Sports Camp Off to Great Start

New Life Church's Mega Sports Camp got off to a great start. In West Linn, yesterday morning, 57 excited kids played basketball and soccer and heard the good news about Jesus Christ! In our first ever sports camp in Wilsonville last night, 22 kids had a great time playing soccer and hearing that same gospel message. Of those 22 kids, none of them had ever attended New Life Church before!

In West Linn, the Juneau Mission Team in is running the Sports Camp and preparing for their departure to Juneau on Friday. In Wilsonville a team of committed adult volunteers is doing a great job working with the kids.

Please pray that both teams of volunteers will proclaim the good news with boldness and clarity. Pray that God would draw many children to Himself.

Sports Camp is Underway!

Here are some pictures from the West Linn Sports Camp. Looks like great fun.

Alaska Team Prepares to Depart

Hello New Life Church and other friends! This blog is a first in a series of posts to keep you up to date about the Juneau Mission Team. Our team of 17 High School Students and 8 adults (not pictured- TJ Elliott) begins our ministry here in West Linn this Monday with the start of Sports Camp. Sports Camp is an action packed week of sports and gospel messages designed to be a ton of fun and tell kids about Jesus at the same time. Then, on Friday afternoon at 5 PM we will fly out to Juneau, Alaska to lead another sports camp, work with kids in housing projects, do some light construction, and help a new church. You can meet us at the airport at 3:15 on Friday if you would like to send us off.

Please check back each day to get updates about how the team is doing and ideas about how you can pray for us. Thanks so much for your care and support!

Podcast

After a few scattered attempts at creating a podcast, we finally put the Weisses on it and immediately we have a podcast. Here is the link where you can find the New Life Church Podcast. It includes messages from both campuses of New Life Church.

River Falls Remodel Complete

We just got our new sign at New Life Church River Falls. The installation of the new sign is the final piece of our exterior remodel. It was placed and then had to be moved to comply with the City of West Linn's sign ordinance.

I hope you enjoy the renovated street corner this summer and I hope the new sign helps the people you bring with you find the church!

The Gospel in the Old Testament

Last week the message on the value of the Bible referenced what Jesus might have said when he "opened their eyes" to see what was written in the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). The next morning I read this hymn by William Cowper in the Olney Hymnal about the Old Testament Gospel.

Israel in ancient days,
Not only had a view
Of Sinai in a blaze,
But learned the gospel too:
The types and figures were a glass
In which they saw the Savior’s face.

The paschal sacrifice,
And blood–besprinkled door, (Ex. 12:13)
Seen with enlightened eyes,
And once applied with pow’r;
Would teach the need of other blood,
To reconcile an angry God.

The Lamb, the Dove, set forth
His perfect innocence, (Lev 12:6)
Whose blood, of matchless worth,
Should be the soul’s defence:
For he who can for sin atone,
Must have no failings of his own.

The scape–goat on his head (Lev 16:21)
The peoples’ trespass bore,
And to the desert led,
Was to be seen no more:
In him, our Surety seemed to say,
“Behold, I bear your sins away.”

Dipped in his fellows’ blood,
The living bird went free, (Lev 14:51-53)
The type, well understood,
Expressed the sinner’s plea;
Described a guilty soul enlarged,
And by a Savior’s death discharged.

Jesus I love to trace
Throughout the sacred page;
The footsteps of thy grace,
The same in every age!
O grant that I may faithful be
To clearer light, vouchsafed to me.

Israel Update

If you'd like to see some of our pictures you can see them in this public photo gallery on Facebook.

We're having a great time. And, despite the international incident in our neighborhood, we feel pretty safe.