Top Ten - October 6

Your help is appreciated! As things have gotten started again this Fall, we’d like to remind everyone that only parents/guardians with a child tag, on their way to retrieve a child with a matching tag, should be going down the Children’s Wing Hall. This is in an effort to make our Children’s program as safe as possible for the kids. We really appreciate your help with this! Thank you!

1. Prime Timers Next Gathering: October 13 The next luncheon for Prime Timers is October 13 at noon in the Northgate North Café. This is a potluck luncheon for everyone over 50. Please bring a dish to pass and your own table service (but if you forget we’ll have some on hand!). You do not have to bring a dessert – we’ll be enjoying some of Sherrie’s wonderful cupcakes instead! There will also be a program called “Steps to Better Balance.” Take it from a guy who lives with a Physical Therapist who works with people who suffer because of poor balance – this is something we need to pay attention to! Hope to see you there!

2. Women’s Conference with Carol McLeod Carol is a very popular women’s speaker and we’re looking forward to having her join us at Northgate on October 14 and 15 to lead a women’s conference. The conference is called, “Authentic Faith: Embracing Genuine Faith When Life is Upside Down.” We hope to see a lot of women attend this conference and it’s a wonderful opportunity to invite a friend to join you and see what Northgate is all about. Register at northgatefmc.com, under the tab “Register.”

3. “Parenting Adult Children” – Sundays at 9:30 Debbie Vick will be leading the popular “Navigating Life With Adult Children” group that she led last year. We heard a lot of positive comments about this group. Parenting never stops, but it does change. If you have adult children, you might want to check out this small group.

4. Leadership Academy – Are you interested in leading better where you are? Would you like to hear and read voices that challenge your perspectives and help you grow? Our next cohort of the Northgate Leadership Academy is forming, and we are looking for a couple more members to round out the group. This is beginning on Tuesday, November 1 (note the change from last week’s Top Ten) and will meet the first Tuesday of every month. There is no cost to participate in the group, but there is a substantial time and reading commitment. If you are interested in learning more, getting a syllabus, or an application please email Pastor John john@northgatefmc.com. Thank you!

5. Small Group for Couples: Sundays at 9:30 – Lisa and Jake Russell led a “Five Love Languages” group last year that couples really enjoyed. This Fall they are leading another small group for couples based on a Right Now series called “Love Talks.” We hope to see a number of Northgate couples take advantage of the Russell’s good leading and join them in Room 2/3 at 9:30. Contact Angelique (angelique@northgatefmc.com) for more information.

6. “The Case for Christ” Study - Sundays at 12:15 I am leading another book study on Sundays at 12:15 (following second service). We’re reading and discussing The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. If you are interested in joining us you’re always welcome.

To learn about all of the groups being offered by Northgate please check out this link: https://northgatefmc.churchcenter.com/groups/unique. You can also view the list on the Northgate app.

7. MOPS Could Use Your Assistance! – MOPS is a wonderful ministry to young moms that will meet this Fall at Northgate North from 6-8pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. One of the areas we could use some help with is in childcare. If you are available once a month or so to watch over some children, we’d love to talk with you. Contact Pastor Marsha at marsha@northgatefmc.com. And thank you!

Also, please know that you are invited to join others for prayer on Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 during the first service in meeting room 4. During this time people pray for the services, needs of our congregation and other topics as God leads.  We would love to have you join this prayer team.

8. Mothers & Grandmothers Moms in Prayer International group will begin on October 11 at 6 p.m. at North campus on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month while school is in session. We meet to pray for our school and/or college aged children, their educational successes and needs while they are enrolled in school and the typical challenges that students meet on a daily basis. Moms in Prayer guides, written by founder Fern Nichols, can be ordered, and purchased if desired, however prayer outlines are provided each week. The hour is spent praising God using scripture, silent confession, Thanksgiving for answered prayer and praying for specific needs. You can check out the website for more information (www.MomsinPrayer.org) or contact prayer leader Paula Neumann (585)201-0079.

9. Vintage Christmas Planning has begun for our Vintage Christmas celebrations this December, and we’d like to invite you to be part of the team that makes this happen. If you are interested in volunteering for one of the many tasks that need to be done, please contact the church office at office@northgatefmc.com and let us know. We would love to have you!

10. Grief Share and Divorce Care If you or someone you know has experienced a loss and is walking through the feelings of grief or has experienced a divorce and is coming to terms with that and would like to know how to handle grief or divorce from a Christian perspective, we have a group for each here at Northgate. New sessions of Grief Share have begun, but it’s not too late to join. Meetings are held at 6pm at 34 Williams St. in Batavia.

And new sessions of Divorce Care have begun as well. These meetings are on Saturdays at 6pm at our North campus building (8160 Bank St. Rd. Batavia). For more information contact Pastor Vern at vern@northgatefmc.com.
 
And please be aware that there is a need for hospice volunteers to serve in our area. If you are someone who can find a bit of extra time for a worthy organization, please consider this very important ministry. This service to others is very rewarding and patients and their families will appreciate the gift of your time. For further information visit http://www.homecare-hospice.org/volunteer/. To learn about applying and training please call Pat Meek at 585-343-7596 or 1-877-277-2615 or email her at pmeek@homecare-hospice.org

To learn more about these opportunities, or to suggest an idea for a group or a gathering, or to inquire about reserving space at the church or the pavilion you can always email the office (office@northgatefmc.com) or call 343-4011. You can check out our website too (northgatefmc.com).
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You Can Count on This – 2 Corinthians 2:4 – For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. (Read 2 Corinthians 2:1-17)

This is one of the things I love about Paul – his heart was so full of love for the people he pastored. In this verse he is referring to some difficult things he had had to say to the people of Corinth and he’s letting them know that when he did that it wasn’t an easy thing for him to do. Paul’s motivation in saying hard things to people was never just to provoke them or disturb them or rile them up simply for the sake of riling them up. It was always out of a sense of love for them and a desire to see them grow in their relationships with Jesus and with each other. When he had to say the hard thing, he did it with a great deal of pain in his heart. This man, who in the pages of scripture comes off sounding so firm and strong lets us know that he was also a man of many tears: tears for the people he taught and ministered to, and tears that sprung from his deep love for them.

When we have to speak a difficult word to someone, it would be good for us to ask God to give us a “Paul kind of heart.” That is, a heart of deep love, a heart that breaks with having to speak that hard word, and a heart that is willing to do it out of love for others.

When you’re not sure what you can count on in the world around you, know this: You can count on God keeping his word.  So read what God has to say in scripture!  And count on it.
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