Welcome to Northminster

We are a biblically-based Presbyterian church seeking to experience and share God’s love to transform our homes, community and the world. We hope you will join us.
 

Join us this Sunday!

We have Sunday school for all ages at 9:00, and the worship service is at 10:30am. We look forward to seeing you! 
 
 
 

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October 2023 Pastor’s Corner – Uniquely Christian

 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

— Matt. 5:46-47

There’s a prayer that pops up in my daily devotional (Seeking God’s Face by Philip Reinders, if you’re interested) every few days: “for God to equip us to serve in uniquely Christian ways in the public arena.”  Praying for God to help us to serve in “uniquely Christian ways” seems such an obvious and unnecessary thing, doesn’t it?  And yet, over the past several months, this particular prayer has needled away at the back of my mind.

The hard truth most of us probably don’t want to admit is that there is very little that is “uniquely Christian” in how we go about our daily lives.  When it comes to living as a Christian, long as we’re generally nice to others, basically good in most respects, and overall relatively happy and content in our lives, we figure we’re doing pretty good.  And there’s nothing wrong with any of those things.  Most every person should attempt to live that way.  But that’s just the thing.  Most every person does live that way.  There is nothing wrong with that, but there’s nothing uniquely Christian about it either.  If that’s the extent of our witness, of how we represent the hope and joy of the Christian life to others, it’s not all that surprising that people aren’t interested in learning more about the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It’s pretty clear from Scripture that there is supposed to be something about how we live our lives that is fundamentally and uniquely different from how the rest of the world lives.  Consider what Paul writes: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” (Eph. 4:17)  For the Hebrews, there were only two kinds of people: Hebrews and Gentiles.  “Gentile” is simply a name for someone who is not Hebrew.  But when Jesus and Paul, and the other New Testament writers, use the term, it’s more helpful to think of it as “people who don’t believe in Jesus.”  So Christians aren’t supposed to live their lives the same way non-Christians do.  But what does that look like?  Paul continues, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24)

What does living and serving in uniquely Christian ways look like?  Pretty much every book of the New Testament talks about this, but a great place to start is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, a portion of which is quoted above.  In summary, Jesus says that a uniquely Christian life is one that seeks reconciliation with others, honors the image of God in all people, is a person of their word, turns the other cheek instead of seeking retribution or revenge, loves their enemies, gives generously to those in need, seeks God in all things without flaunting their faith in front of others, radically trusts God in the present and in the future, focuses first on personal holiness rather than judging what’s wrong in others.  There’s obviously a lot of nuance in what Jesus says that I just skipped for the sake of summary, but you get the gist.  Another great place to continue your study of what it means to live and serve in uniquely Christian ways is to read the rest of Ephesians 4, which we looked at in the previous paragraph.  Start with Ephesians 4:17, and read through the end of chapter 5.

As followers of Christ, our lives ought to be fundamentally different than those who don’t follow Christ.  Peter writes, “…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Pet. 3:13-17)  Our very way of interacting with others and the world around us, the love we extend to each and every person, the faith we hold on to, the hope that secures us, should be captivating and intriguing to those who don’t know Jesus.  We are called to be different. 

Take some time to look at yourself and your life.  How are you serving and living in uniquely Christian ways?  What might need to change so that you reflect Christ more clearly and brightly to those around you.  These are great questions for any Christian to ask, at any point in their walk with the Lord.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” 

— Matt. 5:14-16

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison


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News & Announcements for Sunday, October 1, 2023

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:00-10:00.  We look forward to seeing you!

 

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

 

MISSION FOCUS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER

Our focus for the month of October is Christmas Food Boxes. Peanut butter, canned meats, canned fruits, soups, and jelly or jam are always a good idea. Since we are closer to the delivery date, mid-December, we can now add packaged foods such as mac and cheese, pasta, and pancake mix. Of course, spaghetti sauce and syrup are welcome too! When buying something for yourself, consider getting two and bringing one for this worthy mission. Donations can be placed in the receptacle in the narthex. Thank you for your support!

 

DISASTER RELIEF DONATIONS

When disaster strikes locally or abroad (such as the Maui wildfire or Hurricane Idalia, and you would like to contribute to the recovery efforts through the work of the church, you may do so by putting “Disaster” in the memo field or by going to https://epc.org/donate/emergencyrelief/.  Relief funds are distributed through local EPC churches in the impacted communities so the aid goes to those who need it most.

 

DOWNLOAD THE CHURCH CENTER APP

Scan the QR code with the camera on your smartphone to download our app!  In the app are the church calendar, small group and volunteer opportunities, the online church directory, and more. 

 

YOUTH MINISTRY SCHEDULE CHANGE

Please note that the youth group will not meet on Sunday, October 8 or 15.  We are meeting today, October 1 and will resume on October 22.


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News & Announcements for Sunday, Sept 24, 2023

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:00-10:00.  We look forward to seeing you!

 

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

 

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – TODAY, following Worship

The Session has called a Congregational Meeting for Sunday, September 24, immediately following worship, for the purpose of electing three members of the congregation to the Nominating Committee.

 

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, 9/28, 10:00AM

The Women’s Book Club will meet next Thursday, September 28 at 10:00am, at Northminster. This month’s book is A Painted House by John Grisham.

 

MISSION FOCUS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

Our focus for the month of August is Neighbors Helping Neighbors. NHN has a selective food warehouse that provides “guests” with the opportunity to shop for their groceries; it’s open the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Saturdays from 8:00-10:30 am.  If you would like to donate funds to help Neighbors Helping Neighbors, please specify “NHN” on your check memo line.  See the newsletter for more information.  Thank you for your support!

 

DISASTER RELIEF DONATIONS

When disaster strikes locally or abroad (such as the Maui wildfire or Hurricane Idalia, and you would like to contribute to the recovery efforts through the work of the church, you may do so by putting “Disaster” in the memo/note field of your donation, or by going to https://epc.org/donate/emergencyrelief/.  Relief funds are distributed through local EPC churches in the impacted communities so the aid goes to those who need it most.

 


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News & Announcements for Sunday, Sept 17, 2023

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS – Sunday, Sept 17, 2023

 

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:00-10:00.  We look forward to seeing you!

 

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

 

GLEANING FOR THE WORLD – WEDNESDAY, 8:30AM

Please join us in the parking lot of the church for carpooling. We will return to the church around 11:30 am. 

 

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – NEXT THURSDAY, 9/28, 10:00AM

The Women’s Book Club will meet next Thursday, September 28 at 10:00am. Location TBD. This month’s book is A Painted House by John Grisham.

 

MISSION FOCUS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

Our focus for the month of August is Neighbors Helping Neighbors. NHN has a selective food warehouse that provides “guests” with the opportunity to shop for their groceries; it’s open the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Saturdays from 8:00-10:30 am.  If you would like to donate funds to help Neighbors Helping Neighbors, please specify “NHN” on your check memo line.  See the newsletter for more information.  Thank you for your support!

 

DISASTER RELIEF DONATIONS

When disaster strikes locally or abroad (such as the Maui wildfire or Hurricane Idalia, and you would like to contribute to the recovery efforts through the work of the church, you may do so by putting “Disaster” in the memo/note field of your donation, or by going to https://epc.org/donate/emergencyrelief/.  Relief funds are distributed through local EPC churches in the impacted communities so the aid goes to those who need it most.


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September 2023 Pastor’s Corner — Restructure, Recast, Release

 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” 

— Is. 43:19

If you weren’t able to join us for the Rally Day & Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, August 27, I wanted to share with you what God has been doing in and through the Session over the past several months.  At the Annual Meeting in February, we looked at the challenges we are facing as a church and anticipated some of what we thought God might be leading us toward in the months to come.  That work is ongoing, but the picture is beginning to come into better focus.  While there is concern about the future of Northminster, God is making a way for us to follow as He continues to use Northminster to “experience and share the love of God in order to transform our homes, our community, and our world.”  As we said in February, that work involves Restructuring, Recasting, and Releasing.

Restructuring

As a church, we are facing a very pragmatic problem:  As a congregation whose worship attendance currently averages in the low- to mid-30s, we are not able to find enough people willing and qualified to serve as Ruling Elders on the Session.  This has led the Session to ask, just what is an Elder supposed to be and do?  Does the way our Elders currently function match what Scripture says and what the EPC Book of Order describes?  With the help of the leadership of the New River Presbytery, we have worked hard to answer those questions.  We’ve learned that the primary work of an elder is that of “under-shepherd” (1 Peter 5:1-5), but our elders have more often functioned as committee chairs.  The duties and responsibilities of managing committees prevents our elders from being shepherds (see Acts 6:1-6 for how the early church addressed this same problem) — and that has only been compounded as we’ve combined committees due to the lack of willing and qualified elder candidates over the years.

In order to address these issues, we are going to reduce the number of elders seated on Session to three.  This means that the elders will no longer be able to serve as chairs of the various committees, which will free them to serve as shepherds.  While we have extensive examples and descriptions of what this might look like, there’s a lot of it we’re going to figure out as we go along.  But the only way this works is if we recast the work of the various committees.

Recasting

Our “committees” will be recasted as “ministry teams.”  While initially this might sound like a new name for the same thing, it actually represents a culture shift. A committee is a group of people who are responsible for taking action on a particular matter; it “does the work” on behalf of the organization.  A ministry team, however, is committed to take action on the vision entrusted to it through the experience of Christian Fellowship, and the discipleship of its members.  Ministry teams are exceptionally flexible, dynamic means of aligning people for effective ministry, while providing ongoing encouragement to each person.  A ministry team invites the congregation to join and participate in the work of the Kingdom of God.  Instead of having “chairs,” we will have team leaders, which do not have to be (and will not be able to be) the seated elders on Session.  The elders will exist to resource and support (shepherd) the ministry teams.  The ministry teams will help equip and release the church for mission and ministry.

Releasing

In the Great Commission, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:18-20)  He has released his disciples to do the work of the Kingdom of God.  It is a work every believer is called and released to do, and it doesn’t require a committee approving it beforehand.  We want to be a church that is equipping, releasing and sending disciples into our homes, community and world in order to transform them through experiencing and sharing God’s love.  We believe that the Holy Spirit is already at work in and around us, and is inviting us to join Him in that work today.  For Northminster to continue to impact our community for the Kingdom of God, we need to embrace our calling as disciples of Jesus to “go.”

I imagine you’re feeling something similar to what I’m feeling right now:  a little bit of excitement, and a little bit of anxiety as well.  This is a pretty big shift in how we understand ourselves as a church as well as how to go about the work of the church.  I imagine it’s not too different from what the early explorers felt when they set out from the “old world” to discover the “new.”  They knew where they were headed, had a pretty good idea of what they were looking for, but also knew they’d be figuring out most of it as they went along.  God has given us a strong vision for the future of Northminster, and we have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to look like, but we also know we’re going to be figuring out much of it as we go along.  As we head into both the known and unknown of our future, we can step out boldly, trusting fully in the very last words Jesus spoke in the book of Matthew:

“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matt. 28:18-20

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison


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