4:15 is back! August 27, 2009

Wow, God is rocking our world.  We are so blessed to be able to take part in what God is doing in Anderson.  We had over 8700 people attend the Anderson Campus this past Sunday.  That is up 785 people from the week before.  Personal invitation works and college students are back.  As most of you know we have an addition two services during the AM times in the Fuse building for people to attend and we sat over 650 people in that building alone.  We will bring back the 4:15pm service this Sunday to accommodate for even more growth.  Check out Perry’s excitement about this at www.newspring.cc.  At 11:15am there were almost 3500 people in attendance.  That’s so incredibly awesome.  We all know that the AM services, especially the 11:15am is prime time for first time guests to attend.  So, we want to serve them and provide them a seat in every way possible.  We want to make sure they all have a chance to hear the message, see Jesus in the people who serve them and feel loved through the experience they receive as they arrive.  That’s where all of you amazing servants come in!  I know that all of you just like me want to do whatever, whenever in order for people to know Jesus.  Are you ready?  Here’s what your opportunities are to serve and possibly get out of your comfort zone over the next several weeks…

• Serve with us at 4:15pm service.  We would love to know if you are interested in switching to this service time so please reply to your direct coordinator or to this e-mail and we will get you assigned to that team.  For the next few weeks we do ask that if you can give us a little extra and serve at 4:15 in addition to your normal service time that would help us until we can build this team.  Again reply to this or contact your direct coordinator.
• Park in the Gravel lot on the hill when you attend.  Parking spaces are very limited as you all probably already know.  We are asking all staff and volunteers to park in the gravel lot that is behind the Fuse building.  This will allow all other spaces to be freed up for our other guests that we are serving.
• Starting this Sunday we will have a Volunteer Headquarters in the Fuse building in addition to upstairs.  This will allow volunteers who are assigned to serving at the Fuse building to be able to check in over there as well.
• I want to encourage all of you to give every person walking in the door special attention.  You guys can play a vital role in helping walk people where to go so that there is no frustration.  Your excitement as you walk is contagious.  Please know that if you see an opportunity to leave your spot to walk someone somewhere, take it.  We want to serve people over and beyond.  We want to be over staffed on every volunteer team so that we can get each other’s backs as we step out to serve someone.
• Attend the 4:15pm service if possible.  If you normally attend an AM service consider sitting in the Fuse building.  Or attend the 6pm.  Try to avoid attending the 11:15am.  Let’s all do all we can to give our seat in 11:15am up to someone that needs to hear about Jesus.

It is an honor to serve Jesus through this church alongside such amazing men and women.  I thank you for the blessing of having YOU on the team.  See you Sunday.

1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.”

Unleash 2010 August 11, 2009

Unleash website has been Unleashed…make plans to be here…early bird registration only $39 – are you coming?

Unleash 2010 is a one-day conference designed to challenge, encourage and equip church leaders to fulfill the Great Commission in their communities.

The event runs from 8:30am-5:30pm on Thursday, March 4th and features two main sessions with NewSpring Church Senior Pastor Perry Noble, and two breakout session slots with various staff and leaders on a multitude of topics.

This Sunday July 22, 2009

Just a little FYI for you.

This Sunday, July 26^th is going to be AWESOME!  As if there is ever a Sunday that is not.  Perry will be speaking about volunteering and will be encouraging those who are not serving to start.  I say all the time that you guys are the sermon illustration every week, this week more than ever.  He will be referencing Ephesians 2:10 and Acts 6:1-7.  Please get your bible out and read over those passages right now.   Meditate on those passages over the next few days.

You guys are in ministry and leading this vision.  I want to invite you to stand on the front line with me this week and be contagious.  We want to serve people over and beyond and set the example of a healthy body.  There are a few ways you guys can help to make this happen.

1. Be here!  Let’s have so many volunteers every service that people start to ask why.  We’d love to have you hang out for more than one service if you’d like.  The more volunteers the better!
2. Wear a NewSpring t-shirt.  It can be your No Perfect People shirt or any NewSpring shirt.  We want you guys to stand out more and to clearly represent.
3. 3. Be Ready!  Be ready to go over and beyond with your service.  If you greet, greet with enthusiasm.  If you clean, clean with enthusiasm.  If you park cars, sale shirts or coffee, do it all with enthusiasm. 

Romans 12:11 “Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.”

I know that my life has been changed so much since I started serving at NewSpring almost ten years ago.  I can say that I would probably not be married right now if it had not been for this church and our challenge to get involved here.  I’ve grown closer to the Lord in so many ways.  My world has been rocked!  Most of you can relate.  I know because I’ve heard your stories of life change.  I’ve seen firsthand marriages healed and spouses saved.  Don’t you want that for everyone?  Let’s love on some people this weekend and have fun.  I look forward to serving alongside you.

Philippians 2:1-4 “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose.  Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.”

Small Thank You July 21, 2009

So I’m standing in the lobby on Sunday and one of our amazing Parking team volunteers comes up to me and shows me this picture that a little kid gave him in the parking lot.  This volunteer has a special robot dance he does for the kids as they are pulling into the parking lot.  He says that parking cars is his time to dance and encourages other people to find their place to dance in ministry.  He proceeded to tell me he saw this little kid walking towards him so he stopped traffic to see what he was doing.  The kid then handed him a picture he had colored that said “thank you for volunteering”.  He was blown away.  He then wrote me this e-mail on Monday morning.

“I found out when i got home from my daughter, who also volunteers, that the children’s elementary dept had the kids do these sheets of papers. I just wanted to say that when i got home and i realized just how big our God is… I lost it. You see, this morning I prayed to the Lord that i wanted to be closer to Him. i wanted to have a closer personal relationship with Him. i also prayed last night that we would have at least 20 first timers per service. He showed me not to limit Him with a number because He blew that out of the water by having over 90 in the first two services. Then, to have a little young man come up to me and hand me a little piece of paper to an area in the parking lot that i am not usually in and to have it speak to me so profoundly after i had that conversation with God this morning…well i just can’t put it into words. I do not believe in coincidences. God had this planned before i even talked to Him.

Please understand i am not special but i am blessed. i am blessed with a great family, a great church and most of all a great and glorious God who took the time to make all these things come together today and just to make me smile….with a little piece of paper.

I can’t stop crying as i write this because i am in such awe. Please thank the KidSpring volunteers for me and let them know i will never forget this day. That little piece of paper is now proudly on my fridge where it will be displayed for a long time.”

Zip

Hebrews 11:1

I love you, Zip!  You are amazing.  Thank you for showing people Jesus every week.  Thank you for doing your DANCE!

Greenville Campus July 14, 2009

Happy one year anniversary to NewSpring, Greenville Campus.  God has done some truely amazing things over the past year in Greenville.  Here’s a little note from Howard, the campus pastor.

Today is July 13th, and one year ago today, we open our first multi-site campus in Greenville.

I just wanted to write a quick note to everyone to thank you all for all that you have done in making this first year a HUGE success! No matter what your role, you have played a key part in reaching people for Jesus in Greenville! In the past year, here are just a few areas of life change we have seen:

• almost 600 people ask Jesus into their lives!
• over 350 people go public in baptism!
• over 300 people attend a financial class!
• over 400 kids coming to church on more than one Sunday!
• over 145 students come to a Fuse event!
• countless relationships restored,
• the list could go on and on!!!

I want to thank all of you for praying for us as a campus, for coming and helping us, for giving to Gametime and most importantly for showing and teaching us how we do ministry!! There is NO WAY that this kind of life change could or would have happened without everyone’s involvement. I just want to let you know, that God is using all of you to accomplish more than you can ever ask or imagine!

On behalf of the hundreds of lives changed, and on behalf of the Greenville staff and myself, I want to say a HUGE and very emotional THANK YOU!!

gratefully,
Howard

Easter Weekend April 13, 2009

What an incredible weekend! In case you haven’t heard, 15,473 people attended NewSpring this weekend during the 14 services! 322 Salvation’s!

Life change happened this weekend.  A huge wave of salvation’s.  Thank you to all those who served with us here at NewSpring.  Thank you for your ministry.  Your services prepared the way for so many to come to know Christ.  As a church we should point to Jesus with everything we do.  It starts in the parking lot.

My nephew was one of those 322 who accepted Jesus.  I know that many of you know someone personally who made that decision yesterday.  That’s what it’s all about, life change.

It’s a joy knowing and serving with each of the volunteers.

keep running the race April 13, 2009

I got this e-mail the other day and wanted to share with you…

Hello,

My name is Jayson, and I’m on staff at a fairly large church near atlanta Georgia. (Mt. Paran North COG)  A large portion of our staff visited your church during the unleash conference.  I enjoyed every part of the conference especially the volunteers.  I had such a good time and was so impressed that I began to wonder if your church was like that every Sunday, or did you just pull out the red carpet for that day.

Well, my family and I drove from woodstock Georgia this past Saturday just to attend New Spring on Sunday morning.  I just want to share briefly with you how we were treated.  We saw the sign at the entrance requesting visitors to turn on their flashers, so we did.  We didn’t even make it to the front of the building before we were met in the parking lot by a very nice man named Dan.  He welcomed us, gave us coupons for a free drink, and began to ask us about ourselves.  Dan walked us in and took my wife, two boys and I to Kids Spring and made sure we got the boys registered.  We were a bit early, so after that, he took us on a tour of the church, introducing us to almost every volunteer.

I can go on and on, but I won’t.  Let me summerize by saying, we had a great experience from the parking lot to the pulpit.  You guys really showed us the love of Jesus.  I saw Christ through a volunteer named Dan, the fabulous music, and I can’t leave out the fantastic Christ centered, Holy Spirit filled message by Pastor Perry.  His message was right on the money.  The message was simple enough for someone, who was just seeking Christ, yet challenging to a spiritually mature believer.

I want to encourage all of you to continue to be the church that Christ has called you to be.  It is very evident that New Spring is not only making an impact on Anderson South Carolina, but God is using your church to make a huge impact on eternity.  I will be praying for Pastor Perry and everyone that has been called to serve under his leadership.

Keep running the race,

Colorful March 6, 2009

My journey in ministry at NewSpring Church began seven years ago, but in a way feels like it’s just begun. The purity of living life hit me smack between the eyes as I stepped off a bus in Kenya in February 2009. I was greeted by the most colorful, pure joy you can imagine. The people of the Samaria community displayed the love of Jesus with everything they had, and it was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. I could not understand their language, but I did not need to. Their actions expressed their love better than any words could have. They live a life that displays the love and joy of Jesus Christ in a world of poverty. They choose to be a light in a world of desperation. While every day brings another challenge in training and equipping volunteers for ministry, my thoughts are always consumed by communicating our call in ministry. We are called and equipped to live a colorful life for Christ.

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” Ephesians 4:1

Pure Joy March 1, 2009

This is Faith

kids of the Samaria community

Beautiful people

dancing

beautiful people

smiles

Kenya February 2, 2009

Going to Kenya today for 10 days.  Myself and five other staff from NewSpring are going to visit seven different villages.  Pray that God will direct our path and make the mission for NewSpring Church obvious.  Pray for our safety and the physical and emotional exhaustion.  Pray for our families.  I will not have much internet access so I will talk to you guys when I get back.  I will take lots of pictures for you and journal daily.