New Life Update

Christmas is just around the corner and I have not purchased one present yet. Leigh-Ann and I have a tradition of getting it all done in one day—and that day is this Monday. If you are out at the stores and see a couple of people in jogging suits running around the stores, please stop and say “hi” to us ☺.

Part of the reason for our “Christmas shopping famine” is that we just returned home from a week of vacation and we had a great time. We spent a few days in San Diego with our friends, and then spent the remainder of the trip with my Uncle and Aunt. We had tons of fun, saw a lot of really cool things and places, spent time at three different churches and were able to strengthen many friendships.

We arrived back into Kansas City this past Wednesday night. On Thursday, we had a launch team meeting that went very well. It is really amazing to think about all the people that God has brought together to help with planting His church downtown. We were able to give an update on the Men’s Bible study that will start downtown during the month of January. Tony and Sarah Totta are also planning to start a Wednesday evening Bible study at their house in January to serve as a model for our Wednesday, in-home small group studies.

We have been praying for God to lead our launch team to the best place of service and have divided the ministry opportunities into the following ministry teams:

• Prayer Team – We need thousands of people to pray for God’s church downtown
  
• Outreach Team – We must communicate “New Life” to our entire area
  
• Growth Team – From the minute people arrive we must meet needs
  
• Discipleship Team – All Christians are called to grow and mentor growth
• Music Team – Music is a spiritual experience that draws people into worship
• Youth Team – From babies to teenagers, we must train the next generation
• Technology Team – We must be cutting edge in our technology
• Facilities Team – We must be good stewards of our building and belongings
• Financial Team – We must plan, budget and track our money
• Documentation Team – We do not want to forget all that God has done for us

Nuance Marketing Group has also designed our logo as the first step of the brand identity process. So far we have had rave reviews. We have also delivered a proposal for purchasing the building and we are praying that God will clearly lead us into His perfect will for our church home.

While in California, we met with a group of Real Estate Professionals that specialize in helping churches. After hearing the story of New Life and looking over all our information, the president is flying into town on Monday (yes, our shopping day) to look at the Scarritt Building and discuss the possibilities of helping us purchase the building. This is a huge undertaking for a start-up church, but we are overwhelmingly confident that God is able and poised to do things far beyond our pea-brained imaginations☺.

With these blessing in mind, we will be having our first service in 3-1/2 months — we need to be active in prayer for this to become a reality.

I hope you will join us in prayer for the following specific needs:

• We need to raise $146,500 in start up funds for the new church. This will pay for chairs, nursery and children’s ministry supplies, technology, music needs, building upgrades, etc.
  
• We need to see God work in the purchase of the right building for the right price.
  
• We need more people willing to lead or be a part of our ministry teams.
  
• We need to stay pure before God in our motives and actions.
  

I hope you have a great week preparing for Christmas and New Years.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Pastor Troy