१०थ Anniversary

“YOU DEAR CHILDREN, ARE FROM GOD AND HAVE OVERCOME THEM, BECAUSE THE ONE WHO IS IN YOU IS GREATER THAN THE ONE WHO IS IN THE WORLD.” 1 JOHN 4:४

Against all odds, Our Church is 10 years old today। Ten years ago an excited group of people gathered together in the old American Legion building on Route 3 to begin a new spiritual adventure together. We had no idea what God had in store for us, but we had a vision. Our vision was to be a church for the unchurched. Our battle cry was “COME AS YOU ARE AND MEET GOD AS HE IS!”

Many have come and many have gone; a few have stayed, but the vision today has only broadened and deepened। We are a church for the unchurched and the wounded. We still say come as you are and met God as He is, but we also say, “Don’t just come to church – Be the Church!”

There is a new hunger and desire to reach the lost, the hurting and the wounded। We want to love all and serve all.

I think I spent at least 6 years of the first 10, making mistakes, but hopefully we have learned along the way। We are at a critical time right now where we need to grow numerically. We are growing spiritually and in community, but we need to have others join us so that we can better impact our Community of Gahanna for Christ.

We are touching lives as far away as Ukraine, Russia, Japan, Africa, and The Philippines, but we want to impact where we live and the rest of the world।

There have been many days that I have been ready to quit, some of the most difficult have been the most recent and then I remember our loved ones who were ministered to by this ministry and are now in Heaven; 35 people many who started out with us; many who came to know Christ for through this ministry and today stand before Him। Just last week another En Theos Member of our Church went home to the Lord; at 97 Pluma Bates has finally received her reward. No doubt we will miss her as we miss Jody, Tim, Peggy, Mike, June, Laura, Wilda, Barb, Ron Moody, Lou and David Mahr and so many others, but they are why we have fought the fight for ten years and they are why we will continue to do what God has called us to do, for their memory and for the souls of all the others we have yet to meet! WE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT YOU. Without you, I will never have the opportunity to be there for some other Husband, brother, sister, mother or friend will. The more I am pulled aside to do secular work to support my family, the fewer calls I can make, the fewer lives we can touch.

We have OVERCOME and by God’s grace and with your continued support of membership; giving of your time, talents and tithes, we shall continue to reach the lost and the hurting.
On this our 10th Anniversary, I invite you to make a fresh commitment to God through New Hope Community Fellowship. If you have been called to worship elsewhere God Bless you; will you considered supporting us as a missionary outreach here in the States? For those of you who remain; Thank You, your support means more to me personally than you will ever know this side of Heaven. Thank you to a faithful Associate and his wife and thank you to my family; they have endured the most and I couldn’t have done it without them; mostly Thank you to He who is greater in us than he who is in the world. Thank you Jesus! Amen!