Volunteer Highlight: Joey Cummins

Meet one of our GREAT volunteers…

JOEY CUMMINS

Volunteer Role: Small Group Leader for 2’s

Environment: Starting Line

Where did you grow up? In Costa Mesa, So. California

Family? My husband Rich & our 3 boys: Marcus (11), Isaiah (8), and Toby (3)

What’s the last movie you saw? Willy Wonka

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Brazilian Coffee Bean

What was the first concert you went to? The group Aswad (reggae)

How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? I began serving monthly in the nursery 6 years ago when the Lord said, “Get involved, girl! You’ll meet awesome people when you do!”

What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? Loving and snuggling these precious children in honor of Jesus.

Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? Yes…when Reid Cords finally stopped crying in class, much to the delight of his parents, and proclaimed to me, “I love you, Jojo!”

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”? Loved “The Purpose Driven Life”, after which I was baptized by Pastor Mitch…It was AWESOME!!!

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Phil 4:13

Baptism

We had an amazing turnout for our baptism class last Sunday. It is a HUGE encouragement to have nine children seeking to be baptized. We’ll be seeing a lot of life-changing baptisms taking place over the next few months…Praise God!!!

For those that are wondering what baptism is or whether it is for you or your child here is some information that will help:

BAPTISM

Baptism can not get you to heaven
    We can only get to heaven through our belief and faith in Jesus. Ephesians 2:8-9

Act of obedience
    We get baptized to obey God’s Word. Matthew 28:19

Picture of Christ’s Death, Burial and Resurrection
    Colossians 2:12 

Those who believe in Christ should be baptized
    Did you know that only those who have asked Jesus into their heart need to be baptized? Why? Because Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward commitment!   

Identifies you with Christ      
    Romans 6:4 

Symbol of belief
    1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Must be under water
    Matthew 3:16

Next baptism class is December 14; please feel free to contact me at the church office if you have any questions.

Greg

Volunteer Highlight: Sherry Noble

Meet one of our “GREAT” volunteers…

SHERRY NOBLE

Where did you grow up? Barstow, CA

Family? Husband, Dave, and 3 daughters (Kelsey-9, Lindsay-7, Natalie-4)

What’s the last movie you saw? Baby Mama & V for Vendetta (rentals)

What was the first concert you went to? Oingo Boingo (Yes, in the 80’s)

How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? We started coming to New Harvest in Jan. 04 and I started volunteering in April ‘04 for once a month help. I just thought that since I had two (at the time) kids in child care, I should help out. Last year was my first year long committment.

What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? I LOVE the kids!!! I might not always feel like working but every Sunday God gives me strength and I love it once I’m there.

Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember?

One day ALL of my 4 year olds gave a prayer. They all raised their hands to give a prayer when asked “who would like to pray today”. I was very overwhelmed about the excitement the from the kids. I have some very shy kids in the class. In fact, last year some of the kids didn’t even talk or participate in class until March or April. I moved up with my 3 years old and they feel very comfortable now.

I have to share one more. I have one little boy (who was in my 3 years old class) who is honestly quite a handful. One day his mom came up to me and thanked me. She said that her son had done something wrong at home and was in trouble. But he told her, “Mom it’s ok because God still loves me even when I do bad things”. We had been discussing this in class. Mom was very appreciative and I felt a sense of confirmation. This kid is understanding God’s love at such an early age and that’s AWESOME. I always wondered how much was being absorbed by the kids. This was real life proof, not just reciting of verses for a sticker.

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”? I really like learning the Old Testament series. I am a fairly new Christian and I love the history.

What’s your favorite Bible story? Right now I’m studying the life of Moses and I’m loving it. I guess at the moment my favorite is about Moses. If you would have asked me a few months ago I would have probably told you my favorite was something from the book of Matthew. My point being, that I’m just learning the bible and I don’t know enough to pick a favorite.

Shepherding a Child’s Heart

For those navigating the rough waters of parenthood we have a new book in the resource center that helps you apply biblical principles in raising your children. Go in and check it out!

Shepherding a Child’s Heart is about how to speak to the heart of your child. Bringing deep biblical principals to the task of parenting and concentrating on what is going on inside a child rather than just their outside behavior.

Have a wonderful week!!!

Greg

Family Night

With the start of the new school year a level of craziness is reached that doesn’t settle down until after Christmas. That’s why I thought it was a great time to challenge you to add something new to your schedule. My challenge is for you to begin a weekly Family Night where everyone in your family is together…no matter what! This may seem impossible to some, but the benefits of making it work are eternal. The influence you have with your children of all ages is enormous. One major obstacle for using this influence is lack of quality time together. Today, right now, pick a night of the week that works for everyone and plan your first Family Night.

You may be pretty excited about the possibilities of having everyone together for a night each week, but then you realize you have no idea what to do. Here are some ideas, although the possibilities are endless:

• Play a game (board game, video game, card game…it doesn’t matter)
• Go out for dessert
• Watch a family friendly movie…don’t forget the popcorn and candy
• Read a book together
• Have dinner “picnic” at a park
• Cook something together…dessert, snack, or an entire meal
• Take a drive up into the mountains (no ipods or videos…haha)

Take the challenge, begin Family Night this week and watch God work in your family beyond your wildest expectations.

Blessings in Christ,

Greg

KidStuf

There’s so much excitement about this ministry year at New Harvest I can barely contain myself. One new addition I’m particularly excited about is the beginning of KidStuf.

KidStuf is a program- for parents and their elementary age kids - that uses music, drama, dance, and storytelling to entertain and inspire. KidStuf is…

Value Driven - where character and faith are taught by emphasizing a monthly value

User Friendly - where your friends will thank you for bringing them

Creatively Wired - where video, lights, sound, and drama are used to make a lasting impression

Family Centered – where parents and kids spend quality time together

Kid Focused - where learning is fun and relevant for elementary age kids

Volunteer Fueled – where everyone can participate and get connected

The plan is to start KidSuf early in 2009. We’ll be giving periodic updates so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out this KidStuf promotional video so you can see what we have in store for the future at New Harvest Church:

School Anxiety

School is back in session! To some parents school comes as a great relief and to others a great source of anxiety. I had my first school experience dropping off our daughter at the newly opened New Harvest Child Care Center. They were amazing and my daughter did great; however, even under the best circumstances there is anxiety involved in handing over our children.

God knows this more than we can ever undestand. 1st Peter 5:7 pronounces “cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.”  Turn to God in prayer if you or your child are having a difficult time. Let us know by giving us a prayer request on the IN TOUCH card in the the bulletin and we’ll pray along with you. God is the Great Comforter all we have to do is allow Him to work in our lives.

Blessings in Christ,

Greg

God-given Gifts

Can you believe that July is almost over and we are moving quickly towards the beginning of the school year? The end of July and beginning of August is a crucial time for New Harvest, especially in Family Life. We are working hard to make this an amazing year for all of our families. The key to our success is the incredible volunteers we have that faithfully serve our children and students throughout the year.

The next two weeks we will be presenting opportunities to join our Family Life team as a volunteer. There will be an insert in the bulletin the next two weeks that will give you an opportunity to express interest in serving. All you have to do is fill out the insert and put it in the offering box. Someone will contact you to answer your questions and to help you find out where your God-given gifts can be used the best. I eagerly anticipate working with many of you this coming year. Have a wonderful week!

God’s Blessings, Greg

Prayer

Can you believe we are already celebrating Independence Day? It seems like just yesterday students were finishing up the school year and now we are almost midway through summer vacation. Don’t worry…there is plenty of summer left to fit in all the great family adventures.

The summer has been fantastic from our standpoint, with a great response from many Relief Drivers. However, we still have many more opportunities for you to serve! If you can serve in a classroom just ONE SUNDAY in July or August, please let us know today. There are sign up sheets at each Check In station.

As the summer rushes by, there is one activity that you can do with your children that is vital to their spiritual development…prayer. Taking time to pray with your children through all the busyness of summer will send a powerful message about the importance of their relationship with God. If prayer isn’t part of your regular routine, what better time to begin than right now? Start praying together and see how God works in the life of your family!

Have a great week!

Greg

Servants

There have been some exciting changes going on in our Family Life Center. We unveiled a new set and stage for one of our large group environments for the elementary students. Another stage and set is currently being planned for the Highway 14 large group environment. By the start of the next school year INNERchange and Highway 14 will have a whole new look. When you get a chance, come by and check out what is going on in the Family Life Center.

 

Although I am excited about all the change, what has moved me the most is seeing God’s servants step up in such a huge way. A few faithful servants took to heart Romans 12:10-11 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord”. They created a remarkable atmosphere for many of your children making every effort to stay “under the radar”. Those that follow Christ are to be His hands and feet here on earth; these servants are fervently living this out. A huge thank you goes out from the Family Life Team to all those that were involved.

 

I hope to see all of you in the Family Life Center!

 

God’s Blessings, Greg