Fireproof Movie Critics Needed

If you've seen the movie "Fireproof", please share your comments about it here.

I just saw it and have some ideas about how to use it.

Growing up...

For the most part growth is best measured over long periods. We have an orchid that I enjoy watching grow but I don't expect to see change from one day to the next except when it is about bloom. Then there is rapid, visible change! If it's true for a plant, it's even more true for people, especially our children. Pascal started doing push-ups a couple of weeks ago. I thought I could keep up with him. No way! Then the other day Sylvie, Anastasia, Juliet and I went for a walk. Towards the end Anastasia and I picked up the pace. As we neared the car I said let's see who can get there the fastest. She beat me. Not only do we see physical growth in our children but also spiritual growth. We thank God for them. They are "blooming" nicely.

We are thanking God not only for the growth we see in our children but also for what's happening at the CEP and the ICG. A friend was recently talking about the the way God works. He had observed that often His work in individuals starts in hidden, intimate places then it breaks out for all to see. We've been seeing some signs of what God is doing:
A number of people are asking for information about baptism
People praying for each other after our worship services
The integration and acceptance of Jean-Yves as pastor of the CEP

Another area where growth is occurring is among the ITeams missionaries serving in Grenoble. Over the last few years we've welcomed two new families, making us 5 families serving in Grenoble. We are also working together to form a more cohesive team and have adopted a purpose statement:

Our purpose is to encourage, resource and facilitate the development of transforming communities among churches in Grenoble through the design and implementation of specialized projects.

We are involved in 7 projects and we long to see the churches of Grenoble passionately involved in transforming their communities for Christ.

Finally we've seen some good progress with the development of ITeams France. Thierry Mirone is doing a great job of mobilizing teams and getting involved with other missions agency in order to invigorate the mobilization of short-terms teams throughout the churches in France.

Thank you...

Each time I write one of these updates my thoughts shift between what I'm writing and everyone who receives it. We live in troubled times with lots of uncertainty. But we find comfort in the truth that God is here and his care for us knows no bounds. He is renewing us. And somehow the fellowship we have contributes to his purposes, in our lives and in our ministries. My prayers are with you. And we thank you for your prayers.

With love in Christ,

Matt

The Glocks will be with us at NHC for 6 weeks this summer.

Report from The Call

We had a great time at The Call this year.  Most importantly students were challenged to share their faith.  I wanted to post a comment from one of the students here to encourage us to share our faith and also to let The Call team know that their involvement in The Call has made a difference, we wouldn't be able to host The Call without a team.

Here is what Morgan had to say:

Morgan said...

I was one of the people who stood up and made the commitment to share my faith this week. i came to school on monday super excited about it, but as the time came to share my faith to my friend..i chickened out. the same thing happened Tuesday. Finally, wednesday, i tried to start up a conversation of about it. i was so nervous, so i just kinda started babbling about my church and a skit we are putting on soon. then i asked her if she went to church and if she was a christian, which was so ackward. as we were talking, my friend started blushing and started acting nervous, so maybe i hit a sensitive spot. it wasn't the best experience in sharing my faith, but hopefully i planted some seeds. I've started emailing her, and plan to build a closer friendship with her.
but later on that day, God gave me an opportunity to share with another one of my friends (who is an athiest) that Jesus loves him. He was being all sarcastic, saying how everyone hated him, and i just told him that Jesus loved him so much, enough to die for him. and my friend just asked "why", and i told him because God created him and he was God's child. He just kinda walked away, but, again, hopefully i planted another seed. 
At the Call, God really woke me up and made me realize that i don't share my faith nearly as much as i should. My two experiences this week made me step out of my comfort zone, but it was a good feeling to be obedient to my Savior.
The Call this year was AMAZING!! THe worship was so intimate and the speakers' messagers were great!!!

Sunday Feedback February 22

Lessons from the desert.

Whether it was in a song, a conversation, a ministry opportunity or from today's message, what did you come away with today?

Connection Group Shout Out

One of our values at NHC is to be a church of small groups. We believe that for fellowship, discipleship, ministry, mission and worship there's nothing that can come close to a healthy small group.

So use the comment option here to brag on what God is doing in your group. And if you're not yet in a group, ask about them here and you'll likely get an answer.

(And if you've got pics from your group you'd like to show everyone, send them to me.)

Have You Podcast Lately?

Miss a Sunday at NHC and need to catch up on the life of Moses? Check out the NHC Podcast Page or, Find Us On iTunes and download to your computer and/or iPod.

And, if you're interested in finding out what went down at The CALL this year, check out The CALL '09 Podcast Page and listen to the 7 student messages from this year's student conference!

“NewZ for Ewe” From Robin Brooks

As I’ve started this new year, I’ve been reflecting on what an amazing God we have and the comforting gift of His written Word. What grace He has lavished upon me to allow me to know Him through His Word and indwelling Holy Spirit. Without Him life would be so hopeless. But not only has He blessed me with Himself and His Word, but with His people. He has surrounded me with godly teammates and a loving church family who continue to persevere with me through my ongoing health set backs.

Since writing in January, my health has not improved much. With much prayer, my team and I have decided that I'll not try to participate in any ministry between now and the time I leave for furlough on April 1st. I’ll focus my energies on working through these medical issues both here in New Zealand and while in the USA on medical furlough. It’s not easy to get in to see specialists here in New Zealand. I’m on the waiting list for a respiratory specialist in Hamilton, but most likely will not get in before my furlough. However, God did guide me to an allergy/asthma specialist in Auckland and have an appointment for Feb. 26th. I have also started treatments with another naturopath who used to be an allergy specialist. So hopefully between the two we’ll be able to get to the root of the problem and find some treatments that will be helpful.

God’s Word continues to give comfort and guidance through this time. I love reading through Genesis and Exodus as I'm reminded of what an Awesome and Almighty God we have! He moved so many obstacles and protected and provided for His people in so many wonderful ways. But I'm also reminded that He left some of His choice servants in the middle of desperate situations for awhile. I think of Joseph and Moses and the times when they needed some immediate intervention from God and yet God made them wait. As I've contemplated why God made them wait, these are some of the things I've observed. God made them wait on Him to develop a more intimate relationship with Him, to produce genuine and great faith, to make them useful, to bring the most glory to Himself by revealing Himself to the greatest number of people. He waited till it brought the greatest deliverance not just to the individual but to the greatest number of people.

As I've looked at my own health & visa challenges that seem to need immediate resolution, I've been reminded that my faith needs to rest in God's perfect plan and trust Him to accomplish His plan for me and for others. He will bring glory to Himself in the deliverance when it affects the greatest amount of people. God also had His people wait until there were very clear instructions to move onward. Right now I do not hear a clear Word to move. Each day there seems to be a new verse that says to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. So pray for me that I'll rest in that truth.

I continue in the work of prayer for the various ministries of my team and especially Hamilton Bible Church. Please join me in prayer for the following ministries that are in full swing now and for those who are serving in these ministries.

Prayer Requests for Hamilton Bible Church:

Weekly Sunday Service and new SS teachers
Weekly Friday Bible Clubs for teens and children
Weekly Leadership training on Sunday and Tuesday nights

Prayer Requests for Robin:

Wisdom for the health care professionals in diagnosing and treating me
Granting of my resident visa before I leave on furlough April 1st
Strength to put together a DVD ministry report before April 1st
Diligence in the ministry of prayer

Thank you again for your faithful partnership and prayers. You are a great blessing to me. I pray that as you wait on God for provision and deliverance in your life that you’ll know His quiet peace and presence. Jesus is coming soon!

God Bless,
Robin Brooks

Sunday Feedback February 15

Moses at the well.

Exodus.

Whether it was in a song, a conversation, a ministry opportunity or from today's message, what did you come away with today?

An evaluation from a new attender

Recently I had a conversation with one of the newer attenders at NHC. He said that over the years he's been to lots of churches of various flavors, but that he's never been in a church like this one. "You have something here." So I asked him to tell me what that meant.

Here's what he's observed:
1. More young people than any church he's been to. By "young people" he means both teenagers and young adults. Most churches in his experience are full of old people.

2. Relaxed atmosphere. It's not about what you wear. People are glad to be at church. (Reminds me of something David wrote.)

3. Lots of groups. At most churches there might be a small group or Bible study or two. But at NHC there are lots of groups and opportunities to get together.

4. Organized to care for people. He's already discovered first hand that people at NHC genuinely care. It's not just talk.

I hope you find that as encouraging as I did. God's been good to us as we continue to learn what it means to be a church.

So, whatever you're doing, keep it up!

The Call Blog

The Call has it's own blog now.  Check it out at http://www.thecallobx.blogspot.com.

If you have some free time today or Friday and would like to drop by the church and help out for a few minutes we could plug you into a ministry task or two.

A picture is worth a thousand words

The picture is from our Christmas program in 1991. Lots of angels and shepherds in bathrobes.

I thought I'd post it just for fun and see who could pick out the names of the kids. Then as I looked closely the thought hit me that of those 20 children (most of whom still live locally) only 4 are still involved in NHC. They happen to be four of the six in the pic who were brought to church by their parents. Two of those have moved to other locations and are active in churches elsewhere. The other 14 had zero parental involvement in church. Most of them were brought by Al and Marilyn Dolley, who loved them and cared about their souls.

I'm looking for comments. What does this picture say? That's the serious part. Don't miss it.

Then, can you identify the four who are still active members of NHC? Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Gladstone Reunion

Saturday many of us from NHC who had made missions trips to Gladstone Gathering Grounds (2003-2005) met for lunch with Don and Mary DeHart.

NHC teams helped build and repair, dig sewer lines and clean cabins, making them ready for Native American youth and adults who come to Gladstone to discover life in Christ. We also worked side by side with Gladstone staff and Native believers, making it a great cross-cultural experience.

While many who made the trips were either unable to attend or have moved away, it was good to gather and reminisce. If you ever get to go on a missions trip you'll never forget it. And your life will be changed.

In the photo, from left to right: Greg and Katie Lamont, Burnie Staples, Brenda Kallaher, Mary DeHart, Rick Lawrenson, Tom Adams, Don DeHart. Steve Wise had to leave before the picture was taken.

Sunday Feedback February 8

This morning we focused on missions with the help of Don and Mary DeHart.

Whether it was in a song, a conversation, a ministry opportunity or from today's message, what did you come away with today?

Preaching your own funeral

What? Isn't that a bit morbid? Not for a Christian!

I encourage you to watch this video. It's the testimony of Coach Kay Yow, women's basketball coach at NC State. She died a couple of weeks ago of breast cancer. But before she died she had this video made of her sharing her faith story. It's very powerful.

Now, why couldn't you do the same? None of us knows when the Lord will call us home. But with today's technology we could all record our testimony just as Kay has done to be shared with those who gather to remember us.

If you would like to do this, let us know at info@nagsheadchurch.org. We'll make a quality video and put it on a DVD so you can speak God's love and grace after you're gone.

(After Coach Yow's testimony the videos continue with a news story and the video of her funeral.)

Don and Mary DeHart are in town this weekend

Don and Mary are our missionaries in British Columbia reaching out to Native Americans. NHC has a long relationship with them and value not only their being part of our team, but as our friends. For three consecutive years NHC sent teams to minister with them at Gladstone Gathering Ground in Pincher Creek, Alberta.

(Follow the Gladstone link and look closely and you'll see Brenda Kallaher).

They are arriving Friday and plan to leave on Monday. So if you would like to spend any time with them, please let me know. Call me (261-7573) or shoot me an email. We are planning a reunion on Saturday for lunch (noon @ Western Sizzlin') with any and all who have been to Gladstone. If that includes you, you'll be hearing more from Burnie about that. For that matter, any and all are welcome to come and spend some time with them.

If you'e never met the DeHarts, you'll get that chance on Sunday as we have a conversation with them in both worship gatherings. They have an amazing story to tell of how God is using them to reach a challenging culture.

(The picture is of our last Gladstone team in 2005 along with Gladstone staff. Mary is second row, second from the right; Don is back row, first on the left. In the background is Gladstone Mountain.)

Tonight at F1rst Wednesday...When God's people pray

This month's F1rst Wednesday will focus on prayer.

Did you know that the great revivals of Christianity's 2,000 year history more often than not started with prayer meetings. And Lord knows, we could stand a revival in these United States.

Currently there are many in our congregation and community in need of various sorts who also need our prayers. So please plan on joining us for worship, prayer and communion Wednesday night, February 4 from 6:30 to 8:00.

(Note - there will not be a meal served at this month's F1rst Wednesday.)

Disaster Relief Training

March 6 & 7
Region 1
Here is your opportunity to be trained or recertified in disaster relief through the North Carolina Baptist Men. Training will include Mass Feeding, Recovery, Child Care, Water Purification, Communications, Assessment, Administration, Shower/Laundry, and Chaplaincy.

Please go this link and sign up: http://www.ncmissions.org/Training/Opportunities/DisasterRelief.aspx

There are four more training this year throughout the state, but this will be your closest one to attend and it is in our region. The training is in Hertford County and the exact location will be disclosed a week prior to the training. These trainings are designed as a mock disaster to prepare everyone as to what to expect out in the field.

Register early; it is on a first come, first served basis. These trainings will assist you with the tools to perform missions during a disaster, whether through personal testimony with the victims or as a witness by example through your service. Please do not limit your involvement by stereotyping any of these fields of concentration, nor limit the number of areas you wish to be involved in. Women are effective team members in recovery and assessment, and too few men are involved in child care or shower/laundry. During a disaster, we have found that
children need the comfort and security of men caring for them.

This ministry is a tool for the local churches to utilize everyone in the congregation in missions.
If you have further questions, feel free to contact Greg Avery at 252.202.4085.

Just Who Or What Is the Church?

Have you ever heard this? I have. “The church didn’t minister to me in my time of need”. In fact, I’ve heard it more than once, and it has me wondering, “Are we really ignoring people like that?”

But then I’ve done some checking up on different situations and have found just the opposite: the church has reached out and offered love and compassion and assistance. So who’s right? The person who feels left out and unattended, or the church that has ministered?

The answer lies in perception. And that perception begins with your definition of “the church”. Many come to NHC with concepts of a church that either aren’t what we are and probably don’t resemble the biblical understanding of church at all. For example, the church is not:
An organization solely existing to meet your needs.
The staff or pastors or board of some kind.
Programs.
A worship service on Sunday or Wednesday.

Simply put, the church is a body of believers: people who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and who have come together to exercise their gifts for the teaching of God’s Word, serving one another and the reaching of the lost – those who do not yet know Christ.

The church is people. The church is you and me together. All of us.

At NHC we nurture and serve one another in different ways. Most obvious is through the various ministries that happen when we all come together on Sundays. Less obvious (to some) is found within the working together of small groups. Our Connection Groups are like families – microcosms of the larger body. It is primarily through our groups that ministry is accomplished by and large that meets one another’s needs. We are a church of small groups.

That means that when your small group (or any members of it) stops by to pray with you or bring a meal when you’re sick, for example, the church has reached out to you. When someone from the church offers to give you a ride to the doctor or to babysit for you or have you over for dinner or help you move or clean your yard… that is the church being involved in your life. You see, you don’t have to be ordained or have a seminary degree to do ministry as “the church”. And that is a major reason we encourage everyone to plug in and connect with a group.

Our assignment as pastors is to coach and equip you to be able to minister to one another. While we surely don’t do that – coaching or ministering – perfectly, I have to say that NHC is typically quick to respond when a need is made known. Sometimes before it is made known.

So right now pull away from the computer and go look in the mirror. If you belong to Nags Head Church you are seeing a minister of the church. Don’t ever discount someone’s outreach to you because they have no official title. They do. It’s “saint”. And their ministry to you is just as though it was Christ Himself.

And you really don’t want me showing up. That usually means you’re almost dead! Be glad when “the church” is there for you.

Nagsheadlines

Do you visit our church web site and read the monthly newsletter? It contains events, calendars, articles and pics. Here's the link to the newsletter page. Just scroll down to February 09.

Roxanne Staples puts the newsletter together and does a fabulous job!

Sunday Feedback February 1

Whether it was in a song, a conversation, a ministry opportunity or from today's message, what did you come away with today?