Seeding the Community for Christ

We're a church off the beaten path. Unless you live and work in Valparaiso, and even then only near City Hall or Valparaiso Elementary, there's no reason for you to have ever seen New Hope Baptist Church. Very few people take the scenic drive (this is where you laugh) through downtown Valparaiso, choosing instead to take Bayshore, where they are confronted with all that yucky nature stuff.

So we're invisible, and no one is looking to find us.

There are ways to attack that problem. We can create opportunities for people to notice us. Each week, a small group of New Hope folks puts out road signs in key points around the area on Friday evening and takes them up on Sunday night. Cheap and effective. But you still have to take the initiative and hunt us up after seeing the sign. If you are not looking for a church, you won't.

So we have begun to accelerate our "Takin' It To the Streets" campaign. We've done backyard Bible club events, movies in the park next to the museum, sno cones in the bayside park, sno cones at the Relay for Life events, and lots of activities on the church campus. We're doing one for Halloween there.

Soon it will be block party time.

We're going to take the best of everything we have done, and go into the neighborhoods of some of our members with puppets, snacks, and a movie for the kids. I found some training for block parties through a Director of Missions up in Michigan named Bobby Gilstrap. We'll go through that, develop a checklist we'll consult each time to minimize confusion and maximize impact - and off we'll go. Plans are to possibly do them on Sunday nights so we can step into the world of the unchurched even deeper.

Our hope is to introduce ourselves to the community as good neighbors, and build bridges that the gospel can travel over. As time passes, more people may just take that scenic drive to Valparaiso to see what God is doing at New Hope. :)

Soles4Souls

Great upcoming opportunity for the people of Valparaiso and Niceville to bless those in need. Soles4Souls takes those shoes that have been sitting in your closet and ships them around the world to people who may not have any.

The collection boxes will be spread out around Valparaiso, and we'll collect them at our next movie night (August 23rd) as well. But here is your pastor's challenge. Show up for our worship gathering on Sunday morning August 24th and leave either barefoot or in your stocking feet. That's right, leave your shoes behind.

We can make a difference and inspire others to do the same. Here's more about Soles4Souls.

Small Acts of Kindness Done With Great Love

We've been given the opportunity by the new principal across the street at Valparaiso Elementary to refurbish their picnic tables. They'll be pressure washed then sealed. Our guys are lining up to be a part of the action. Come to Valparaiso Elementary Friday after 5PM if you'd like to get in on the action.

In the last year, we've done two Relay for Life events, fed the volunteers at the school who were preparing for a fund raiser, given away free sno-cones at the park, helped with several funerals for neighborhood and community families, given away food, helped with other needs, gathered school supplies, partnered to bring free movies and events to Valparaiso, and some others I can't remember just now - and we're wanting to do more. We need to do more, and have more of our members of all ages involved.

Why?

Ultimately - To turn people's hearts toward Jesus. Both ours and the people we serve. We want to do what Mother Teresa called "Small acts of kindness done with great love." There's something that happens to your heart when you serve. It's as if it stretches to take more of God inside. Most folks know plenty and live precious little of what they know. We're out to change that.

Watch this video and see if it doesn't seem like something Jesus would have done.



What will you do? Join the movement!

Game Night 071108

Takeways: First, never play a game you have never played with someone (Michael Weech) who has been playing it for 7 years.
Second, see number 1.
Brutal. Just brutal.

But at least I didn't lose at Sorry like Craig Bryan did. To Kira.

Just a great way to have some fun and mix adults and kids. Too many times we wind up in our own little worlds - kids, youth, adult, senior adult. On game night - the ground is level. Everybody beats me. :)

"It's A Good Tired"

Get the word out. Teach all these things. 12 And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. 1 Tim 4:11-12 (MSG)

This week New Hope has been supporting a group of youth and their leaders who were doing a Mission OK (backyard Bible Club) across the street from us at Valparaiso Elementary. Our church has been involved over there in some other things during the past year as part of our ministry of service, but this was a Rocky Bayou Baptist initiated and led project that we were thrilled to be able to participate in as support staff.

Today we served all those hard working kids and their support staff lunch over here at New Hope, and I got to spend some more time with them. Friends, I never get tired of seeing people, especially young people, serving others in Jesus' name. Those kids sung, played, taught, witnessed, and puppet-ted (is that a word? :) ) for the neighborhood kids all week and then today they spent the morning ( a coolish 95 degree morning) cleaning up a disabled person's yard.

They came in dragging a bit, and we sent them out refreshed. Or at least refreshed enough to get back home to take a good teenaged nap.

At one point in the week, the adults were a little bummed out. The YMCA kids, who are at the school all day during the summer, would not be coming outside to where the Mission OK kids had their stuff set up. It was too hot. They had already been outside.

One of the youth participating took the whole situation in. Then he said:

"Why can't we go to them?"

So they did. And gained air conditioning and the use of the sound system to help do what they were doing -even better.

Someone said once "a little child will lead them."

Well, from what I saw this week, we need to expand that to include youth.

It was thrilling. I hope we get to do more with our friends from Rocky Bayou, our friends from Valparaiso Elementary, and for our friends from the neighborhood.

Please pray for our New Hope "away team" as they head to Big Creek, KY tomorrow for a week of missionary service.

Grace and peace,

David



Visit with me at my blogs:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
http://itslikeherdingcats.blogspot.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

Co-Laborers

We've been supporting a sister Baptist church the last few days as they offered a "Mission OK" (backyard Bible club) across the street from us at Valparaiso Elementary. The youth of that church have done a great job every day serving the kids who came.

The first day I helped a couple of them knock on doors in our neighborhood reminding people that the event was happening. It was great to be able to tell them that two churches were working together and to point to New Hope's steeple and say "that's where I'm from."

When I first found out about the undertaking by another church in our neighborhood, I cannot say I reacted in a Kingdom worker way. I had just seen our church ignored by our local Baptist association the day before, and when people from a mega church miles away showed up at my front door inviting me to send any kids I could find to their event... well, I was upset.

Remember, I'm the guy who WANTS to partner with other churches and other social organizations to reach Valparaiso for Jesus. And our church is engaged in ministry in the same school where this event was taking place. So I thought that we'd be certain to get an invitation or at least a notice that such an activity was taking place.

I emailed a friend over at the Big Church, and he was so gracious in his reply I found myself backing up as fast as I could go. They had no idea we were engaged there and frankly didn't know much about what we at New Hope are about. He made sure we were welcomed as friends and colaborers for the gospel.

We ended the week together just now with lunch at New Hope, and I think it was a great adventure and blessing for both. The kids were great, their leaders were gracious, and on our side - we tried hard to bless their socks off and support them as fully as we knew how.

Good job, guys.

Why is it so hard to work together?

Lack of communication.

We really don't know each other. We really don't know what we are engaged in within our neighborhoods. We really don't know much about what we hope to be doing for Jesus there in the future.

I used to be plugged into the local area ministerial association and very involved in our local Baptist association. But it always seemed like we met to be meeting, with very little talk about ministry - unless it was to brag. So I withdrew from those. So now I have to find another way to network and get things done.

Maybe we began another network today. Sitting around the table with three teachers from Valparaiso Elementary - all followers of Jesus - talking about how we can be used of God to love people as fully as Jesus did - sounds like the birth of a ministry network to me.

Those fields are still ready for harvest. Let's work together and call others into the fields with us.

New Hope @ Worship 04.27.08

After a great weekend of community activities - sno cones at the Relay for Life, and meeting and greeting and CHEERING at the Saturday in the Park, New Hope met to worship God today. Great crowd turned into a congregation.

Worship began with Jamie and Emily singing "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" - I chose that to tie in with the ultimate goal of the sermon.

Then we all sang:

How Great Is Our God
Holy, Holy, Holy

Then Craig, Emily, and Amy sang a new arrangement of "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms" that was great.

We followed that with "Still" and "The Potter's Hand"

My goal was to open some eyes this morning to spiritual blindness caused by pride.




Sermon audio available at:http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

Falling Forward

That picture could have been taken in the New Hope Baptist parking lot Saturday. The only real difference is that there would have been an inflatable jumping "thingie" (what do you call those?)behind the guy in the kayak, and a few cars parked here and there.

We've partnered with the "Relay for Life Team" at Valparaiso Elementary in their drive to raise money for cancer research. (Personally, I hate cancer. It's taken both parents, many relatives, and quite a few friends. We even lost our beloved mini schnauzer recently to cancer.) Our idea was to do a fundraiser that would be fun for the school and neighborhood kids. Great idea.

Well, several things happened on the run up to the event. Publicity that should have happened didn't make it through the hoops. Working through the school system to publicize is slow and results are spotty. This time it dropped through a big crack. So our biggest base target basically did not know of the event. Then our local papers were missed as well. One got it on time but it didn't run for some reason, and the other didn't get it before deadline.

So now we know what happens when you give an event without publicity. Key learning touchstone.

Then there was the weather.


IT FLOODED. It began almost exactly at the start time, and it ended just after the time we had set to end. It was raining as hard as I have ever seen it outside hurricanes. The parking lot was under water, the gutters were spilling over, the drains were backing up and water was creeping toward the doors of the fellowship hall. Unbelievable.

And yet, we had a slew (Georgia speak for a lot) of volunteers show up. They had a great time together, and enjoyed the live animal shows and just being together. Disappointed? Sure, we were all there to meet people and help THEM have a good time while supporting the cause.

But we learned a lot Saturday. And for that I am grateful.

New Hope @Worship 03.30.08

It was Spring Break weekend and I had been braced for at least a 20% drop in attendance this Sunday in worship. But lo and behold, some people who were supposed to be away wound up coming, and others brought new friends. Then we had other visitors who had never been with us before. All in all a very good turnout.

Worship set -

Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) - I love the way this gets us moving.
Nothing But the Blood (Redman version) - one of the best examples of older hymns refreshed
Shout To the Lord - we don't sing it often, but when we do we SING it
God of Wonders - on a beautiful Spring day with flowers blooming and the azaleas ablaze...

Come Unto Me - Kira Stoy and Emily Shermer did a great job with this and our son Sean absolutely killed on acoustic guitar. (Proud dad I am :) )

I Surrender All - after my call to go all in, made sense to use this as invitational hymn.



I started by reminding people of all the questions Jesus asked and how when studying that personally, I wondered what would happen if Jesus asked me "What do you want me to do?" Would I think of others, or of God's work at New Hope and elsewhere, or would I go immediately to what was best for me. Obviously from the text, the disciples struggled with that too.

This sermon begins a series on "Big Questions". More about that later as I develop it.

We are doing a service project Saturday, raising money for our partners across the street at Valparaiso Elementary in their "Relay for Life" team effort. Our bit is holding a carnival at New Hope with games, rides, movies and food. It's the Saturday of spring break so hopefully we'll raise a good bit of money for a worthy cause. Great idea from Amy Anderson.