New Life Thank You Banquet

Leadership Banquet

1/10/2004

TOBY

In every church, God places a secret to its success. Much of the secret to the success of Glenville New Life Community PCUSA and New Life Fellowship is found gathered in this room. Our secret is the willingness of God’s people church to submit first to Jesus Christ, and then to one another in that same spirit. Where ever we go and people ask about our church, we always find a way to bring the conversation around to how the Lord has used you, to make a difference in this part of the body of Christ.

RICK

The testimonies you have given tonight are just the tip of the iceberg of what you have been willing to do, to bring a vision into reality. Those sacrifices would not have taken place without us realizing that it was because Jesus first made a sacrifice on our behalf. As the Scriptures state, we love Him because He first loved us. Without Jesus, none of us would have done what we did to make it this far along on the journey.

We are all what we are because of Jesus Christ, who has come into our lives and made a change. Each one of us here as a testimony of how our presence at Glenville New Life Community Church or New Life Fellowship has in some way changed the course and direction of our lives. Some of us shudder to think where we might be today if the Lord had not met us at one of these churches.

TOBY

We appreciate that our churches are churches where Jesus Christ is proclaimed as Lord and Jesus Christ is actively changing the lives of people.. We are unashamed in saying that Jesus is the only Way to God, He is the Truth, and He is the Life. Jesus is the one who makes us all equal at the foot of the cross. He didn’t die more for some of us and less for others. He said all of us were in need of His salvation.

Our goal from the start of the New Life Campaign has been to lift up the name of Jesus Christ and become witnesses for Him in service to the community and to the church. We know that if we have Jesus we have everything, if we don’t have Jesus, we have nothing.

RICK

We as pastors appreciate and are thankful for the call of God on your lives. It has been amazing at what some of you have done and some of you have given these past three years. Together we have been sharing a dream and a vision to see something come out of nothing. God didn’t call you just to come to the church. God called you because there was something He wanted to do in you. You didn’t get saved just to go to heaven. The word of God says, Eph 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Say it with me. God has prepared a work for me to do for Him today.

We appreciate the openness to the move of the Spirit in the lives of many of you as individuals. At our churches, we recognize that not every opportunity to serve God is going to be something great, but it will be something needed. We as pastors need your willingness to be servants for the Lord. We don’t do the ushering, the counting, the nursery, the singing, but you do.

TOBY

You collate, you clean, you cook, your encourage, you direct, you type, you pray, you visit, you mail, you dance, you serve, you vote, you plan, you teach, you guide, you lead, you help, you give, you come, you send, you build, you paint, you mop, you sweep, you visit, you witness, you invite, you bring, you take home, you call and you seek to live your lives for God.

Praise God for all of you who are saying to God again and again, "Here am I Lord send me.’" A great church is great not because of great leaders, but because of great partnerships. God intended for leaders and people to be in partnership with each other in building the kingdom of God. One of the things we have at our churches is partnership. We are thrilled that over 25 of you have committed yourselves to the lay empowerment conference on the 24th. The more empowered you are, the stronger our church is going to be.

RICK

Each of us has to pay a price to follow Jesus Christ at Glenville and at New Life. It takes energy and effort to come to church. But when you love Jesus, it doesn’t cost as much. It takes energy and time to volunteer to serve when needed. But when you love Jesus, it doesn’t seem to cost as much. It takes a sacrifice of money to tithe. But when you love Jesus though, it doesn’t seem to cost as much. You might not always feel like singing praises in church. But when you love Jesus, you do it because He deserves it not because you feel it.