During the month of May we are participating in a “Love Op!” to show the love of Christ to people in need by donating non-food, personal items to newly established Personal Care Pantries. We are banding together with several local churches to help the poor in our community to stretch their weekly budget by providing items that are not purchasable with food stamps. This is in partnership with Love Inc of Medina County. Items to gather include: Adult Diapers, Band-Aids, Bar Soaps, Bath Towels, Bubble Baths, Combs, Hair Brushes, Conditioners, Cotton Swabs, Dental Floss, Deodorants, Facial Tissues, Feminine Hygiene Items, Hair Spray, Hair Pins, Hair Clips, Hand and Body Lotions, Hand Sanitizers, Hand Towels, Liquid Soaps, Mouthwash, Medical Ointments, Nail Clippers, Paper Towels, Razors, Shampoos, Shaving Cream, Toilet Paper, Toothbrushes, etc. If you have any questions, please contact Mike Van Arsdale at 330-321-1765 or email him at michaelvanarsdale@LoveINCMedina.org

On Saturday May 25th the Gate City Four are scheduled to perform and share testimonies during our 5pm evening church service. The Gate City Four is a gospel quartet. If you enjoy gospel music, come out to New Life and be blessed.

You are invited to join us as we begin another neighborhood Bible study starting Wednesday May 22 from 6:30-8:00pm at 733 Twin Oaks Boulevard in Medina. We have just finished Christianity Explored. We are moving on to The World We All Want. It was written by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis (Total Church, Everyday Church)  as a companion piece to Christianity Explored.

“The World We All Want is for people who are interested in discovering the message of the Bible. It’s an introduction to the whole Bible story – the story of our world and its future. And as you start to see how wonderful God’s story is, you’ll also start to see how this story can become yours as well.”

If you would like to come or if you have any questions, please contact us (330) 723-4443

Comments from people that have attended this study before:

“I found it more uplifting, encouraging and exciting with each new chapter. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand Christianity.” – Hannah

“Like most people, I knew a few Bible stories, but this course connected the whole thing together for me; and it helped me to see where Jesus fits in.” – Tim

“It’s a really great introduction to Christianity. It explains things clearly and simply in a helpful way.” – Michael

Mother’s Day Sunday May 12th!
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Plan on being at New Life at 9:30 am for a special Mother’s Day breakfast. Everything is set up and ready! There will be no Sunday School classes this week.

Get ready for Vacation Bible School (VBS) July 22-26

Saturday May 4, 2013 8:30am-3:30pm

LOVE Medina is a partnership among a group of area churches who have a friendship and serve within the City of Medina, Ohio. We’re serving alongside of Love INC, Medina for this event as well. Join us for a day of God-honoring serving that will give young and old alike a sense of what it practically means to love your neighbor as you love yourself. We’re doing it in the name of Jesus Christ, and have complete cooperation from the Mayor and his team to find the residents who are in need in order to give our county a makeover.

In addition to projects that come through the Mayor’s office, we will be working under the umbrella of Love INC Medina. If you know of a project that can be a part of this day, contact Mike VanArsdale at michaelvanarsdale@loveincmedina.org.

**** You need to register with a participating church to take part in the day. Please don’t just show up or RSVP to this page as you will miss out on important information. This list of partnering churches includes:

Connection Church
Cornerstone Chapel
First Baptist Church
Grace Church
Heartland Community Church
Medina Community Church
Medina Nazarene Church
Medina United Methodist Church
New Direction Church
New Life Christian Fellowship

Medina Christian Homeschool Friends are hosting their 2nd annual talent show at New Life on Sunday May 5 from 3-6pm. Come out and support some homeschoolers from our community! Dinner served.

From a MedinaCHF email: “If you were present for last year’s show I’m sure you’d agree it was a HUGE SUCCESS!!!  The children did a GREAT JOB showing off the many talents that God has given them.  We had such an amazingly diverse show with children singing, Waltz dancing, hula hooping, Irish dancing, putting on a comedy act, discussing gun safety, reciting poems, showing us various sports skills, reciting scripture, playing various musical instruments, and a painted artwork piece played to music done right before our eyes ….and then many of the children sang a closing song together.  We ended with a great time of fellowship as we ate the pot-luck dishes everyone brought.”

For Saturday Night Service this week, plan on staying after and sharing dinner together! Don’t feel obligated, but If you can bring a dish to share that would be great! Our Saturday night service starts at 5pm.

National Day of Prayer activities for Thursday May 2

7-8:30am Breakfast with the Mayor at Williams on the Lake
(Tickets required $15 – available in the church office)

12pm Prayer Gathering at Medina Town Square

7pm Prayer Service at the new United Methodist Church on Foote Road.

Friday April 26 from 6-9pm, if you are a teenager (or soon to be) in or near Medina, come out and join us. We plan on having food, videos, games, conversations, and some fun. We look forward to meeting you!

We are going to me meeting at First Baptist Church in Aurora, Ohio on Saturday April 20 from 10am-2pm for a Vacation Bible School preview clinic. Meet us at New Life at 9am if you plan to come!

There will be classes provided in the following areas:

• Pastors & Directors
• Preschool & Kindergarten
• Children
• Pre-teen/VBX/Youth
• Crafts
• Missions/Music
• Recreation/Snack

There will be door prizes, decorating ideas, and literature on display at each clinic. Pre-orders made two weeks in advance will be availale for pick up at the clinic.

For more details, please contact:
Wendy Hammock, 614-827-1826 or wehammock@scbo.org

On Sunday April 11 we plan to meet briefly after our morning worship service to vote for the appointment of elder candidates Frank Haugh and Patrick Pinkerton. Please plan to stay after the service to participate.

From our Church Manual: An elder of this church shall be a man who professes Jesus Christ as Savior and who, in addition to meeting the qualifications for elders that are given in Acts 6:3; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; and Titus 1:5-9, gives evidence through the example of his life that he recognizes Him as Lord and Master.  He shall have given evidence of his willingness both, to serve the body, and to submit spiritually to the other elders.

Frank Haugh
I came to know Jesus Christ as Savior in the Fall of 1970 during my freshman year of college at age 17. While attending the adult Bible study class I came to understand that Jesus died for me. This was necessitated by my sinful nature. I asked Jesus into my life that October of 1970. Eph 2:10 made it clear to me that all who profess faith in Christ are called to use their gift(s) to serve. This was not manifest in me until about 12 years ago when God humbled me, and made this clear in my life.

Patrick Pinkerton 
My salvation in Christ, My Savior began in the summer of 1976. The study of the Bible, with the regards to the true name of God, (Exodus 3:14) hit me right between the eyes! ”I AM” to me was the perfect name for God, being a title, with the thought that He is really here and His very Name  declares it. Later while reading (John 8:58) it became apparent that Christ Jesus was the true Son of  God (the most High) and by sending another (Holy Spirit) the expectance of these truths sealed me  for eternity!! Because Moses had a speech defect as I do, the real calling shortly after my conversion led me to be used by God. While my beginnings in Awana with children, which built confidence in me and teaching God’s word and leading some to Christ, God’s grace and power permitted me to speak to those who had an ear to hear.

Celebrate the resurrection on Sunday morning March 31st. Come out early for breakfast at New Life at 9am. It is a Pot Luck breakfast, so come and bring something to share if you can. We plan on having an Easter Egg hunt for the kids around 10am. Our worship service will take place at 10:45am.

On Friday March 29th night we plan to gather at 7pm to remember the death and burial of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Join us at 7pm on Thursday March 28th to commemorate the Last Supper. Maundy is a corrupted form of a Latin term from which we get the English word mandate. Maundy Thursday services have traditionally been held to remember the commands that Jesus gave to His disciples during their final hours together before His death.

Due to Spring Break we will not be doing Parents’ Night Out on April 5. See you on May 5th!

Palm Sunday March 24th

All Ages Bible Studies 9:30am

Worship Service 10:45am

Maundy Thursday Service

March 28th 7pm

Good Friday Service

March 29th 7pm

No Saturday Night Service This Week.

Easter Sunday March 31st

Breakfast 9am

Easter Egg Hunt 10am

Worship Service 10:45am

There will be no “official” Teen Night this month due to Good Friday. Instead, please consider going to Winter Jam at the Wolstein Center on Friday March 22^nd.

Come out for the 5th Annual Jack Hutton Memorial Chili Cook Off on March 16th following our Saturday Night service at 6:30pm. Bring a batch of your favorite chili and see who makes the best chili at New Life! Soups are also welcomed.

If you want to have your chili judged must have it at the church no later than 6pm.

Invite your friends for a time of fun and fellowship!

Join us on Saturday nights at 5pm for our preaching and teaching series titled Q&A. We plan this to be a regular worship service with the singing of songs and hymns, preaching, prayer, and communion. Child care and instruction will be provided for kids up to 5th grade. We hope that you would consider spending your Saturday nights at New Life exploring some of great truths of the Bible with us.

In the Q&A series we will be journeying together through the 52 questions and answers that make up the New City Catechism. This new catechism was adapted by Timothy Keller and Sam Shammas from the great Reformation-era catechisms that include Calvin’s Geneva Catechism, the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms, and the Heidelberg Catechism. - newcitycatechism.com

“Catechisms were written with at least three purposes. The first was to set forth a comprehensive exposition of the gospel—not only in order to explain clearly what the gospel is, but also to lay out the building blocks on which the gospel is based, such as the biblical doctrine of God, of human nature, of sin, and so forth. The second purpose was to do this exposition in such a way that the heresies, errors, and false beliefs of the time and culture were addressed and counteracted. The third and more pastoral purpose was to form a distinct people, a counter-culture that reflected the likeness of Christ not only in individual character but also in the church’s communal life.” - newcitycatechism.com

“It is a joint adult and children’s catechism. In other words, the same questions are asked of both children and adults, and the children’s answer is always part of the adult answer. This means that as parents are teaching it to their children they are learning their answer to the question at the same time, albeit an abridged version.” - newcitycatechism.com