NLC Connect February 14 2024

February 13th, 2024
by Mark Isaac

connect with God's Word

connect your calendar

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY14 - VALENTINE'S DAY
6:30 p.m. - Worship Team Rehearsal - Gym
6:30 p.m. -Prayer Gathering meets - Room 113

Please join in praying for our pastoral transition process

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15
5:30 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY meal, LESSON, small groups, Solid Rock Cafe

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY Sponsor/Mentor Training - Rooms 114/115

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18
8:30 a.m. - Growth Classes

Foundations in Finance - Room 111
Salt & Light: 2 Timothy - Rooms 114-115

9:30 a.m. - Connecting Point
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP - NLC KIDS - NURSERY

Pastor Mark preaching the 2nd in the Vision for Relationships series: Speaking Forgiveness, from Luke 5:17-26.

11:15 a.m. - SOUP'PORT Women going to Hartland Women's Retreat - After church

Pick up a pint of soup for lunch or later! - $5.00/pint

5:00 p.m. - NLC CREW (youth group) MOVIE NIGHT! - Room 207

THE COMING WEEK:

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED FOR PRESIDENT'S DAY
6:00 p.m. - CR Worship Team rehearsal - Gym

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Foundations in Faith series featuring David Platt - Dining Room
9:00 a.m. - LIFE Women's Bible Study - Rooms 114/115
2:35 p.m. - Good News Club at Jefferson Elementary
6:30 p.m. - Healing Rooms of Dinuba - west porch of Worship Center

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
NO Worship Team Rehearsal
6:30 p.m. -Prayer Gathering meets - Room 113

Please join in praying for our pastoral transition process

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22
5:30 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY meal, TESTIMONY, small groups, Solid Rock Cafe

FRIDAY/SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23-24
Fresno Pacific University board meetings

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25
8:30 a.m. - Growth Classes

Foundations in Finance - Room 111
Salt & Light: 2 Timothy - Rooms 114-115

9:30 a.m. - Connecting Point
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP - NLC KIDS - NURSERY

Pastor Mark will be finishing a 3-week series on Vision for Relationships called "Barrier-Breaking Love", from Luke 5:27-39

11:15 a.m. - FAMILY MEAL - Spaghetti & garlic bread will be provided; last names A-K please bring desserts, and L-Z bring salads to add to the meal. Thank you!
5:00 p.m. - NLC CREW (youth group) - Room 207

UPCOMING:

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

connect through giving

Received Last Week (2/11):……...... $3,120
Received this year to date: .......…..$172,376
Budget to Date: ……......................... $184,773
Budget Goal: …………...…...…............$400,342
Needed Weekly: …………….…….........…$8,142

Our special "Souperbowl" offering for Open Gate was $451.96

connect with God in prayer

A celebration of life service for Bonnie Brown will be March 2nd at NLC, 11:00 a.m., with lunch to follow. The graveside service is at 9:30 a.m. at the Reedley Cemetery.
Remember others who have lost loved ones recently, especially Justin Griggs & Amanda Dover whose grandfather Verl Dover's memorial service was this week.
Praise the Lord that Kristel Salazar's tests returned negative for cancer! And her friend Ricardo has been declared cancer-free!
Pray for health and peace for: Paulie Romero, Ron Froese (has an MRI for his back and leg this Friday), Michelle Perez, Brian Willems, Al Suderman, Mary Salazar, and Bruce Smith.
Ron Froese's sister-in-law, Garinel, has bone cancer. She lives in Missouri.
Remember those fighting cancer treatment: Ron Froese's sister-in-law Garinel, Eugene Enns, Carolina Coralles, Glen Zimmerman, and Lanisha Washington.
Erick Parra needs prayer as he restarts his life and relationships in Dinuba.
Pray for our pastoral transition. The Elders are forming a search committee with Ken Sawatzky from the Trustees.
Pray for District Minister Jordan Ringhofer and family, as well as our sister churches in Oregon and Washington.
Continue praying for an end to war and violence around the world.
Pray for our Good News Club teams at Jefferson and Monson-Sultana schools: Tom Regier, Norma Froese, Martha Sawatzky, Marcia Sawatzky. They would love to have another person as a substitute or regular team member.

The current series of messages on Sunday morning are focusing on relationships. We're still considering VISION through prayer, God's Word, and ministry, but this current set of messages directs those thoughts toward our RELATIONSHIPS.

Last Sunday, we started the series by looking at Jesus take a timeout for prayer from Luke 5:12-16. Ministering to others was growing increasingly busy and people were coming to him from all sides seeking healing or help in one form or another. Jesus took a timeout for prayer, not because he didn't want to be with people, but because he wanted to be there for them as God directed and empowered him.

This Sunday, February 18th, we'll look at the place God's Word has in giving us a vision for our relationships. In Luke 5:17-26 we meet a group of friends who took their paralyzed friend to Jesus. They had to tear apart the roof in order to get their friend in front of Jesus, obviously to be healed of his paralysis. Jesus saw their faith and spoke forgiveness to the man. And yes, to prove that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins, he also healed the man! Do we have the same authority to forgive sins and, by doing so, bring health, healing, and wholeness to people?

The short series will wrap up on February 25th with Jesus at a dinner party. His vision from God to speak forgiveness to people put him right where God wanted him, breaking barriers in the midst of a group of people known for their sins. Jesus challenged the way religious people thought by going to meet people in their sin. It was so different from what they believed was the right thing to do! Jesus had a word for them--to think and act in new ways to match the new life Jesus brought.

And finally, a little heads-up about our guest preacher for March 3rd. Matt Naylor is the son of Mike & Nori, and is one of the pastors/elders at Community Christian Fellowship in Reedley. You'll feel immediately his love for the Word of God and for the church as he preaches one of Jesus' parables from the Gospel of Luke.