Our student praise band, 316, will be releasing their first CD at a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser on May 12 at the RAC. The tickets for this event are $5 each, which are on sale now! CDs will be available to purchase for $10 each. Lifebuilder groups are donating themed baskets for a silent auction. All money raised at this event will go toward our youth mission team who are preparing to travel to Montana this summer. This has been a very exciting project for our praise band. The students have worked very hard on writing their own originals and it has been amazing to see the talents that God has given them. Please come out and support our student praise band and mission team as they prepare for their trip this summer.
We are now in the process of fulfilling our 4th priority; we are building a church facility. Since opening our doors in 1995 at the Holiday Inn we have worked our way through our growth priorities and now we face a challenge and a blessing for the future. In establishing our priorities we determined that the purposes of God would be number one. Our second priority is people. God uses people to accomplish His purposes. Thirdly, we listed program. We use programs to enable people to accomplish the purposes of God. And lastly, property. We realized as a young church that you only need property to house the program that enables the people to accomplish the purposes of God. For nearly 17 years we have focused on our priorities to establish growth God’s way. Today, we look across Highway 540 and we see a foundation being laid for our future location. We have not raced to this point. We have deliberately made steps in this direction following our written priorities. Soon we will witness steel lifted high into the air and soon our new facility will stand. We will have accomplished this by divine guidance and with a determined plan. We will not incur any long-term or short-term debt in the process because of your faithfulness in your giving. Our priorities will not change; the facility will simply house the program that enables the people to accomplish the purposes of God. He has given us this facility and we will increase our work and ministry effectiveness because of it. Thousands will come to Christ because of our sacrifice. It is the dawning of a new day!
There has never been a time like this at New Hope Fellowship! A couple of days ago I was thinking about our church and it hit me…There has never been a time like this! Why?
First, we have never experienced a time when the need for Christ in Northwest Arkansas has been greater. In a recent poll people were asked the question, “If someone asked you to go to church with them, would you?” The majority said “Yes.” It just takes a simple invitation.
Second, we have never experienced a time when the need for the compassion of Christ has been greater. Last year we prayed and God opened the doors to our House of Hope Rescue Mission. Since July 2011 we have helped over 3500 families at the mission. To God be the glory!
Third, we have never experienced a time when the need for a ministry headquarters has been greater. In late summer we will open the doors to our own church building. Our mission is not a building; our mission is changed lives. However, providing a full-time place of worship will be a blessing to our church and our community.
There has never been a time like this at New Hope Fellowship! March is our Missions Month and each week in worship we will feature an area of mission work in our church. Each March we receive an offering, above our tithes, that goes entirely to mission work. We hope you are able to help with this offering. It’s going to be a great month.
There has never been a time like this at New Hope Fellowship! During the months of April and May we will be conducting our own brand of “Share-a-thon.” This Share-a-thon has nothing to do with raising money but it has much to do with raising awareness. We will be in harvesting mode as we work together helping our friends, relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances discover Jesus and His church we call New Hope.
On a person note, Carol and I want to thank you for your cards, letters, emails, and your surprise donations as you help us walk through this difficult time in our lives. Carol will have additional x-rays and scans in June that will be sent to Boston and it will be decision time again for us. We covet your prayers during these uncertain days. We love you and thank you for loving us.
Monday, February 20
Last day in Boston…Melody’s been off a few days, so we took off to Plymouth, Hyannis Port and Cape Cod. It was beautiful! No more medical appointments, were heading home tomorrow. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. I will have repeated tests in AR in a few months and send the results to the doctors here. Then, we will determine if the aneurysm has grown any, and figure out when to do the surgery. I will try to be patient (something I’m not very good at). Just another way God is teaching me to put my total trust in Him. Thank You, friends.
Written Thursday evening-
Today was day 4 in Boston! This morning I had to endure a test in the CT scan department at Mass General. I had dye injected, and a medication by I.V. to slow my heart down to the 50′s so a better picture of my heart and aorta could be taken. (fun!) I had a great visit this afternoon with the cardiac surgeon. The good news is my heart looks very healthy with no blockages and my aortic valve is …working well. The fact still remains that I need the surgery to repair an aneurysm. The fact we still don’t know, is WHEN. Since we learned that I’m not in imminent danger, we have not scheduled it yet. A decision will be made in the next 3-5 months as we continue to work with the 2 doctors here, to determine when the surgery be. We covet your continued prayers in the situation, and we thank you so much for your love and support! Tonight, Melody fixed dinner for us at her place, and we continue to love our time with her!
Wednesday, day 3 in Boston. I received a call that I will have another CT scan Thursday morning. Then, I will meet with the cardiac surgeon, Dr. Thomas MacGillivray, at 4pm. Hopefully, I will know more after that about when the surgery will be. God is directing things, and we are grateful. Dr. MacGillivray is working me in between surgeries so we can see him before we leave town. We feel your love and prayers immensely! In between medical tests and visits, we have been enjoying BLISSFUL moments with our daughter, Melody, and enduring BOSTON moments in traffic! “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we’re perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed- always carrying about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.” 2 Cor 4:8-10
Carol’s appointment with the cardiologist went well today. This week she will have additional tests and will meet with the surgeon. After the tests have been completed, Carol and Cliff will fly home. They will return to Boston in the coming days for Carol’s surgery. Please pray for their comfort and strength.
Cliff and Carol have arrived safely in Boston and are looking forward to Carol’s doctors appointment tomorrow at 1pm. Please pray for their safety and strength.
We want to thank each one of you for praying for our family and Carol in particular. As you may know by now, a recent test revealed that Carol has an aortic aneurysm and a heart valve in need of repair or replacement. As we begin to walk this road we will post updates to our church website and our church’s Facebook page. We want you to know what is going on and we want you to know how to pray for us.
Very soon we will fly to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Carol will meet with her surgeon and he will determine when she will have surgery. It is possible that the surgery will be performed while we are there during this trip. If so, our stay in Boston will be extended.
Our hearts are touched by your acts of kindness and compassion. You are truly God’s finest people. We are leaning heavily on Christ and His church during these days.
The Best is Yet!
Pastor Cliff
This Sunday, February 12th, is “I Love My Church Day”!
On this day each year we ask our members and regular attendees to stretch themselves financially and give a double tithe or a good amount over their regular budget giving. It is always a great harvest day and moves our church forward in effective ministry. I am praying for you as you pray about what God would have you give this Sunday. I believe this will be a great day for New Hope and a great day for the Kingdom!
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