1 John 3:16 – 18 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
As we close out 2008 amidst so much economic turbulence and uncertainty, let’s remember to thank the Lord for His blessings and ask Him to provide for everyone at NCCF. We particularly want to remember those who are self-employed, on fixed incomes or or affected in other ways by financial hardship.
Philippians 4:19 & 20 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We are currently reading Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem.
The outlines used for this group can be downloaded below.
Men, feel free to join us Sunday mornings at 7:30 A.M.
2Tim. 1:13 (NASB)
Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Systematic Theology
Chapter 3 The Cannon of Scripture
Chapter 4 The Authority of Scripture
Chapter 5 The Inerrancy of Scripture
Chapter 6 The Clarity of Scripture
Chapter 7 The Necessity of Scripture
Chapter 8 The Sufficiency of Scripture
Chapter 9 the Existence of God
Chapter 10 The Knowability of God
Chapter 11 The Character of God: The Incommunicable Attributes of God
Chapter 12 The Character of God: The Communicable Attributes of God Part 1
Chapter 13 The Character of God: The Communicable Attributes of God Part 2
Chapter 21 The Creation of Man
Chapter 22 Man as Male and Female
Chapter 23 The Essential Nature of Man
Chapter 25 The Covenants Between God and Man
Chapter 26 The Person of Christ
Chapter 27 The Atonement (Current / In Progress / Not Complete)
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
On Sunday evening November 16, 2008, we had our congregational meeting. Mark and Tyler were gracious enough to lead us in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and Jesus spoke a word of encouragement to us, through Jim, from the Scriptures.
Jim led off with a restatement of the direction the Lord gave us two years ago and a recap of His providence in taking us down the road He’s laid out before us, even through a difficult and heartrending year. The following are a few highlights:
Outreach
We were blessed this year to partner with a number of ministries/churches in Nevada County and around the globe, resulting in the gospel being preached, Christians built up in the faith, widows and orphans cared for and solid relationships established. To view most of these ministries, see the Ministry Partners links in the sidebar on the NCCFToday site.
What Others Are Saying About NCCF
Jim pointed out that, through working with others in the community and abroad, we received a lot of positive feedback from visitors, concerning what the Spirit seems to be doing at NCCF. Many of them took note of our love for one another, a welcoming spirit and the fact that NCCF probably has the largest attendance of any church in Nevada County… 30 minutes after the service has ended 
Those unsolicited observations, expressed over and over, have been very encouraging and we thank God for His grace in this area. Our love for one another is crucial to our witness to the watching world (John 17 and John 13:35)
Our Main Objectives
It was very evident to us two years ago that the Lord was leading in a specific direction. Two objectives were at the top of the list.
1) Provide a Sunday morning and Tuesday evening meeting appropriate for the entire church, involving praise, prayer and the proclamation of the Word.
2) Begin forming small groups to strengthen relationships between believers, focusing on specialized areas of ministry, throughout the week.
Tuesdays and Sundays
Our Sunday morning assembly has undergone some very positive change, particularly in the area of praise and worship, as well as corporate prayer. The worship team meets an hour before we begin, for prayer and coordination with Jim, the media team and the Sunday teacher. The result is praise and worship, focused on Jesus, and a time of solid edification for believers. Pat has taken the Sunday School and nursery under his wing and come up with a unified curriculum from CEF. The result is a Sunday School, fully staffed with folks that love to tell children about the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Tuesday nights have been transformed into a celebration of sorts, beginning with a very large group for dinner each week, followed by youth group, Tina’s class for the kids between the ages of 7 & 12, the adult Bible study and, of course, a nursery. The majority of kids are from the wider Christian community and their friends, so we count it a privilege to minister to them and work hard to be faithful to that calling. The adult Bible study has grown substantially, as well. We have also been blessed with special events, featuring Jim Jessup, Joshua Lickter and our missionaries home on furlough.
Of course, we discussed how an attractive facility, as well as a cheerful staff, are vital to effective hospitality. We have been blessed with both. George and Sandy have the building looking beautiful with tasteful landscaping, a newly painted fellowship hall and a finished kitchen, thanks to Ralph and others. Linda keeps the place spotless and running smoothly. Mike is faithful with the coffee and a crew of women, too numerous to name, provide delicious meals, which are obviously appreciated, based upon the numbers of those joining us for supper!
Small Groups
Small groups fall into a number of categories, with the soire´ at the King’s home busting out to become a Big Group. So, we hope to see some from that group go out to plant more small groups. The college and career group meets at the Mack’s for a time of Bible study, prayer and fellowship. The women’s Bible study and fellowship have grown in number, seeing even greater growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus! The men’s monthly fellowship has grown considerably under Pat’s oversight and we have enjoyed the wisdom of older men in our fellowship, as well as good number of brothers from other churches providing us with a fresh outlook into what it means to be a Christian man. Of course, the men’s theology group continues each Sunday morning and are about half way through Grudem’s Systematic Theology… for the second time.
Finances
Mark Bauman gave us a somewhat surprising financial report. As mentioned, it was a tough year and we saw our giving drop dramatically in the Spring. However, we are finishing the year at the same monthly level of giving we saw back in the first couple months of 2008 and the trend is upward! Praise God for His provision. One new item in the budget is pastoral compensation and we have committed 10% of our budget to that end in 2009 with an adjustment every six months. Our long-term goal is to compensate one or more paid staff within 3-5 years, in faithfulness to God’s Word in 1 Timothy 5 and love for the upcoming generation of leaders at NCCF.
We have so much to be thankful for and we anticipate the Lord’s greater blessing in 2009.
