Page 12 - May Spire 2013
Basic HTML Version
12
Joe’s Share:
Kelly and I joined NPC last May along
with our four year old son Charlie
and 17 month old twins Oliver and
Vivian. We were asked to share our
experiences as new members of NPC.
We come from both Protestant and
Catholic backgrounds so when we
were searching for a church we were
starting from scratch in a lot of ways.
We built a wish list together of our
heart’s desires. One of the most
important prerequisites was that our
church home would have a robust
children’s program. We wanted our
children to enjoy and look forward to
going to church where they could be
lovingly cared for, learn God’s word
and have the opportunity to develop
friendships that are built on a founda-
tion of faith in Christ.
In addition to spiritually feeding our
children, we were looking for a church
home where we could draw nearer to
Christ, go deeper with our faith, and
learn to apply scripture in our daily
lives. We wanted to select a church
which remained true to the Bible;
standing up for what it teaches even in
the face of secular beliefs which con-
tradict it. Just like the early Church
that we all studied in the Lenten
series this past month, we wanted the
church to be a guiding light for our
family.
Kelly’s Share:
We were introduced to NPC through
our dear friends, the Henry’s. Sandy
and Scott first invited us to the
Noroton Lectures in 2011. We were
able to attend the Sunday service and
sermon given by M. Craig Barnes. I
remember being glued to my seat as
the guest pastor gave his sermon on
Abraham and Sarah and of waiting
on God’s timing and having faith that
God is not finished with us, not even
on our last day here on earth. At
the time Joe and I had been through
multiple heartbreaks as we were try-
ing to get pregnant with the assistance
of a fertility specialist. I remember
feeling like God was reaching out and
speaking directly to my heart through
that sermon. That message strength-
ened me during a very emotional time
and soon after we were blessed to
get pregnant. I attended NPC a few
more times through that spring and
felt spiritually fed in a way I hadn’t
been at our former church.
Fast forward to the early summer of
2011: Sandy Henry shared with me
that NPC had a great Vacation Bible
School program. Then, pregnant with
twins and nauseated beyond mention,
the thought of having my son learn-
ing about Jesus with his best buddy
Boone while I was able to rest a little
at home sounded euphoric to say the
least! I said “Sign us up!”
After attending services for several
months, with much prayer and discus-
sion, we decided to sign up for the
new member’s class last May. Our
time at the class was so rewarding.
It was wonderful to hear a message
from each of the pastors, learn about
the history of the church and the core
beliefs of NPC. There were presenta-
tions on ways that one can serve at
NPC from missions to music. It was
also very apparent to us how impor-
tant both relationships and fellowship
are at NPC. We had the opportu-
nity to break into small groups with
F
ocus
O
n
M
embership
M
inistry
In worship on April 14, Recent New Members Joe and Kelly Orban
Shared Their Testimony about Joining NPC
continued on next page...
Membership Ministry continued...
You are warmly invited to consider membership at NPC.
Membership classes are interesting, faith-deepening and
fun! The next class will be held on Saturday, May 18,
Noon to 5:30. New members are welcomed into the
congregation the next day, May 19, at the 10:30 service.
You can also take the class just for information. No classes
are offered over the summer.
To find out more, and to register for the class and free
childcare (3 months to 4 years), please contact me
(
203-655-1451, ext. 14).
For Volunteers: many talents are needed for each class
such as hospitality, photography, small group facilitation,
and leading music. I encourage you to contact me to
find out the different ways you can grow your own faith
through service to new members.
In faith,
Julie Colbath
Director of Membership
203-655-1451 ext. 14
May New Member Class! Last chance to join before the Fall…
continued from page 11...
