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Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Very often over the last month, I’ve heard many conversations about Thanksgiving traditions and what people “had to have” as part of their special dinner. For some it was stuffing. For others it was homemade macaroni and cheese. You all know that at our house it isn’t a holiday without Matt’s Mom’s lemon cheesecake. All of those details are very important for us but if we are honest our Thanksgivings really have nothing to do with food. On Thanksgiving 7 years ago, our little family had takeout in a Cleveland Clinic waiting room. My Mom had cancer removed just 2 days before and was declared cancer-free. That year we felt more thankful than ever before as we ate luke-warm food off of paper plates.
Last Wednesday and Thursday, as our Church came together to prepare 1800 meals, I could tell that no one was thankful just for the food. They were happy and smiling and thankful because they were together. They were thankful to be with friends and family working toward the common goal of serving God and serving His people. As I look at the pictures and see the smiling faces, I am overwhelmed with the fact that our Church has so much to be thankful for. We can be thankful for a God who provides immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine – so much that we can feed over 1000 people. We can be thankful for elders and ministers who follow God’s calling to serve and love in the name of Jesus. We can be thankful for the folks who never get credit for showing up day after day to do jobs that no one will hear about but will ensure that every person who comes to this Church will be fed or clothed. We can be thankful for young families who come out on cold nights with littles in tow to show them how to love like Jesus in tangible ways. We can be thankful thatwe see Jesus in each other every time this Church family gets together.
As we go into the Christmas season, the season where people are making lists of what they want or need, make sure you are taking Thanksgiving with you. In Matt’s Nehemiah class, he mentioned that when people come into the presence of God they are overwhelmed with thanksgiving and want to give back to God in worship or sacrifice. One of the best ways to honor God and to show Him our gratitude is to look like Him, to imitate Him. When you feel overwhelmed with gratitude this month by the ways God has blessed you, pass those blessings onto others just like He gave them to you. If you need ideas on how to do that, we have a few!
Eyes to See
The past few years have been hard. It has been reported that there has been a 400% increase in anxiety among those polled. Suicide hotline usage is up 45%. A global pandemic, political unrest, and racial tension have all contributed to this. As Matt preached on recently, many of us are like Habakkuk, saying, "How long, O Lord?" We don't understand why our world is like this and we are crying out for help. Some folks are saying, "God, where are you in this?"
As believers, we know exactly where HE is - He is right here beside us. He's walking with us in the valley and showing up in the fire like He did for Shadrach, Meshak and Abednego. But sometimes don't we wish we could actually SEE Him?
I want to tell you - He is showing up. He is here, moving among His people. The time you got a call on your worst day from someone who says, "You've been on my mind - how can I pray for you?" That was His voice. When the guys from Church showed up to help with your house project or a gal offered to help with housework - that was His hands and feet.When you needed a ride and someone showed up or a meal came to your house - that was Him providing. Luke says it this way in the book of Acts: "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:27) Our loving Father is not far away. We just have to open our eyes and WE WILL SEE HIM!
Ministry Spotlight:
This Month...
- 8 families dedicated their children to the Lord at our Baby Dedication (120 people attended)
- 83 seniors got food boxes
- 335 families were served at the clothing giveaway
- Our food giveaway served over 900 families
- 125 people came to spend time with our Church family at our Burgers & Blessings
- 13 of our teens attended the North Hills youth rally
- 54 women signed up for our women's class
- 20 teens are attending our Wednesday small groups
- Candy Stover was baptized into Christ!
Influencers
If you’ve been on the internet at all lately there is a buzz word that is everywhere. The word is “influencer”. Many people right now aspire to be an influencer. There are many kinds of influencers – gaming, social media influencers, bloggers, CGI influencers, sports stars, and beauty influencers. What are they? What do they do? These folk create content for social media, promote products and try to INFLUENCE or guide people to dress a certain way, eat certain things, or buy certain products. Basically, they say, “I like this” or “I do this so be like me!” Then if they become popular, companies pay them to endorse their products.
In Matt’s Wednesday morning class, we were talking about the influence that the Church has on the world around us and about how we can also be influenced by the world. On one of his points hit me right in the heart. We are either being influenced, or we are being influencers. You and I are one or the other. As children of God, people who know Jesus we have no choice but to be the second. We cannot be swayed or moved by the things of this world. We must stand up even if we stand alone. The difference, however, between us and the “professional” influencers we see online is that we say, “Do this with me so we can be like Jesus.”
Over the past month, I have seen so many people in our body influencing others for Jesus. People that are making love and generosity the cool thing to do. Not because they want glory or likes but because they want to turn people’s eyes to the Father. I’ve seen busy men stop what they were doing to hear a woman’s story and express that God cares about her hurt. Women, men and teens spent days sorting and bagging school supplies to show local kids that God does provide. Women came together to create blankets, slippers, and dolls for people in nursing homes and hospitals so that they can actually FEEL the comfort that comes God and His people. Small acts of kindness and love in Jesus’ name are contagious. They spread. We have influence for God in this world. We can stand firm on the love He shows us, unmoved by what others are doing, and pass that love on to others.
So, the question is...which one are you right now? Are you influencing people by looking a little bit like Jesus or are you looking more like the world? If you want to change the world for Him with your Church family – there’s room for you here!!
Ministry Spotlight:
This past month...
- 83 seniors got food boxes
- 265 families were served at the clothing giveaway
- Our food giveaway served over 800
- Over 150,000 pounds of food was given away
- All 63 of our students were adopted by someone in the church who will pray for and encourage them
- The Back to School blast had over 850 clients and 92 volunteers
- 30 women came to the ladies class reunion
- Many Bible studies were held at NCCOC this month
Beloved
As you all know, we launched a brand new Church camp this summer: Camp Caraway. Caraway, at its root, means pure, precious, & beloved. I love that word "BELOVED". The word means, "much loved, close to one's heart, adored, prized, treasured, favorite". It is the desire of every heart (wheather we admit it or not) to be someone's beloved or favorite, someone that is treasured.
In scripture, God uses that word to describe Jesus:
"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, a voice out of the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"
The amazing thing is that throughout Scripture, that is how we are referred to as believers! Colossians 3 says it this way:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
We are His chosen, dearly loved people. We are meant to feel special and loved. That is what I witnessed at camp. Kids that may not fit in anywhere else had a place with our camp family, with those "chosen people".
Thankfully, we don't have to wait until next year at camp to see that kind of belonging. In our Church, I see people being cherished and treasured week in and week out. There are women finding places in the family by volunteering, sewing or joining Bible studies. Men are becoming brothers or uncles by going fishing with young men or by playing basketball with each other. Relationships are being formed, friendships are being forged. People who were once strangers are becoming precious to each other because they have a common bond - they were orphans adopted by a loving Father, now beloved children.
"But YOU are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
- 1 Peter 2:9-10
There's room for you in our family! Join us!
Full
Have you ever gone to the store or gas station and grabbed your favorite salty snack only to open the bag and find that it’s half empty? You thought you paid full price. You didn’t crush the bag. But what a disappointment to see that it looks like someone else helped themselves to your Cheetos! Or maybe you bought something online and it looked amazing. It was an impulse purchase. You saw it. You didn’t know you needed it until you saw it on your screen and then you just “had” to have it. You clicked “buy now” and it came like magic the next day. The box was smaller than you anticipated but they are amazing packers, right?! You picked up the box that has a smile on it, and you tore it open. The excitement you felt was almost comparable to Christmas morning. But when you opened that small box, the amazing item you had to have barely took up half of the space and looked nothing like what you thought you’d get. You had been duped.
I’m so glad our God doesn’t give us gifts like this. He doesn’t give you a half-full bag or a poor imitation of the real thing. He promises that as we give, He will give more:
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Over the past month, I have seen God’s people here at NCCOC give BIG and I’ve seen God pour even more into their laps. As you know, we received such big donations to send kids to camp and Impact. God blessed these donations and multiplied them in many ways. He even added a sister into the Kingdom through baptism (Savannah McKinney)! Kids were blessed with powerful teaching, heart-felt worship and they witnessed 1200 other Christian teens living out Christian community. I saw people giving their time to sort clothes and toys and to bag food. You know what our Father did? God sent a warehouse full of new clothes (like brand new jeans, pajamas, towels, bedding, shorts, and shirts) to bless hundreds of families.
I saw folks who are struggling with their own hard things make time to listen and pray and love on others. I witnessed God send unexpected blessings into their lives to remind them that “their labor in the Lord is never in vain.” I saw people who needed community step outside of their comfort zones to attend our summer socials. They brought food, cleaned up and served. God brought encouragement and friendships that they didn’t expect. We have a good Father who makes sure our hands and hearts are full to the point of overflowing.
Have you been feeling empty lately? Disappointed in what you’ve been investing in? Ask God where He wants you to give generously. Let Him guide you to where there is a need. Then give whole-heartedly and see what God does. If you train your eye, you can see that God is pouring out blessings into your lap each day! We’d love to have you join us in “managing the floodgates of Heaven”(as Rod would say). Ask how you can be involved.
Ministry Spotlight:
This past month…
· Savannah McKinney was baptized into Christ
· 83 seniors got food boxes
· 317 families were served at the clothing giveaway
· Our food giveaway served 726 families
· 145,000 pounds of food was given out
· 16 people attended Impact in Nashville TN and were blessed by worshipping with 1200 other Christians
· We have 41 campers signed up for camp so far
· The ladies’ class reunion was well attended with over 30 gals
· The Water Day made a splash and bike day for our kiddos was so much fun
· Our Summer Socials have been encouraging. Many families are getting together for fun, food and fellowship! We even had 12 dogs attend!
· 76 backpacks of food were given to local schools each week this month
· Several Bible studies and small groups met each week at NCCOC
“Glorify God and Show Him to Others”
New Beginnings
I hate endings. When I’m reading a good book, I want to slow down on the last page or two because I know it’s all coming to an end. I will have to say good-bye to the characters that I’ve come to know and love. There have been times that I have almost gone into mourning over a TV series that ended (They never end as good as I think they should). There is something special about looking forward to seeing your favorite characters each week and going through their struggles and triumphs with them. When that stops, you feel a sense of grief. When I taught 1st grade, I always looked forward to summer but dreaded May. I had spent all year nurturing, teaching, and getting to know my little first grade “family”. I knew all the things that were happening in their homes, on their sports teams and thoughts that were going on in their little heads. The final days of May would hit and just like that, I became a teacher they had one year (hopefully, their favorite, but still!). Endings feel final. They feel sad sometimes. But...without endings there would be no new beginnings.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon said it like this, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...”
Our spring ladies’ class came to an end last week. I have to tell you; I looked forward to Wednesdays with my gals! I loved coming to Church and diving into scripture with all of my ladies. I loved developing real relationships with gals that I had only known on Sunday mornings for a quick hello and a hug. Having spiritual conversations with gals around my table about how Satan has been attacking them but how they see our loving God show up in those situations had meant the world to me. We laughed together, we cried together, we shared our struggles and prayed for one another. I will miss all of this. HOWEVER, I am looking forward to this summer. As a class, we learned the importance of creating Godly community. We gathered tools to help us stand against Satan’s attacks. We also commissioned each other to go out and share what we have learned. So now, I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses this class to move the Kingdom forward – outside the walls of the Church! Those relationships that were planted in the class now have room to grow and bloom in the real world. I can’t wait to see what God will do.
I see new beginnings springing up all over our Church - kids moving to new classes, new friendships being formed, a new Church camp being launched, new adult classes starting, and new ministries being planned. If you want to be a part of a new beginning this summer, we invite you to join us every Sunday night for a time of worship, fellowship and fun as our leaders host Summer Socials! These will begin on June 12th @ 5 p.m. Everyone is invited! These nights will be a great way to build Christian community and to get to know your NCCOC family in a fun way. Each night will be unique and different! We can’t wait to start this with you!
Ministry Spotlight:
This past month…
· 90 seniors got food boxes
· 234 people were served at the clothing giveaway
· Our food giveaway yesterday served hundreds of families
· The teens and many volunteers went to our new Church Camp (Camp Caraway) and had a workday painting, cleaning, and sprucing up the camp
· Our chili cook-off was wildy fun and successful! Over $3,000 was raised AND 10 campers were sponsored for Church camp ($1250) AND several kids were sponsored for Impact (for a total of over $5000)!!
· 25 teens met last week for the teen summer kick-off! We have 6 new 6th graders joining our youth group!
· 76 backpacks of food were given to local schools each week this month
· Several Bible studies and small groups met each week at NCCOC
“Glorify God and Show Him to Others”
Producing Fruit
Spring is such a beautiful time. I love seeing the trees coming to life after a long winter. I think God made spring to remind us that He is the God of resurrection. He brings dead things to life. I get so excited to see the buds and blooms. The spring promises that the earth will soon produce fruit! It makes me think of what is to come! Soon we will be seeing strawberries, cherries, apples, blueberries...you get the idea! One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to make jams and jelly – any kind of jelly. We make strawberry, blueberry, grape and we have even made dandelion jelly. Our family also loves to can peaches, to make applesauce, and to make pie filling. Fruit is useful in so many ways – it blesses everyone. It is proof that life has returned to the plant. It then gives life to all those around it.
Maybe that is why we are called as followers of Jesus to bear fruit. Jesus says in John 15:8, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” We were all dead in our sins until Christ came into our lives. We die with Him in baptism and are raised to new life. If we are truly saved and alive in Christ, we should have proof that Christ now lives in us – we should produce fruit! The fruit should be evident to everyone around us. It should look like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those around us should be blessed by it.
Our Church and our world have been through a long winter. For a while everything seemed bleak and cold. But spring has come!! I see our Church growing and blooming in so many ways. Fruit is already appearing. Our food and clothing giveaways are blessing those who serve and attend. Our teens have blessed the city of North Canton by painting picnic tables, by helping our ladies in the backpack program and by making employment assistance bags for the United Way.
The ladies’ Bible class has 78 students who are studying God’s word and are inviting friends! Our Cast Your Net ministry has our older members mentoring our young men. This Church is preparing for a fantastic year of camp. Every detail from curriculum to worship to classes are being researched and prayed over. Three people have been baptized into Christ. Our song leaders and praise team prayerfully choose what we collectively proclaim to our Father and each other in song each week and spend hours planning and practicing. We had over 300 folks here on Easter. The fruit is proof of changed lives and of Christ working in His people! It’s so exciting to see how God will use this fruit for His glory.
Are you producing fruit? If so, we are standing beside you, watching how God will use it. If you aren’t, please join us! We would love to help you with protecting, weeding and watering the precious seed that God has planted in your heart! He is going to produce fruit in you, too!
Ministry Spotlight:
This past month…
· 90 seniors got food boxes
· 233 people were served at the clothing giveaway
· 615 families received food at our giveaway, 130,000 pounds of food was given
· Our teens have painted picnic tables, stuffed eggs for the children’s Easter egg hunt, packed backpacks for the backpack ministry, and made employment assistance bags for the United Way
· Teens had a successful Mystery Mission Trip to the Disaster Relief Warehouse
· Over 200 people heard about our Church at the Jaycees Fair in North Canton where candy and invite cards were passed out
· Our Needles and Knots group made and delivered 25 slipper sets, dolls, 44 lap-robes, and 75 wheelchair bags for St. Luke’s, Windsor and hospice
· 3 successful egg hunts were held at NCCOC
· 76 backpacks of food were given to local schools each week this month
· 78 women have been attending our ladies Bible class on Wednesday nights
· 3 people were baptized into Christ
· Several Bible studies and small groups met each week at NCCOC
“Glorify God and Show Him to Others”
Your People, Your Purpose
One of the things that the pandemic taught me is that I NEED people. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mind the slower schedule of the pandemic. I enjoyed how we had to be creative in making our own fun at the Lowe house. But I longed to get together with extended family, to sit across the table from a good friend and especially to come to worship with my brothers and sisters. Whether you are a self-proclaimed introvert or a big-time extrovert – you need people. God created you that way. We are not made to do this life alone.
That being said, I struggle sometimes to fit in. It’s hard to find places where I can really be myself and be fully accepted. So often I find myself surrounded by people but feeling very alone. Satan seems to whisper lies to me that makes me think that I’d be more comfortable by myself. That life is easier solo. But that is a fib straight from the “Father of Lies” (John 8:44). The TRUTH is God created you to need people, to thrive in a community. In Genesis 2:18 it says, “It is not good for man to be alone…”. Part of your DESIGN is to work with, live with and love people – God’s people.
1 Peter 2:9 puts it this way: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;”
Peter tells us that we were chosen (by God), that we are a royal priesthood (that means all of us are ministers of God – we have a job), we are a holy nation (united under one King), God’s special possession (we do not belong to ourselves) to do something – declare HIS praises. Peter also says:
“As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
What does that mean? We were made with a purpose in mind. We MUST come together to be used by God to build something beautiful that points to our Creator. A building cannot be made with one brick! If we are not working and serving and sacrificing our lives with our brothers and sisters than we are NOT fulfilling our purpose!
Satan’s greatest work is to distract us and isolate us so that he can DEVOUR us. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someONE to devour.”
We are not meant to be on our own. When bricks are put together there isn’t space between them. They are literally stuck together for a specific purpose. If some of the bricks are loose, the building is weak, unstable and not useful.
I’m so thankful that we are members of a family that offers so many opportunities to build something beautiful together. Our teens just started a new series where they are learning to “love their Church and community” and discussing the Great Commission. Anthony is organizing mini-mission trips every Wednesday night. This past week, they bagged groceries for this month’s giveaway. The Needles and Knots group gets together to sew walker bags for the local nursing homes and baby blankets for new moms. Our food and clothing giveaways remind our community that they are seen and that they have people who care. All of these ministries are building a beautiful temple that points to God! Don’t you want to be a part of that? It’s what you were made for! You were chosen. You have a people. You have a purpose! There is a place for YOU here.
Ministry Spotlight:
This past month…
· 90 seniors got food boxes
· 696 families received food at our giveaway, 130,000 pounds of food was given
· Teens met every Sunday for Bible study and fellowship and Wednesday for service work
· 76 backpacks of food were given to local schools each week this month
· 54 women attended our ladies Bible class on Wednesday
· Several Bible studies and small groups met each week at NCCOC
“Glorify God and Show Him to Others”
Still
I know after the weather we had this past week; this next statement may be met with some opposition: I LOVE SNOW. There is something very special when the snow is falling and wrapping everything in a beautiful blanket of white. I love to go outside at night when the flakes are flying and just watch and listen. Are you amazed at how quiet it is? There is a stillness that snow brings. Did you know that it really IS QUIETER after a good snowstorm? According to scientists, snow is made of ice crystals, which have space between them. These open spaces absorb sound waves, creating that serene quiet that happens right after a snowstorm. One study found that just 2 inches of snow can absorb 60% of sound waves. The lighter and fluffier the snow, the better it will be at absorbing sound waves. Isn’t God amazing? He knows we need peace and quiet, so he finds many ways to give it to us. It makes me think of Mark 4:39 when the storm is raging and Jesus says, “Peace, be still.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m not good at being still. I tend to be an on-the-go person. I’m not happy unless I’m moving. However, God through His Word tells us to “Be still” (Psalm 46:10 and Exodus 14:14). Why? Scripture says its so that we can know Him and let HIM do His work.
January is a hard month for many people. We come down off the highs of Christmas parties, presents, and pageants. We rest for a few days and then we are hit with the hum-drum of January. Mentally, it can be a depressing time. But what if we leaned into this idea of being still, of sitting quietly and watching God work and move?
What if instead of being busy with many things, we were like Mary and chose the one thing that is better (Luke 10:42) - sitting at Jesus’ feet and getting to know Him? What if we took the spotlight off of what we are accomplishing and shine a light on what God is doing in us and all around us?
In our seasons of STILLness we need to realize that God is STILL working.
Sometimes when we are in a time of silence or quietness, we feel like God is not doing anything. I believe the opposite of that is true. I think of the silence that came between that terrible Friday and the resurrection Sunday. God was raising Jesus, conquering death, saving mankind…but the followers only saw darkness and heard only silence. It seems like God does some of His most amazing work in the dark, quiet moments. So, this month, when it gets dark before dinner time and you’re tempted to get “down” in all the down-time, remind yourself that in the STILLness God is STILL working. His people are STILL serving. The Kingdom is STILL moving forward!! Pray for open eyes to see His hand in all the things going on around you. Expect that He is working all things for good. Be still and KNOW that He is God – and be ready – He may need you to get moving!
Ministry Spotlight:
This past month…
· 90 seniors got food boxes
· 589 people received food at our giveaway, 155 skids of food and over 100,000 pounds of food was given
· Over 100 volunteers came from North Canton City Schools, Walsh University, Malone University, Hoover High School, First Friends Youth Group, and Grand Central Church of Christ to help with the food giveaway
· Teens met every Sunday for Bible study and fellowship
· 304 backpacks of food were given to local schools each week this month
“Glorify God and Show Him to Others”
Baby, It's Cold Outside
The weather has been pretty crazy over the past few months. It's been a rollercoaster of unseasonably warm weather and then below zero temperatures. As I'm typing this, my kids are home for a snow day. On days like this, when it is cold and snowy out there, I'm so very thankful to have a place that is safe and warm. If you've watched the news lately, you may think that this world in general is a cold place. People hurt others for no reason, people are ugly on social media, hate and violence seem to be so plentiful while kindness, generosity and love seem rare. Mental illness and loneliness are on the rise in all age groups. This isn't a world that we want to go out into, let alone send our kids into. This may seem true, but this is what our enemy wants us to believe. He wants us to think it's too bad "out there" so we stay inside the safety of our homes and Churches. In reality, God is on the move. His people are showing up and reflecting His image in so many ways. In the past few months, people have been clothed, fed, and loved by His people in North Canton. New members are finding a home and a family in the Church. Teens are finding a safe place to have fun and worship with our youth group. A mom who had surgery and who was recently homeless received everything she and her 3 children needed to furnish their new apartment plus Christmas gifts because God's people weren't staying inside their walls. God's people are going into all the world and sharing His Word and more importantly they are sharing His love. In this cold world, I'm so thankful to be a part of a church family who is bringing warmth and light. Don't look now but there's a heat wave coming!
Ministry Spotlight
This past month...