Looking Forward to Five Key Northpoint Events in 2016

This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Scott Williams, Northpoint’s Pastor of Adults and Families.

Looking Forward to Five Key Northpoint Events in 2016

Hello Church Family,

If you are like me, you can hardly believe we are closing out 2015 and gearing up for 2016. Where does the time go? However, as I think back on 2015, I am reminded of all the ways God was faithful and gracious to us here at Northpoint. From having Elyse Fitzpatrick bless our women at NP’s Women’s Conference, to having 300+ kids at VBS Camp Kilimanjaro, and with this year’s Mission Week being one of the best attended and beneficial in our recent history, it has been a year for which to be truly grateful.

God’s hand was evident not just in our large-scale events, but also in the many personal relationships and gospel conversations that so many of you had throughout the year. This past year, I heard personal stories of those in our church who reached out to an immigrant family in our community, helping them get on their feet, both relationally and even financially. There was a group of young moms who met regularly with other moms in their neighborhood for support, prayer, and encouragement. One of our Growth Groups went above and beyond to minister to a family in their group whose baby was stricken with cancer. There have also been those who, after years of being in the church, finally surrendered their lives to Christ, or who made a public pronouncement of their faith by being baptized, or who are considering a call to the mission field.

God has truly been gracious to Northpoint in 2015, and we know He will continue to pour out His grace in 2016. As we look toward 2016, there are five key events that God has laid on the hearts of leadership in order to minister to those in our body, and to reach others with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

01. Church Plant Launch: Late 2016

Over the past few years, God has laid on the hearts of Pastor John and the elders to become a multiplying church that is actively reaching our community with the gospel. They discovered that one of the best ways to reach unbelievers with the gospel is by planting new churches. So by the grace of God, in late 2016, we are hoping to launch a church in the Riverside area with a small team from Northpoint under the leadership of Kimani Gathere. There is still much to do, and planning that needs to be done, but our God continues to lead and guide us in this process.

02. Summer Mission Trips

As we seek to fulfill the Great Commission, we will be sending out mission teams around the world: Our student ministries will be once again ministering to the youth at the Tanalian Bible Camp in Port Alsworth, Alaska; we’ll be sending a Northpoint team to Athens, Greece, where they will be supporting the church planting efforts of NP missionaries Stephanos and Manon Mihalios, as well as assisting Hellenistic Ministries as they minister to refugees who are flooding in to Greece; and our third mission endeavor will be taking a group to Botswana, Africa, to work alongside Pastor Lamaz Kariuki, and the recently planted church Gaborone Community Chapel, as they evangelize among the many college students in the area.

And don’t worry, we are still sending teams to Carranza and Tuba City this year!

03. Student Ministries “Worth the Risk” Event: August

Worth the Risk will be a one-day gathering of SoCal junior and senior high students, where they will be encouraged and equipped to use the upcoming school year as an opportunity to share the gospel. The day will be filled with worship, food, and great teaching by Dr. Greg Cochran, Professor of Theology at Cal Baptist University. There will also be breakout sessions allowing students to connect with one another and to think through the issues they face on a daily basis.

04. One-Day Marriage Conference: September

Many of the struggles and challenges families face stem from how Mom and Dad are relating to each other and to God. We want marriages here at Northpoint to be strong and thriving. That is why we are planning on having a one-day Marriage Conference on September 24. Author, counselor, and Pastor Dr. Deepak Reju from Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., will be on hand to lead through a day that I know will be beneficial to every marriage, whether you have been married for thirty days or thirty years. Mark your calendar!

05. Women’s “Passages” Retreat: April

The Northpoint women will be gathering for their biannual Women’s Retreat on April 22-24, in the quaint seaside city of San Clemente. Linda Bishop, who leads the Ministry to Women in Leadership for the EFCA West, will be the speaker. The theme of this year’s retreat will be Passages – “A voyage from where we are, to a longed-for destination.” Linda will be speaking to our women about building a relationship with God that enables them to let go of the anchors of their hearts and move forward to new horizons of faith and intimacy with God.

This is just a sampling of what God has in store for us this year. So mark your calendars and be praying for the many ways God is going to work in the life of our church this next year.

Pastor Scott