Discipleship | Small Groups

Haitian Christmas Project

Update on the Haitian Christmas Project:

We have the information on the children and the process for purchasing gifts. If you are interested in taking part in this ministry opportunity, purchasing and wrapping the gifts for these Haitian children, please email Nate Conrad at the church office, thank you!

Seasonal Volunteer Opportunities

This coming season there are several ways to help serve the church and our ministry partners. Consider one of the opportunities below as a way your small group can step into service this fall:

Feed My Starving Children

November 5, 2009 we are hoping dozens of NPC small groups will join one another to help package food with FMSC in Aurora. This is a very simple, easy way that men, women and families can serve side by side. Click here for more information.

Purchase and Pack Gifts for Children in Haiti

This information sheet describes our work as a presbytery to provide gifts for kids in Haiti. If your group would be willing, it can provide dozens of gifts for kids who will otherwise not receive any. This mission opportunity supports a ministry already on the ground in Haiti which seeks to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children. Please email npcdeaconjoe@gmail.com to sign up to help.

Serve at the HSM/MSM Thanksgiving Dinner

High School Ministries and Middle School Ministries are looking for one small group to shop, set up, cook, and clean up after. NPC will provide the turkey, sliced and ready to heat up, small group members can do the rest.  Set up is a couple tables from the back hall for serving, the kids eat on the floor or in chairs. Total time commitment would be about 3 hours, 3:30 to 6:30, and dinner included! The dinner is November 22 from 5-6 pm. Please email traceybouton@npchurch.org

Facebook Fan

This year Facebook started offering "Pages" to companies, organizations, artists and celebrities. Facebook users can "become a fan" of the individual or group to follow, support, hear news and information, see photos and videos and more. NPC has recently created its own Page for users of Facebook which is available to non-Facebook users as well. Our new Page is here: www.facebook.com/npchurch

The Page is in development (as well as a handful of other Pages for various ministries in the church). We are hoping that Facebook members and others will bookmark the page and follow NPC this way. Our desire is not to replace the church website or the Weekly, but to augment what we already have available to those who attend NPC and have a larger public presence.

So, become a fan, or simply check back regularly for more information about the church, our events, photos and videos from events and much more. We are looking forward to how social networks like Facebook can help connect us to one another in the church.

Volunteer Opportunity

NPC is looking for a few volunteers to help with the kitchen ministry at the church. The desire is to keep the kitchen tidy and manageable for the rest of the church and its various ministries.

Here's the requirement for the team:

You (and a partner) would volunteer for 2 months out of the year to come into church once a week.  We anticipate that it will take about an hour each week to do the following:  run the dishwasher (if necessary), wipe down all the counters/stovetops/sinks, put away anything that's out, throw out old food in the fridge and restock the paper/plastic products.

Please contact the main office if you are interested. Thanks!

SG Leader Training

If you sign up for Jesus Weekend (Nov. 13-14), pick the Small Group Leader Training (read about it here). You will get the $20/person discount if you are one of the first 50, and you will get a bonus Person of Jesus Training in the weeks preceding the event. We are arranging for seeJesus to come to NPC a little early and give us the Person of Jesus track so that we are ready to go for the SG Training at Jesus Weekend.

Please email if you have any questions, I expect there will be some!

Also, please pass along the details to friends at other churches too, this is a regional event and we welcome those who would have a similar interest in this event.

Ephesians Memorization

For the next several weeks we are going to be looking at the book of Ephesians in our sermon series. Posted here is a list of verses that we invite you to join with others in memorizing over the coming year. Print the sheet, cut out verses and carry them with you, looking at them throughout the day.

As we focus our attention on Paul's letter to the Ephesians we can commit these and other portions of scripture to memory. These are passages which can encourage us, remind us of God's grace, and remind us of our life together as a church, the bride of Christ.

Make an effort with your family, your small group, or personally to commit several (if not all!) these verses to memory over the coming months and find great joy in having God's word on your lips all day!

Registration for the Jesus Weekend

Click here to read more and to register for the event.

Take some time today to register for the Jesus Weekend! Lock this great opportunity into your schedule before the fall gets away. We know the importance of investing our spiritual lives. The time we spend together with other believers this weekend we are sure will be an encouragement and refreshment to you, whether you are actively involved in ministry, or simply resting and seeking to care for your soul.

Tim Keller, author and pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York says:

"If Jesus or Jesus' saving grace is just an abstraction to you, Paul Miller will be a great help in making his love a living reality to your heart."

In addition, the first 50 NPC attendees will get a $20 refund on their registration. It is our hope that you will take advantage of this training and encouragement opportunity with others who are involved in ministry. This is a regional event, dozens of other churches are being invited to participate in this great conference.

Click here to read more and to register for the event.

UPDATE: If you sign up for the Small Group Training and have not participated in a Jesus Weekend or Person of Jesus Seminar, there will be an additional training opportunity prior to the weekend at no charge. This is a prerequisite to the training on Nov 13-14, 2009. More information forthcoming.

New Adult Education Classes

New Adult Education class are beginning September 13 with a preview of five different classes available to the church this fall term. Encourage your small group members to take time during the education hour (9:55-10:45 am) to join others in the Worship Center to hear about the following classes:

• The Discovery Class
• 1 John
• 3Story
• Big Ideas of the Bible
• The Gospel-Centered Life

More information here

We are excited about the fall and the opportunities to get connected in ministry with others. More information will be posted here on the blog regarding ways to foster community and encourage biblical spiritual formation.

Directory Update Request

Fellow Small Group Leader:

The fall schedule is soon approaching and we want to be ready! We are updating the Small Group Directory for this fall and would like to get an idea of your plans for your small group. Would you mind putting together the information that we requested for the directory last year, including group leader names, contact info, meeting time and place, and a little about the group dynamics? All you need to do is send a note to npc@npchurch.org

 

We want to update the directory over the next few weeks and place new pictures, remove discontinued groups, add new groups (whether the GG model, a mens' group, womens' group or otherwise), for a general overall refresh by 8/30. Having your information in hand before Wednesday 8/26 allows us to edit the directory and have some new ones available to the congregation.

 

I look forward to more time together in training and prayer like we enjoyed this past year. We plan to continue to invest and develop leaders at NPC, and those Sunday morning times seem to be a good opportunity to do that in the coming year. Watch for the dates in your inbox!

 

Thank you for your ministry, keep your eyes up for new people that are visiting each week. We see about 4-6 families a week that are brand new!

Jesus Weekend Sign-ups

The Jesus Weekend site is live and ready to accept registrations, click here for more information and to register!