Stephen Ministry Sweet Fun

What fun! Yesterday, most of our Stephen Ministry class
met at Cherry Hill Ice Cream for a time of fun, relaxation
and of course some great ice cream! Our very own 'Action'
Jackson organized this 'first' outing and what fun we had!

You can see by the smiles that everyone came
with a good appetite and Jackson ( R side green shirt)
was our organizer in chief and cheer leader!
Thanks Jackson for the tasty treat!

This group started out a little tentative and shy
but they have bonded and become real friends!
We are so excited about serving together for two
years (maybe more) and getting to spend time together socially.

Bernadette, Simon and I were surprised with a
thank you gift. Since I represented the leadership
team, I can only try to convey our delight in
working with and  training this group to serve as
Stephen Ministers! God has very special things
in store for each of them as they walk along beside
someone's who is hurting.

Life is sweet with so many wonderful people
we call 'friend'.

Our America's Birthday Celebration

When the 4th of July rolls around on the Summer calendar,
we know that it means that lots of us will be together again!
It's just something that we do! It's an interesting mix of long
time and new friends.The 4th this year was a really hot ,
muggy day but the pool provided plenty of relief and
lots of fun!

Check it out for yourself!

Great fun!

Happy Birthday, America!

America is celebrating her 236th birthday! Our unprecedented freedom was the result of specific ideas, many which were drawn directly from the Bible. This July 4th let's consider some simple things that we can each do to help preserve our memory of these unique governing principles:
1. Read the Declaration of Independence! Posted below!
2. Learn something new about those who wrote the Declaration.
3. John Adams said that Independence Day "ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever more." So make sure to honor and thank God!
Happy Birthday America!

New Life Church is hoping to convey to residents about the importance of the 4th of July. A simple heart, consisting of 6,300 flags, representing every member of the military who has been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been placed on the front lawn of the church. Austin Westlake, a student at Central Bible College in his hometown of Kansas City, MO who chose to do his internship in Leominster  shared the message that the church wants to share. " Most people associate a heart with love. Our sign here says that we love America. We want to remind people our families are free and that freedom is worth loving. This country shouldn't be taken for granted. Be proud of this country and be proud of where you come from. This country is unreal and unmatched anywhere else in the world."

Happy Birthday America! May God continue to shed His grace on Thee!

The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription 
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
    He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
    He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
    He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
    He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
    He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
    He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
    He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
    He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
    He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
    He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
    He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
    He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
    For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
    For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
    For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
    For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
    For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
    For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
    For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
    For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
    For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
    He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
    He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
    He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
    He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
    He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
   Button Gwinnett
   Lyman Hall
   George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
   William Hooper
   Joseph Hewes
   John Penn
South Carolina:
   Edward Rutledge
   Thomas Heyward, Jr.
   Thomas Lynch, Jr.
   Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
   Robert Morris
   Benjamin Rush
   Benjamin Franklin
   John Morton
   George Clymer
   James Smith
   George Taylor
   James Wilson
   George Ross
Delaware:
   Caesar Rodney
   George Read
   Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
   William Floyd
   Philip Livingston
   Francis Lewis
   Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
   Richard Stockton
   John Witherspoon
   Francis Hopkinson
   John Hart
   Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
   Josiah Bartlett
   William Whipple
Massachusetts:
   Samuel Adams
   John Adams
   Robert Treat Paine
   Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
   Stephen Hopkins
   William Ellery
Connecticut:
   Roger Sherman
   Samuel Huntington
   William Williams
   Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
   Matthew Thornton

Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2009/07/02/read-declaration-independence#ixzz1zetzXWW1

First Annual Growth Group Picnic

If you looked on a calendar for June 30, 2012,
it was a day like any other day but to us it was
anything but ordinary! It was the day that we had
a chance to say "Thank You" to a special group of
people who faithfully opened their homes and lead
a group in study each week during our Growth Groups
Spring quarter.

Since our half-time huddle had been rained out, we
were filled with excitement and anticipation and
what a day God provided! Yes, it was hot but
the beautiful, refreshing breeze helped keep us all
comfortable as we gathered for some fun!

Before long, everyone started arriving! New friends
and old friends gathered to share time of  'fellowship',
and some great food!

Charlie has such a servant's heart and he made
sure that everyone had plenty of tasty food to eat!

The kids had a great time together running, playing
and just doing the things that kids do! What's not
to love about the squeals and laughter of kids just
being kids!

Growth Groups provide an opportunity for
relationships to develop as we grow and are
stretched spiritually. Until our Growth Groups
ministry was formed, many would say that we
were a church filled with 'friendly strangers'.
Thankfully, that's a thing in the past and we're
excited about the great plans that God has in
store for our future!

Our church family agreed with our Pastors that
it was time to shake things up a bit and Growth
Groups have provided that safe place for people
to gather, get acquainted and to allow friendships
to grow! What an exciting adventure! Actually,
this picnic is a model of what we do in our own
Growth Groups! Every week we enjoy a time
of food, fellowship, prayer and study with one another.

After enjoying plenty of  food and lots
of laughs, it was time for us to officially
express our 'Thanks' and to learn about
what worked  and what didn't work!
What better way to evaluate and make any
needed adjustments! 

We weren't surprised to hear that our Spring
DVD/Discussion series "The Blessed Life" was
in fact a life changing experience for most and an
eye opener for many!

Thank you for sharing about what was learned in your
Growth Groups and how your Growth Groups reached
out, perhaps were stretched to help others!

A Service For The Lord!

If you look back in our blog archive you'll realize that we
had our very own Growth Group long before Growth
Groups become a Ministry focus at New Life Church!
God brought a group of us together, already as friends,
to grow those friendships as we explored the wonders
found in God's Word.  In His perfect timing, the
'charter members' of our In Line With The Word team
moved on and a door was opened for us to fully embrace
the Growth Group experience and new friends.

This Spring quarter we welcomed some 'new' and some
'familiar' friends. Just like the original team, we grew
spiritually as we learned how to live the joys of "The Blessed
Life"  through an exciting DVD/Discussion series by Pastor
Robert Morris! We learned that when God changes your heart
from selfishness to generosity, every part of your life-
journey is affected. With our hearts open, the roots of
friendship were planted and thrive. We learned something
valuable every week and we agreed that this was truly a
'life changing' experience!

Over the years our group has reached out to serve!
This quarter, as we tried to create a project, God
revealed His plan. Let me give you a little background.
A long time friend & client 'Jane' has for the last few
years had to face many challenges with her health and
finances. Things that you and I take for granted, the
ability to walk and breath with ease and comfort, 'Jane'
struggles with and that means that every day chores like
getting the trash collected and out for pickup or keeping
her yard clean and mowed are impossible for her. Since
her medical conditions have exhausted her finances she
can't afford the luxury of hiring help!

 One day recently, when I picked her up to take her grocery
shopping, I noticed that her yard looked particularly neglected.
Now 'Jane's' yard has been in need of some help before and I've
offered before and she's always turned away my offer
to help. Last week when we pulled back into her driveway
and I began unloading her groceries, the words of help
almost got stuck in my throat but that little familiar voice
from inside told me "go ahead, don't be afraid, offer to
brings some friends to help with a clean-up before the
4th of July!' A miracle happened that day because without
a moments hesitation, she accepted and a plan to reach
out and to show the love to God to someone lost in this
dark cruel world, was born.

Our group was smaller than usual but we were determined
in spite of 90 degree temperatures and high humidity, we
forged ahead. We loaded the truck with mower, blowers,
weedwacker, rakes, and more and were on our way to 'Jane's'
house. The photos that follow will give you a bit of an idea
of the Before & After!

As dusk was descending, we wrapped things up for the
evening. We had pulled weeds, trimmed bushes, picked up
downed branches, hauled away dead branches, picked
up the trash, swept the driveway and left the trash by the
road ready for pickup! The yard isn't done but 'Jane'
was thrilled and so happy and appreciative.

While 'Jane' and I chatted later in the evening driving
to and from the store, she couldn't get over the kindness
of 'strangers'. As one of our team said to me on Saturday,
the best part of her (birthday) day was the service project.
As she said, "I felt so blessed. Not only to help someone
out in need, but also to be doing a service for the Lord.
I had a smile on my face and in my heart for the rest of the
evening. Even today it makes me smile. It truly is more
of a blessing to give than to receive."

We strive to always live In Line With The Word!
Posted by Sally