A Flock of Believers Committed to Discipleship
Summer, 2007
My ways are not your ways, says the Lord
Though things happen that we may not understand, and though life brings many changes, the one thing we know for certain is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes, He has a plan, and He works all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose.
The Problem
Early in the morning of Sunday, May 6th, Pastor John received a call informing him that our church was on fire. As some of you may know, this was the second attempt of fire on our building, the first one occurring in February of this year. That one did some damage (which had just recently been repaired), however, this time it was more devastating. The back room that we had been working on to use for our Word of Life Kid’s Club activities was completely destroyed and the rest of the building suffered major smoke and heat damage.. The building, at this point, is not usable.
The Temporary Solution
God, however, knew our need, and met it immediately. That very morning, as we gathered on the front lawn of the church property for our service, the Board Chairman from Granger Missionary Church came and offered us space in their building for our service and Kid’s Club meetings until our facility could be rebuilt. We praise God for their generosity.
The Current Situation
We are pleased to let you know that not one of our church meetings or activities needed to be canceled. The building, though important, is not the church-the people are the church, and we have not been hindered in our ability to do ministry. We are having our Worship service and Kid’s Club meeting at Granger Missionary Church and our other ministries are being held in the various homes of our members. Looking Ahead After many, many hours of prayer and hard work by our Shepherd’s Staff, we are pleased to let you know that our plans are to rebuild on the same site. The contacts with the insurance company have been made and a contractor has been chosen. Hopefully, in the not-to-distant-future you will be able to see the rubble being cleared away and a wonderful new building being erected. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will use all of these events in the workings of His church.
Updates on Ongoing Ministries
Word of Life Kid’s Club
We started this ministry last fall with one child. We have two more weeks to go before we will break for the month of July and are thrilled to share with you that we have 12 regular attendees! We are so grateful to have the privilege of ministering to these dear children and look forward to August when we will begin our 2nd year of this ministry.
Children’s Church
Some of our Word of Life Kid’s Club kids have begun coming to church and so we have started a Children’s Church for them. Once again, we have an amazing opportunity to share the Bible and it’s teachings with these children. What a joy! Sunday Evenings It has become necessary for us to take a break from our “Through the Bible” teaching ministry on Sunday evenings due to the need for Pastor John to work a second job. We are still meeting, however, and spend the time in prayer for our church. It is a wonderful opportunity to take our requests before His throne together and watch Him reveal His will to us. Feel free to join us any Sunday evening.
Praying Hearts
This group of ladies continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at Paulette’s (7:00 P.M.). It is both our responsibility and great privilege to pray for our children and grandchildren and, together, we are doing just that. It has been wonderful to share together and see God answer various needs in our children’s lives. We are always open to newcomers.
Upcoming at North Pointe
· New church facility being constructed
· Carolyn McKnight/John Tarwacki wedding, July 7, 2007, Hope Community Church, Niles, MI
· New Women’s Bible Study being planned (contact Paulette if you are interested).
· New MWAD (Men Working at Discipleship) being planned. Contact Pastor John if you're interested.
