NorthRidge Church & Christian Academy

July 2012 Volume 4, Issue 6

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Our News Reaching You; Reaching Out to You In This Issue

A Message From Pastor David

Page 2 (or click here)

Expressions of Worship
Page 4 (or click here)

From The Desk of Pastor Harold

Page 6 (or click here)

Youth Happenings
Page 8 (or click here)

Upcoming Events, Birthdays and Information Page 10 (or click here)

A Message From Pastor David

As

you come to Him, the living Stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house. ~ 1 Peter 2:4-5a What if God visited our church; would He be pleased with it? With us? Since it is not a building that God choses to dwell within. I realize that God is not looking for a place to visit. He is looking for a place to dwell. The pages of history are littered with the sobering fact that God is no longer present in places He once frequented. Go to the landmarks of past revivals, and youll quickly discover that the crowds have diminished. The joy is gone. The life has evaporated. In many cases, those places are but hollow shells today. For me the intriguing question is: Why does the Lord leave? The answer is telling: Because He was not completely welcomed. He was allowed to visit, but He was not permitted to be head. That is, He was not granted the right to make the decisions. Visitations bless us for a short season. But a dwelling place for God is something for His interest and His desire. Blessing is merely a byproduct. Its not the prime product. Contemplate this thought: If God visits a church, it betrays the fact that it doesnt belong to Him. A homeowner doesnt visit his own home. He lives in it. In a divine visitation, God will bless His people. But He will eventually move on and search for a home that He can call His own. Thus if the headship of Jesus Christ is not fully yielded to in a given place, the best the Lord can do is visit. He cannot take up residency. Our Lord is in a quest for a place to lay His head, a place where His headship is operative, a place where He does what He wishes, a place where He can feel comfortable and find rest. This is the indelible mark that a particular church is in fact Gods house. Anything else is but a layover for Him. Like any homeowner, God builds His house in His own way. If the home is His, He arranges the furniture the way He wishes, for He is the master of His own home.

I want you to imagine countless living stones scattered all over the earth. I want you to see innumerable living stones living their own individual Christian lives. I want you to see scores of living stones who love God, but who are isolated and independent of other living stones. Many attend religious services, but are they meeting in Gods House? That is precisely the situation we find ourselves in today. And what is the net effect? God is still homeless. The burning intent of your God is that all of His living stones be built together with other living stones to form His house. Not for themselves, but for their Lord; becoming the house of God, by God, and for God. Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1) From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16) Jesus Christ did not die and rise again just to forgive you of your sins. He died in order that His Father could obtain a home. The Lord saved you and me for this high and holy purpose. Without people who are being assembled together, God is a wandering, homeless God. And we are wandering, homeless Christians. Your Lord wishes to build Himself into a people, and He wishes to build a people into Himself. He is after a building, not a rock quarry. He wants a house, not a heap of stones nor a group of scattered rocks. The Lord Jesus Christ is looking for willing vessels that will abandon their individualism and live a shared life with others under His exclusive headship. This is our high calling. Make a home for the Lord in your life today. Each day, give Him complete headship to arrange your life as He wishes. Then connect with other living stones who too are fully committed to allow God be Lord to fulfill His eternal purpose, living out the plans He has and not our own. If we ever could grasp this truth, Revival would be present because God would be at home.

Expressions of Worship:
Honduras Missions Trip: (July 22-28) Jim Reeves and I will be flying to Tegicigalpa, Honduras in just a few short weeks. We have the opportunity to build outhouses in a remote village just outside of Victoria. We spent some time there over the last couple of years and discovered that there were still people in this area that had never heard the Gospel. In addition, we also found out that these people had great physical needs as well as spiritual needs. These outhouses provide a needed service to these families, but also offer a gateway for us to share Gods love and His amazing plan of salvation. While we are there, we will also have the opportunity to encourage new believers and motivate them to continue to grow in the knowledge of God. I trust that you will join us in this journey through your prayer support. These are just a few things that we would ask prayer for: Safe travels (back and forth to Honduras and while in country) Our families Ricardo (our translator and guide) and his family Opportunities to share the Gospel Gods direction in preaching at churches Our physical wellness (that we would stay healthy until the trip and remain healthy while we are away) Discovery of future opportunities in this country for NorthRidge Financial Support

Our Vacation Bible School children have been working hard all week to raise money to help purchase one of the two outhouses we will be constructing (each outhouse costs $300 to build). These kids have been amazing in their dedication to supporting this trip and working hard to pay for one of these outhouses on their own. If you are interested in donating toward this trip, we would also welcome your contribution to the Missions Fund at NorthRidge. If you have questions about donating, please feel free to call the church office and speak to one of our office personnel. They would be glad to assist you. Thanks so much for your support!

-Terrill

TGs July Playlist: July 2012 https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:tjgilley79:playlist:7zqLwpUBzkOrW8CsgdfrDx This month, I decided to mix up my playlist with some artists that many of you may have never heard of. I pray that as you listen, you might draw a little closer to Gods throne and be motivated to worship in private before gathering to worship in public. By the way, if there are any Tampa Bay Rays fans out there, there is a special surprise artist I think youll find interesting. Youll definitely be seeing more of her in days to come. Have a great time listening!

From the Desk of Pastor Harold

Thursday, July 5th at 12:00 noon.

Bring a covered dish, bring a friend, bring a story to tell, bring your love of the Lord, but most of all bring yourself.

All men all invited and encouraged to attend breakfast each Saturday morning at 7:00.
Starting soon we will be studying together different books of the Bible. We plan to start in James chapter one and continue there until we complete the book.

Home-bound Ministry
Thanks for all who give their time and resources to this ministry. If you are considering where you might serve, please pray about getting involved with the Home-bound Ministry. This is the current group of Home-bound with addresses that are being ministered to at this time. If you know of others that would benefit from this ministry, please contact Rowena Daley or call the church office @ 863.422.4488 Ms. Irma Swain Spring Haven Retirement LLC 1225 Havendale NW Winter Haven, Florida 33881 (863)-293-0072 Ms. Lucille Tiner Savannah Court assisted living. 301 Peninsular Drive. Haines City, FL 33844-5046 (863) 422-5204 Ms. Vera Cook Brandywyne Health Care Center. 1801 Lake Mariam Drive. Winter Haven, FL 33884 (863) 293-1989 Not home bound, but limited in some way and could use a word or two of encouragement with a visit, call or card. Mr Russ Vincent @ home Ms. Dorothy Burgess @ home Ms. Regena Lyle Savannah Court. 301 Peninsular Drive. Haines City, FL 33844-5046 Phone 863-422-4157 Mr. George Price Spring Haven Retirement LLC. 1225 Havendale NW Apt. 154. Winter Haven, Fl. 33881 Joyce Dillon Spring Haven Retirement LLC. 1225 Havendale NW Apt. 163. Winter Haven, Fl. 33881 Home phone: 875-7070 Joyce Cell 419-6794

Youth

Happenings

As a member of Northridge Youth, I am looking forward to going to Fuge Camp in North Carolina next week. After I heard all about this camp, I thought it would be a great experience. I also thought, instead of doing nothing all summer, I could actually do something fun- Being surrounded with all of my friends at a Christian camp. I am looking forward to the mountain hikes, these famous Cheerwine Slushie that I am always hearing about, the praise band (Rush of Fools) , worship time, and spending time with my friends. Unlike a normal Camp, we get to learn about God and advance in our relationships with Him. So if you have volunteered as a chaperone, donated to a camper, or just prayed alongside us, I think the Youth would like to give you a BIG thank you and request that you keep us in your prayers while we are at camp.

-Caitlin Fetes
Youth Member

Events and Announcements

Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed

Want to change a childs life through the Gospel of Christ in an hour and a half a week? AWANA is in need of the following volunteers for the 2012-2013 year (beginning in August):

Sparks Director* Cubbies Director * TNT Leader**(Need 6) AWANA Secretary (Provides administrative support by maintaining attendance and achievement records, tracking inventory and placing orders. May support one or more clubs.) Store Night Helpers (4 leaders needed to assist only 4 times per year.) Sparks Leader** Challengers Leader** (one male, one female) Cubbies Leaders**

*Director position responsibilities include communicating vision, shepherding leaders, managing administrative duties and communicating to church leadership, parents, children and leaders.)

**Leader position responsibilities include building relationships with a small group of children or youth to help them learn and understand handbook sections and Bible lessons. Actively participates in all club segments. Cubbies: Preschool; Sparks: Grades K5-2; TNT: Grades 3 &4; TNT Challengers: Grade 5. Our AWANA Clubs meet Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 PM.

If you have been at NorthRidge for more than 6 months, consider joining us in one of these positions! You may pick up a Volunteer Application form from Kourtney Lopez in the Church Office, or call 863-422-4488.

VBS was a huge success !

Here are some of the highlights of the fun we had:

July Birthdays
SUNDAY 1 MONDAY 2 TUESDAY 3
Mathew Dillon Suzanne Hanrahan Debbie Schumacher

WEDNESDAY 4
Jakelyn Bowman Tiffanie Novoa

THURSDAY 5
John Burnell Marrillyn Chandler Joseph Schutte

FRIDAY 6

SATURDAY 7

Jeremy Fowler Antonio Heverly Laurie Heverly Ryan Lopez Sybil Utterback

9
Richard Buker Breckon Hatley Iris Mendez

10

11
Jessica Couch Shirley Rahn David Southworth

12
Cindy Beasley

13
Mary Meigs

14
Tammy Congdon

15

16
Branson Hatley

17
Nayda Clement Joseph Grasso Carl Wagner

18

19

20
Haleigh Heverly

21
Sharon Bertsche Jessica Kachmarik

Richard Brown Steele Buker Hannah Francisco Amanda Macumber Johnathan Rector John Schatz Crystal Williams

22

23
Ross Bryan Jevaughn Harris

24
Alexander Jones Maximillian Jones Kevin Nunez

25
Angela Cheshire Steven Clement Estefan Figareau Lisa Stockton

26
Janie Cowart Jennifer Dunnahoe William Hinkle Katie Mixon

27
Darlene Byrd

28

29
Amber Cameron

30

31
Bill Idom Robert O'Donnell

Wednesday services

Sunday services

5:45-6:45 -Prayer in Sanctuary 6:45-7:45 -Coffee and Bible study in Fellowship Hall

Sunday Morning Caf -8:45am Sunday School -9:20 Worship Service -10:30am (also Kids' Church K5-3rd)

Church Office
Hours-Monday -Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm. If you need to contact the Pastor On Call you can at any time by calling the Church Office 863-422-4488 and leaving a message in the On Call mailbox (ext. 2104) The Pastor that is on call for the week will return your call ASAP.