Discipleship

Upcoming Lecture: Stefan Gustavsson

How is Europe's Spiritual Crisis Influencing America?

You’re invited to hear Stefan Gustavsson, a leading communicator of the gospel in Europe and President of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance, answer this question on Friday, September 9, 2011 at Naperville Presbyterian Church (943 Sanctuary Lane, Naperville, IL) from 7:30 pm - 8:45 pm.

Ministry Plans for 2010-2011

Below you will find linked our church's Annual Ministry Plan for the 2010-2011 year. This document will guide our purposes, preaching, ministry efforts and vocabulary for the coming year.

I hope you will take the time to click through, download and review the document as a small group leader and as a member of the church. Please take this document to your small group in the coming weeks and encourage your members to prayerfully work through the scripture, the ideas for ministry, and consider their/your participation this season in the life of the church.

We are excited what this year will bring, we always are at the beginning of a new year. There are many opportunities and possible relationships that await each of us.

Download Ministry Plan 2010-2011

 

Leadership Breakfast, May 30

Hey everyone,

I wanted to remind you of the leadership breakfast we are hosting for you and for other leaders in the church on Sunday, May 30 in the LL Rooms 040/042 at 10:00 am. We will not be meeting for education classes that morning, but want all small group leaders, adult education teachers, welcome team members and hospitality team leaders to join us for time of food, fellowship, time in prayer and sharing what God has done this year.

Please take a moment to email Nate with your RSVP, yes or no, to the event. We want to use our resources wisely and plan accordingly for the event (food, staff, etc.).

Please call the office 630-961-0579 with any childcare needs.  Click here for more details on the event.

Jesus Weekend

A weekend of training, encouragement and spiritual nourishment... Whether you are a brand new Christian or a pastor, you will encounter The Person of Jesus like never before.

On Friday evening, as you study the gospels, you’ll discover your heart being captured by the beauty of Jesus. A pastor said, “The interactive study of the life of Jesus made Him come alive in a way I have rarely seen or heard.” A pastor’s wife wrote, “I am embarrassed (and sad) that I’ve overlooked seeing Him as a person.”

On Saturday three different tracks expand your awareness of Jesus. The Person of Jesus track immerses you in what Jesus is like as a person and offers you the opportunity of learning how to teach interactively and reaching out to non-Christians.

A second track, Small Group Leader Training, gives participants hands on training in leading inductive Bible studies as it immerses participants in the Passion of Jesus or one other aspect of Jesus’ life.

Finally, we know how hard it is to sustain a consistent life of prayer. The PrayerLife track is designed for Christians who long to have a rich prayer life, but are frustrated by the busyness of life.

On Facebook click here | More info here

The Library

If you are looking for resources for your small group to study and are not sure about which resources to pick up, try browsing our church's library. The library has recently been moved to rooms 040 and 042 below the worship center.

The library has been maintained to provide good resources to our church's members and friends.If you are looking for resources, they have possibly been removed in order to offer the best, most helpful resources to you congregation.

Visit the library and review the books here on a Sunday, or during the week. It will help you save some money on books that maybe you have heard about, but are not sure you want to go out and buy a copy. Resources include books for small group studies, personal growth, reference, audio and video, and more.

Check this list of recommended books for your personal growth and/or group study.

New Small Group Directories

The new Small Group Directories are here and available. We will be calling attention to small groups early this term seeking to help others get connected to a small group community here in the church. Please help us in the process by reaching out to others whom you may not already know. Welcome them and offer to explain how to get more connected here in the church, through ministries, events, and/or small groups.

We have tried to update and stay as current as possible with group additions and changes. If you see an error with the details of your small group, please email the church office to correct upcoming versions of the directory. Thank you!

Thank You, Leaders!

This Sunday, January 4, from 10:00 - 10:40 am in Room 042 (middle room below the Worship Center) we are hosting a gathering for Adult Education teachers and Small Group leaders. We will have catered food, encouraging words, resources and ideas.

We are very thankful for our leaders at NPC and want to take some time to acknowledge your care and ministry to others in the church as a teacher or small group leader. To share our gratitude, we are hosting a gathering for fellowship, food, and encouragement; we hope that you will attend!

Childcare will be offered by reservation from 10:00 - 10:40 am in the following rooms, please call the church office to reserve a spot for your child:

• K through 3rd grade (High School Room, 032)
• 2’s through Pre-K (Room 161)
• Infants through Skippers (Room 170)
• Older children may attend with their parent(s)

Please click here for a printable version of the invitation as a reminder. We are excited about this time to be together and encourage one another in ministry.

New Reading Recommendations: Leadership Books

We've added a couple new books in our Leadership Reading column. We encourage all leaders in our church to consider some of these resources to help develop sound theology, be trained in pastoral care, and hone apologetic responses to our world.

One of the resources that has been added is "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World", contributors include D.A. Carson, Mark Driscoll, Timothy Keller, John Piper, David Wells. With other contributors, this book presents sound biblical Christology and presents a response to engaging with our searching secular world.

This book is representative of material preached at the Desiring God National Conference on the Supremacy of Christ. iTunes URL.

We'd Like Your Help, Please!

If you use one of the studies or guides, please consider writing a short review of the material and email it to me. We'll post it under a new category called "Reviews". This can help other leaders evaluate if that book or study is a good one to include in his or her small group.

Leadership Class Begins Soon

Perhaps you have been around for a while, or perhaps you are brand new to the small group leadership thing... regardless, the Leadership Class is a great way to extend your learning, network with other leaders, capture ideas and helps for how to be a more biblical leader.

The Leadership Class begins on Sunday, January 13, at 8:45 am.

You can register here: http://www.npchurch.org/adulted/schedule.html

More information: The Leadership Class is offered regularly to train and develop servant leaders, and is a pre-requisite for all elders and deacons in the church body.  Everyone is welcome to attend the 14-week class which covers the doctrinal distinctive of Reformed Theology, real-life application of the material, reading and in-class discussions.