm in “…one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (1:27).  This unity is found through Christ like humility “…do(ing) nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count(ing) others more significant than yourselves” (2:3).  The racism that our nation is stained with flows from sinful pride; an inability to count others as more significant than oneself.  When one doesn’t consider others as more significant than oneself, one will fail to consider how the history and experience of black and brown people in our country shapes their present reality, aborting empathy before it has an opportunity to form.

Likewise, when facing injustice like the death of George Floyd, one is tempted to further press division rather than seek healing.  We see this in the riots that only broaden the divide and tension within our country.  Paul entreated Euodia and Syntyche, two sisters in Christ divided through conflict, to “agree in the Lord” (4:2); to find unity, to stand side by side.  Our country is divided into groups of “us” and “them”.  The church, established by Christ, is called to be a unified “us” in the hope of the gospel and the worship of our Lord.  What an opportunity we possess as the church to display the beauty of Christ exulting unity to a divided nation lost in hopelessness.  When looking to Revelation, we see a picture of every tribe, tongue and nation worshiping the Lamb together—a beautiful diversity united in Christ (Revelation 7:9-10).  This is the picture the world needs to see.

The last theme I’d like to examine from Paul’s letter to the Philippians is righteousness.  Paul warned the Philippians the dangers in following the Judaizers who believed they could be righteous before God through practicing ritual law.  Paul, once a pharisee himself, looked upon all the self-righteousness he pursued through ritual practice and position, counting them as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord (3:7).  In fact, he saw self-righteousness as skubala—excrement…utterly repulsive and worthless—in order that he may gain Christ (3:8).

When the world is reminded in such a palpable way of its evil, people long for righteousness.  Its true that our nation needs reform.  Wilberforce worked for decades to end slave trade in the British Empire.  Martin Luther King worked tirelessly to bring justice during the Civil Rights era.  Both men were Christians who chipped away at injustice through reform, and oh that believers in Christ would do the same today!  But be not mistaken—no amount of reformation can ultimately bring transformation in the heart of an individual or the heart of a society.  Only the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus Christ can do that!  While policy and law focus on symptoms, the Holy Spirit transforms the heart.  Righteousness is found in Christ alone! 

May the joy, unity, and righteousness we find in Christ be like sweet honey on the lips of a starving world.  We have the hope the world needs.

Please Pray for our Men!

Here is a picture of Josiah and Neil Warren (Ron and Liz's son) serving with the National Guard in Minneapolis.

Please continue to pray for Josiah Hoagland, Neil Warren, Sammy Buehler, Trevor Schmidt and all the others who are serving to bring peace to Minneapolis and other cities around our nation.  Praise God for their Christian influence, and the sacrifice they are making.  May God grant them safety and be glorified through their servanthood!

Pray for our broken nation.

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Side By Side, (LIVESTREAM)

Church Service Update

Hello New Journey Church Family,

Many of you have already heard this news, but I want to share it in every format we can so that no one will be missed!  

The Shepherds of New Journey Church met to discuss when it would be appropriate to re-open the doors of our building and worship together in person once again.  We recognize the weightiness of this decision and that there are a vast array of perspectives on this issue.  Recognizing that God has created us as holistic beings with spiritual, social, emotional, and physical needs; we have made the decision that we will begin worshiping together in person starting May 31st (this coming Sunday) with intentional social distancing guidelines and safety protocols in place. For those who are immune compromised or uncomfortable with large group gatherings at this time, it is our desire to care for you as well.  We will continue our live stream which you can watch here on the blog, on our website or on our YouTube channel.  For now, we will also continue to put announcements, updates, prayer requests, etc. on this blog, but will likely slowly transition to sharing more information on our website and less information here.

I am praying for you as you and your family discern how to operate in this unique season.

God's richest blessings and love,

Tyler

Sunday Service; Pressing On, Philippians 3:8-4:1 (LIVESTREAM)

Our New Website

Two posts in one day!  I am excited to let you know that our website is up and running.  We will continue to add and adjust things as more photos come in.  Soon there will be a section dedicated to our camps, New Life and Trout, and hopefully a space where you can view past services.  

One nice feature of our website is that it is now possible to give online for those inclined to give that way.

The website can be found at https://newjourneyfosston.com/

If you would like some guidance in how to set up online giving, these are two helpful websites.

Link:  How do I give online?

Link:  How do I link and verify my bank account?

Thank you all for your patience as we've worked on the website.  

Blessings,

Tyler

A Quick Tour

Hello New Journey family!

I realize that many of you haven't set foot in our church building for almost three months.  Several people have been pouring out their efforts to make our building a beautiful and welcoming space.  I'm a bit overdue in showing you all of the updates, so let me take you on a quick tour!

First, lets start outside.  Many of you know that the parsonage roof had some issues.  In fact, two winters ago, a ceiling collapsed in the parsonage office because of issues with the roof.  Luke and his crew did an excellent job eliminating those issues.  Sorry that I don't have any of the "in process" photos, but here is the finished product.

Now to walk inside the church.

Going through the front door, you'll see these lovely decorations on the entrance walls.

Then, when you get into the foyer, you'll see this lovely new sign on our East wall welcoming people to our building.  It was made by Cut n' Creations here in town, with Nathan and JoAnn making the wood back drop.

On the West wall, you will see this beautiful clock between our stained glass windows.

Where did the couch, chairs, and fireplace decoration go?  We'll get to that in a moment...








On the far wall we have this inviting display.

Notice our fireplace got a contemporary redo.

Here is what the men's bathroom currently looks like.  Thanks Luke!

Walking across the foyer and into our updated fellowship hall, this is what you see.  Notice the new lights, and a couple cozy places to sit and visit.

In the far corner of the fellowship hall, you'll notice a new ramp and doorway.

This leads into our sanctuary where...

...we have a new sound booth being constructed, adding 

a bit more security for the computer and sound equipment.

The Sanctuary walls have been beautifully decorated by our decor team.

When we come together to worship in our sanctuary again, our screen no longer will cover the cross during our worship service.  We also have 131 of our 150 interlocking chairs purchased.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who have poured hours into beautifying our building these last few months!  Holes in bathroom walls have been patched, new lights put in, walls have been painted, the men's bathroom updated, and overall, our space has been made more welcoming!

Youth Group

Hey Students, looking forward to hanging out tonight at 6:30! 

Here is our link.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84790615951

Meeting ID: 847 9061 5951

Sunday Sermon with Nathan Fultz; New or Improved (lLIVESTREAM)

Sunday School:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87595015612

Meeting ID: 875 9501 5612

Wedding at Cana; The Chosen

Here is the TV show and episode I mentioned in my sermon.

Though the YouTube video is quite long; much of that is the director talking about the show and then interviews with the actors.  The episode itself is just over 50 minutes long.

I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcvcDDrW0ss

Sunday Sermon; Water to Wine (LIVESTREAM) and Hess Goodbye

Hello Church Family,

The Shepherds have talked further, and instead of an in person meeting tomorrow following our livestream, we will host a Zoom meeting dedicated to a time of prayer and encouragement for the Hess family, as we commission them to their next community and church family (This is in place of our Sunday School class).

It is difficult in this season to say goodbye in this way when all we want is to see faces and give hugs.  We leave it to the discretion of each of you and the Hess's to plan a time for a more intimate face to face meeting if you desire that.  If anyone would like to record a goodbye or write a note, I would happily share those with the Hess's here on our blog.

Talking with Phil, they believe they might still be in the area for another week or two.  Lord willing, with the Stay at Home order potentially expiring on the 18th, we may be able to give the Hess Family a more fitting goodbye.

Please pray for this special family and consider coming on Zoom at 11:00 am. on Sunday to bless them!

Here is the link.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87682618645

Meeting ID: 876 8261 8645

Spring Babies!

The New Journey Baby Boom continues!

Here are the precious bundles of joy God has granted our body in the last two months.

Ari and Lenette Schwartz and family welcomed little Zeke Alexander into the world on April 21st, right on his due date!

Luke and Terri welcomed their little girl, Vera (meaning "faith" in Russian and "truth" in Latin) Elaine (Luke's grandmother's name, meaning Shining Light), into the world on May 5th.  What a shining light she is!

That same day, Emily and my little girl decided that she'd like to share a birth date with her new friend, coming later that evening.  Her name is Juniper Grace.

Praise God for the precious gift of children!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

    the fruit of the womb a reward.--Psalm 127:3

Please pray for the mothers and these beautiful little ones.  We pray that each will grow in wisdom and stature, and in knowledge of the Lord; that from an early age they will make Jesus their greatest treasure.

Youth Group Tonight

Hi Students!  Come Join us this evening for Youth Group.  Tim will be sharing with us, we'll play some games and there will be a special guest joining us :)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85000429065

Meeting ID: 850 0042 9065

Pilgrim's Progress

Hello New Journey!

Jess wanted me to share an opportunity with you.  RevelationMedia has made their movie, Pilgrim's Progress, available for free online.

John Bunyan's classic Christian allegory, written in 1678, has never been out of print!  This animated rendition is beautifully done.  If you have not seen it, I can attest that it is a worthwhile watch for the whole family.  Be encouraged and trek with Pilgrim the journey of the Christian Life.

click the link below!

Pilgrim's Progress

The Right Kind of Righteousness, Philippians 3:1-11 (LIVESTREAM)

Sunday School Link:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81891863850

Meeting ID: 818 9186 3850

Sunday School Questions:

1. What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?  (Phil. 3:1)

2.  Why does Paul count his man-made righteousness as  rubbish (Phil. 3:8) ?

3.  What greater joy are we offered when we surrender our "righteous resume"?  Why is it greater (Phil. 3:10-11)?

Sunday's Sermon Text, Philippians 3

Hello New Journey family,

This is the text we'll be studying together tomorrow.  I invite you to read through it before our sermon tomorrow morning.

3 Finally, my brothers,[a] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[b] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Straining Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.