New Life Christian Ministries

Today we worshiped at New Life Christian Ministries, God’s Mission Outpost, 139 Knoch Road, Saxonburg, PA 16056, 724.524.1547, www.NewLifeXn.org, Dr. Chris Marshall, Lead Pastor.

Scripture – James 2:14-17 NLT

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were just late enough to miss the greeting time so I can’t speak to any welcome, but the only one to speak to us was a pastor after the service while we were sitting in the narthex.

I am always happy to worship at a church that isn’t embarrassed to have a cross prominently displayed and the spotlight that framed the cross in light was especially powerful.

I did need my earplugs but was amazed that some of the female lead singer’s voice came through.

Communion was served, albeit silently, with the Words of Institution and prayer spoken easily. It is always great to celebrate together on World Communion Sunday. There was an explanation of what I call “Christ by osmosis”…when you bring seekers into the company of Christians there are some who will come to believe by our witness of how we act.

It was easy to hear Christ speaking through the pastor. If you want people to hear the Good News, caring for them opens the ears and hearts to Christ. We can witness how Jesus has changed our lives, but we win more by our behavior. Our redemption by Christ is the greatest thing ever in our lives. How can we not want to share it?

Jan’s thoughts:

I made one wrong turn and that was all it took for us to find ourselves 10 minutes late. However one advantage of a contemporary service is that being a little late is not usually an issue.

Our first visit to this church just over a year ago turned out to be this congregation’s first Sunday in their brand new space, so it was nice to see it again since they’ve settled in. It is colorful and nicely laid out and decorated.

The large worship space, although a bit chilly, was filled with plenty of comfortable seating and almost filled to capacity. We were told that, unlike countless churches, this church has many more worshipers than members.

Bob will probably comment, but I want to add my two cents about how much I appreciated the large cross on the wall. The room was darkened when we sang and the simple design of this cross was transformed as a rectangular light created a frame around the cross…the unpretentious use of light used to stunning effect.

I was grateful World Communion Sunday was being observed and that it held a place of such significance that the pastor taught some of its history, including that its institution dates only to around the time of World War II…this was news to me. I thought the servers were efficient, and as the cup was shared the pastor asked participants to copy something he learned in Cuba: prior to drinking, he asked everyone to trade cups with a neighbor. The background music during the sacrament was lovely.

The message was the last in a series about belonging and was subtitled, “Caring as an Invitation to Know Jesus.” The Take Home Point was, “If we want people to hear the Good News, we must care for their daily needs!” The emphasis was on caring in practical ways, actually taking action to help others in the name of Jesus so that those who are helped can and are willing to hear about why we care. I liked the quote: “Hungry stomachs have no ears.” It’s about getting involved and doing something.

Some folks smiled at us but no one spoke until, following the service, as we sat in the fellowship area, an Associate Pastor introduced herself. In the course of a friendly conversation we learned we had much in common and we deeply appreciated her gracious prayer and her kindness.

Our prayer for this church:

Dear Lord, open our hearts to sharing our faith by our service to those in need. Amen.