Nate Hanson on Mission to San Francisco

Nate Hanson is leaving this Friday to begin mission work with San Francisco City Impact. This organization is seeking to meet physical needs and share the good news of Jesus Christ in the Tenderloin District, one of the roughest neighborhoods of San Francisco.

Nate and the others on the team are tasked with going door to door in the many low income apartment buildings of the Tenderloin, asking for prayer requests and hoping to share the gospel. The eventual goal is to plant churches in each of the 586 apartment buildings in the Tenderloin.

So why would a young man from the suburbs want to give his life away doing mission work in such a hard place? You can read Nate's reasons for going and get on the email list for prayer updates by going to NateHanson.org/sf.

Hot Rod Church!

Today I thought I would introduce you to Richy and Nicole Lagrange and the ministry they came to Portland to start... Hot Rod Church. Yep, you read that right. A little over a year ago the Lagrange family moved to Portland from Northern California to start a ministry that reaches out to families connected to the Hot Rod Community. Here is how Richy describes Hot Rod Church:

We are a group of Christian men and women with a passion for God, Family and classic cars. Our drive is to utilize the blessings and gifts bestowed upon us by God to spread the TRUTH, LOVE his people, and make DISCIPLES of all nations.

And here is the Mission: Hot Rod Church for Sinners is a place where sinners come in and get transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are given the owner’s manual for life (The Bible) to equip them to be ambassadors of our Savior Jesus Christ.

So far, Nicole and Richy have promoted this ministry through setting up a booth at a car show, hosting a couple of meet and greets, and a facebook fan page. They hope to have Sunday worship services up and going in the near future. In the mean time the Lagranges have gotten involved at New Life Church by serving at Awana and on the worship team. If you'd like to find out how to get involved in Hot Rod Church, or just pray for the Lagrange family in this adventure, click on the link to their facebook page above.

Happy Birthday Bill!

As you may know Pastor Bill Kramer and Jeanette Kramer are in Texas visiting their son. Their son, Jeff, and his wife are expecting Bill and Jeanette's first granddaughter. We are excited for them to be there and experience this with their son.

This is, however, Bill's 80th birthday. He probably wanted to keep it a secret, but he works in the wrong place.

Congratulations and happy birthday, Bill!

Pastor Bill was a Swearing Sailor who finds Salvation

Pastor Bill Kramer is featured in the Multnomah University Newsletter. He attended there and they wrote a nice article about his salvation, life and ministry. Congratulations Pastor Bill, we're proud of you, too!

Letters from Home

To our men and women in the military, letters from home mean so much. Our own Holly Thomas, Alex Polley, and Mike Polley are serving in Afghanistan. If you would like to send a much-appreciated letter or package to them, you'll find the addresses below:

HOLLY THOMAS
CJSOAE
CAMP JEFFERSON
APO, AE 09355

ALEXANDER POLLEY
HHC 1249th EN BN
FOB Sharana
APO, AE 09311

MICHAEL POLLEY
HHC 124th EN BN
FOB Sharana
APO, AE 09311

If you are planning to send a package, you may visit the U.S. postal service website for information on military mailing restrictions, http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/mailingrestrictions.htm

Brenda Lauterbach Memorial Service

Brenda Lauterbach passed away quietly in her own home in West Linn on January 14, 2011. Thank you all for your prayers and concern.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at New Life Church Riverfalls in West Linn at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Brenda’s memory to the Celebrate Recovery ministry at New Life Church or Cadence International.

Annual Budget and Elections Meeting

Sunday, November 21, 2010 we held our annual budget and elections meeting at New Life Church Robinwood. Anna Alcutt, Mike & Sherri Hellweg, John & Sylvia Pigott, Lauren Reavely, Phil & Marcia Reis, Donna Silva, Caitlyn Stone, and Jim & Cathy Tuttle were introduced as new members.

The church approved the budget and ratified Scott Haugen and Lee Bennett as elder for the next term.

And we approved changes to our bylaws. You can get a copy of the bylaws by asking the church office. Among the changes were:

• An upgrade to the church covenant.
• Dropping the word "pre-millenial" from our doctrinal statement.
• Requiring only one business meeting per year.
• Wording that presses us to search for a senior pastor from inside New Life Church before we go outside, reflecting our value of leadership development.
  

The Wrights on Mission

Today I would like to introduce you to the Wright family. Mike, Deb, and Samantha Wright have been attending New Life Church for about 1 year. I tell you about them today because they are planning a Spring Vacation that is bucking the trend. No hitting the ski slopes or spending lazy afternoons on the beach for this family. They are heading out on a Medical Mission Trip to St. Lucia with an organization called Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE). Here is a description of what they will be doing on the trip:

The March 2010 Short-term Medical Team Mission trip will provide compassionate health care as a means of evangelism. They will serve in several communities throughout the Island, working in partnership with the local Association of Baptist Churches. Although the St. Lucian Ministry of Health provides some care, many in outlying regions cannot access or afford this care. ABWE's team will coordinate with local personnel to ensure on-going care of both physical and spiritual needs for those seen. Extensive patient histories will be gathered to determine spiritual need. Those expressing interest in the message of salvation will be counseled. Those professing faith in Christ will be discipled by ABWE missionaries in cooperation with local evangelical churches.

This is an exciting adventure for the Wright family, and they need our help in few of ways:

1. Pray for the Wrights and their team before and during their trip which will be March 18-29, 2010.
2. The Wrights still need to raise about $1800 to finish paying for their expenses for this trip. If you have resources that could help meet this need, you can donate by clicking here, and designating your gift for "Wrights-St.Lucia".
3. Their team is looking to bring several items with them. If you have access to any of these items please leave a comment on this post or call the church office 503-656-8600. The items are:

• One pastor would like a large print Thompson Chain study Bible/ another, a KJV study Bible
• 2- regular or cordless microphones (new or used)
• KJV or NKJV Bibles
• overhead transparencies for printers
• pedestal speakers (2)
• printer paper
• school supplies:notebooks, pencils, crayons, college paper, etc.
• school books, coloring books
• deodorant, bath gel, sneakers sizes 5-10 (black)
• children's shoes: size 2ff

Dave Henderson's Memorial Service Video

If you missed Dave Henderson's memorial service on December 19th, you can see it on video. Here is a link.

First Monthly International Student Conversation Dinner

I was out of town on Friday and missed this. If you missed it, too, here's a video. . . and you may not want to miss next month!

The Nelson's Celebrate Their 60th Wedding Anniversary!

In Washington state on August 12, 1959 George and Betty Nelson were married. They celebrated that special day again 60 years later with a trip to the coast and very special anniversary dinner. Congratulations to George and Betty.

The Lord Protects "New Life" Sailboat Owner

I think you will remember Cal & Remy Watson who were attending Riverfalls before they moved to Vancouver. Just wanted to share this beautiful answer to many prayers for Cal. --Louise Bennett

On May 2nd, Cal Watson in his sailboat the 'New Life', was run aground on the beach at Gold Beach, south of Coos Bay. He was sailing the boat to San Francisco to sell it. They informed us that he was heading out and we began praying for the journey. The storm that caught the boat was not supposed to be so big or come as quickly as it did. The GPS was not working as it should. Cal was caught off guard but it is apparent that God was in control.
The people that came down to check it out said that was one spot on the beach that was not covered in big rocks. There is a very narrow way that is clear of boulders in the breakers and creates a smooth beach. One person said that it was simply a miracle that he did not hit any of the rocks on either side. As you can see in the picture, the boat seems to have just glided onto the sand. Cal is completely unhurt and there is very little damage to the boat.
This link will take you to the newspaper website reporting about it in 'The World' - a local newspaper.

http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2009/05/05/public_records/police_reports/doc4a00786434aa4676866948.txt

Wednesday Night Life Pics

Click here to access this and many more pictures from last nights Wednesday Night Life. Wednesday Night Life is a ministry of Ignite Youth Ministries where high school students can hang out together, worship together and engage Scripture together. If you're a high school student, come join us!

If Our Church Were NASCAR . .

Have you ever noticed all the stickers on a NASCAR? Even the drivers are covered in patches and stickers. They tell you who is on the team, who the sponsors are and who contributes to making the car successful. Our church is like that. Though we don't ever talk about them at the same time we have relationships with a number of organizations that contribute to our success and who we are pleased to be on the same team with. Here are a few of the stickers that would be on the New Life Church car:

• Western Seminary: Pastor Scott is the chairman of the board at Western Seminary. Matt Vorhees and Aaron Orendorff are finishing their degrees this Spring. Pastor Nathan has been their poster boy for a number of years. If you look at the seminary's website you'll run into Nathan's picture before long. Milliken Hall at the Seminary is named after George Milliken's grandfather. You might say we go way back with Western Seminary. Our church is located in a town where half the adults have college degrees -- almost twice the national average -- and we value our relationship with this school
  
• CB Northwest: CB Northwest is the Northwest Association of Conservative Baptist Churches. Our church goes back to the very beginning with CB Northwest. Dale Austen, Bob Spidal and now Pastor Scott, have served as trustees for our local association. Taylor Reavely led worship for their Growth Getaway in October. Pastor Scott will be speaking at the Annual Enrichment Conference in March.
• WorldVenture: Worldventure used to be CBInternational. We were friends even before that, back in the day when they were the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Former Pastors Jerry Hamilton and Ross Laidlaw served on their board back in those days. We support a number of Worldventure missionaries. Our many of our short-term mission trips have leveraged our relationship with them.
  
• Food For The Hungry: For the past several years we have a sent a team to Guatamala with Food for the Hungry. Dr. Brad Titus has served on their boards and has brokered our connection with them. The next team is going in a couple months! Child Sponsorship is one of their chief tools.
  
• PRC: Pregnancy Resource Centers of Portland serve women in crisis pregnancies to help them carry their babies to term. One of the chief ways we value life is supporting PRC. We use their bulletin inserts on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday and raise money for them annually through the Baby Bottle drive and the Steps For Life walk-a-thon.
  
• West Linn High School: Right across the street, West Linn High School has long been a friend of our church. They have let us use their parking lots on Sundays, for which we are grateful. Coffee Cart will begin again in January serving students hot chocolate, coffee and pastries before school as we have done for the past decade and a half!
  
• Samaritan's Purse: For several years, thanks to Judy Cochran, we have filled shoe boxes and sent them to children we'll never meet around the world through Operation Christmas Child. This year we filled a record number, 121, shoe boxes and raised money for shipping them.
  
• Project Angel Tree: Project Angel Tree provides gifts for children of incarcerated parents through the ministry of Prison Fellowship. We are grateful to the Philpots for their leadership in helping us serve in this way. We are also excited about the growing relationship we are developing with the Prison Fellowship aftercare program. More on that later.
  
• Cadence: We have supported the Metkos for years. Paul and Beryl are now part of the senior leadership for Cadence, formerly Overseas Christian Servicemen's Centers. Pastor Bill has had a long relationship with Cadence, too. We have sent teams to work on Hospitality houses near Fort Lewis and Fort Leonard Wood.
  
• H2O: Hope 2 Others began as a result of a WorldVenture missions camp. Leslie and Lauren Reavely began making bags with meals and, well, hope for panhandlers alongside the road. They received a big boost from the book Do Hard Things which devotes part of a chapter to them. Their idea is being reproduced in many places throughout the country and has had interest internationally.
  
• CCLI: We utilized CCLI to help us with complex copyright issues for several years before I realized they were based in Portland, OR. Now one of our worship leaders, Ronn Pricer, works at CCLI.
  

I think I could probably find other stickers that belong on the church. We are happy with the company we keep. All these organizations, and others, help us help people make God their treasure!

Good-bye and Thanksgiving

Sorry about not updating the blog for a while. As you may know, my mother-in-law, Doris Amunrud, passed away last Monday night. We traveled to Wibaux, MT for her memorial service. We are so thankful for her life and her influence in our lives.I decided rather than write a tribute to her I would let you see this event through the eyes of my children. They have already honored their grandmother. Here is a picture Lauren drew of her grandma's entry into heaven. It accompanies this blog post.
Here is Leslie's first and second post about her grandma. Layne drew her own view of the mortuary and casket below.
Good-bye, Doris. You were a wonderful mother-in-law!

Yesterday's Baptism

Yesterday people from four congregations came together to honor Jesus Christ and celebrate the baptism of ten individuals. The weather was perfect and the river sparkled. Best of all though, person after person spoke of the change God had made in their lives as they trusted Jesus as their savior.

Please continue to pray for each person who was baptized. They will all face their unique challenges following Jesus. The group who was baptized is: Michael Ramage, Tim O'Connor, Jim Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Tyler Mathews, Claire Tolbert, Chelsea Kegans, Kylie Svendsen, Max Brandstetter and Dylan Brandstetter.

You can see more pictures here.

Men's Recreational Outreach

Though the turnout was small, all were in good spirits as 4 men from New Life Church set off on a disc golf adventure last Saturday. After 18 "holes" and lots of fun, the conversation turned toward ministry. Josh Whitbeck and Jeff Brophy began to share their vision for hosting recreation based men's outings for the purpose of fellowship and outreach.

The idea is that men like to do things to get the competitive juices flowing. What if Christian guys started inviting their non-Christian friends to participate in fun recreational activities with their friends from church? They envision bringing non-believing men into the community of believing men at New Life Church so that they might see our lives and hear our talk about walking with God. They believe this recreational ministry could be a bridge to seeing men come to know Christ.

If you are interested in participating in this ministry or just have some good ideas, you can e-mail Josh Whitbeck at j_whitbeck@hotmail.com.

Utah Mission Team Video - Car Ride with Micah

Here's a video of some Utah Team members in a car with little baby Micah Creps.

Utah Mission Team Pictures

If you've enjoyed the pictures from the trip thus far, there is a lot more where that came from. Click here to stay up on the latest pictures of the Utah Mission Team.

New Life Church at West Linn High School Baccalaureate

Several students took part in the WLHS Baccalaureate last Sunday. The only two boys who participated were both from New Life Church, Eric Koczian opened the event in prayer and Taylor Reavely led singing and gave the first student address. Here is his talk: