A Message From Pastor Paul
As we close out 2020 and begin a New Year, we will start out December doing a church-wide outlined Bible reading plan in the book of Revelation with the hopes that we would get an urgency in our hearts to prepare for the return of Jesus!
I will be proposing a 10-year plan to the Church to move NGCC to answer Jesus’ call of what we know as the Great Commission. When a Church is obedient to God, there is no limit to how He can use us to further His Kingdom.
We truly do need to have a Great Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission that will grow a Great Church. This new 10-year plan will put Love in action to our Commitment to be obedient to Jesus as the Head of His Church.
I am very excited to see what God is going to do these next 10 years. We will never be the same in this process of moving closer to the biblical church that Jesus desires.
We will also be expanding our very successful Wednesday Night Acts 2:42 Service starting in January to add live Worship on a regular basis. Just as the early church was devoted to Prayer, the teaching of God’s Word, Communion, and Fellowship, NGCC is committed to allowing the Holy Spirit to interrupt our plans and be sensitive to His promptings.
In Sunday Worship Services, we will be doing a verse-by-verse study of the great book of Ephesians.This big step is to help us to walk closer to Jesus by knowing our identity in Him.
With the Corona Virus causing havoc in our communities, now more than ever the church needs to rise up and be the Biblical Church, the Light of the World that Jesus Christ intended us to be. Our future is looking very bright because the Lord Himself has promised us that the gates of hell will not prevail against us, His beloved Church.
As the bride of Jesus Christ, we have a lot of preparation to do and opportunities to please our King. Jesus is calling us to be Holy. Remember – without Faith, it is impossible to please God…and please God we will!
Let’s be a House of Prayer that rises up to go and make Disciples.
Lord, use us to make an impact for our Community in 2021 & beyond!
Grace and Peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Pastor Paul
pastorpaul2live4jesus@gmail.com
NGCC Ministry News and Events
Kingdom Kids Children’s Ministry
The Children’s Ministry has been working very hard to bring the Word of God to our “littles” despite the Corona Virus. God continues to bless us with children that are hungry to learn God’s Word. We have seen many of our students develop in their love and knowledge as well as in their prayer lives. There is nothing more precious than a child praying in earnest to God. What a blessing it is to be their teacher.
As we acclimate to the “new norm”, we will be investigating how we can continue to have some of our fun activities.
2020 has proven to be such a challenge for students and parents as virtual learning continues. Some children are doing well while others are struggling. Please keep an open dialogue with your child. Keep them “prayed up” as they are meeting new challenges academically and socially.
We are seeking adults that have a passion for children’s ministry to teach one week a month. Please see me for more information.
In Christ,
Kim Gayleard
kim@northglenchurch.com
Youth Ministry
Our youth ministry continues to grow in both numbers and in spiritual growth. Our fun outings, most recently roller skating, and pumpkin decorating, have really been successful in bringing more youth and increasing the bonding between the students and between parents.
Those that were quiet and didn’t participate are slowly starting to answer questions, others that seemed almost antagonistic at times are becoming much friendlier, and students who are having problems are beginning to approach us for help.
They asked to start meeting on Sundays as well as Wednesdays, so we have been doing that – using Sundays to go deeper (kind of a mix between youth group and Sunday School).
Our Wednesday format is usually time for games (even in the dark they like to play basketball and just hang out for a while outside), then inside for games and a lesson (I’ve kept lessons lighter on Wed.) Then they have time to hang out again. They need that time. We make them stay on the church grounds, and one of us is outside to keep tabs. With the colder weather, we are using the large children’s area to spread out. Last week we had some of the girls drawing while others played air hockey, and a few others were outside playing ball.
We’ve been increasing our emphasis on not being too loud to interrupt the Bible studies and not to just “hang out” around the church (other than the designated areas). These relaxed times are opportunities to engage with them, get to know them, talk about what’s going on in their lives. This is some of the most effective ministry we have. One youth has texted us to meet at the church to play ball or to show us a new go-kart.
Almost all of the youth are from outside of the church, which is something my youth ministry friends envy, but there are challenges. We’re teaching them from the ground up. Apologetics is a necessary component. Our young tweens and teens are very worldly, and the majority are living in situations that make them extremely liberal and street-smart.
Our goal is to reach them with the Gospel – but first, they really need to understand who Jesus is and why He had to come into the world and die for our sins. We’ve been going from Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, etc.…. showing them the lineage of Jesus, the law, that we can’t keep the law — it’s only through the grace of God that we can be saved – that Jesus is the “lamb of God.” They are listening intently and for many, their eyes are being opened. Of course, we give them the basics that God loves them no matter what, that they can call on him, and trust him in their lives.
These are difficult concepts for this group to understand. Many people make decisions as children, eagerly accepting Jesus and believing, and later they work out that faith, come to a more adult understanding. Our youth don’t have that background. The majority are coming from a background of financial difficulty and family breakdown and stress. They are dealing with issues many adults could not manage and they are expressing their stress in sometimes unhealthy behaviors.
This is where we need the help of the church especially – in being patient and kind to the young teens (I’m purposely trying not to call them kids or children because they are adolescents on the line, and I want to respect that they really are turning into young men and women.) They aren’t, for the most part, saved individuals and they’re not going to act like people who have been transformed. Our goal is to be gentle and love them. They don’t need “tough love,” they need the grace-giving love of Jesus. And they respond to that – they know who cares for them.
We don’t clean fish before we catch them.
So, what we need is prayer. We also need volunteers willing to show unconditional love and patience. We use positive reinforcement to encourage listening and responding to lessons (i.e. prizes for answering questions and winning games). So small prizes, gift cards, etc. are always appreciated – (nail polish, gift cards to McD, Dollar Store, and Five Below goodies…NOT toys).
We also need folks to do some crafts with some of the younger girls – they love to do crafts and it’s a comfort to them.
A BIG NEED is transportation. We have so many people from Brooklyn and Curtis Bay who want to attend. Barry and I pick them up/drop them off now, but we could use some help with this. There are more who would attend if we had more transportation.
Of course, with Covid raging now everything is up in the air, but our future plans are to go either back to Skycroft or to Camp Wo-Me-To soon (these are not only fun but spiritually uplifting and hopefully convicting). They also want to go ice skating and to Get Air trampoline park. Each time they invite friends, which is a real bonus.
For Christmas, the youth families are supporting a young woman affiliated with the group who has an eight-year-old and needs help for Christmas. If anyone else can help with this, we would appreciate it. Our youth also participated in assembling boxes for church for Operation Christmas Child.
Julie and Joe have been phenomenal in helping with leadership – faithful and loving to the youth.
Thank you all so much for your support and prayers!
In Him, blessings
Sharon Mager
sharon@northglenchurch.com
Women’s Ministry
Hello Ladies!
Hello, all! The plan for us right now is a study from the Red Letter Challenge. Just a little insight each day will, I hope, help us all to grow in our relationship with Jesus as we study some of His actual words. As it’s hard to do normal Women’s Ministry things, I hope this will keep us busy for awhile!
Proverbs 3:5-7a: ” Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes.”
In Christian Love,
Maureen Hill
maureen@northglenchurch.com
Men’s Ministry
The men enjoyed a great time together outdoors at our recent cookout and bonfire event including some invited guests. We ate massive quantities of food, played cornhole, had a guitar jam session with members of our church praise team and worshipped some around the fire, strengthened friendships and had a time of prayer to start and end the night.
As we enter into this blessed Christmas season and coming New Year, let’s re-commit ourselves to pursuing a closer walk of faith with our Heavenly Father. There are opportunities to serve in the mission God has given us at North Glen Community Church. If you are a follower of Jesus, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into serving where you can be used by God. He only asks for our faithfulness and availability. It is a privilege and a blessing to be a part of this mission as we invest in His Kingdom and help bring others to this same faith that we have.
Stay connected to the men’s ministry and encourage a friend and/or brother who needs to get connected with other men on this journey of faith in Jesus. Updates will be communicated many ways — during our services, online meetings, emails, posted on our website, the church phone app and the church and men’s ministry Facebook group pages.
Please share your thoughts and ideas for future fellowship and ministry opportunities with me.
Psalms 37:5 – Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.
Joe Fleming
joe@northglenchurch.com
Greeter’s Ministry
Calling some happy faces and friendly personalities to take turns greeting guests and members of our Church on Sunday Mornings before the service!
Debbie Richardson and I are currently welcoming people at the back entrance, smiling, taking temperatures and handing out masks for those who need them.
Any one may pick up the latest copy of Daily Bread devotionals and seasonal information and treats (It may be candy canes that Debbie suggested). We will try to keep upbeat in times of trials with a little treat! Always remember God is in control even though the world seems out of control.
Wishing everyone a Joyful Christmas Season celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus – Love to all!
Michele and Debbie
Homeless Ministry
The Homeless Ministry meets every first Saturday of the month at 9:00am and will start up again after the New Year. We go out to House of Hope in Glen Burnie, as well as Baltimore, to give out sandwiches and clothes along with the Word of God to those in need. Those interested in helping make sandwiches the night before, please see me for directions to my house.
The homeless ministry could use volunteers to help out!
Vicky McDuffie
vicky@northglenchurch.com
Food Pantry
When shopping, please consider picking up an extra item or two so that we may be able to keep the pantry fully stocked for those in need during the coming cold months. Thanks so much!
Coffee House News
For those who have not visited our SNL Coffee House Facebook page, we have been meeting each month through Watch Parties at 8PM on the third Saturday of each month. We have been grateful to have taped past performances of each band who connected with us through a Watch Party.
This Fall, we were able to gather together in worship on the property of a friend to SNL. It was wonderful to finally get together again. Social distancing and county guidelines were followed. The Raymond Lee Band and The Pulse in September and Full Gospel Boogie Band and our Worship Pastor Rick Holmes in October.
We still do not know when we will be able to return together again. Stay connected to our Facebook page and your email to know when an event has been scheduled for either online or in-person attendance. Continue to support the band of the evening. The videos will remain on the Facebook page and are also available on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwleNiDObxiErRcNGbojAQ/videos,
our Church App, and also NGCC Community Church Facebook page.
When we do start the Watch Party, note that the leader of each band is also connected in case you have any questions in supporting their ministry or are interested in purchasing merchandise.
Please connect and share with others to join as we meet and worship together!
In Christ,
Julie Drenning
julie@northglenchurch