Dwight’s Monthly Letter – Jan 2012

Happy New Year! Can you believe it is 2012? It seems like just a couple years ago we were dealing with Y2K. Time flies by so fast. As Scripture says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 92:12). When you realize that you have a limited amount of days, it makes you wiser, because you know they are precious – you will either waste them, spend them, or invest them. 

Speaking of Y2K, do you remember the panic that it brought to our world? Fear ran wild. It crippled and paralyzed people. People did crazy things. Scripture tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real, and it is one of the enemy’s greatest weapons, because it keeps us from taking risks. 

That is why God tells us 365 times in Scripture, “Do not be afraid” or “Fear not.” And here’s the good news: It’s not just a command, it’s followed with a promise – “Fear not, for I AM with you.” I AM? Yeah, THE GREAT I AM . . . I AM whatever you will need, to face and do My will. 

I was with a group of pastors a few months ago, and one of the questions they asked me was this: “How do you nurture and develop your growing and vibrate faith?” I said I wish I could tell you it is because I spend 4 to 5 hours a day in God’s Word. I wish I could tell you it is because I pray 3 to 4 hours a day. Instead, I told them that I practice two very important spiritual disciplines: 1) I ask God what He would have me to do this year; 2) If God doesn’t provide and move, I will fail for sure. This causes me to live with a sense of God’s presence in my life every day. It drives me to hear from Him (Bible) and talk to Him (Prayer). It leads me to live a life of the miraculous. 

This is the life that Jesus Christ calls us to live. Jesus tells a story in Luke 19:11-27 (be sure to read it) where a Master gives money to three of his servants and tells them to "invest this for me while I am gone.” He comes back and finds that two risked and one played it safe. He rebuked the one who played it safe and said, “Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag" (v. 26, MSG).

So let me ask you a question: Are you going to play it safe in 2012 and end up holding the bag? Or are you going to risk and get more than you ever dreamed? The choice is yours; the consequences are not. Take a moment and ask God what He would have you risk for His kingdom. You don’t want to stand before a Savior who has nail-pierced hands and feet and a pierced side and say that you played it safe. 

Welcome him (Epaphroditus) with Christian love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. For he risked his life for the work of Christ . . . (Phil. 2:29-30).

Dwight's Monthly Letter - Dec 2011

It seems like Christmas puts most people in a pretty good mood. Why is that? It just might be that when we focus on others, it gives us joy. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. 

You no doubt have heard the story of Alex Corona. He is an 8-year old boy who attends our Canton Campus. He was saving his money so that the Canton Campus could get a play land. Well, God interrupted his plans with a campaign that was happening in our kids department at NewPointe called 2 Coats. It is an effort to make sure that boys, girls, and adults of Northeast Ohio have warm coats for this winter. When Alex heard this, he felt a little nudge in his heart to give his money he was saving, and that is just what he did.

Alex has been on an adventure ever since, and his willingness to give has impacted people all over Northeast Ohio. It ignited a spirit of generosity in a cashier at Old Navy, the manager of Old Navy, all the way to the CEO of Old Navy, and also to a Fox 8 News anchor person who has covered the story, and to people who call NewPointe their church home. The count of coats is well over 1,100 and still counting - not to mention the hats, gloves, and scarves.

What would have happen had Alex not acted on the nudge he got from God? We will never know. But, we do know what is happening because he did. All throughout this Christmas season God is going to be nudging you and me. Let’s not ignore His nudge, but let’s say ‘yes’. You never know what God will do on the other side of a ‘yes’ to Him. I can assure you that you will experience what Alex is learning - that it not only changes you personally, but it changes everybody around you.

Check it Alex's story http://www.fox8.com/news/morningshow/

I am personally inviting you, your family, friends, and co-workers to come to one of our Christmas Eve services:

• Dover Campus
  12, 2, 4 & 6 p......activities for children birth to age 5 available at 2pm & 4pm only.

• Canton Campus
  2 & 4 pm..............activities for children birth to age 5 available at 2pm only.

• Millersburg Campus
  2 & 4 pm.............activities for children birth to age 5 available at 2pm only.

Merry Christmas!

Dwight’s Monthly Letter – Nov 2011

We are starting a Wellness Program here on staff at NewPointe. It was kind of funny at the initial meeting. We all had to get our blood taken, be weighed, check our blood pressure and body fat, and fill out a questionnaire about our habits and lifestyles. You could sense that most of us were nervous and anxious. One of the reasons is because we all have the intuition that lets us know we are probably not going to get a report back saying we absolutely have nothing to work on. So, there was small chatter and nervous laugher that you could hear as we moved through each station.

It reminded me of what Paul said to Timothy in I Timothy 4:8, “For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.”

First, we do need to take care of our body. It is the temple of God. It is his instrument or tool. And physical training does have value. But, ultimately, my body is going to be destroyed. Paul goes on to say, "That which has the most value is spiritual training, because it holds promise for the present life and the life to come."

We get nervous when we evaluate the health of our physical body - which we all need to do because it does have value. When was the last time you had a physical examination? I want to encourage you, because life is precious. And, if you don’t want to do for yourself, then do it for your family. Push past the nervousness and fear. You’ll be glad you did. You will be able to address things that you were not aware of, and many times, catch things before they become a problem.

As I was standing in line, I thought to myself how nervous it would make most of us to do a spiritual evaluation. And probably for the same reasons a physical one does. Yet this examination is of even more importance, because it not only benefits us in this life but the next life too.

In the medical world, they check about 3 things to know right away if you have concerns physically. Here’s a way you can do that spiritually. It will give you a quick, accurate evaluation of your spiritual condition:

1. Time – Are you giving God time? Here’s how - by making NewPointe’s Sunday morning service a priority, and by taking a minimum of 15 minutes to talk and listen to Him thru Bible reading and prayer.
2. Talent – Are you using your gifts and talents to serve God? Or are you just using your abilities to fulfill your own dreams and desires? Here’s how - by serving in a significant way through NewPointe so that God’s purposes may be fulfilled.
3. Treasure – Are you generous towards God and His work? Do you tithe? Here’s how - give sacrificially by saying no to something you want so that you can give more to God’s work.

I want to be in good shape physically because I have a beautiful wife and four great kids. They need me to be around, and I want to be around.

I want to be in good shape spiritually because I have a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me, and I have family and friends who desperately need to know Him.

Blogs Can Be Confusing

I want to clarify what I said on an earlier blog post. I wrote that when someone asked me if my heart had left Dover, I said no because my heart had never been in Dover. And I referred to someone who asked if my heart left Sugarcreek when we relocated to State Route 39, and again I said no because my heart was not in Sugarcreek. I said my heart has always been for people in general.

Here is perhaps better wording: My heart will always be in Sugarcreek, Dover, New Philadelphia, Millersburg, etc. My heart is for people, no matter where they live. I want you to understand me on this. Lost people matter to God, so they better matter to us. It is not a matter of choosing one over another, but like your children, if you are blessed with them, you love them all the same.

Monthly Letter - October 2011

Why multi-site? Because lost people matter to God.

I was asked by someone if my heart went to Canton or Millersburg because of our multi-site campuses, and I said no. My heart was never in Dover or New Phila. My heart has always been for God and people. If that wasn’t the case, NewPointe would have never relocated from Sugarcreek to St. Rt. 39. The reason we are a multi-site is the same reason we relocated. Lost people matter to God, so they better matter to us.

There are two questions that God is going to ask you when you die. First, what did you do with my son Jesus Christ? Second, what did you do to spread the Good News? One of the ways that you know that you truly know God is that you have a desire to see other people come to know Christ.

A multi-site church means we are one church with multiple locations. Each of these locations is called a campus. The benefit of being a multi-site church is that we can reach more communities without having to reproduce the entire church. We feel this is the most efficient and cost effective way to accomplish our mission of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

As part of our multi-site strategy, our goal is to provide a consistent Sunday morning experience regardless of which campus you attend. Utilizing high-quality video allows us to deliver the same message to each campus. The ultimate goal being effective teaching that leads people into a growing relationship with Jesus. All other components of the Sunday service are live using our local ministry staff.

Why multi-site?

• The multi-site strategy is less about growing a church and more about reaching a community.
• A multi-site campus means a new congregation in a new location; it reaches new people and communities faster and more effective.
• Multi-sites take the church to the people, rather than forcing them to drive long distances to a church.
• A multi-site church puts the “local” back in the local church; it gives more people an opportunity to use their gifts and talents.
• A multi-site creates more seats at optimal inviting hours at less cost; it allows more people to come at the time they want.
• Multi-sites reduce the dependence on a single leader – it is a team effort.
• Multi-sites are a practical way to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43 NIV).
• The life principle for all living things is found in Genesis 1:18—be blessed, be fruitful, and multiply. That’s God’s desire for every church.
• God always looks for new ways to fulfill His purposes.

I Chronicles 12:32 tells us, “. . . and of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do . . .”

I am thankful to work with leaders who understand the times we are living in and know what is best to reach people for God.

Monthly Letter – September 2011

God is not boring, so church shouldn’t be either. We are advertising this in a variety of ways in Stark County and letting people know this incredible truth. 

But, you know as well I do that the best advertisement is word-of-mouth.This is where I need everyone at NewPointe to help leverage this great opportunity. Folks are getting back into a routine with school starting, and this gives us a great opportunity to invite people to a weekend service at one of our campuses. Do you realize that 3 out of 4 people say that they would go to church if someone would invite them? 

At NewPointe, part of our strategy in helping you reaching your family and friends for Christ is called invest & invite. We believe the saying ‘people don’t care what you know, until they know how much you care.’ We realize that most people believe in God, but they just don’t have much faith in the Church. So, to get them to visit a weekend service, they need to know that you care about them and that you are trustworthy.

And, we realize that it takes teamwork to reach people, so here is what we are doing. We are launching a new series on September 18 called Dealing with Difficult People. We all have a few of them in our lives, right? Well, so do our families and friends. NewPointe is committed to creating engaging and enlightening environments at our weekend services, so that your family and friends can have a God-encounter in a safe place.

But, we need you to be more intentional with your family and friends than you have ever been. Begin right now to invest in those around you by praying that God will prepare their hearts and by investing in them in a personal way. Who knows, maybe it is a family member or a friend who is a difficult person for you – this just might be the opportunity to change all of those dynamics for the good!

Don’t miss this opportunity. And remember, you and I are the best advertisement for Christ.

Making a Community Impact

On August 7 at each of our NewPointe campuses, we are literally fulfilling Scripture which tells us not to just love with words but with action. It’s called Community Impact Day. We will be serving the people in our surrounding communities by tackling various projects like painting, landscaping, carpentry, hairstyling, visiting the nursing homes, clean-up and more.

We are meeting at each of our campuses at 9 a.m. for a time of prayer and worship, and then we’ll scatter throughout the communities and become “love with skin.” God will use this to speak to our communities. I truly believe that most people need to see a message more than they need to hear one.

So, remember - we will not be having regular services at any of our NewPointe campus on August 7, and the church will be closed. Instead, we are going to BE the church!

Later that day, everyone will gather back at the Dover Campus at 6:30 p.m. for a tailgate celebration. Bring chairs and food for your own family, and together we will enjoy a concert, fireworks, and games as we celebrate what God has done through us and in us and in our communities. It will be a fun and exciting time.

Finally, I want to thank you for your generous spirit. When other pastors hear about what we are doing on August 7, usually the first question they ask is, “What about the offering?” I tell them that the people of NewPointe are truly committed to the vision and mission, and they will give whether we have an official offering or not. So thank you in advance for the generosity of your time, talent, and treasure.

If you haven’t yet decided to participate in Community Impact Day, there is still time. The last day to register is this Sunday, July 31. Stop by the Information Desk or register online at our website.

P.S. I am kicking off a new series on August 14 called Lead Where You Are. I promise you won't want to miss any of these messages.