Food Pantry Update for 12.23.08

So far this morning we have served 35 people. I expect a few more will trickle in before 11:00. With school being out this week, we had more children here. I hope that even these small encounters will shape their view of church. Church should be seen as a loving, giving, accepting place, so if NBCC can be that in the lives of their parents and grandparents maybe their children will also form that opinion. In addition to the children who came to receive, we had several children come to serve, both on Monday to pack bags and on Tuesday to hand them out. What an important lesson to teach our young people! Church is fun for kids...that is not a bad thing, but we need to make sure that they see us living out what they are learning each week. Knowing Christ is so much about what we do.

This is Our God

So, I am not in the choir mostly because I am busy when they do their thing. I am in the nursery on Wednesdays when they practice and sitting with my 2 older children during the worship service when they sing (Troy is busying being a bouncer...uh, I mean greeter/seater for those who come in after the worship service has started). But I love to sing and lead worship at our women's events so our music dude, David, asked me to sing in the Christmas Cantata. He bent over backwards to include me so of course I said yes. I have enjoyed the experience. It is has been nice to spend a little bit of time with some people I don't normally hang out with and singing with this choir is a joy because so many of them genuinely worship as they are singing.
My favorite part has been the music. Some of the songs were fun and some beautiful but a few were moving. One stood out. It is beautiful musically but the words are profound. I love it and wanted to share it with you.

This is Our God

Who is this Child asleep in the manger,
tender and mild, this intimate Stranger?
Recklessly, wildly, loving a dangerous world.
Who is this Light invading our darkness?
Glorious might His Son rising for us,
conquering might, He captures the hardest of hearts.
We sing

This is our God, living and breathing,
call Him courageous, relentless and brave
This is our God, loving and reaching
offering mercy and mighty to save.
Hallelujah, this is our God! Hallelujah, this is our God!
Hallelujah, this is our God! Sing praise. Sing praise.

Who is this One who will not condemn us?
Why would He come to shoulder our sentence?
Nothing we've done will keep Him from giving us grace.
Who is this One? We watch and we're speechless.
God's only son, embracing our weakness.
He overcomes all death and He frees us live.
We sing

This is our God, suffering and dying.
Call Him the hero redeeming the lost.
This is our God, Love sacrificing
all that is holy, accepting our cross.
Hallelujah, this is our God! Hallelujah, this is our God!
Hallelujah, this is our God! Sing praise. Sing praise.

Food Pantry Updates for 12.9 and 12.16

(12.9) This week we were able to help 36 families. I really appreciate Lisa James who came to help us pass out food, and Troy greatly appreciates Shauna Powell's help on Monday afternoon packing bags. We had a really peaceful morning due to these ladies' help. Lisa and I were able to spend some time with Jennifer and her daughter, Tiara. Jennifer has Crone's disease and was recently laid off. She is the single mother of 4 children. She was a lovely woman with a beautiful little girl. I cherish the time we were able to show both of them Christ's love and compassion.

(12.16) Good Morning Friends (You know, I miss typed that at first, and it said God morning - I hope it has been a morning filled with God for you)!
I am overjoyed to tell you that I saw 3 of our food pantry regulars at church on Sunday (to be honest I am surprised I was able to save telling you until today...I was so excited). God is using this ministry. This morning we were able to serve 35 people. We were a little worried things would be hectic this morning because we have new paperwork for people to fill out, but God's peace has covered us on Tuesday mornings. I had the great privilege of taking Annette aside and praying with her because her husband was at job interview while she was here. We held hands and lifted him and their family up in prayer. It was such a blessing to me. I can't wait to hear how it went next week! On the note of jobs, we think it would be beneficial to offer help on resumes and things of that nature to the people that come on Tuesdays. If that is a particular strength of yours and you would be willing to help with that, please let us know.