Sunday Service October 18, 2007

I first want to apologize for not blogging on a regular basis. I wasn’t sure what to write about, I knew that I wanted it to be fun, exciting, and interesting, but being an accountant, my gift is not creative writing, it’s crunching numbers! So forgive me if my blob is not exceptionally phrased. Right now, I really want to share some personal thoughts.

What’s on my mind???? Sunday’s Service!! If you were there this past Sunday (10/14) then you know what I am talking about. If you were not, then let me tell you about it.

Pastor Dwain was preaching on Spiritual Hunger and his message was good, the main point was that we need to press into God and pursue Him, not His Blessings or His Angels, but Him! As I said, the message was good, not greater than or less than previous messages from Pastor Dwain, but this Service ended up being one of the most powerful services that New Horizon Christian Center has had! The Holy Spirit took over service on Sunday and brought many of us to a new level of worship! At one point, the Holy Spirit overwhelmed Pastor Dwain with humility and brought him to tears (not a common sight); before you know it, most of the congregation was in tears. As service went on the presence of God grew stronger and stronger; we didn’t want to stop worshiping and we almost didn’t! So many people were moved, including me.

When I went home that afternoon, I continued to press into God, just asking to be in His presence. After some time of this, His presence came over me and I had this powerful energy inside of me. I seriously thought my chest was going to explode! Along with that came an overwhelming feeling of peace and love. It was the most wonderful feeling I’ve ever had! Since that bond with God, I have been pressing into him, just hoping to experience it again. I now think I’m addicted to God’s anointing!

Thinking about how I felt at that moment: strong, peaceful, and full of love; I truly believe that if we walked in that strong of an anointing all the time, that there’s nothing we couldn’t do and we would be driven to do even more than we thought possible.

That is what I really wanted to share this week.

Blessings,

Patti

Three Wonderful Women… July 30, 2007

Now that you know all about me, I would like to introduce you to three wonderful women. We have many wonderful women in our church but this week I would like to recognize three of them. Gail McConnell, Carolyn Morgan, and Toni Thomsen are our Office Volunteer Staff. They dedicate much of their time during the week assisting the church with its administrative duties.

Gail McConnell and her husband Dan joined New Horizon Christian Center shortly after our new building opened in January of 2004. Gail and Dan were committed to being members soon after they joined and in June of 2004 Gail offered to bless us with her time and secretarial experience; she now leads our Staff of Office Volunteers.

Carolyn Morgan and her husband Larry Morgan also joined New Horizon Christian Center shortly after our new building opened in January of 2004. Carolyn and Larry are committed members and are active in many NHCC ministries. Carolyn joined the Office Volunteer Staff in June of 2005 and her experience in office work and efficiency has been a real blessing.

Toni Thomsen joined New Horizon Christian Center in September of 2006. Shortly after joining, Toni attended one of our Ministry Fairs and felt lead to volunteer her time and secretarial experience in the business office. Toni also dedicates much of her time helping Pastor Joel with our Music Ministry.

These three women have not only volunteered their time and talents but have such a love for NHCC that they do anything for this ministry. How many people do you know that would give up their free time to clean a church kitchen or a church bathroom when it’s not their mess? It’s not only their acts of service that are so much a blessing; it’s their warm personalities and the friendships that they offer our staff and members.

I hope you will make every effort to meet these wonderful women and express your appreciation for the support they offer our church.

Blessings,

Patti

Introduction June 28, 2007

Being new to the NHCC Staff, I thought it would be appropriate to start off with a personal introduction…..About four years ago God placed Caroline Barnhart (Sortore at the time) in my life. I had the pleasure of working right next to here for almost two years. During that time her strong faith slowly influenced me; she introduced me to worship music, praying before meals, and most important – Recoverlife. I was not saved and was struggling in all aspects of my life….life without God’s blessing is tough! Caroline suggested I attend this Recoverlife Seminar at her church. I did and it was a life changing experience! I was saved shortly after that and became a regular at Sunday Service.

I decided to make more changes in my life; I quit my job and went back to school. I was blessed to not have to work while in school so I offered my extra time to the church. Don recruited me as an office volunteer and it was wonderful!! Soon a part-time bookkeeping position became available and since I had worked in the accounting field for five years, I asked to be considered. God must have wanted me here because I got the job! After graduation, Pastor asked if I would consider working here full-time. Of course I didn’t have to think long about that because this is a wonderful place to serve and support. I am lead by the greatest and work with the most wonderful of people!

I am a proud parent of a 9 year old boy. Dru is a wonderful son; he loves the Lord and his family at NHCC. He loves coming to church, even when there is nothing going on. On Sunday’s you will find him either getting a piggy back ride from his friend Tanner, socializing with other members (especially the Interns), or helping mom with her work.

I am truly blessed to be a part of this ministry! I thank you Pastor Dwain for your strong leadership and big heart; Pastor Joel for your compassion and encouragement; Don for your leadership and belief in me; Pastor Jeremy & Kelly for your light-heartedness and healthy eating tips; Sandra for your sweetness and support. And I can’t forget Deena…thank you Deena for all your advice and many laughs.

Blessings,

Patti