Are you Grieving the Loss of a Loved One?

Grief Share May be just what you have been looking for!

It may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now. If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member or friend, you’ve probably found there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel. This can be a confusing time when you feel isolated and have many questions about things you’ve never faced before.
GriefShare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Each GriefShare session has three distinct elements:

Each week your GriefShare group will watch a video seminar featuring top experts on grief and recovery subjects. These videos are produced in an interesting-to-watch television magazine format featuring expert interviews, real-life case studies, dramatic reenactments and on-location video.

After viewing the video, you and the other group members will spend time as a support group, discussing what was presented in that week’s video seminar and what is going on in your lives.

During the week you will have the opportunity to use your workbook for further personal study of the grieving process and to help sort out your emotions through journaling. Your group will spend time discussing questions and comments from the workbook study.

You are welcome to begin attending the GriefShare group at any session. Each is “self-contained,” so you do not have to attend in sequence. You will find encouragement and help whenever you begin. You will be able to continue with GriefShare through the next 13-week cycle and view any of the videos you have not seen.

GriefShare is for people grieving the death of a loved one. Many other life situations bring deep grief, such as separation and divorce, a loved one who is dying, estrangement, loss of a loved one to a cult, loss of custody of a child through divorce and more. If you are struggling with a loss not due to a death, GriefShare is not designed to meet your grief needs for healing. We encourage you to ask your pastor or a church leader for guidance in finding a support group or counselor.
If you are interested in being a part of a GriefShare group at New Life Church please contact Cindy Sollers by email at csollers@westlinnoregon.gov. The first 13 week group begins tonight! The group will meet weekly at 7:00 PM at New Life Robinwood (19915 Old River Drive in West Linn).

Awana Begins!

Awana began this past Wednesday with lots of excitement. Five Cubbies (3-5 year olds) and five Puggles (2 and 3 year olds) officially began their Awana adventure of singing songs, playing games, hearing Bible Stories, and memorizing Scripture.

The Cubbies get to see a special puppet show each week featuring Cubbie Bear and his friends. This week they are memorizing the Cubbies Motto: Jesus Loves Me and other Bible verses. Each Cubbie lesson is very intentional about sharing the gospel. Then, parents have the joy of discipling their own children throughout the week using their child's Awana Handbook.


The Puggles have lots of play time, hear short Bible Stories, and get to see Boz videos (a cute little green bear who lives out the truths of the Bible). They also have special multi-Color take home cards that reinforce the lesson and help parents talk to their children about simple truths from the Bible.

We are having so much fun in Awana and would love to have any children you know in these age groups come and join our club. Remember, the start of Sparks (K-2nd grades) and TNT(3rd- 5th grades) is just around the corner on Jan 6th. For more information about Awana please contact Sara Pylate at sarapylate@juno.com or 503-699-2027.

Evening of Prayer

Members of New Life Church met on Sunday evening, August 17th and
overwhelming voted to extend an invitation to New Life Church Oregon City, to become part of New Life Church as a fully connected and contributing campus. The leadership of NLC Oregon City has recommended their congregation accept the invitation.

Please keep the Oregon City congregation in your prayers as they make this very important decision on October 25th. We also invite you to join us for an evening of prayer for the Oregon City congregation on October 25th as they vote on this issue. We will meet from 6-8 pm in the chapel at NLC Riverfalls. We will pray and await the results together.

Awana is Beginning at New Life Church!

This Wednesday night is the first night of Awana at New Life Church. Over 2o leaders have been trained and are ready (with God's help) to begin sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with as many children as possible. The purpose of Awana is as follows:

To get as much of God's word, as deep as we can, into as many kids as we can, by putting one hand on the child and one hand on the Bible and bringing them together for life change.

This ministry will happen each Wednesday 6:30- 8:00 PM at New Life Church Robinwood (19915 Old River Drive in West Linn). This action packed evening includes Game Time (loads of fun), Handbook time (helping children memorize scripture and know God), and Large Group Time (short Bible lessons that focus on the gospel).

This fall we will be starting two clubs- Puggles (for 2 and 3 year old children) and Cubbies (for 3-5 year old children who aren't yet in Kindergarten). Then, in January we will begin Awana clubs for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade. If you would like more information about Awana, please contact Sara Pylate at 503-699-2027 or sarapylate@juno.com.

International Student Ministry

God has been doing some neat work in moving our church into a strategic position to reach out to International Students at Marylhurst University. Last Spring we began to provide volunteers from our church to be English Conversation Partners (ECPs) for students at Pacific International Academy (PIA) that meets on the Marylhurst Campus. This fall PIA is looking for even more volunteers for this program. Being an ECP simply requires a volunteer to give one hour per week to have conversations with an international student. The role involves no preparation, just a willing heart and a desire to show the love of Jesus to a person from another country.

This Spring, I became a conversation partner for a Taiwanese student named Saxon (in the yellow sweatshirt on the right). Saxon has a very outgoing personality and seems to have connections with most of the 30-40 students who attend PIA. This past weekend Saxon brought 13 of his friends with him to our home for a BBQ. The occassion was the celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival. We were able to share the story of the God who created the moon and the stars and all that exists.

We also asked the students if it would be helpful for them if we had a monthly "English Conversation Night." The idea would be to have a monthly event where International Students and volunteers from our church would come together for a night of food, games, and conversation. All of the students said that this would indeed by helpful. So, we are planning to begin English Conversation Nights on the first Friday of each month. Be on the look out for more information about the first English Conversation night on November 6th! If you would like to volunteer to be an English Conversation Partner or help with 1st Friday English Conversation Nights, please email me at npylate@newlifenw.com.

Hunter Haugen on Mission in India

I've been to several other countries before, but they would be hard-pressed to measure up to the level of ferver and friendlyness that I've experienced in the Indian culture. It's more than just being a stranger in a strange land, but they are genuinely interested in the wellbeing of those around them. Between the office work and socializing, it's been quite a wonderful time so far.

I went into the office starting the first morning after arriving and met a lot of the people responsible for many of the dalit websites.
Two days later, we packed the entire office and moved to within a kilometer of where I'm staying. Talk about arriving at just the right time. The rest of the first week was spent getting a new server set up for a large project.

I was able to get a driver and take a city tour with some of the other visitors who've arrived recently. The Indians are very happy to share their culture and historical. Many of the sights can be seen by visiting Facebook.

Most of the daytime has been spent working on the setup at the office, but my evenings and weekends have been busy too. The Buhlers have been very hospitable; I've spent several evenings and mealtimes with them and their kids, and went shopping on the weekend with them. I've also made a few Indian friends (read: geeks) who I've had fun spending evenings with playing games and teaching linux stuff. The rest of my time is spent going out for coffee and chatting about our experiences with the other foreigners who have been here anywhere from 2 weeks to
2 years.

I thank you all for your prayers, as it is evident that God is working in my life here. I have other pictures and maybe more videos to share later, once I collect them all up. Two other ways to contact me and get updates are my twitter account (http://twitter.com/Hunnur) and my skype account (Hunnur), as almost everyone here uses skype. Remember that it's 12.5 hours difference, so 2pm your time is 2:30am my time.
:)

Aaron Doyle Thanks Church Family

It is with deepest gratitude that I thank all of you for your thoughts, prayers, cards, flowers and donations of food during my incapacity and the crossing over of Anderson to be with our Lord and Savior. This only proves how wonderful it is to be in the family of God.
Sincerely, Aaron Doyle

Bridges to Change Picnic

New Life Church was pleased to partner with Bridges to Change by providing food for their recent picnic. Afterward, we received a lovely letter from Jo Ann Griffin-Simpson, Community Services Director.

Dear Friends at New Life Church,

We want to thank you so much for your generous donation of food for our second annual Bridges to Change Picnic. Your generous donation was so overwhelming and kind. We had so much fun and so much food. It was proof positive that people can get together and have fun without substance abuse. The fellowship was amazing, and you have always been so kind to us. We thank you so much for all of your kindnesses for all you do for us. Our clients love the Celebrate Recovery meetings and all the efforts that George puts out. It's good to be affiliated with people who walk their talk. These are things that will help our clients as they need to see and be surrounded by people who care without judgements. Your donations are very much appreciated and very valuable to us and is a great help to us. Because of you we are seeing clients change their lives and become productive citizens in our community. Your help is part of that change. We cannot do this alone.

Thank you from all the staff and clients at Bridges To Change.

Small Group Kick-Off this Sunday!

Have you been interested in joining a Life Group, but didn't know how? Is God calling you to lead or host a group, but you didn't know who to talk to? Are you curious about what Life Groups are and why you should be interested? Are you a Life Group member excited for the new year? If you fit any of these descriptions this event is for you. This Sunday (September 20th) we will be gathering at our Robinwood campus. We'll help you to see what Life Groups can be and how you can get connected through Christian community.
From 5-6pm we will encourage you with a look at the potential in Christian community.
From 6-7pm we will share a meal together (we'll provide sandwiches, please bring a side dish).
From 7-8pm we will provide vision and answer questions for Life Group leaders and those interested in leadership.
Child care is provided.

Bridges To Change Thanks New Life Church

In their monthly newsletter, program directors Chuck and Jo Ann Simpson had some very nice things to say about New Life Church and Celebrate Recovery.

We are very happy to have Gary B. as the house manager at the newly opened faith based house across the street from New Life Church in West Linn. Gary is a member of the Celebrate Recovery program at the church. We are very grateful for New Life Church and the congregation. They have been very kind and giving to us and our clients. We are grateful for the Celebrate Recovery program and for George Milliken who is untiring in his efforts to help people. We are so thankful to the church who offers the room for our monthly mentor graduations. There are so many people who help us and are supportive of what we are doing and we appreciate their acceptance of all of us.

We are pleased to partner with Bridges to Change.

New Life Church River Baptism

I hope you enjoy this video of our baptism last week.Please pray for Mel, Nate, James, Lisa and Sydney as they follow Jesus.

Middle School Pool Party was a Big Splash!

The MS families gathered for swimming, grilling and Bible Study on
Wednes-
day night.
There were 30 students and brothers and sisters there and 12 adults who enjoyed the evening of games, pool activities and good food. The group made 55 hot dogs and 20 hamburgers and lots of cookies and chips and drinks disappear like magic!
We learned from James how our personal heart attitude and actions can either start conflict or bring peace.

Where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is conflict. But when the attitude is pure, peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good deeds, without holding back, and without hypocrisy then there is peace. (See James 3:16-18)

Students made commitments to be pure, peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good deeds without holding back! Middle School thanks all the parents and the outstanding support and leadership teams for all their prayers and hard work.

We are Recruiting Champions for Christ!

picasaweb.google.com/haugen.scott/MSPoolParty809?feat=directlink

Andy Doyle went home to be with Jesus!

Hello Church Family,

I am both sad and happy to let you that Andy Doyle went home to be with Jesus late Thursday night... sad because we will miss our friend... happy because he is with Jesus! Please pray for Aaronn as she makes arrangements and grieves the loss of her husband. Several family members will be coming in to town for the Memorial service. Pray for peace and comfort in the hope of eternal life.

Service details: There will be a viewing at Hillside Chapel in Oregon City on Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The Memorial Service will be held at Willamette National Cemetary on Thursday at 11:00 AM. There will be a reception meal for the family at New Life Robinwood at Noon. To help with the meal you can contact Cris Austen at 503-631-7260.

The Sorensens

Skip and Ruth Sorensen serve with World Venture in Uganda. We received this photo along with their last prayer letter and thought it was too nice to keep to ourselves! Please keep them in your prayers as they face many challenges, including the reality that they and their three children are spread out over four countries.

Fundraising Garage Sale this Weekend

There will be a fundraising garage sale for the 2010 Guatemala mission trip on
August 21st and 22nd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2185 Charman Street in West Linn. Come and help support this New Life Church mission trip with Food for the Hungry. If you have questions, please call Dianne Froode.

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.

Invitation to the Elliott - Maricle Wedding

To our friends at New Life Church:
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Elliott and Mr. and Mrs. Steven Maricle request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their children, Amanda Lynn and Mark Daniel, Saturday, the twelfth of September at 5:30 p.m at New Life Church Riverfalls. Reception to follow.
(So that the bride and groom may enjoy a quiet ceremony, parents of young children are asked to arrange childcare)

Business Meeting Results

Members of New Life Church met on Sunday evening, August 17th and overwhelming voted to extend an invitation to the Oregon City congregation, currently called New Life Church Oregon City, to become part of New Life Church as a fully connected and contributing campus. The next step is for the leadership of NLC Oregon City to decide if they will recommend that the congregation accept the invitation. Please keep our new friends in Oregon City in your prayers as they make this very important decision.

Beach Bash '09

The Ignite Student Ministries of New Life Church will be heading to Nehalem Bay State Park next weekend for their annual Beach Bash. The cost will be $15 and each student will need a new medical release form. Please contact Dave Nizic (dnizic at comcast.net) with questions.

Sports Camp Success!

Our 5th annual Mega Sports Camp was a terrific success! When you hear, "Sports Camp", you might think the week was all about sports. And... we did have a lot of fun playing soccer and basketball. But there were many more important wins than scoring goals and making baskets.

Last week about 85 kids each day heard the good news that God has a "Game Plan" for their lives. They memorized Jeremiah 29:11-12 and learned how God used Moses in accomplishing His Game Plan for the Israelites. On Thursday the kids heard how they needed to trust God's plan like the Israelites did when the blood of the lamb spared them from death. We talked about how The Lamb of God shed his blood for their sins so that they could be saved if they would trust in Jesus as their Savior. Fourteen children prayed a prayer of faith and talked to their coaches about following Jesus!
Another success was the ministry service of over 30 committed volunteers. A team of high school students and adults joined together to provide a great week for our children of learning about sports and discovering God's game plan for their lives. All of these volunteers gave up their precious time and energy to serve God. One volunteer even took a week of vacation from work to serve!

We celebrated the successes of the week at our award ceremony on Friday afternoon and again at the All-Church worship service on Sunday, but why don't you take some time now to thank the Lord for His blessings last week!

High School Ministry and Shepherd's Door

We have a great affection for the ministry of Shepherd's Door. Our Senior Adults have been taking offerings for them at their monthly potlucks for years. We have a couple women at New Life Church who work there.

In addition, for the past six months our high school students have been serving meals at Shepherd's Door in NE Portland. Priscilla K. who is a professional caterer has found a ministry ideally suited for her. She prepares the meals our young people serve, but as you can read below in the email she sent me, it's not the cooking she loves!

By the way, I left work early last Thursday and went to Shepherd's Door. I was going to skip it because I was starting a 3-day catering job the next day. During the day Thursday I was feeling sad that I wouldn't be there. I have developed a relationship with many of the women there and I think they look forward to seeing me. I know I look forward to seeing them. I walked in and was greeted with warm smiles and hugs.

One of the ladies had celebrated her 53rd birthday on Wednesday and she told me it was the first sober birthday she can remember. She said she would usually celebrate her birthday like every other day, getting drunk and passing out.

We also celebrated the 1st birthday of a boy named Malai. His mother could not stop crying about her boy turning 1. I talked with her for a little bit and she told me she was crying because when she found out she was pregnant with Malai she had planned to abort the pregnancy. She said she really didn't want a baby but at the last minute she couldn't go through with it. She kept saying, "I love him so much, I can't believe I ever thought about aborting him?" We cried and we hugged, and we celebrated her decision to keep her baby. We took lots of pictures of the two of them together and I'm going to put those pics in a scrapbook for her. It was great!

You really should come with us sometime.

Outdoor Service And Picnic

At 10:00 a.m., Sunday, August 2nd, New Life Church will be holding our Annual Outdoor Service and Picnic at the New Life Robinwood location. We will recognized the kids who participated in Sports Camp and have a potluck picnic after the service. We will provide chicken; If your name starts with A-L, please bring a hot dish and salad. If your name begins with M-Z, please bring a hot dish and dessert. Also, please bring a lawn chair if you have one.

New Life Oregon City will be joining us and will be leading the service. We are delighted to be sharing the day with them.

There will not be a service at New Life Church Riverfalls.

Mega Sports Camp

Mega Sports Camp begins on Monday at New Life Robinwood at 9:00 am. Here is a brochure describing it that includes registration.

Middle School Retreat Update

Here are some pictures of the Middle School Retreat last weekend. Below is Scott Haugen's email to parents about the retreat.

Clearly we had a great time, but more importantly we were changed by God's word.

Commitments were made by students to live sold out for Christ, to choose now a direction and path for their life that will honor and serve God, to take specific action steps to build character qualities, and there are two student who desire Christ as Savior and who are praying about that important decision.

Thanks for your support and prayers and for trusting New Life with your children.

--
Scott Haugen

Sometimes Every Day is Father's Day

Thought you might enjoy this piece my daughter Lauren posted on her blog. And yes, I love her.

Alaska Team Video

If you missed the report on Sunday night. . . or enjoyed it so much you'd like to see the ministry video again, here it is:

Bocce Begins

Competition was fierce this last Thursday as the Bocce ball summer league began. Team Grayson/Rachel displayed the precision of surgeons as they dominated the field, finishing the night with a perfect record. Team Crystal/Jessica also finished the evening with a perfect record… ending the night with zero wins. Overall everyone had a ton of fun, and lots of laughs. Bocce ball play will continue at 6 p.m. this Thursday night at Hammerle Park. All are welcome to come and play. Bring your set if you have one and spectators are definitely encouraged. If you think you have what it takes to withstand the intense pressure and fierce competition of the Bocce ball summer league get a partner and join us for a really fun time.

Alaska Mission Trip Day 9...Over and Out!

It was a sprint to the finish today to get done all of the projects at the Hospitality House. At about 11:00 PM we finally stopped for the day. We will clean up a couple of odds and ends tomorrow morning before heading out to the camping trip.

Because we were so busy finishing projects, none of us really took any pictures today. To the left is a fun shot of Audrey Evans (Dan and Barb's daughter) before the sink got put back in the kitchen\. BTW, Darin and Larry did get finished with the granite counter tops today!

Tomorrow we leave for the camping trip/retreat. Please pray for Larry as he will be speaking about "Freedom from Sin" tomorrow night. Pray for Lee on Saturday evening as he will be speaking about "Freedom from the Law". Pray for Nathan on Sunday morning as he speaks about "Freedom from Death."

Well, this will have to be "over and out" until after the trip. We will not have internet access at the retreat. Please pray for the team throughout the weekend when you think of us. We look forward to seeing all of you and telling the story of what God has done here. Please be sure to join us at the Alaska Report Service on Sunday, July 12th at 6:00 PM at New Life Robinwood. Until then... Your Alaska Mission Team

Alaska Mission Trip- Day 8

We forgot to tell you, yesterday, that Donna got finished with organizing the loft and staining the floor. Way to go Donna! The team hit the ground running hard again today. Darin and Larry got a lot of work done installing the kitchen counter top. The team had quite a laugh about the "water spots" on their clothes. "Really it was from the tile saw." Donna and Nathan did demolition in the bathroom and Lee and Nathan installed a pocket door for increased privacy. Beryl and Louise kept us well fed, even though the kitchen was basically unusable today. Cale did some painting and kept busy as the team video man.

You know what they say, "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy." And this team hasn't had very many dull moments. We have been making good use of the new horseshoe pit. So far, Larry and Darin seem to be the top dogs. The ministry center has a climbing wall on the side and several team members gave it try this evening. One of the most exciting parts of the evening came when Louise and Laurissa got into a major wrestling match in the middle of the kitchen. As you can see from the picture, I think Louise won!

Last but not least, I want to let you know that Paul Metko will turn 65 years young on July 4th. The team surprised Paul with a German cchocolate cake and a card signed by all of us with messages of love. If you get a chance, drop Paul a card in the mail and let him know how much you care about him and appreciate his ministry.

Tomorrow is our last full day of work here at the hospitality house. Pray that we get it all done. Pray that we would make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. Pray that God would be glorified through our work here! We are... Your Alaska Mission Team.

Welcome Baby Abigail!

Abigail Aline Poletti was born at home at 2:15 in the afternoon on Sunday, June 28th. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long. Both mom and daughter are doing well. Congratulations Dan and Brenda!