May 26 , 2009

Dear Friends,

I hope that your holiday weekend was restful and full of blessings from God. If you were like me, I caught up on some much needed work around the house that I have been putting off for some time.  I can actually check off a few things  on that list of things that never seems to end.   The kids have officially been released from school for the summer and they are excited as I remember being when we got out for the summer.  As many of you know, our ministry regions are Locally, Regionally, and Globally as commanded by Acts 1:8.  From time to time, it brings me great joy to give you an update that includes all three areas being practiced by our church.  Here is what we are up to: 

LOCALLY

I wanted to take this opportunity and invite you out to our Spiritual Renewal services beginning tonight at 7 pm.  The services will run through Saturday night with various speakers each night.  This will be a fantastic way to kick off the summer and seek the Lord for His direction and wisdom in your life.  I am attaching a flyer that you can print off or forward to your friends inviting them to the services each night.  We are trusting God to do something great in our community.

In addition, we are once again gearing up for Vacation Bible School with a wonderful theme this year.  Please register on line early at www.newlifeinlouisa.com to give us a heads up.  Our creative team has gone over the top and we are excited about this year.  I am attaching a list of needs for this year’s VBS and if you would be so kind to check and see if you have any of these items, that would be wonderful. 

Items needed for Vacation Bible School:

Canteens
Wooden Crates
Vests/Hats (Australian variety)
Outback backpacks – nothing modern
1 Army Green triangle tent – again, nothing modern
Lanterns
Large World Maps
Ropes - all sizes and varieties
Flashlights
Netting
Boomerangs
Burlap sacks
Feed bags
Corrugated roofing
Plywood
Any 2x4’s
Chicken wire
Floral Styrofoam
Tall yellow grasses

GLOBALLY

Would you also pray for our Nicaraguan team that will be departing on July 31?  It is our hope that God would use us to minister to these wonderful people.  While there, we will be ministering in some of the worst conditions in the world sharing the love of Christ.  At this time, we have close to 6 people who are committed to going and we want you to pray about going on this trip.  If you are interested, please let us know quickly so we can plan on having you come with us.  If you can’t go, please consider purchasing supplies for our team to carry with us.  For more information, we encourage you to attend our informational meeting on Monday night, June 1st at 6 pm.  We will need to have commitments secure at that time.  Pastor John also made a list of trip details below:

Mission Trip to Nicaragua

Tentative date July 31st to July 7th
Estimated total cost $800
Maximum number of team is 12
At least 4 have already committed to going.

Agenda-
1.Preach and testimonies in schools
2.Feeding Program (feed 150 to 300 children at 1 of the 5 feeding stations)
3.Vist local hospital to share, pray with ill, distribute literature.(Donate medical supplies) we will be taking medical supplies with us to donate.
4.Sports ministry- engage community through sports. Donate sports equipment

Possible donations- clothes, sports equipment, (soccer ball, baseballs, gloves, bats, etc.)
Medical supplies- tylenol, ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, bandages, etc.

Visit dump to evaluate needs and determine how we can help build homes for families.
Each house $500 a piece
To support 1 family for a year $1,700

Our first team meeting is Monday June 1st at 6:00 pm at New Life.
Tickets need to be ordered ASAP for cheapest rates.

Donations should be earmarked Nicaragua mission trip.

REGIONALLY

On another exciting note, this weekend at New Life, we will once again have Gabe and the church planting team from Liberty with us.  We will be sharing a vision for this work and after church, we will be hosting a meal along with a vision casting meeting.  This church plant in Charlottesville, Virginia we pray will reach into the depths of that city and reap a harvest.  We hope you will attend this Sunday to hear of all the wonderful things about this Regional ministry of New Life Community Church. 

Well we hope to see you tonight for our kickoff week of renewal and would you pray that God would speak to us in the most amazing way ever.