Northwest Connections S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

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Taking Chance Out The power of Loving- Kindness

By: Pastor Dan

Here’s some sobering statistics: ● Poverty Rate in Tucson is

26.7% compared to the national average of around 15%. This is the highest rate in the State of Arizona.

● Tucson was the sixth-poorest of the nation's large metropolitan areas in 2011 according to the Census Bureau.

● In the Tucson area 1 in 4 or (26.9%) children go hungry or experience food insecurity meaning they lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life.

What is most surprising is as a result of these statistics how many people live their lives every single day on chance. Children going each day not knowing if they will have enough food to eat. This should give us all a moment of pause. If there is one thing that people living in poverty can’t afford, it is living on luck or chance. Greg Haugen, President of International Justice Mission (IJM) a Christian organization dedicated to fighting for the poor and the marginalized, wrote the following:

“I recall the way an old history professor of mine defined poverty: He said the poor are the ones who can never afford to have any bad luck. They can't get an infection because they don't have access to any medicine. They can't get sick or miss their bus or get injured because they will lose their menial labor job if they don't show up for work. They can't misplace their pocket change because it's actually the only money they have left for food. They can't have their goats get sick because it's the only source of milk they have. On and on it goes. Of course the bad news is, everybody has bad luck. It's just that most of us have margins of resources and access to support that allow us to weather the storm, because we're not trying to live off $2.00 a day.”

In the Book of Ruth, we come across two women-Ruth and Naomi-who were widowed and had no children. Not only that, they were both at one time living in a foreign land. To say they were poor and had no future is an understatement. Most likely they were living their lives everyday on chance or luck. They didn’t know what or even if they were going to eat from day to day. It wasn’t until a man named Boaz changed this. And how did he do it? Ruth while harvesting in his field comes to her and says, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young

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men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.” (Ruth 2:8-9) In just this little gesture, Boaz has erased chance from Ruth and Naomi’s life. They no longer have to wonder when, or what they are going to eat.

Here’s the thing, as followers of Jesus Christ we know we don’t live on chance or luck. Jesus took that out when He died on the cross. The ultimate act of loving kindness. As a result, we can, and should show that same loving-kindness to whomever crosses our path. Don’t know where to start? Let me give you an idea. Help serve meals with Gap Ministries in the Flowing Wells School District this summer. There’s more details about this at the end of this article. Give it a shot and help take chance out of someone else’s life!

Taking Chance Out Continued…

Gap Ministries Summer Meal Program I just want to give a follow up on the Summer feeding program that we have sent out to our partners in hopes that you will be a part of this amazing opportunity. Starting June 2nd we have been given an amazing opportunity to serve the Flowing Wells Community in a practical ongoing way that will inevitably touch hundreds of children and families in need. We have been granted the opportunity to feed these children who potentially otherwise would go without nourishing food for the summer. But we have the answer! For the summer we will be feeding at three locations in the Flowing Wells area with the food truck the Lord has blessed us with! Those locations are: * Laguna Elementary Monday Nights from 5-6 PM - Starting June 2nd and ending July 28th. * Richardson Elementary Thursday Nights from 5-6 PM- Starting June 5th and ending July 31st. * We are also planning on feeding Homer Davis Elementary at Flowing Wells Baptist Church on the corner of Wetmore and Romero. Those dates are Tuesday Nights from 5-6 PM Starting June 3rd and ending July 29th. We would love you, your families, your houses, your churches and your church's small groups to come be a part of these Outreach Opportunities. What we desire is people who are willing to love people where they are and show them the love off Jesus Christ. This is a great opportunity for our friends, families and kids to come serve those who are in need. If you have any further questions feel free to contact me directly. Please don't miss out on this opportunity to serve in a practical way the children of the Flowing Wells are who are in dyer need!

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3 Reasons God Is Silent By: Tania Harris ~ Relevant Magazine

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hearing in God’s economy. Listening means fully taking in what He has said.

God’s Word is like food: We can’t just chew it and spit it out, we have to swallow it and digest it until it becomes a part of us. That takes time and effort. Often it requires action- meditation on His words, obeying what He said, living out His words in our lives.

“Eat this scroll I am giving you,” God said to the prophet Ezekiel, “and fill your stomach with it” (Ezekiel 3:3). We need to let His words fill our hearts before we are ready to receive more.

3. I’m Not Ready to Hear His Answer.

One of the darkest times in my life took place when I was 27 years old. It was one of those confusing incidents where it looks like God has failed, where it’s hard to believe He’s good and in control. Everything I believed about God fell apart.

So I did what everyone else does in those times and screamed out “Why?” with long and loud emanations. God eventually spoke, but what He said didn’t answer my question. His message mirrored Jesus’ words to the disciples during His farewell speech: “I have much more to tell you, but you are not ready for it” (John 16:12). You cannot understand my purposes in this. You cannot receive what I have for you. You are like the third grader trying to understand Pythagoras Theorem. First you must finish learning your times table.

It was a full year later when God finally answered my question. By then I was mature enough to understand His perspective. I was ready to hear what He said.

God’s wisdom means not only knowing what to say, but when to say it. If God appears to be silent today, be reassured by your knowledge of His character. His loving kindness is never failing even when we can’t feel it.

Then check yourself. Are you prepared to hear whatever He wants to say? Have you responded to the last thing He said? We may be waiting for Him but sometimes it is He who is waiting for us.

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You know how it feels. You’ve trudged up a lonely mountain, sat cross-legged for five hours with a Bible in your lap and prayed intently for answers until your knee joints are screaming.

Or you’ve knelt endlessly at the altar, read the Scriptures and repeated the prayers; you’ve asked, sought and knocked during every sermon, liturgy and devotional reading you could find.

You’ve waited in faith and expectations, shouting hallelujas, whispering quiet amens and pleading the Lord’s Prayer in reverent refrain.

And there is nothing. Zip. The heavens are steely cold. The airwaves are silent. The divine Internet has run out of data.

What on earth is going on? Why is God not saying anything?

At this point, one could go into detail into what the ancient mystics poetically termed “The Dark Night of the Soul” or how God’s silence is a divine strategy to draw us closer to Him. But though I love some of the ancient ponderings, we should first check off some other possibilities that have been tried and tested when God is not speaking in my own God-Conversations journey.

Here’s three possibilities to always consider when God seems silent:

1. He Has Already Spoken, But I Didn’t Listen.

This one is probably the most likely. We don’t listen because we don’t like what He said. It didn’t pull enough punch or He didn’t say what we wanted to hear. There are times when I’d hear something from God and maybe even write it down in my journal as an offhand thought but, in my desperation to hear something better, I’d promptly forget it. It was only weeks later when my Facebook newsfeed got boring that I rediscover it and realize it was worth taking a closer look.

2. I Haven’t Responded to the Last Thing He Said.

Perhaps we listened, but listening is not just

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Global Impact Thank you for your prayers for the Hampton family and their flight to town. Come the morning of the anticipated departure it was pouring rain. At 6am it was still pouring, which usually is a sign that it will rain all morning if it hasn’t quit by then. So, at that point I was beginning to wonder what God had in mind and why He would choose to keep the Hamptons here interior, but also still praying that God would close up His storehouses of rain and allow the plane to get in to escort the Hamptons to town, About 8am we began to see that God was going to be pleased to answer our prayers. The rain stopped and the clouds cleared. It turned into a beautiful morning with sunny blue skies. The Hamptons made it safely to town and are already busy with routine medical checkups for their kids before their aptitude testing begins next week.

Was just about to send this off when a gal from the next village showed up on our porch. She brought word that one of the gals in that village just gave birth to twins yesterday. The mother will not raise both due to superstitions, but this gal is willing to try to raise the 2nd born. She came wanting to know if we had formula to sell. We tried to persuade her that it would be best if she just breastfed him (she still has milk as her youngest is still nursing). But, again due to their taboos and beliefs she refuses to do so. Wanting to give the little guy a chance we agreed to sell her some formula that we keep on hand for emergencies. We spent a good hour going over with her how to mix the formula, how to feed the baby, and how to clean the bottle. She left with the bottle, a toothbrush for cleaning the bottle, formula, and a baby blanket and rushed back to her village to claim her new baby son. Please join with us in prayer that God will let this little one survive.

Because He is good. . and faithful. . . and gracious. . . and sufficient. . . and so, so much more,

Kubili

Praying you find Him so and more too!

Please pray for this little girl – she has yet to receive a name. She is 7 months old and weighs little more than when she was born – coming in at 6 pounds this past week. Granted her mom is a very tiny gal herself, but the fact that she is not gaining any significant weight gives us cause for concern. Especially since it means her body can’t fight off illness as well – she came through a cold last month, and now is just getting over another round of malaria. We pray God may be pleased to spare this little one as we know she is PRECIOUS in His sight.

Here is Joanna with the two gals we worked with last week. It is such an amazing privilege to be a part of this translation process. To see God taking His truths from our native language and putting it into the Nagi language with meaning. Thank you for standing behind us with your prayers, support, and encouragement. Please continue to uphold us and our language helpers in prayers as we press on with the translation.

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The students were excited as they raced to their classes, anxious to prepare their questions for the eight different speakers they would be listening to that morning.

And, while the students were preparing their questions, the office personnel were busy answering the phones as several parents were calling the school to find out why there was a SWAT team truck parked in front of the school! The response: “Today is Career Day!”

The SWAT team and truck was one of the favorite careers the students enjoyed learning about. Of course, getting to see inside the truck and hear about the many ways they keep people safe, what all the cool gadgets were for, and ask questions of the team made this a popular career choice for the kids!

There were several other professionals at Centennial as well for the students to hear from. We had a nurse, a pharmacy technician, a pest control exterminator, a builder, the Truly Nolen Limo, two teachers from JTED teaching hairstyling along with several of their students, a designer, a pilot, a rocket scientist, four students from the UA Optical Science Department (the burnt pickle was another favorite), a teacher and student from the JTED agriculture department with their chickens and tomatoes, an engineer, an artist, a DJ from 99.5, a photographer, and three horse trainers who brought two of their horses with them! As you can see, the classrooms, fields, and outdoor classrooms were busy with students and presenters the entire morning!

The students and staff at Centennial were once again so grateful and excited about the many different career choices they had to choose from this year. There were students who had never seen a horse, students who knew how to build with wood “because that’s what my dad does” to kids who wanted to see the bugs up close again! And, of course, many wanted to know “how much money do you make?” The students sent each presenter a set of thank you notes from classes. The notes and letters are truly priceless and we would like to share a few of our favorites with you.

Hair Stylist – Dear Ms Waddell and students. I loved the hair stuff. I want to be you. Love, Olivia.

Artist – Dear Ms. Waller, Thank you for coming to our school. Thank you for telling us you don’t have to be talented to do it. Thank you for believing in us. That inspired me so much. You are very generous. P.S. Get better at drawing. Sincerely, Gabriel.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

2nd Annual Career Day at Centennial Elementary School

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Centennial Career Day Continued!

Pest Control – Dear Mr. Hartman, Thank you for coming to our school. My favorite presentation was seeing the bugs up close. I would work pest control because I like bugs and insects. Oh and by the way don’t call me if there is a bee hive. Sincerely, Vincente.

UA Optical Science – Thank you so much for visiting Centennial on Career Day and speaking to my class about Optical Science. My favorite of your presentations was the glowing pickle. My 2 favorite was the rainbow glasses. Sincerely, Rebekah.

Builder – Dear Mr. Wilson, Thank you for showing us how to be a builder. I first “saw” you at 2012. “Saw” get it? I don’t even wanna grow up I like how I am. I liked it when you showed us how to build the door. Sincerely, Evan.

99.5 DJ – Dear Buzz Jackson, Thank you for coming to visit us. I love how you showed us your awards from your contest for great country music. Thank you for putting us on the radio. Thank you for being nice to my class. Can you come back and visit again? Sincerely, Jayden.

Engineer – Thank you for going to our school. Thanks for the tips on space. I was thinking about going to the space station. Sincerely, Alexis.

Horse Trainer – Dear Cathy, Thank you for coming to our Career Day. My favorite part was when the female horse rolled over in the grass. The male horse sneezed and snot went all over my face. Love, Mayli

COMMUNITY IMPACT

As we know each child is unique and sees the good and bad part of careers in their own way! We were excited that we were able to provide Career Day to the students once again this year, sharing a variety of career choices to them and praying they left with hope inside their hearts and minds, that they can grow up and become whatever they want!

A special thank you to the following businesses who made donations for the breakfast, coffee and water provided to the presenters and staff for Career Day.

• Walmart on LaCholla • Neighborhood Walmart on Ruthrauff • Bruegger’s Bagels on LaCholla • Bashas on LaCholla • Roadrunner Coffee Co on Thornydale

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Fun Times Serving at Centennial

COMMUNITY IMPACT

WE REACHED OUR GOAL!

Because of your generosity, we were able to collect over 500 books which were given to the students at Centennial. Alison Vigil, reading specialist of Centennial was amazed at the many books which were given and began sorting them to distribute to classes. Each child will be sent home on the last day of school with a new book to call their own! Thanks for your giving hearts.

Grandparent’s Day Breakfast at Centennial!

Pancake Breakfast for Teacher Appreciation

Day at Centennial.

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Tell us about this new ministry that you're starting.

As most folks know Good Leaven Ministries has been developing a retreat center in Show Low for organizations that serve teens and young adults for a few years now. In working with these organizations we have become aware of an extreme need for tattoo removal here in Tucson. Specifically the removal of gang and other inappropriate tattoos from young people. These are kids that are trying to get out of gangs and other bad situations but can’t due to recognizable visible tattoos. They struggle getting jobs as well as face a security risk every time they walk on the street.

Why did you want to do this?

We have a special love for young people and we want them to be successful. Often one or more bad decisions by an individual or their parents can create obstacles that make it difficult for them to live a regular life with access to good jobs, education, etc. We don’t want a tattoo to be the reason a young person can’t join the army or find other kinds of meaningful employment.

Did you have any training and if so what kind was needed?

We are working with doctors that already provide tattoo removal in the community. They are providing their services at a reduced cost to make it affordable to the young people we work with. I did attend a training class up in Scottsdale to learn about tattoo removal and the laws that regulate this industry. No additional training will be required.

How does it help others?

Tattoos have become very popular in our culture but there are still many jobs where a visible tattoo prevents employment. Additionally the military has stop recruiting people who have visible tattoos. The removal of these visible and/or inappropriate tattoos will give these young people fresh chance to achieve success in our community.

How can I get involved?

Good Leaven Ministries is looking for folks that can help spread the word about our ministry as well as assist in transportation and other support activities.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Community Spotlight

Eric and Donna Burch are active members of Northwest Community Church and the founders of Good Leaven Ministries. For more information about their ministry, visit their website: http://www.goodleavenministries.org/

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COMMUNITY IMPACT

Service Celebration Day

Our vision, Serving Christ by Serving People happens by so many of us, in different places, and in

different ways, and we are going to celebrate together on Sunday, June 29. We will also be hosting a

ministry fair after church which will include many organizations NWCC has partnered with over the

years, and some new ones we would like to introduce you to.

We will also be having lunch together after church, so please watch the bulletin for more details

about lunch and what we’ll be having!

Mark it on your calendar- it’s going to be a great Sunday!

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Dear Northwest Community Church, I wanted to thank the members of Northwest Community Church for their outstanding support these past few years. I’ve attended MOPS for 9 years and this has been the most supportive congregation. Each week when I left I felt so blessed to have such caring people watching our kids. What a blessing it is for moms to have a break and socialize together. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. Sincerely, Megan Etter

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

Our NWCC church family was blessed as always on Easter morning this year. Breakfast served by our youth group, our annual petting zoo and a joyful time in God's Word made for a very special morning.

This year the Tucson Christian Youth Farm was honored to bring a variety of animals to NWCC, including llamas, turkeys and rabbits. Don't think we didn't notice you adults cuddling up to the animals every bit as much as the kids did!

We appreciate all the donations of eggs and candy for the preschool egg hunt and goodie bags for our children and youth.

Thank you to all the children, youth and adults who participated in making our Easter morning a time of celebration!

"But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip." -Acts 2:24

Easter Morning

Thank You NWCC! Dear Northwest Community Church Members, Please accept this very tardy, but heartfelt thanks for ALL you did for Centennial students and staff during the 2013-2014 school year. You can’t begin to understand how much stress relief you provided. When we had a situation where we needed help and support, Debbie stepped right up and volunteered you all. It was always much appreciated. I personally, want to thank you for the Starbucks Card. What a treat! And for the Book It Everyday Nights you held and for all the books you so generously gave our students. They have no more excuses for not reading! I look forward to next year and hope to see all of you on June 29th! Blessings to you all! Alison Vigil, Reading Specialist- Centennial Elementary

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10 Myths About the Bible By: Whitney T Kuniholm

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least, New Testament scripture) by being modernized is an accidental kind which it never had for its writers or earliest readers… We ought therefore welcome all new translations (when they are made by sound scholars).” C.S. Lewis in God in the Dock.

3. The Bible as we know it omits other Gospels that tell a different story about Jesus. “The vastly exaggerated claims made on behalf of these gospels are more revealing about what contemporary scholars and writers would like to find about the first Christian ages, and how these ideas are communicated, accurately or otherwise, to a mass public. The alternative gospels are thus very important sources… for what they tell us about the interest groups who seek to use them today; about the mass media, and how religion is packaged as popular culture…” Philip Jenkins in Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way.

4. The Bible was written centuries after the events it describes supposedly happened. “The great majority of the New Testament books were penned between A.D. 50 and 100.” David F. Payne in New International Bible Commentary.

5. The Bible's view of God is inconsistent: in the Old Testament he's mean and angry, in the New Testament he's loving and forgiving. “The wrath of God is His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of Divine equity against evil... Not that God’s anger is a malignant and malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for the sake of it, or in return for injury received. No; while God will vindicate His dominion as Governor of the universe, He will not be vindictive.” A.W. Pink in The Attributes of God.

6. The Bible advocates things we know are wrong, like slavery. “While the Bible does not reject slavery outright, the conclusion that it actually favors slavery is patently wrong. Scripture does reveal that slavery is not ideal, both in Old Testament laws forbidding the enslavement of fellow Israelites, the law of jubilee, and in New Testament applications of Christ. In fact, the Bible teaches that the

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I think I struck a nerve. Last year I wrote an article called “Top 10 Reasons the Bible is True.” I also posted it on my blog (www.EssentialBibleBlog.com). As it turned out, the piece got more than 10 times the response than anything I’ve ever put on the blog. Most of the responses were positive and affirming. It seems the majority of people really appreciated some help in thinking through the credibility of the Bible. But there were a few people who strongly disagreed with me. One commenter offered over 100 reasons why they felt the Bible was not true. But as I reflected on the negative responses, I realized they all fell into a few patterns. So…here are my Top 10 Myths about the Bible (and why they’re bogus).

1. The Bible was created by church officials to maintain their own power. “The content is far too counterproductive…to promote [the church] policies, consolidate their power, and build their movement. If this popular view is correct, we would expect to see many places in the gospels where Jesus takes sides in debates that were going on in the early church …However, we do not find this.” Timothy Keller in The Reason for God.

2. Modern translations of the Bible obscure the original meaning. “The only kind of sanctity which Scripture can lose (or, at

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10 Myths About the Bible Continued…

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Old Testament in a form very close to that used by Ezra when he taught the Law to those who had returned from the Babylonian captivity.” R. Laird Harris, “How Reliable Is the Old Testament Text?” in Gordon Clark, Can I Trust My Bible?

10 The Bible may be great literature but it's not "inspired by God.” “The word ‘inspired’ … refers not to the writers, but to the words that have been written… A further indication that the Bible is the Word of God is in the remarkable number of fulfilled prophecies it contains.” Paul E. Little in Know Why You Believe.

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6 feeling of superiority in general is sin! The abolition of slavery is thus not only permissible by biblical standards, but demanded by biblical principles.” Ravi Zacharias, “Does the Bible Condone Slavery” in Slice of Infinity.

7 The Bible is against proven science. “Science and religion … are friends, not foes, in the common quest for knowledge. Some people may find this surprising, for there’s a feeling throughout our society that religious belief is outmoded, or downright impossible, in a scientific age. I don’t agree. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if people in this so-called ‘scientific age’ knew a bit more about science than many of them actually do, they’d find it easier to share my view.” Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne in Quarks, Chaos and Christianity.

8 The Bible has been discredited by modern archaeology. “Now, however, it is no longer possible to reject the substantial historicity of the Bible, at least as far back as the time of Abraham, because of the remarkable discoveries of archaeology.” Henry Morris as quoted by Roy Mills in Truth—Not Exactly: A Book for Truth Seekers and Those They Care About.

9 The Bible is full of errors and can't be trusted. “We can be sure that copyists worked with great care and accuracy on the Old Testament, even back to 225 B.C. At that time there were two or three types of text available for copying. These types differed amongst themselves so little, however, that we can infer that still earlier copyists had also faithfully and carefully transmitted the Old Testament text. Indeed, it would be rash skepticism that would now deny that we have our

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Whitney T. Kuniholm, President of Scripture Union. He's author of several Bible-related books and has a blog (www.EssentialBibleBlog.com). He also speaks at churches and Christian conferences.

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Northwest Welcomes New Members!

John and Valerie Shay: For John and Valerie this is a bit of a

homecoming. They were members in the early days of

Northwest, and once again began attending Norwest a few

years ago. John and Valerie are retired and spend their time

volunteering at Northwest and the local community, and taking

care of their granddaughters as often as they can.

Scott and Lynn Seppala: Scott and Lynn have been attending

Northwest for the past several years. Scott and Lynn are long

time Tucson residents and are actively involved in volunteering

with the Boy Scouts, their children’s schools and around

Northwest. They are parents to three great children. Taylor,

Tate, and Zach.

Mary Jo Campos-Kaplan: Mary Jo has been attending

Northwest for almost a year. She is mother to two great

daughters: Azelia and Makala. Mary Jo works for Truly Nolan

and also volunteers at the Tucson Christian Youth Farm and

Northwest.

We want to welcome the following people to the Northwest family.

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STUDENT MINISTRY

The youth have been busy! Just an update, we have been averaging 17 in youth. We have added new adults as well! Weezie Waller has joined our team and has been sharing teaching duties with Randall and Jonathan. Weezie joined the team after the progressive dinner. She had so much fun, she wanted to be a part. She brings a ton of intelligence and talent to our team. Not only that, she is lots of fun. She was a big help and artistic talent in getting the youth room completed. She ran the splatter party from "inside the bubble,” and you can see the beauty in her work. Come by and see what we have done, if you haven't already. We also had to say goodbye to one of our own and dearly loved leaders. Netta Skoog, returned home to Texas at the end of May to be with her husband, Matt when he came back from Afghanistan. Netta has been a part of Northwest since she was a teen and will always be part of our family. She is a beautiful woman of God that has touched, blessed and enriched many live around her. That includes me and the youth ministry here at NWCC. Netta you are loved and missed. Thank you for all of your hard work, here with our youth and at TCYF impacting the lives of so many! We love you, come back soon! (And bring Matt.) We have done so many things in our group! We have been in fundraising mode for awhile, as we are taking 18 people to San Diego on a mission trip. The trip cost for everything will be over $9000.00 and God is faithful. It looks like all the funds are in place, if not we are close enough not to worry. We are going with a group on a "week of hope" where will minister to families in the area, elderly, and those who need to feel the compassion of others. We will see how God can use our teens to minister to someone outside of themselves and their comfort level. We will be Serving Christ by Serving Others. We will throw in some fun as well, so we are going to spend the final day of the trip at SeaWorld. The trip is scheduled for July 6-12. Please stop in and say hi, to us. Invite your friends or visit with us on Sunday mornings. You are always welcome in the Youth Room.

Northwest Community Church 505 W Hardy Rd. Tucson, AZ 85704

520-742-5122 Email: info@northwest.cc

Website: www.northwest.cc

Our Church Staff Pastor Dan Acker

Laurie Acker: Director of Worship Randall Hartman: Director of Student Ministry Debbie Oberin: Director of Community Impact

Tara Kelly: Communication Coordinator