Cups Cafe

In July we helped to put together two fundraisers to help raise money for Cups Cafe. The building was up for auction on June 26th. On June 15th there was a Family Fun Day from 12-4pm in front of the Cafe. We also hosted an open mic night at the cafe on Saturday June 22. Although Cups was unable to win the auction, there is much hope for the future of this local ministry. 

Cups Cafe is a non-profit organization where all donations go to feed hungry people, help the homeless, and serve the elderly, disabled and those on fixed incomes. Cups serves 50-80 guests a day. They rely on donations from businesses, churches, organizations and individuals to serve those in need.

National Day of Prayer

I had the privilege of participating in my first National Day of Prayer service in Medina. During the evening service held at the Medina United Methodist Church, I prayed with Mike Van Arsdale from Love, Inc. for the families and community of Medina. Cassy Mathews represented New Life as she prayed for the students of Medina, and Buck Wilford, a member of New Life and the founding pastor of Brunswick Community Church prayed for the military.

Two New Elders Appointed

On April 11th, the members of New Life Christian Fellowship voted to approve the appointment of Frank Haugh and Patrick Pinkerton as Elders. Including myself, we now have 3 elders at our church. I am looking forward to seeing how God uses these men to help shape and lead our local church. Please pray for us.

Enrolled in the DD Program at TNARS

I have just been accepted as a student into the doctoral program at The North American Reformed Seminary. Larry Bray is going to be my mentor. I will be working toward a Doctor of Divinity in Puritan Studies.

Christianity Explored

From 6:30-8:30pm on Wednesday nights March 6th to April 24th join us at 733 Twin Oaks Blvd for a short-term study called Christianity Explored. It is a video-based, introductory Bible study working through Gospel of Mark. You don't need to know anything about the Bible. You won't be asked to read aloud, pray or sing. You can ask any question you want. You are welcome to invite others! 

Super Weekend

Friday night we will have our monthly Parents Night Out at New Life from 7-10pm for those who want to have an evening out on the town. We'll watch the kids for you. On Saturday February 2 from 8am-4pm we are hosting a men's conference at New Life. We are partnering with New Beginnings Church from Wadsworth for this event. It is part of the national Stepping Up Super Saturday event. As usual we will have Saturday night church service at 5pm this weekend. Then, Sunday morning New Life will have our usual Sunday School classes for all ages starting at 9:30am followed by worship service at 10:45am. Later in the afternoon at 4:30 we are scheduled to have a congregational meeting to discuss the state of the church and the vision for the next year. Following that we are scheduled to have a pot luck dinner while we watch the NFL world championship bowl game on the big screen!

The North American Reformed Seminary @ New Life

Over the Summer I was accepted onto the staff at the North American Reformed Seminary (TNARS) as a local mentor. This arrangement enables me to be able to mentor seminary students locally at our church while all their reading materials and assignments are provided free online. At New Life we currently have two students enrolled and a third has applied. I see this as a great way for our church to help play an active roll in the equipping of our members for ministry without encouraging them to accumulate large amounts of debt in pursuit of formal, higher education.

As president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Al Mohler remarked that he wanted to put SBTS out of business. Mohler was quoted saying in an interview, "There is always the danger that my statement will be taken out of context! I do not mean to say that Southern Seminary should cease to exist in the very near future. I emphatically believe that the best and most proper place for the education and preparation of pastors is in the local church. We should be ashamed that churches fail miserably in their responsibility to train future pastors. Established pastors should be ashamed if they are not pouring themselves into the lives of young men whom God has called into the teaching and leadership ministry of the church."