New Springs News

View Online August 18, 2016 Newsletter This year, Pastor Corey and Pastor Dave are preaching through the Gospel of Mark. ​This Sunday we will be in Mark 10:1-12. Join us for Worship at 10:00 a.m. From Pastor Dave Dear Friends, This week I've been watching all of the "back to school" pictures on Facebook and other forms of social media. This has become something symbolic, a means of marking the passage of time. Pictures are taken for each year. Parents joke about being released from the bondage of children constantly under foot. Kids make the appropriate reply about being sent back to the prison of the education system. After we get past the humor, there is some genuine emotion and some thoughtful reflection. Parents think about how far the kids have come, and ponder the steps yet untaken. At our best, we're able to live fully in the present. We allow our kids to be kids. We encourage them and expect them to be taking steps of responsibility, but we don't force them back into years gone by and we don't demand a maturity for which they are not yet prepared. At our worst, we tend to live in a time long since past, or to force ourselves and others into a future not yet present. I think our church family at New Springs Community is similar in a number of ways. In many ways we are still kids! We have officially been merged for less than a year. We have energy. We have enthusiasm. We see some great signs of new life. We have vigor and intensity. We have hopes and dreams. We're playful, meeting new friends and discovering new activities. We experiment. But, at the same time, we are still kids! We aren't always very mature. We are learning to work together. We are in a process that will take time, probably a few years! Like brothers and sisters, we'll fight. There will be some skinned knees, broken teeth, and tears. We have made, and will make, mistakes. The gift we give our children in the growing process is the same gift God calls us to give to one another. Paul calls it the "fruit" of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:23) In other words, we celebrate the moments and rites of passage. We take the long view of the journey, understanding that we all have some growing and learning to do. We look for the best in one another. We hang in there through the rough spots. I'm grateful for all of my friends going through the "back to school" ritual right now. I'm also grateful for this moment in the journey of New Springs Community; this beautiful, unpredictable, and imperfect moment. In Christ's Love, Pastor Dave THANK YOU! The wall in our new children's wing has been removed. Thank you to everyone who helped remove it. More work needs to be done. Contact Pastor Corey to let him know you can help. A new screen and projector have been installed in the old Children's Church room. The room needs to be cleaned, painted and organized. Any help would be greatly appreciated! SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR MEADOW LANE ELEMENTARY Thank you to everyone who brought school supplies for Meadow Lane Elementary. We had quite a hall. Aimee Starr and her children dropped off the supplies at school. She said the staff was so happy and thankful! LOST AND FOUND Have you lost something? Our basket is overflowing with jackets, water bottles, coffee mugs, sun glasses, keys, and other articles. Please pick up your lost stuff this Sunday. The rest will be given away! ​ ​VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! ​Each Sunday we need two people to serve in the Nursery and in Children's Church. ​Please prayerfully consider signing up today! Click here to volunteer. ​Foster Parents Needed Currently, Jackson County has 1,767 children in foster care and only 508 licensed homes. Our goal is to increase the number of foster homes in your county so that foster children can stay within their own community. To that end, Healthy Families is once again hosting information meetings that are open to anyone interested in foster parenting. The Most Rewarding Challenge: an introduction to foster parenting Thursday, August 25th – 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Foster Adopt Connect 18600 E. 37th Terrace Independence, MO 64057 Reserve your spot TODAY at http://1event.info/FosterChallenge16a Monday, September 12th – 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wornall Road Baptist Church - Meeting Room 1 400 W. Meyer Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64113 Reserve your spot TODAY at http://1event.info/FosterChallenge16 Visit us at newspringscommunity.org