Belong.

NCC is a place to Believe, Belong, and Become.



We want you to feel like you belong! So we're asking for your ideas and opinions.

What would help you feel connected to others in the church?
Are there any programs or ideas you'd like to see implemented?
You can comment annonymously if you're not comfortable leaving your name.

We belive God has great things in plan for our church and our community and we want you to be a part of it!

But if there's something holding you back, here's the place to tell us.

MURPHY'S LAWS

Murphy’s Laws

READ: Exodus 20:1-17
You shall have no other gods before Me. —Exodus 20:3Murphy’s Laws are observations about life that seem to have the weight of experience behind them. You’ve probably heard this one: “If anything can go wrong, it will.” Here’s another one: “You can’t do just one thing; everything has its consequences.”

My own experience seems to confirm many of Murphy’s Laws, but it’s that second one that I would hang on the wall as a motto. Wrong choices have their consequences. For example, if we choose to live for pleasure, that will affect our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren (Ex. 20:4-5). If we walk away from God, we may discover that our children have taken that trip with us. Later, even if we return to Him, they may not.

But there is also good news. Devotion to the Lord has its consequences too. Men and women who live in faith before God can have a strong influence on their children and their children’s children. If they live a long life, they can witness the effect their faith has had on several generations. What satisfaction it brings to older people to see their posterity living for Christ!

Murphy and the Bible agree on this point: “Everything has its consequences.” — Haddon W. Robinson

If you sow seeds of wickedness,
Sin’s harvest you will reap;
But scattered seeds of righteousness
Yield blessings you can keep. —Sper

People who follow Christ lead others in the right direction.

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Room 5

Middle School and Senior High Youth Group

7:00 p.m. Wednesday nights at the church building

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BLAST!

Wednesdays

after school fun

for 1st-5th grade from 3:45 - 5:00 p.m.

*Snacks, crafts, games, music, Bible stories, life skills, homework help, and teamwork building activities.

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SENIORS FELLOWSHIP
Jan. 28th, 11:30 am - Potluck
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LADIES COOK N' LUNCH

SAT., JAN. 31

at Hesston High School Home Economics Room, 200 N. Ridge Road, Hesston

11:00-1:30 p.m.

Are you a Rachel Ray, a Paul Deen, or a Barefoot Contessa? If you love to cook or want to learn something new, join us for a fun time of women's fellowship. We'll be cooking new recipes together and will eat our creations for lunch. Jane Winslow will give a testimony. If you want to attend, contact the church office at 283-5998.
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PIZZA WITH THE PASTORS
Sunday, Feb. 1st after worship service
For those wanting to know more
about Newton Christian Church
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"SOUPER" BOWL SUNDAY
Sunday, Feb. 1
Bring cans of soup to stock our food pantry!

Live Nativity

I'm a little delayed in getting pictures here, but the youth had a great time with the Live Nativity in December!

A what in the where?!

Yes, there was a boat in the sanctuary this morning. A boat small in size, compared to some, but this marked an NCC record, as this is the first and only boat to sit on the stage!

Pastor Doug was teaching from Luke 5: 1-11.


And the value of being a crew member under the Master of the ship: a fellowship. And the definition of a fellowship one may ask? Why, 2 fellows on a ship! Together, they go up and down together. Through it all, the Master is present. And, the crewmates, or our church family, will rejoice with us when we rejoice, and mourn with us when we mourn. We are in this together. A family going into the deep water, together. With Christ, b/c He says so. Trusting that He will protect, love and care for us, we shall all go into the deep water for His work, not our agenda. Yes, we may be tired and have tried all the ways known to man, but when He asked the fisherman to put out their nets, they did it. After being up all night and reaping no harvest. And the results of following God's Plan? Read the passage from Luke and find out!

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,(also known as Lake of Galilea)with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.


During Praise Service, and after the annual meeting and fellowship dinner, the band "Isaiah" played a fun mix of originals and covers of Praise music. One young man truly enjoyed it with a smile!

No Fear In the New Year

READ: Mark 6:45-52
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. —Isaiah 43:1Hours before 2007 began, some friends of ours in the UK were aboard their boat, anticipating the arrival of the new year, when a violent storm struck. But they were able to send us this reassuring note: “John and Linda are sitting on board the good ship Norna, and happy to say that we are secure. . . . The wind is storm force ten [48-55 knots]. Hope that all of you have a happy and prosperous new year.”

Jesus’ disciples also encountered a stormy experience. They were on the Sea of Galilee when a windstorm whipped up (Mark 6:48). The storm was so violent that despite being experienced fishermen who knew the lake well, they feared for their lives. But Jesus walked out to them and saved them.

No one can predict with certainty how stormy the new year will be. We do know, though, that everyone will face storms. But we who have Jesus have our future securely moored to Him. Jesus, who did not fail us in the past, will not fail us in the future.

Lewis Edgar Jones aptly described our situation in his old hymn:

I’ve anchored in Jesus, the storms of life I’ll brave;
I’ve anchored in Jesus, I’ll fear no wind or wave.
I’ve anchored in Jesus, for He hath power to save;
I’ve anchored to the Rock of Ages!

How will you fare in the storms of the new year? If you’re anchored in Jesus, you have nothing to fear. — C. P. Hia

Faith in Christ will keep us steady in the stormy sea of change.

EXPECTATIONS

READ: Philippians 1:12-21

My earnest expectation and hope [is] that . . . Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. —Philippians 1:20Expectations! We all have them. We expect that people will be nice to us, that we’ll have good health, great marriages, faithful friends, successful careers. But what do we do when life doesn’t live up to our expectations? In Philippians 1, Paul shows us the way. He faced broken expectations of place, people, and the future, yet he remained surprisingly upbeat.

Paul was stuck in prison—not a great place to be! When we get stuck in a tough marriage, an unrewarding job, or a challenging neighborhood, it’s easy to get discouraged. But Paul was wonderfully positive. He said that his suffering helped to advance the gospel (Phil. 1:12).

Maybe people haven’t lived up to our expectations. Paul likely expected other believers to encourage him. Instead, some were actually glad he was in jail and were preaching out of “envy and strife” (v.15). Paul’s response? “Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice” (v.18).

Maybe it’s an uncertain future—the loss of a spouse, a job transfer, or a health crisis. Paul knew that at any moment Nero might give the order for his execution, yet he declared, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (v.21).

Adopt Paul’s only expectation—for Christ to be honored no matter what! — Joe Stowell

In all I think and say and do,
I long, O God, to honor You;
But may my highest motive be
To love the Christ who died for me. —D. De Haan


You can expect to enjoy God’s presence when you honor Him with your life.

READ: 2 Samuel 12:1-13
Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? —2 Samuel 12:9

When I sat in my car at the start of the automatic car wash, I didn’t know that my left front tire was not properly lined up with the track. The car wash started but my car wasn’t moving, so I accelerated. That caused my tire to jump the track.

Now I was stuck—I couldn’t move forward or backward. The car wash continued through its cycle without my car. Meanwhile, cars began lining up and waiting for me. I was glad when two workers at the station helped me get my car back on the track.

Sometimes in our Christian lives we get off track too. King David did in a big way. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and later ordered that her husband be put “in the forefront of the hottest battle” and left there to be killed (2 Sam. 11:3-4,15-17). David’s actions were way out of line with how God wanted him to behave as His chosen king.

David needed help to get back on track. The Bible says that “the Lord sent Nathan to David” (12:1). He confronted him about stealing another man’s wife, and David wisely repented (v.13). Nathan took a risk to help David get right with God, even though his sin still had dire consequences.

Does someone you know need your help to get back on track? — Anne Cetas

Fellowship with other Christians
Strengthens us when we are weak,
Reprimands when we are sinning,
Helps us when God’s will we seek. —Sper


True love dares to confront.

B.L.A.S.T.

From the lesson last week - "X marks the spot!"

This was based on the verse in
Psalm 119:72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

"How many points do you have from your verses challenges?"---this may be asked, and this could be a spot for the kids to check for their verse if they lose their paper...which prob never happens with elementary kids, right!?!

Hump Day Hope

Who is at fault today?
The snooze button was too ergonomically correct; That train was 2 minutes too long; The sky has no sun: Who's to blame?

We have to deal with the affects of these happenings. We have failed today, and are unworthy of love...Wait! Christ sees us as totally accepted, forgiven, fully pleasing, and lovable.

Take that to the boss today, and live like you truly believe it.
Galatians 6:14
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."