We have exciting news from the Family Life Team. God has blessed us with an amazing new teammate in Janet Keene. Starting this week Janet will be our new Large Group Coordinator. This is an amazing answer to prayer. God has once again raises up the perfect person to fill a need on our team. Janet brings a wealth of experience in leading teams and we know she will thrive in her role in leading Large Group. The Large Group is where our elementary students “experience” the Bible story each week through music, storytelling, video, and group activities. Please join me in welcoming her into her new position.
New Elementary Coordinator
As God continues to bless us with amazing new staff members we once again get to praise Him. I am trilled to announce that Jeanette Saxton is our new Elementary Coordinator. She will be working with Highway 14 (grades 1-4) and INNERchange (grades 5-6). Many of you have heard her beautiful voice on the worship team and now you will get to experience her wealth of experience working with children and their families. This is a very exciting time for New Harvest Church and having Jeanette join the team is just one more sign of God’s abundant blessings. Please join us in welcoming Jeanette in her new position.
Family Life News
New Children’s Ministry Director
Join me in congratulating Linda Stephens on her promotion to Children’s Ministry Director. God has continually blessed New Harvest with amazing Christ-following servants and Linda undoubted fits this description. She is a born leader with a tremendous amount of energy, a love for New Harvest Church, and a passion for Jesus Christ. In her role as Children’s Ministry Program Coordinator she has proven that she does whatever it takes to create an amazing experience for every child and family that comes to New Harvest each Sunday. Make sure you congratulate her when you see her and offer praises to God for raising her up into this role.
Family Life Ministry Opportunity
NEW POSITION
LARGE GROUP COORDINATOR
Position Summary:
Under the direction of the Director of Children’s Ministry, the Large Group Coordinator is primarily responsible for the management of the large group environments in Highway 14 and INNERchange. This includes giving oversight to Large Group volunteers, the development and implementation of each Sunday’s Large Group experience. This position requires 10 hours per week. Approximately 4 hours will be committed to Sunday mornings.
Contact the Director of Family Life, Greg Zuffelato, for an application or if you have any questions. Application deadline is February 26, 2009.
email: gregzuffelato@nhclife.org
phone: 797-7000
Volunteer Highlight: Chris Hudiburgh
Meet one of our GREAT volunteers… Chris Hudiburgh
Volunteer Role: Worship Coordinator – Relational Magnet
Environment: Turnpike / Catalyst
Where did you grow up? Southern California (Chino, Ponoma)
Family? One Brother, One Sister (Jordan, Katie)
What’s the last movie you saw? Reign of Fire
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Rainbow Sherbert
What was the first concert you went to? Spice Girls
How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? Micah Foster met with me and got me hooked up in June 2008.
What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? Working with the kids
Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? I’ll always remember leading my grandmother to Christ.
What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”? Not sure yet. I like them all.
What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? The Prodigal Son and Samson
What’s something interesting about yourself that most people don’t know? I love to play chess.
Virtue Pack: Gratitude
Family Times Virtue Packs are for sale for $5 in the Resource Center and at the check-in counter in the Family Life Center. For those that aren’t sure what a Virtue Pack is here’s an explanation from the Rethink Group, creators of the virtue packs.
FamilyTimes™ is designed to help equip parents with easy to use tools to make the most of everyday moments together. This tool is based on the biblical model that teaches that the home should be the primary place where a child learns about Gods.
Here’s what the bible says to parents about teaching virtues to their children…
“Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up,” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
FamilyTimes Virtue Packs provide activities to be used once a week during each of these four family times – MealTime, DriveTime, BedTime, and MorningTime. All of this is designed to give parents simple ways to help their kids grow in faith and character.
This month’s virtue you is Gratitude. Get your pack TODAY!!!!
Thankful Kids…is that possible?
Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This verse speaks volumes about how we are called to be thankful for God’s blessings in our lives. As with all amazing biblical truths it starts with looking inward first.
Here are some tips to raising thankful kids:
Lead by example
· BE THANKFUL for everything you have and let your kids know it.
Less is more
· A constant barrage of material gifts doesn’t promote thankfulness. Make a big deal out of the gifts that your kids have. Have them give away toys/ games/ clothes that still have value, but aren’t getting the use they once did.
Give your kids a worldly perspective
· Visit a shelter, a food bank, or any less fortunate area in the valley
· Sponsor a child from another country. Use it as an opportunity to explain what life is like for the child you are sponsoring.
Count your blessings
· Before going to bed have your kids share what they are thankful for.
PRAY for your kids…OFTEN!!!
· Pray continually for an attitude of thanksgiving for your kids.
Raising children is an amazing challenge and an even bigger blessing. Our marching orders from God are found in Proverbs, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
Have a wonderful week!
Greg
Volunteer Highlight: Anita Lee
Meet one of our GREAT volunteers…
ANITA LEE
Volunteer Role: 8th grade small group leader
Environment: Turnpike
Where did you grow up? I’ve lived in the following cities growing up: Los Angeles, Monterey, Clovis and Fresno
Family? Spouse: Russ Lee, Children: Sami (13y), Audrey (11y) and Bryce (6y)
What’s the last movie you saw? Spirit of the Marathon
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla Bean
What was the first concert you went to? Police
How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? When it first began…7yrs ago.
What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? Seeing kids lives impacted by God’s word.
Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? When my 3rd grade students came up to me and told me I was their favorite teacher and they didn’t want me to leave and serve in Turnpike.
What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”? We were out of town one day and went to Saddleback and Rick Warren was preaching and he preached on How God Tests Our Faith. (2/11/07). Pastor Warren says that God tests our faith through: 1) Our Difficulties 2) Our Demands 3) Our Dollars 4) Our Delays
What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3
What’s something interesting about yourself that most people don’t know? I want to run in the Boston marathon – April 18th, 2011 on my birthday. (Patriot’s Day)
Volunteer Highlight: Robyn Smith
Meet one of our GREAT volunteers…
ROBYN SMITH
Volunteer Role: 2nd Grade Small Group Leader
Environment: Highway 14
Where did you grow up? Washington, California, Oregon, New Mexico
Family? Vance, Justin, Nicholas, and Zachary
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Cold Stone Founder’s Favorite
What was the first concert you went to? Jason Upton
How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? Tara Smith was talking about how short handed they are and I started towards the end of 07-08 school year.
What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? I’m learning God’s word as a child learns and watching children learn and sing brings me so much joy and love in my heart. It makes me want to be a kid again.
Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? We were in large group singing and during our praising Him behind me I heard children singing with the most beautiful voices. I became speechless. To feel the Lord’s presence in the room was overwhelming. No words could describe.
What’s your favorite message or series from “big church?” This one is hard for me. Since I’ve been coming the message has always been about what I’ve been going through, and this time is no different. So, if I had to choose a favorite it would be “contending for the faith.” God is truly preparing me for his battle.
What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? Isaiah 49: 15-18 NKJV
Volunteer Highlight: Ryan Roloff
Meet one of our GREAT volunteers…
RYAN ROLOFF
Where did you grow up? Mostly Racine, Wisconsin
Family? Married to Stephanie, 2 step-sons Tanner Barnes, soph at Buchanan and Trenton, 7th grader at Alta, Madison, Kindergarten at Dry Creek and Marcus, 2 yrs old.
What’s the last movie you saw? The Express- excellent
What was the first concert you went to? Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby!!!
How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? At the beginning; taught 3rd grade class for a year, attended another church for a few years and returned, sticking to greeting for now.
What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? Meeting people and giving back.
Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? Not really, sorry
What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”? Anything on marriage is always good.
What’s your favorite Bible story? I guess I’d say the prodigal son – can relate to it from both sides.
Do Hard Things
DO HARD THINGS is a book for teenagers, written by teenagers, and praised throughout the country by people of every age. This book is changing lives in amazing ways. Parents have been affected just as much as teenagers by reading the book so it’s a book for the whole family.
Here is what Christian leaders from around the country are saying about the book…
Praise for Do Hard Things
“Do Hard Things is an extraordinary book. In fact, I believe it will prove to be one of the most life-changing, family-changing, church-changing, and culture-changing books of this generation. I’d love for every teenager to read this book, but I’m just as eager for every parent, church leader, and educator to read it.”
– Randy Alcorn, best-selling author of Heaven and The Treasure Principle
“Do Hard Things is so important. It is challenging teenagers to rebel against the low expectations placed on them. And the voices that are asking teens to rise to meet this challenge are voices from their own generation. That thrills me.”
– Chuck Colson, best-selling author of How Now Shall We Live?
“Adult expectations for youth are too low. And these twins are out to raise them. Don’t adapt to the low cultural expectations for youth. Set high ones. Youth can become examples for adults. Think that way. Dream that way. Or as the Harris brothers would say, ‘Rebel against low expectations.’”
– John Piper, best-selling author of Don’t Waste Your Life
You can purchase the book in the resource center for $15 dollars.
Have a wonderful week!!!
Greg
New Harvest Family Life 