by Barbara DeCofano

Shirley Weston was born and raised in the “Wild Prairie Rose” state of Iowa; moving to Van Nuys, CA in 1977. Shirley’s two sons still live in Iowa.

In Van Nuys, Shirley supervised 17 girls while working at a candy-confectionary store. One of their unique specialties was making complete replicas of a “Monopoly” board game out of chocolate that was in full color and sold for $600 each.

Shirley lived in the North State from 1980-1987 and worked at Shasta Convalescent Hospital in Redding. She moved to Flournoy, CA where she met her future husband, Charles, at church. They were married in 1990 and retired in Flourney.

Shirley became Charles’ major caregiver when he was struck with Multiple Sclerosis. Although the job was difficult and extremely heartbreaking, her relationship with the Lord was further strengthened.

Two years ago she moved to the Regency Place Apartments in Anderson and has since bought her own home. Her brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Toni Tompkins, are close by and also attend NCAC.

Raised in a Christian home, Shirley received Christ as her Savior in 1979. She is especially fond of the Psalms and says, “I could not live without our Lord; everyday He is doing something for me.” She loves attending Harvesters and works on the TALK. She is always ready to lend a helping hand where needed.

Shirley wasted no time in becoming active in the community, joining in activities at the Anderson Senior Center where she is a member of the Board of Directors. She picks up food three times weekly from the Holiday Market and delivers to the Center.

Shirley enjoys quilting,

gardening and cooking, especially baking. Her home is shared with “Powder,” a four year old “mixed” dog.

by Barbara DeCofano

With all the negative news and hero worship of the rich and famous today, it is gratifying to know there are godly young people in our church who are following the Lord. One such couple is Adam and Amanda Knight.

Adam, son of Terry and Cindy Knight, was born in Riverside and moved to Anderson when he was 14. Adam has two sisters and a brother. Amanda, daughter of Bill and Denise Mendenhall, was born in Red Bluff. She also has two sisters and a brother.

At the age of five, on the very same day, Adam and Amanda received Christ as their Savior. They met while in the College Group and have been married five years. Arielle, their daughter, is two years old. They live in Red Bluff.

Recently Adam established Knightly Computing. Amanda teaches piano and uses her sign language skills at church functions.

They teach kindergarten Sunday school and head up the Children’s Music Program where Amanda plays the piano and Adam plays the guitar.

Their future hope for Christianity complements one another. Adam prays and works for more unity within the church while Amanda prays for unity in the World and Missions. Favorite Bible verses – Adam’s is 1 Corinthians 13 and Amanda likes Romans 8:28 and Philippians 4:4.

Adam’s hobbies are yard work, working on cars and technical “gadgets.” Amanda loves music, reading and writing; having already written several short stories. “Dakardi” is their chocolate lab pup and “Monet” a love bird.

The next time the news media indicates the world is doomed, citing examples of all that is wrong with our younger generation, praise God that NCAC is raising up godly young people like these two.

The next time the news media indicates the world is doomed, citing examples of all that is wrong with our younger generation, praise God that NCAC is raising up godly young people like these two.

Adam is currently a deacon candidate. If you have any comments on his candidacy, submit them to the Elders before December 1.

by Dave and Debi Lopez

Good question isn’t it? Well, how do you answer it? Start by asking yourself if you are doing any of the following, put a check for each one that is a “yes,” and be brutally honest with yourself:

□ Not properly maintaining your vehicle.

□ Going to the store more than once per week.

□ Impulse shopping.

□ Not paying off your credit card(s) every month.

□ Living in more house than you can afford.

□ Engaging in unhealthy habits (junk food, smoking, excessive alcohol, gambling, drugs).

□ Buying coffee, sodas, water, candy, smoothies, and meals from a store/shop/restaurant more than once or twice a month.

□ Expensive hobbies.

□ Owning to many gadgets.

□ Ditto, on subscriptions.

□ Spending too much on gifts, especially at Christmas.

□ Have 500 channel TV service.

□ You are paying bank fees, ATM fees, overdraft fees or bounced check fees.

□ You have NO written financial goals.

□ You haven’t prepared for financial emergencies.

□ You are always trying to make a quick buck (lottery, get-rich-quick schemes, day trading).

□ You invest in things you don’t understand.

□ You ignore your finances.

If you answered “yes” to between six and nine, there is significant room for improvement.

If you answered “yes” to more than nine, then review the list again and work out a strategy to improve your score.

There could be a number of reasons as to why you do or do not do these things, but this quiz should give a good indication about whether you need to begin doing what you already know is best.

by Angie Laughlin

Why do we send our child to AWANA?

Pern and I learned that for nearly 60 years, Awana has been a leader in children’s ministry, helping churches and parents world-wide raise children and youth to know, love and serve Christ.

Awana is the only organization with fully integrated evangelism and discipleship programs for ages 2 to 18 that actively involve parents, church leaders and mentors. Each week, more than a million children and youth, 250,000 volunteers and 300-plus field staff take part in Awana in over 18,000 churches in the U.S. and internationally.

The founders of Awana derived the Awana name from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, as taken from 2 Timothy 2:15 of the Bible.

We started sending Faith to Awana about four years ago. It was a big decision for us at the time because our calendar was pretty full and the thought of adding one more thing was daunting. But we talked about it and decided that a program that encourages our kids to live for Christ should be a priority.

Awana also keeps us accountable about memorizing verses and reading the Bible. You can’t beat that!

Last spring our older daughter, Kasey, started helping in the T & T group and has been truly blessed by being part of the young girls’ lives. Kasey said, “I like helping the kids grow and see how excited they get about memorizing verses and learning about God.”

As parents, it is amazing to see them both growing in their relationship with our Heavenly Father.

If you would like to find out more about the Awana program and what they offer, go to Awana.org.

Awana meets every Wednesday from 6:00-7:45pm in the church facility. Encourage your child to bring a friend so they can learn to love Jesus too.

by Men’s Discipleship

At Neighborhood Church we are committed to discipleship. Key to our Men’s Discipleship process are the Men’s Discipleship Bible Study Groups, which are now in their fifth cycle.

These groups are made up of 6-8 men, who meet weekly for 12-14 weeks to encourage each other through God’s Word. The 4 studies offered this cycle are: A study on Romans 12-16 by Matthias Media, “Respectable Sins,” by Jerry Bridges; “Don’t Waste Your Life,” by John Piper; and “Battling Unbelief,” also by Piper.

Here’s what some of the men in a Men’s Discipleship Bible Study Group had to say when asked, “What prompts you to commit 12 to 14 weeks to study with other men?”:

“The fellowship and to see how God can use me and others to glorify His name.” (Jason Smith, now in his 4th study cycle)

“To get more into God’s teaching, to become a better man, and to form friendships with men of God.” (Wayne Knifton, now in his 4th study cycle)

“I need the Christians fellowship!!” (Mike Hopson, now in his 3rd study cycle)

“To better understand the Bible and to have

fellowship with other men.” (Gary Kimmel, now in his 3rd study cycle)

“I need to be near God. Scripture says that ‘as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’” (David Sottana, now in his 5th study cycle)

“To grow in my Christian walk. I want to be like Christ.” (Gary Smith, now in his 4th study cycle)

“To know God in a deeper way and to fellowship with other men in Christ.”

(Brian Snavely, now in his 5th study cycle)

“Jesus!” (Shawn

Bainbridge, now in his 3rd study cycle)

Here’s what these same men had to say when asked, “How has God become more valuable to you through this discipleship process?”:

“The character of God is being revealed more and more clearly to me, and that is supremely valuable to me.” (Jason)

“The more I find out about God, the more I value Him

as my Lord and Savior.”

(Wayne)

“As I have become more God focused, my life is more joy-filled.” (Mike)

“He has become more a part of my life.” (Gary K.)

“God blesses me every day. I am so thankful!”

(David)

“You get closer to Him. You feel His love more and more. I want to make Him famous!” (Gary S.)

“When men get together to talk about God, it causes me to grow in

holiness.” (Brian)

“He is developing in me a passion and a deep loving care for others, a passion for the lost and for spreading the Gospel.” (Shawn)

by Men’s Discipleship

In addition to offering

Bible Study Groups, three times each cycle all men of Neighborhood Church (whether in a Men’s Discpleship Bible Study Group are not) are invited to Men’s ReFocus, where we gather together to hear testimonies of God changing lives and to rmind each other what God intends for life to be about.

This cycle, much of Men’s ReFocus is addressing our worldview—a view that we want to be biblical!

George Barna said, ““If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience and priorities of Jesus. The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus. Behavior stems from what we think—our attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions. Although most people own a Bible and know some of its cotent, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. We’re often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.”

Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus!

Remember, all men are welcome at Men’s ReFocus.

by Brad Manley

Recently I saw one of my neighbors shoveling dirt in his front yard. I was puzzled as he slid his shovel into what looked like a large pile of soil and threw shovelfuls off to the side of his yard. Shortly thereafter he was on his hands and knees at another spot in the yard with a small garden trowel digging what seemed to be a much smaller hole than the previous one.

Eventually, I surmised he was attempting some kind of repair on his sprinkler system. I never imagined, however, that he might be writing a symphony or painting a picture. I knew that there had to be a connection between his tools, his actions and his ultimate purpose. Dirt and shovels simply aren’t the tools for symphonies or paintings.

At Neighborhood Church we use certain tools and do very specific things because we have a clear purpose in mind. Paul told the Ephesian Church that God had given his church several tools and with the tools a purpose:

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:11-14, ESV)

When we gather together as a church family, our leaders, with God’s help, are using their God-given tools to do one thing that affects many other things throughout the life of the church.

It is the responsibility of leaders to equip believers to be God’s servants (ministry means serving) so that they will be able to display and declare his glory in the world. Simply put, the calling of leaders is to equip believers to be God’s ministers. This serving in turn builds up (v.1 2b) the body of Christ, bringing maturity (v. 13) and stability (v. 14) to God’s people.

Believers who are matured in this way are not moved away from truth by false teaching (every wind of doctrine) nor are they led astray by the deceptive techniques of false teachers (human cunning). This is really a way of talking about the work of making disciples who can make disciples.

Our leaders are pouring their energy into equipping people for obedience to Jesus’ command to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

Disciple making, according to these words of Jesus, includes proclaiming the good news about Jesus, baptizing those who repent and believe in that message and finally, teaching those disciples to obey him.

As we teach our church family to discover more of their Savior and develop lives centered around his will and work, they in turn become equipped to declare the good news to our community.

Because we pursue this goal seriously, there are many other things we do not do on Sunday morning: We do not intend to seek creative methods to entertain people, strive to improve people’s self-image, or even limit our message to a gospel presentation (though the gospel will always be included in our teaching).

In the strength of the Holy Spirit, we do intend to exalt God and his Son, Jesus in all their glory so that his people find overflowing joy and delight in the God who has saved them. This alone will produce maturing disciples who can and will make other disciples.

by Dan Eckley

At the age of ten, my Pop Warner football coach, Nick Pavanoli, gave me a Bible and challenged me to read it. I started going to church after that and at about age twelve answered an altar call in the base Chapel at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio.

When I was a freshman in college, a senior teammate on our wrestling team named Jerry Biggam invited me to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting and then to church. He lived in the campus Intervarsity House where many nights he discipled me in the faith.

When I was a young teacher and coach at Anderson High School, Ed Petersen took me under his wing and in discipling me challenged me to disciple teenagers.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (ESV) I have learned over the years that as God had called people to disciple me, I am to be a disciple-maker, too. It is my prayer that we become a disciple-making church, where fathers train and disciple their children, where older men in the faith take younger men and walk with them and teach them, and where older women do the same with younger women.

If our mission to inspire among all peoples an over-flowing joy in God through Jesus Christ is to be real¬ized, we must intentionally make disciples through family, men’s, women’s, small group, and children’s discipleship ministries. I think we all need to be Timothys and Pauls.
Each of us should have at least one mentor in the faith to whom we keep accountable in the things of the Lord. Then, we each should be a Paul to somebody so that we are teaching them the things of the Lord which we have been taught. God hasn’t simply called us to know Him and things about Him, but to live out the truth of the Word and diligently pass on the faith to the next generation by making disciples who will then be equipped to make disciples.

A person growing in faith becomes a worshiper, a learner, a server, a giver, a prayer, a sharer, and a reproducer. Are you reproducing for the Kingdom? We were made to multiply!

by Calvin Robertson

What is my purpose? We’ve all asked this question before. Some of us re-ask this on a regular basis. In light of humanity, this question rises out of our selfishness, out of our desire to be found sufficient by someone or maybe even ourselves.

But, if God is correctly placed when we ask the question “What is my purpose?” than the question can be redeemed and used by God in a powerful way.

In fact, if we have the understanding that “my purpose” should run parallel to God’s purpose, we have hit the jackpot question-of-all-time.

The recent trip to the Middle East that Brad and I were sent on was a renewing experience that reminded me of the answer to this question of purpose.

In a vastly different culture and religious foreground such as Iraq, God is doing amazing things. People are turning to Christ! Believers are worshipping together, praying with one another, sharing in the Lord’s table, encouraging one another, and giving to the poor!

And, just to think, this is happening around the world. It has been happening for a couple thousand years!

Of course, I knew this already. We all know that right?, because that’s just what happens. We read that or hear it from someone else. We don’t get overly excited about it, even though we know we probably should.

At least, I thought I knew this truth already. It became a reality to actually see it happen in another part of the world. What God is doing globally suddenly became exciting to me in a new and powerful way. God is transforming lives in all peoples!
God’s desire is that He be worshipped by all peoples. Our purpose, as people who have been forgiven and transformed by the power of God Himself, is to make His purpose our own. My purpose is to make His purpose mine. What would happen if we all made His purpose our own? We would see our lives being used by God to accomplish things we never thought possible. Lives would be renewed. Truth would be made known. The glory of God would be manifest.

Let’s make God’s purposes our own. Worship together. Be involved in missions. Pray. Encourage. Give.