2014 Annual Report

2014 In Review

God has been doing just great stuff at New Life and we’d like to celebrate!

We’re thrilled to report God has continued to move and do great things in and through New Life. Most importantly, people continue to take next steps toward loving more like Christ. Yay God! Peruse our “Visual Annual Report” below and then keep reading if you are a details person. But before you go, thanks for being a part of New Life and helping make New Life a safe place where people discover God!

Chantilly Campus

Happy New Year New Life!

In July I celebrated my 5th year serving as a Pastor at NLCC. In those five years of serving alongside the staff and many of you, I have had the privilege of witnessing some amazing life transformation. Thousands of people are walking through the doors of the nZone every week. Many are coming to watch their children participate in a sporting event, attend a birthday party, workout in the fitness center or attend one the many fitness classes we offer. That’s right, many of the people walking in the nZone are NOT coming for “church”. However, the vision God gave NL leadership many years ago to build a seven-day a week public use space for the sole purpose of helping people discover God not only on Sunday morning, but everyday. In essence, being their “church” before they feel the need for a “church”. The scenario is playing out weekly at the nZone and I bet there are people reading this that know exactly what I’m saying.

One of our key measures at NLCC is whether “people are loving more like Jesus.” Said another way, are people being the church to the community they live in. I have countless stories of major life change occurring in our community because people paid a visit to the nZone, discovered that a church meets here, and that this church offers opportunities for people to deal with life struggles through programs like CR. They’ve also discovered classes/programs to help people manage their finances or improve their marriage and that we provide a safe place for their children to go on Friday nights. Without the nZone much of what we do throughout the year to “love more like Jesus” would not be possible. However, without people being the church and living on mission inside & outside the nZone walls. We would not see marriages restored, addictions overcome, or homeless and abused women finding hope in what appears hopeless situations. So, THANK YOU! New Life Christian Church. Thank you for making 2014 an amazing year by expressing the love of Christ through your service and sacrifice. I look forward to all that God has in store us all this year.

Mike Fewster

Chantilly Campus Pastor

Linton Hall Campus

What am I excited about? I’ve been most excited to see God work through our relaunch. The growth and excitement we have seen shows me that God was really in the relocation. We have seen our campus double in size since the launch. There are newcomers every single weekend. Brand new ministry opportunities and partnerships have arisen.

I’m also really excited about the growth of our staff team. For the first time in NL history, our campus has two full-time staff people. This is great news and gives us the momentum to do even more ministry. God is doing incredible things through people at the campus. New ministry ideas are coming to life. Hundreds of meals provided for local families and new people engaging new ministries. It has been a lot of fun to watch.

Stan Rodda

Linton Hall Campus Pastor

Online Campus

It’s been an exciting year for Online Campus. We started off streaming our live services in June as a way for New Lifers to connect while on vacation over the summer. But over the course of the year it has developed into a real online community. We have had people watching from places such as Abu Dhabi, Taiwan, Africa, Germany, Slovenia, UK, the French West Indies, Mexico, Canada and all over the U.S. It has been tremendous what kind of reach we have had without even promoting outside of Social Media. We also started our 1st ever Online Life Group and Family Video Devotional time. So, a lot has been happening and we know that we are just beginning to scratch the surface for so many more people having the opportunity to Discover God in an Online Community.

Tom Pounder

Online Campus Pastor

Passion for Planting

2014 was a great year! Why – because two new churches were launched, another one began the planting process and Passion for Planting was privileged to play a part in these church plants with our Project Management services. Back in the Spring of 2014, Shift Church was launched in Gainesville, FL. Also in the Spring, the West Campus of North Boulevard Church of Christ opened in Murfreesboro, TN. And last Fall, Passion Planting began working with the lead planter of Renaissance Church in Harrisonburg, VA. The launch team is growing, preview services have been conducted, the social media buzz is spreading and we’re eagerly anticipating launch of Renaissance in March 2015.

Another cool thing that Passion for Planting is pumped about is our FREE online education for church planters. We published three online courses in 2014: New Church Development, Practical Ministry in the New Church, and Preaching/Teaching in the New Church. Church planters from all over the USA are taking advantage of these free courses to help prepare them for the biggest challenge of their lives – planting a new church!

Finally, it’s our goal at Passion for Planting to give back to church planting efforts around the world. We do this by providing TONS of free online resources. And folks from all over the planet are taking advantage of these resources. We’re getting downloads on a daily basis across the USA and the world. Who would have thought when Passion for Planting was established back in 2003 that a little more than a decade later, we’d be helping church planters in places like: Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Finland, Hungary, Kenya, Peru, Poland, St. Lucia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Wales and Zimbabwe.

We can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2015!

Dale Spaulding

Director of Passion for Planting

Student Ministry

The Student Ministry has had a great year in 2014. One of the great growth areas for us this past year has been in our Home Groups. We have 4 groups (3 High School, 1 Middle School) going currently with plans to add more in 2015. Home Groups are great ways for our students to connect with others in their schools during the week to be encouraged in their relationships with Christ. We also added Cory Sullivan as the High School Director. He has been a great addition to the New Life Staff and has really taken our Sunday Night Big Group event to a whole new level. Even though 2014 has been great, we know the 2015 is going to be even better.

Tom Pounder

Student Minister

KidZone

God is on the move in KidZone bringing an average of two new families each week to experience Christ at New Life. We are partnering with parents to help them raise children who have a heart for Jesus, a desire to love others and to honor our Lord not just on Sunday mornings but throughout the week and in every area of their lives. We launched a family Bible study for families of Kindergarten children and older called, What’s In The Bible. Each week during this year-long study, we learn about each book of the Bible through fun games, silly songs, videos, and activities. Our newest addition to the children’s ministry team, Sean Cronin, leads this fun family study and is the guy you’re most likely to see in a wig and Elvis outfit on Sunday mornings.

KidZone expanded this year to include 6th grade. Our 5th and 6th graders meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings in a large group and the last Sunday of each month we gather for a fun, social outing like ice skating, laser tag, and bowling. In 2015, we’re adding small group home meetings during the week to help these tweeners dig deeper into their faith, ask questions, and develop strong relationships with each other and with Christ.

The growth and discovery among children and families wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of our KidZone volunteer leaders who serve faithfully each week. Whether holding babies, playing with toddlers, singing praises with preschoolers, or teaching football and Bible stories, our volunteers share God’s love through their gifts and talents. We are so excited to see what God has in store for New Life kids and families in 2014 and honored to be part of the story He is writing.

Elinor Kinnier

Family Minister

Arts

It’s been a great year at New Life! The Worship/Arts Team has been particularly busy this year, with some new tools and services that we have started, to the continuation of some events and services that we get the privilege to be a part of.

2014 saw the roll out of our services be offered on the internet through LiveStream. The addition of this service meant that we needed to identify a lot of new volunteers to serve as camera operators as well as people running additional gear that makes it all possible. It’s been a joy to get to know some new people at New Life who are eager to serve!

Each year is exciting as we find new and engaging ways to share the Gospel with people and help them discover God through our sermon series, our stage design, and worship. Working with Brett and the creative volunteers to produce these experiences on Sunday mornings is exciting and an honor for all of those work on staff in the Worship/Creative Arts Ministry. We are so excited for 2015 and how God will lead us, stretch us, and grow us to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ.

Brennan Loveless

Arts Minister

nZone

In the 3rd full year of operations,  the nZone offers tons of our own programs, which is great and helps us reach our mission. Running our own programs such as youth/adult soccer leagues, football leagues, bootcamp classes, fitness classes, birthdays parties, 18 month – 6 year old development classes, and so much more, we have the ability to help people discover God thought our interactions. The bonds that have been created because of the nZone are powerful and exciting to watch.

Our fields and courts are seeing more action than ever before with private schools using us as home courts and tons of adult groups using us year around for friendly soccer and basketball game. We have several partnerships that are growing and need more space due to their enrollment in their programs. Our fitness center and Care 4 Kids rooms are seeing many new faces and watching families memberships of 3+ years grow.(PAT: want to say that our current moms that are members are having more kids and the care 4 kids team is watching that happen)

With the addition of the Loading Dock Café we have a new challenge, but another great way to break down barriers and live out the mission of the nZone. Members, guests, campers and spectators are learning that the Loading Dock is a great place to get a delicious smoothie, sandwich, coffee, or other great food and drink items. It is an exciting time for nZone as we are reaching thousands of people per week and develop an understanding of what they need and how we can offer that to them.

Travis Huff

General Manager

Passion for Community

Passion 4 Community seeks to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus by going out of our building and into the community. This year we served families entering permanent housing out of the shelter system and needy families from local schools through our furniture and food programs. We have also served kids in our own neighborhood from the Meadows through our summer camp and weekend backpack food programs. These ventures have allowed us to engage New Life attenders as well as their co-workers and friends in using their gifts, and serving together. There is no greater joy than seeing how the generosity of those who give of their resources is able to bless a family who needs a hand.

One of the great things stemming from consistent support of our shelter partners is how we have grown in relationship with their social workers. They are always thanking us for our support of their families. We have been asked to become even more involved in their service provision and are looking at how we can use our vast resource and talent base to further meet the needs of their families. Great things are happening in P4C!

April Bowman

Program Director