David Whiting Live

Tomorrow IS the Super Bowl for Northridge Church!

Hello Northridge!!  Here are some final thoughts before the big day tomorrow:

• Hundreds of you have given a lot of time and money to make tomorrow happen. THANK YOU!! A few have given a large part of your life to this project over the last three years. THANK YOU - can't do it. But I pray that God's blessing would be on you in a HUGE way!
• Don't be late tomorrow! You don't want to miss the opening video summarizing the project! (Thanks, Josh!)
• After the baptism - celebrate like someone's life has changed (let's PLEASE believe that trusting Christ and being baptized is more important than a football game)!!
• We know that at least one TV station will be there tomorrow. They want to interview people from the church.  If they interview you - here are tips I've given in the past about media interviews:
• • Try to talk about Jesus as much as possible.
  • Pray that the exposure that Northridge gets to point people to the Gospel - not you.
  • Try to speak in short sentences and simple thoughts... If it isn't a short, simple answer - it increases the possibility of being misunderstood or misquoted.
  • Remember that when you speak, you are not simply representing yourself...  Remember that what you say won't simply impact YOUR reputation...  I'm representing Jesus.
• Don't forget about EQUIP classes at 10:00.
• Don't forget to check out the bookstore and cafe...
• Remember - no food or drinks in the worship center. So grab your coffee before your EQUIP class.
• Some of you are parking off-site (with van shuttles).  THANK YOU!

Will you pray before you go to bed tonight for God's incredible blessing tomorrow?  THANKS!

EQUIP Room Numbers for Sunday

Here are the EQUIP room numbers for Sunday:

• Starting Point (all ages) - Room 402
• 20s - Our Walk with God - Room 105
• 20s & 30s - What Every Christian Should Know - Youth Ministries Building (Carriage House)
• 30s & 40s - Walk Thru the Old Testament - Room 107
• 40s & 50s - Changing Hearts, Changing Lives - Room 417 
• 50s & 60s - James: A Study of His Book - Room 206
• 60s+ - Various Teachers and Topics - Room 419
• Teens - Room 110

I look forward to seeing you.  Classes are at 10:00 AM.

First Service - 8:30 AM

EQUIP Classes - 10:00 AM

Second Service - 11:00 AM

You WON'T want to be late to the service!!  You want to be there at the starting moment!  PLAN AHEAD! Park far!! Sit close!!

Big Work Night

Wednesday night a few small groups worked on the new building. Much was accomplished (during the day and evening)...

One of the groups meeting before getting started.

This was set up when we arrived this morning.

The sign on the cot said, "Overnight Accommodations for Northridge Staff and Volunteers"

The new front entrance (once was the side wall of the old worship center)

Many of the signs were installed tonight.

 

After putting together a new piece of equipment, we needed someone to try it out...

Addison C helped us check it out.

As the guys hold some frames in place...

...the girls give instructions and opinions.

Bookstore / Cafe Info...

Here is a bit more information on our bookstore and cafe. 

HOURS:
Both are open from 8:15 AM until 12:45 PM every Sunday. On nights of Vertical Worship, they both will be open form 5:45 - 7:30 PM.

FORMS OF PAYMENT:
Cafe - cash only (but cafe gift cards can be purchased by credit card in the bookstore)
Bookstore - cash, check, credit card, debit card

Remember, if you don't carry cash, you can buy a gift card for the cafe in the bookstore with your credit card. Hopefully this will make it work for everyone.

PRODUCTS:
cafe - various hot and cold drinks, fresh bagels, snacks, fruit, pastries
bookstore - adult, youth, and children's books; music CD's; sermon CD's

THE BAD NEWS:
The bad news is that we aren't going to allow food or drinks in the new worship center. We've already discovered that the carpet is not as easy to clean as we would want. So we are going to extend the life of the carpet severely by not allowing food or drinks into the worship center. Thank you for your cooperation!!

Five More Days - Some Things to Know; Some Things to See

Five more days: Here are a couple of things to KNOW:

• Have you invited others yet? We are hearing great responses from people. The majority of "invites" seem to be successful. So - if you KNEW whoever you asked wouldn't say "no" - who would you ask?  Then... why not ask them? Don't be ashamed of the Gospel. They can't believe unless they hear!! 
• If you need invite cards - email me; I can send you a pdf file from which you can print copies. 
• Do you have personal contacts with people in the media? We have issued press releases, but if you have inside connections - help spread the word about Sunday. God has used press coverage to help us reach people over the years (baptisms; ground breaking, etc...). If you want a copy of the press release, email Cheryl Murray (zcherylz@gmail.com).

Here are some things you might want to SEE:

 

The bookstore is about setup and almost ready to go.

The screens were put in place yesterday. The one in the middle is now on the wall on the left.

The carpet continues to be finished up. We await some wood planking that won't be installed until Thursday (nothing like the last minute)...

A look down the hallway...

Please be praying!  Five days... much work to do...

Do You Want Some Free Books?

Want some free books?   

We have removed all the resources from our old library that are going to the new library. The rest are to be given away. So - here are some guidelines:

• If you have any books/resources checked out - please return them asap. There are boxes in which you can place returned resources. We want to go through them and see what we want to keep.
• Anything that is on the shelves - you can have it. Feel free to take it.
• Remember, there are shelves on three walls... don't forget about the shelves with media resources and the shelves above the magazines.
• Feel free to take any magazines in the racks.
• Please don't take anything in a closed cupboard, on the table, or in a box. We still need to go through those places to separate what we keep from what we give away.
• There may be a LOT of books being returned on Sunday. We want to go through those. So please leave those alone until we can go through them.
  

Have a good time. For the next two or three weeks - take any books you find on the shelves, then we will get rid of the rest.

To see a further explanation on the church library - read my blog on that topic by clicking HERE.

EQUIP Classes Start Next Week

Our new EQUIP classes start February 7th (same day as the new building). Every age has two options to choose from. Choose whichever age group you would most enjoy - as the teachers and topics will be rotating, but the class and hosts remain the same.

20's - Hosts: Matt Brady, Kathleen Matthews, Nate Wegman, Sarah Sousa, Josh & Heather Horn
Topic: Our Walk With God - putting faith into action

20's and 30's - Hosts: Adam & Jenn Congdon, Matt & Brie Tomlinson, Andy & Kristin Shugart
Topic: What Every Christian Should Know - essential truths we must embrace

30's and 40's - Hosts: Gary & Kim Gagarinas, Mario & Michel Melidona
Topic: Walk Thru the Old Testament - understanding OT's chronology, major events, and major characters

40's and 50's - Hosts: Paul & Nancy Simmonds, Dave & Debra Frink
Topic: Change Hearts, Changing Lives - A video-based class understanding the process of biblical change

50's and 60's - Hosts: Dave & Jayne Boehm, Len & Nancy Tomkinson, Jud & Andrea Stuart
Topic: James: A Study of His Book - a group interactive study of the book of James

60's + - The Ambassadors (formerly Golden Agers) will continue the format of their class. They are not participating in the rotation of topics and teachers, but it certainly is an encouraged option for anyone 60-plus.

I am praying that you will choose a class and stick with it for the 12 weeks so we can together grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Days of Creation - Artwork

More art work was hung in the nursery on Wednesday that I thought you'd enjoy seeing. These are painted on canvases and hung in the Toddler Nursery.  They are based on Genesis 1 and four of our artists did an amazing job!

 

11 More Days Until the New Building... an Update

The bookstore is getting set up. Many hours have been put in by Kim, Alison, and Chris (and others):

 
 

A couple of weeks ago - we had a pipe burst in the "basement" of the church.  The problem is - we were storing many things down there for the new building.  Eleven brand new 36" TVs got wet, the box holding the new sound board got wet, art work got wet, and many other things.  All those things are drying out to see what can get "rescued." 

 

  

  

The Countdown Begins... 13 Days until first Worship Service in New Building

The countdown has begun. In 13 days we are scheduled to have our first worship services in the new building!  WOW!!  Scary and exciting. So much work has to be done, but we will do our best!!

Here are some things that are happening:

We have had and will have dozens and dozens of volunteers working on final projects. Our builder has allowed us to save money by doing a lot of "extras" ourselves. John R built center stairs for the stage (for weddings and convenience). We will have A LOT of volunteers working in the next two weeks. 

There are many projects that need finished. Wes (Project Manager) is finishing the welcome center

 

New windows and doors have been installed in the old lobby (this is the window near the old main entrance). It now looks into the new bookstore.

 

A lot of carpet, tile, and wood planking will be going down this week.

Jeff M continues to work six days a week getting sound and video ready to be installed next week.

More updates as we countdown the final days.