Hi Newport Church Family,
We are so thankful for you and all that you contribute to the life of our church family and community.
We hope that you had a very blessed and merry Christmas with your family and friends!
Sabbath Sunday December 27th - A Time to Rest & Reflect
This Sunday will be a “Sabbath Sunday”, where we will not be holding a service but rather taking time at home with our families to rest and reflect on God and His faithfulness this year.
We want to encourage you to take some intentional and purposeful time to do this and we pray that it will be an enriching time for us all.
On the Seventh Day God Rested & Reflected
On the seventh day of Creation, God rested. He did this, not to recuperate from the exertion of creating the heavens and the earth, but in order to reflect on and consider the work of His hands.
The Hebrew word used for “Rested” in Genesis 1 literally means to “desist from, ponder, reflect, meditate on…”
And it strongly communicates the sense of satisfaction that comes from the completion of a project or activity.
On this last Sunday of the year let’s do what God did on last day of Creation by taking time to reflect on all of the highs and lows of this year and on God’s ever present faithfulness in the midst of it all.
What have we Learned and How have we Grown in 2020?
Even though this year did not turn out the way we expected it to, we have all had many opportunities to learn and to grow.
The truth is that we grow and learn more in times of adversity than we do in times of ease.
The Apostle Peter used the analogy of how gold is refined to describe how our faith is refined and strengthened.
As Gold is put into intense heat, the dross or impurities in the gold are brought to the surface so that they can be removed and a purer, more refined gold remains.
In the same way our faith is refined in times of difficulty and extreme pressure, and we learn and grow in ways that can only take place in these times.
“Though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV
As we leave 2020 and enter 20121 may we do so, better, stronger, wiser and with a faith that has grown through the difficulties and pressures of this year.
Making a Difference this Christmas!
We are so thankful for all that we were able to do together to make a difference in people’s lives this Christmas and it wouldn’t have been possible without you.
A big thank you to all those who gave their time, talent and finances to make it all happen!
Our annual “My Christmas Wish Serve Day” and our Christmas Special were significant and successful days and so many people were greatly blessed through them.
You can check out some of the photos of My Christmas Wish Serve Day here and watch the Christmas special on our Newport Church YouTube channel if you missed it or would like to share it with others.
If you have not had an opportunity to contribute to our Thanksgiving offering there is still time to do so, and you can also give your regular tithes and offerings by clicking this link
Our Next Sunday Service is on January 3rd 2021!
We look forward to seeing you for our next Sunday service on January 3rd.
We are praying that God will do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ever ask, hope or imagine for you, your family and our church in 2021!
We love and appreciate you greatly
With love and blessings
Jonathan & Dianne Wilson
Senior Pastors