Thank you to everyone who has believed in Netcast, supported Netcast, partnered with Netcast and has prayed for Netcast.
May we see even greater things in 2013.
All for the Glory of our King, Jesus!
Showing posts with label north shore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label north shore. Show all posts
Help Netcast; Help Amirah. Join the movement!!
When I mention the word "SLAVERY", what images come to mind? Perhaps southern plantations in the 18th and early 19th centuries? Or more recently, forced labor in Southeast Asia making designer clothes, sneakers, and handbags? Or maybe child soldiers wielding machetes and automatic rifles in Uganda?
Unfortunately, the problem is much larger and closer to home than you may have thought possible. Yes, slavery is alive and thriving today, right here in the land of the free and home of the brave. Recent statistics indicate that more than 300,000 human beings are trafficked in the U.S. each year. Upwards of 10% (THIRTY THOUSAND people) are trafficked right here through Greater Boston!
I am so excited that Netcast has a community group that refuses to stand idly by while this activity goes on around us. We have partnered with a safe house for women who have been rescued from the bonds of sexual slavery. These women are in dire need of physical and psychological healing, which experts will provide. The community group is sponsoring a room at the safe house to provide a comfortable and safe environment for such healing to occur. The room will accommodate two women (for six to 18 months, depending on the extent of rehabilitation required). We are supplying everything for a room, including but not limited to: beds, dressers, nightstands, lamps, alarm clocks, clothes hangers, bed linens, blankets, pillows, window treatments, and wall coverings. In order to organize the contributions and avoid duplication, we have developed a registry for items that will be donated to the safe house, much like a wedding or baby registry.
This registry also affords an opportunity to those who may want to participate at arms length. Once an item has been obtained, it will be removed from the list, so that only those items still needed will be listed. This is an ambitious effort that will have untold impacts on some very hurting women. Please be in prayer for these women, the safe house, and this project.
If you feel moved to participate in this initiative, we would welcome any additional assistance that God sends our way. Here's the link to the registry: http://www.myregistry.com/visitors/GiftList.aspx?param=1&sid=95109dd7-d5d3-45f7-8dbb-ef034986e85d
Financial Contributions can be made as a "Special Designation" at https://netcastchurch.ccbchurch.com/trx_submit.php?type=public_gift
I challenge anyone reading this, to pray about how God may invite you to participate in this effort.
Blog written with assistance from Alan Day and the Wednesday Night Danvers Community Group.
Unfortunately, the problem is much larger and closer to home than you may have thought possible. Yes, slavery is alive and thriving today, right here in the land of the free and home of the brave. Recent statistics indicate that more than 300,000 human beings are trafficked in the U.S. each year. Upwards of 10% (THIRTY THOUSAND people) are trafficked right here through Greater Boston!
I am so excited that Netcast has a community group that refuses to stand idly by while this activity goes on around us. We have partnered with a safe house for women who have been rescued from the bonds of sexual slavery. These women are in dire need of physical and psychological healing, which experts will provide. The community group is sponsoring a room at the safe house to provide a comfortable and safe environment for such healing to occur. The room will accommodate two women (for six to 18 months, depending on the extent of rehabilitation required). We are supplying everything for a room, including but not limited to: beds, dressers, nightstands, lamps, alarm clocks, clothes hangers, bed linens, blankets, pillows, window treatments, and wall coverings. In order to organize the contributions and avoid duplication, we have developed a registry for items that will be donated to the safe house, much like a wedding or baby registry.
This registry also affords an opportunity to those who may want to participate at arms length. Once an item has been obtained, it will be removed from the list, so that only those items still needed will be listed. This is an ambitious effort that will have untold impacts on some very hurting women. Please be in prayer for these women, the safe house, and this project.
If you feel moved to participate in this initiative, we would welcome any additional assistance that God sends our way. Here's the link to the registry: http://www.myregistry.com/visitors/GiftList.aspx?param=1&sid=95109dd7-d5d3-45f7-8dbb-ef034986e85d
Financial Contributions can be made as a "Special Designation" at https://netcastchurch.ccbchurch.com/trx_submit.php?type=public_gift
I challenge anyone reading this, to pray about how God may invite you to participate in this effort.
Blog written with assistance from Alan Day and the Wednesday Night Danvers Community Group.
Netcast Spring 2012 Update
Its been about 3 months since I have sent out a Netcast Update. On February 5th, Netcast moved to a new space since we were averaging well over 200 people in our services but only had 140 chairs. It was a pretty exciting problem to have.
Our new facility has really helped us to enhance every area of our ministry. Since we are renting a middle school auditorium on Sundays only, our expenses are still minimal and our space has gone from being able to fit 150 people comfortably to about 600 people comfortably. With the move, Netcast has seen another explosion of growth. At one time had almost 360 people in a single service. Our Children's Ministry went from about 20 kids on average, to at one point we had 70 kids in there. Almost all of this latest growth are by local families. This means that Netcast is really impacting our community and is becoming a more stable ministry.
With all of this excitement, we have also seen some real challenges. Because so many of the people are new, we have had to spend a lot of time and energy keeping our vision at the forefront of the church. Starting in February, I was taking the church through the Gospel of John, but to help keep a clear mission / vision and unity within the church, I recently started a series called "Netcast Identity" that will clearly define who we are as a body to all of the new people. As a church planter, I feel like I am in the core group phase again.
Another challenge has been that assimilation and pastoral care has been a growing difficulty. The difficulty of pastoral care has been hard because there are just so many people to care for and so little workers. The assimilation has been a real challenge because the way people are assimilated into a small church is drastically different than how people are assimilated into a medium sized church. Although we have a great number of people in community groups and serving positions, we need to continue to do better. Because of this, the majority of my time right now is being focused on organizing the internal structure and systems, leadership development and the preaching and teach of Gods Word.
Financially, Netcast is still doing very well when it comes to actual dollars. However, right now about 10% of our church is providing for 70% of our budget. So, in essence it seems we have about 30 people who cover the majority of our ministry expenses. I praise God for them, however we need to mature in this area as a church. We currently have very low fixed expenses and ZERO DEBT!! This has allowed us to continue to create a very generous culture within Netcast as we are giving away a high percentage of our budget to the Kingdom and are able to meet financial needs of our community when necessary.
Beth and I are still fundraising for about 66% of our annual income. At the beginning of 2013, I am hoping that that number will significantly decrease. Hopefully down to about 33%. In the past year a few of our supporters have stopped sending in support and honestly, I have been so overwhelmed with ministry responsibilities that I have not even followed up with them. I am looking to the summer as a time for me to refocus on some of my fundraising.
I praise Christ for all of you. You have been such a gift to my family and the Netcast Community. Please stay in touch and check us out at www.netcastchurch.org
Matt
------------------------------------
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
netcastchurch.org matt@netcastchurch.org
Our new facility has really helped us to enhance every area of our ministry. Since we are renting a middle school auditorium on Sundays only, our expenses are still minimal and our space has gone from being able to fit 150 people comfortably to about 600 people comfortably. With the move, Netcast has seen another explosion of growth. At one time had almost 360 people in a single service. Our Children's Ministry went from about 20 kids on average, to at one point we had 70 kids in there. Almost all of this latest growth are by local families. This means that Netcast is really impacting our community and is becoming a more stable ministry.
With all of this excitement, we have also seen some real challenges. Because so many of the people are new, we have had to spend a lot of time and energy keeping our vision at the forefront of the church. Starting in February, I was taking the church through the Gospel of John, but to help keep a clear mission / vision and unity within the church, I recently started a series called "Netcast Identity" that will clearly define who we are as a body to all of the new people. As a church planter, I feel like I am in the core group phase again.
Another challenge has been that assimilation and pastoral care has been a growing difficulty. The difficulty of pastoral care has been hard because there are just so many people to care for and so little workers. The assimilation has been a real challenge because the way people are assimilated into a small church is drastically different than how people are assimilated into a medium sized church. Although we have a great number of people in community groups and serving positions, we need to continue to do better. Because of this, the majority of my time right now is being focused on organizing the internal structure and systems, leadership development and the preaching and teach of Gods Word.
Financially, Netcast is still doing very well when it comes to actual dollars. However, right now about 10% of our church is providing for 70% of our budget. So, in essence it seems we have about 30 people who cover the majority of our ministry expenses. I praise God for them, however we need to mature in this area as a church. We currently have very low fixed expenses and ZERO DEBT!! This has allowed us to continue to create a very generous culture within Netcast as we are giving away a high percentage of our budget to the Kingdom and are able to meet financial needs of our community when necessary.
Beth and I are still fundraising for about 66% of our annual income. At the beginning of 2013, I am hoping that that number will significantly decrease. Hopefully down to about 33%. In the past year a few of our supporters have stopped sending in support and honestly, I have been so overwhelmed with ministry responsibilities that I have not even followed up with them. I am looking to the summer as a time for me to refocus on some of my fundraising.
I praise Christ for all of you. You have been such a gift to my family and the Netcast Community. Please stay in touch and check us out at www.netcastchurch.org
Matt
------------------------------------
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
netcastchurch.org matt@netcastchurch.org
Why an Easter Egg Hunt? (An Angry Email)
Netcast will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt for the community on March 31st at Lynch Park. Because of an angry email that I received from a complaining Christian, it is necessary that I address why we would support an Easter Egg Hunt when Easter is obviously about the resurrection of Christ and has nothing to do with Eggs, Bunnies and Candy. Please take a moment to read the email I received as well as Netcast's stance below that.
Pastor Chewning,
I saw a note on the North Shore Facebook page that you are sponsoring an "Easter Egg Hunt" to be held at Lynch Park.
I am curious why a Christian church would be sponsoring an Easter egg hunt. Easter is NOT about easter eggs, bunnies, baby chicks or other things like that. It is not about Easter baskets. Easter is about the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who broke down the dividing wall between God and man.....To me this is such a wrong thing for a Christian church to do. I understand that perhaps part of your reasoning to do this is neighborhood evangelism....a way of reaching out to the community. But to do so using Easter egg hunts to me is so very wrong.
I know that no one asked me how I felt about this, but I just wanted to let you know how at least one person feels about this. Yours Truly, "Disclosed Name"
In many cultures around the globe eggs and rabbits have been cultural symbols that resemble fertility and new birth. In most of the world, and particularly here in the States, the "Easter Bunny" has become a commercialized marketing tactic and the origin of that is so old that there are no real trustworthy documents that can shed any light on its true origination.
One thing that Netcast is passionate about is being Culturally Liberal and Doctrinally Conservative. In other words, Netcast will always fight for the things that scripture fights for; yet for the cultural things that scripture is unclear about, we will leave up to the matter of personal conscience. The other thing that Netcast is passionate about is our philosophy of mission. In many churches, missions is defined by going across the country or to another nation to bring the gospel. Yet, often when we do that, we neglect to remember that we live in a mission field. No longer do we have to leave the country to spread the gospel, but now we just have to walk across the street. Netcast is passionate about walking across the street.
What does an Easter Egg Hunt have to do with that?
Netcast has a desire to bring the Kingdom of God to the Communities on the North Shore. In order to do that, we have to stop thinking of how to get more people into church and rather how we can send the people from our church into the community. During Easter; bunnies, eggs and candy are a wonderful cultural bridge that allows Netcast to love on, interact with and potentially minister to the community. The Apostle Paul used this specific tactic in Acts 17 when he partially affirms the religious beliefs of the Greeks in order to use those beliefs to teach them the gospel of Christ. Easter Egg Hunts are no different, it is a way to partially affirm our culture in order to create a bridge to bring the gospel to our culture. Rather than standing on the outskirts of our culture yelling at it, lets enter the culture and minister to it.
As a believer in Christ; If you don't have a clear conscience about utilizing tools such as “Easter Egg Hunts” to be a blessing to the community, please don't. Follow the Holy Spirit as He guides your conscience. For those of us who's conscience is clear, I look forward to locking arms with you and blessing our city with eggs, face-painting, candy, bunnies, games, and some awesome family fun. We will do this in order to bring good to the community and use that to tell the good news of Jesus Christ.
Invite Invite Invite (Invite someone to church this week.)
Dear Netcast,
Honestly, I've never sent out an email like this before, however I felt led by the Lord to do it this week. I have really been enjoying the book of John thus far. Beyond the fun I am having in preaching it, it is doing wonders to my own soul.
This week we will be in John 3 where Jesus tells us that everyone must be born again. On Sunday, there will be a clear call to salvation and a clear description of the gospel. I would encourage everyone to find a person who is not a Christian or maybe on the fence and invite them to Netcast this week.
College students will be out this week, so there should be plenty of seats. Also, see the quote below from recent research published by Lifeway and when your done, drop an email to someone and invite them to "Come and See" this Sunday.
The friendship factor.
We’ve asked more than 50,000 people over the last 10 years why they came to church, and between 75 and 90 percent of respondents say, “I began attending because someone invited me.” Those friends and relatives are critical to the growth of churches. They far outweigh factors like the facilities, music, preaching, or children’s ministry—people may stay because of these things, but they come because someone they knew invited them.
Honestly, I've never sent out an email like this before, however I felt led by the Lord to do it this week. I have really been enjoying the book of John thus far. Beyond the fun I am having in preaching it, it is doing wonders to my own soul.
This week we will be in John 3 where Jesus tells us that everyone must be born again. On Sunday, there will be a clear call to salvation and a clear description of the gospel. I would encourage everyone to find a person who is not a Christian or maybe on the fence and invite them to Netcast this week.
College students will be out this week, so there should be plenty of seats. Also, see the quote below from recent research published by Lifeway and when your done, drop an email to someone and invite them to "Come and See" this Sunday.
The friendship factor.
We’ve asked more than 50,000 people over the last 10 years why they came to church, and between 75 and 90 percent of respondents say, “I began attending because someone invited me.” Those friends and relatives are critical to the growth of churches. They far outweigh factors like the facilities, music, preaching, or children’s ministry—people may stay because of these things, but they come because someone they knew invited them.
HUGE Announcement for our MOVE. (Feb 4th)
Netcast...
This weekend we celebrate being exactly 1 year old. Happy Birthday. I am still in awe of all that Christ has done in only 12 months.
Saturday February 4th, the day before our Re:Launch in Briscoe Middle School, we are inviting everyone out to visit the new space. Obviously, we cannot make this a mandatory gathering since we can't force anyone to do anything. However, we want to strongly urge everyone to join us. If you are serving at Netcast in any capacity, it is vital that you are here for this.
This will be a time for us to see the new space, learn our new responsibilities, dream and pray together. There will be some minor work for all of us to contribute to as we do our best to get the space ready for our launch on the 5th.
Below are the specific times for you to arrive if you are on a Ministry Team.
Set-up and Tear-down:
Arrive at 10:00am. At this time you will be trained on all the different setup components at the new location. All setup should be done within 1 – 1 ½ hours.
Children's Ministry:
Arrive at 11:30am. This will be your time to look at the new childrens space (which is going to be awesome.) You will also get acclimated to the new processes and our new Netcast Kids Service.
Worship an AV Team:
Arrive at 11:30am. At this time we will do a basic sound check, pray together and get a feel for the new acoustics and sound. Wrehave huge plans for this ministry in 2012.
Welcome Team:
Arrive at 11:30am. You will need to see where the new lobby area is, the process for first time guests, the new gifts we have for visitors, refreshments, etc. This ministry is probably the most vital team as we move. People make a decision about coming back before they ever hear the music or sermon. You are our first impression and vital to the growth and retention to the church.
Everyone else:
We would encourage everyone else to come out and join us at 12:30pm for lunch and a quick devotional. After lunch we may spend an hour together just wiping down chairs with some cleaner, organizing the storage space and some other minor cleanup.
Childcare will be provided. Please email me and let me know that you will be bring your children so that we have enough childcare workers.
Watch and Join the Movement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xdRare0OiI
Address: 7 Sohier Rd. Beverly, MA 01915
Pastor Matt
matt@netcastchurch.org
This weekend we celebrate being exactly 1 year old. Happy Birthday. I am still in awe of all that Christ has done in only 12 months.
Saturday February 4th, the day before our Re:Launch in Briscoe Middle School, we are inviting everyone out to visit the new space. Obviously, we cannot make this a mandatory gathering since we can't force anyone to do anything. However, we want to strongly urge everyone to join us. If you are serving at Netcast in any capacity, it is vital that you are here for this.
This will be a time for us to see the new space, learn our new responsibilities, dream and pray together. There will be some minor work for all of us to contribute to as we do our best to get the space ready for our launch on the 5th.
Below are the specific times for you to arrive if you are on a Ministry Team.
Set-up and Tear-down:
Arrive at 10:00am. At this time you will be trained on all the different setup components at the new location. All setup should be done within 1 – 1 ½ hours.
Children's Ministry:
Arrive at 11:30am. This will be your time to look at the new childrens space (which is going to be awesome.) You will also get acclimated to the new processes and our new Netcast Kids Service.
Worship an AV Team:
Arrive at 11:30am. At this time we will do a basic sound check, pray together and get a feel for the new acoustics and sound. Wrehave huge plans for this ministry in 2012.
Welcome Team:
Arrive at 11:30am. You will need to see where the new lobby area is, the process for first time guests, the new gifts we have for visitors, refreshments, etc. This ministry is probably the most vital team as we move. People make a decision about coming back before they ever hear the music or sermon. You are our first impression and vital to the growth and retention to the church.
Everyone else:
We would encourage everyone else to come out and join us at 12:30pm for lunch and a quick devotional. After lunch we may spend an hour together just wiping down chairs with some cleaner, organizing the storage space and some other minor cleanup.
Childcare will be provided. Please email me and let me know that you will be bring your children so that we have enough childcare workers.
Watch and Join the Movement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xdRare0OiI
Address: 7 Sohier Rd. Beverly, MA 01915
Pastor Matt
matt@netcastchurch.org
It's not the size that matters; its how you use it.
Matthew 4:23-25
23 (AK)And he went throughout all Galilee, (AL)teaching in their synagogues and (AM)proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and (AN)healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all (AO)Syria, and (AP)they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and (AQ)pains, (AR)those oppressed by demons,(AS)epileptics, and (AT)paralytics, and he healed them. 25 (AU)And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the (AV)Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.Everywhere I turn there is a blogger, pastor or critic who feels the need to bash churches that are large or growing faster than usual. Typically pride is somewhere at the root of the matter, but more than that it seems there is a movement arguing that fast growing churches or large churches are somehow a sell-out, shallow or so seeker sensitive that the gospel is not central. To be honest, there was a point in time where I began to consider if these accusations were true.
Something that is very interesting is the size and speed of which Jesus' ministry took off. From the scriptures, it seems that almost within days, Jesus was probably ministering to thousands of people. Everywhere he went, great crowds followed him. It seems that he was a man who was highly liked, wildly gifted, deeply respected and incredibly controversial. This caused a huge stir among the people in the community; both ordinary people as well as the political and religious leaders of that day.
So, is that bad? Is it wrong to have a large following? Is it wrong to be likes, gifted, respected or maybe controversial? To take it ever further; Is it wrong to "desire" a large following? I don't think so. In my humble opinion; it doesn't seem that Jesus was too concerned with how large or small his following was, as much as he was concerned with what he did with his followers. Jesus had a great following, yet that following never moved him away from viciously calling people to repentance, obedience and mission.
The same is true today. There is nothing wrong with wanting to maximize your influence or grow a large church or have a great following. As long as we commit to keeping the gospel central, the mission clear, and bringing glory to the Son of the Living God; having a large influence is a beautiful gift from the Father. If He grants you great influence, find joy in that; and if He doesn't, praise His beautiful name. At the end of the day, it's not the size of our influence that matters; its how we use it.
Baptism 9/11/2011 Netcast Church
This past week has marked a historic week in the life at Netcast. We had our first baptism service and it was just incredible. What an awesome celebration of what God is doing in the lives of the people in our church. For all 9 people who we baptized on Sunday, we did a small 4 minute video of their story. These stories are a must see.
Please go to http://www.vimeo.com/netcastchurch/videos
Thank you, to all of those who have supported this ministry. It is these stories that you have given to. These lives have been eternally changes because of your prayers and resources.
I love you more than you can know.
Matt
Netcast Church (One Year Later) Absolutely Incredible.
As I am sitting down to write this, I am staring at a blank screen in awe of what Christ is doing. Four years ago, Beth (my wife) and I began to feel the call to move back to Greater Boston to plant Netcast Church. After years of prep, assessments and the approval from those in leadership over us, we moved from Greensboro, North Carolina back to the least reached region in the United States and set out on the journey that God called us into. We had little money, no team, no church planting experience and four children; yet a holy discontentment of the current church culture in Greater Boston, which includes a movement away from things like the gospel, sound theology, conservative doctrine, biblical community and evangelicalism in general.
Here we are one year later and we're wrapped up in something we couldn't imagine in our wildest dreams. Things are moving at a pace much faster than we could have expected and in a region where the majority of church plants never get off the ground. Christ is building his church right before our eyes. Joe Souza, who is our regional SBC director, recently informed me that Netcast is the fastest growing church in New England. This month we are preparing to have nearly 200 people in our gathering on Sundays and on September 11th we will be baptizing around 10 people. In August we had 7 community groups going and are looking to add to that this month. Just this week, Dan Byrd (my pastor in college) and his family moved to Beverly to serve Netcast as our Minister of Gospel Communities. This will give us a staff of 5 people already. Three of the Five are raising their own support to work as Netcast employees.
Besides that, our Video / Audio ministry is growing just as fast. Just yesterday, Netcast had 81 people either listen or watch one of our sermons online. Netcast is reaching areas of the world that we never could have imagined.
Look at the email I just got:
Nubawi Nute made a comment on one of your posts. Not knowing that name or face. messaged her to ask if she went to Netcast. She lives in Thailand and loves listening to the Sunday messages you preach on the internet. She works with Burmese children sold into prostitution over the border in Thailand as a missionary. We're becoming friends. She said if she ever came to the US, she'd love to be a member of a church like Netcast! Love it! - Sharon Staples
I simply wanted to write to you and Thank You for your faithfulness to us. Without you guys, we would have never been able to see any of this happen. The fruit that Netcast is seeing today is simply due to the seeds that you planted. You are a jewel in the Kingdom of God. Words cannot express my gratitude and love for you.
Please continue to pray for us. With all the excitement and growth, comes its own set of responsibilities and issues. We have run out of space, we are having a hard time putting systems together to identify and grow leaders, I am stressed to the max (spent some time in the hospital with heart palpitations), time management has been difficult and our resources are very limited. Currently our church is made up of mostly young adults, college students and about 10 couples in their 50's. Basically, we're young, broke and have a lot of maturing to do. However, the gospel is true, we are seeking to spread it daily, God is saving people and disciples are being made.
Until all have heard of his Glory and Fame,
Matt
Back from Vail, CO with A29
So, I am so glad to be back this weekend and spend Sunday with my family at Netcast. Beth and I had a wonderful time in Vail, CO on vacation. The vacation served 2 purposes. First, the Acts 29 network sent us away to go on a retreat and have our souls refreshed with some incredible worship and bible teaching. Second, it was an awesome time for Beth and I to connect in ways that are just hard when you are in the day to day grind. I encourage all the married couples at Netcast to try and get away a few times a year without any kids or contact to the outside world.
That said, Happy Long Weekend!!! If you are in town this week, I really look forward to seeing you and maybe some of your visiting family at Netcast. This Sunday we will continue in 1st Corinthians 10 as Apostle Paul talks to the Corinthians Church about Idolatry. Yikes!! Invite a friend to church and then throw a bbq at your house.
A few Announcements:
•Community Groups will be coming to an end during the last week of August and then restarting again the week of September 12th. If you are not yet in a group, please get in one or plan on getting into one in September.
•Church Partnership will start up in September as well. Be praying about if the Lord is leading you to partner with us on this mission. Details of what partnership is, will be discuessed in coming months.
•We will be doing a baptism on September 11th. If you have not been baptized or were only baptized as a baby but not after making a profession of faith in Christ, email me at matt@netcastchurch.org Lets get you on the list.
Until all have heard,
Pastor Matt
That said, Happy Long Weekend!!! If you are in town this week, I really look forward to seeing you and maybe some of your visiting family at Netcast. This Sunday we will continue in 1st Corinthians 10 as Apostle Paul talks to the Corinthians Church about Idolatry. Yikes!! Invite a friend to church and then throw a bbq at your house.
A few Announcements:
•Community Groups will be coming to an end during the last week of August and then restarting again the week of September 12th. If you are not yet in a group, please get in one or plan on getting into one in September.
•Church Partnership will start up in September as well. Be praying about if the Lord is leading you to partner with us on this mission. Details of what partnership is, will be discuessed in coming months.
•We will be doing a baptism on September 11th. If you have not been baptized or were only baptized as a baby but not after making a profession of faith in Christ, email me at matt@netcastchurch.org Lets get you on the list.
Until all have heard,
Pastor Matt
Netcast Update....Cults, Easter, and more.
This morning I was sitting and reflecting on all God has been doing the
past couple of months and felt compelled to write. I need to thank you
for your continued support this past 8 months. It is amazing how the Lord
has been using us here in Greater Boston in such a short amount of time.
The latest news is that this past week we have begun to pull people out of
a local cult. This cult is targeting unchurched people with no biblical
knowledge and using out of context scriptures to manipulate them in very
sick ways. We already have at least 2 people who are now with Netcast and
there are more planning to get into community with us.
On Saturday before Easter we did an Easter egg hunt for the community. We
were a little disappointed when we woke up and it was pouring rain and 40
degrees outside. Over 400 people came out, IN THE RAIN, to join us for the
easter egg hunt. We gave out a ton of prizes, loved on some kids and just
had a good time.
I was just asked to be a part of the Youth Collaboration Board in Beverly .
This means that I will help make decisions on the direction of the youth
programs on the North Shore . Also, we are discussing how Netcast will be
able to use YMCA events as outreach opportunities for the good of the city.
In addition, Beth and I are doing great. She recently went to a counseling
conference in Dallas with Paul Tripp, Matt Chandler and some other people.
It was a great opportunity for her to get away and be reminded of the
beauty of the gospel.
Please be praying for our team. We need to continue to fight for unity as
things are growing. We currently have 6 community groups going and are
planning to go to 2 services in September. All of this is very stressful,
but to Christ be the glory. Thank you for your support this year. God has
used it to do far more than we could ever have imagined.
Matt
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
netcastchurch.org matt@netcastchurch.org
past couple of months and felt compelled to write. I need to thank you
for your continued support this past 8 months. It is amazing how the Lord
has been using us here in Greater Boston in such a short amount of time.
The latest news is that this past week we have begun to pull people out of
a local cult. This cult is targeting unchurched people with no biblical
knowledge and using out of context scriptures to manipulate them in very
sick ways. We already have at least 2 people who are now with Netcast and
there are more planning to get into community with us.
On Saturday before Easter we did an Easter egg hunt for the community. We
were a little disappointed when we woke up and it was pouring rain and 40
degrees outside. Over 400 people came out, IN THE RAIN, to join us for the
easter egg hunt. We gave out a ton of prizes, loved on some kids and just
had a good time.
I was just asked to be a part of the Youth Collaboration Board in Beverly .
This means that I will help make decisions on the direction of the youth
programs on the North Shore . Also, we are discussing how Netcast will be
able to use YMCA events as outreach opportunities for the good of the city.
In addition, Beth and I are doing great. She recently went to a counseling
conference in Dallas with Paul Tripp, Matt Chandler and some other people.
It was a great opportunity for her to get away and be reminded of the
beauty of the gospel.
Please be praying for our team. We need to continue to fight for unity as
things are growing. We currently have 6 community groups going and are
planning to go to 2 services in September. All of this is very stressful,
but to Christ be the glory. Thank you for your support this year. God has
used it to do far more than we could ever have imagined.
Matt
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
netcastchurch.org matt@netcastchurch.org
Netcast Update (Community Groups and Interns Needed)
Wow.....I hope you had as much fun as I did as we learned about the importance of community over the last 3 weeks. If everything begins to work out as planned, I think the influence that our church can have upon Greater Boston will blow all of our minds. I challenge you to get involved in a community group as soon as possible. The groups will officially start the first week of May. Between now and then, it is your job to commit to a group and begin to get plugged in. To sign up for a group; go to http://www.netcastchurch.org/#/netcast-community-groups and email Andrew about which group you would like like to be in. Please sign up ASAP. We believe that this is the most important ministry that Netcast has. Also, we are still looking for more summer interns for our Netcast Outreach Team. These interns will live in the "NOT House" over the summer and be a part of overseeing, serving and starting up this ministry. Please pass this along to anyone that you feel may be interested in doing this. E-mail lily@netcastchurch.org if you want more details or are interested. This past week we had over 150 people at service which is more than we ever thought we would have in just 12 weeks. Praise God. Amazing!!!! With Easter right around the corner, we think that this is a great time for you to consider inviting your friends and family to Netcast. Lets pack out the building as we celebrate the most life altering event in all of human history. The Resurrection of Jesus! A few things that our Senior Staff are praying about a working through. Please pray for wisdom as we work through this. Tightening up service to be 1 hour and 15 minutes max. Moving to 2 services. Outreach over the summer.
8 Desires for Netcast Community Groups
When the church started, it didn’t start as a new religion, but rather as a movement. There were no pastors, pays staff, real estate, marketing, tracks, etc. Instead, they were small groups of people living deeply in community and who shared a belief system that was radically different than any other belief system in the world. They believed that Jesus was God, that he was murdered for claiming to be God and rose from the dead signifying that he is God. By doing so, he has paid the penalty for the sins of everyone who believes in him and puts their hope and trust in him. 8 Things that we desire for Netcast community groups. 1. We desire for our community groups to be the front door of the church, not just the next step for people who show up on Sunday. 2. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we encourage one another and rescue each other from our deceitful hearts when it is necessary. Hebrews 3:12-14 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from(A) the living God. 13But(B) exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by(C) the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ,(D) if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 3. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we can just hang out and remind each other of the Glory of God in the mundane everyday life. 1 Corinthians 10:27-31 27If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go,(A) eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29I do not mean(B) your conscience, but his. For(C) why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that(D) for which I give thanks? 31So, whether you eat or drink, or(E) whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 4. We desire for relationships to grow in our community groups so we can be authentic, transparent and vulnerable and it actually be helpful. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11Again, if two lie together, they keep warm,(A) but how can one keep warm alone? 12And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 5. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we can pray together and learn together about the character and nature of God revealed in Christ. Acts 2:42 42 And(A) they devoted themselves to the apostles’(B) teaching and the(C) fellowship, to(D) the breaking of bread and the prayers. 6. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we serve people outside of the church and take care of each others needs inside the church. Acts 2:43-47a 43And awe[a] came upon every soul, and(A) many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and(B) had all things in common. 45And(C) they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day,(D) attending the temple(E) together and(F) breaking bread in their homes, they received their food(G) with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God 7. We desire for our community groups to provide opportunities for us to flee the Christian Subculture and Hang with, Play with and Eat with Non-Christians. Luke 5:27-32 27 (A) After this he went out and saw(B) a tax collector named(C) Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me." 28And(D) leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 29And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company(E) of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30And the Pharisees and(F) their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying,(G) "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32(H) I have not come to call the righteous(I) but sinners(J) to repentance." 8. We desire for our community groups to be all about pointing people to Jesus, not morality or religion, because He is everything. John 6:51: Jesus says "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;" Jesus is simply saying that he is the only one who can fulfill and sustain the deep longings and cravings of your heart. John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." He says this acknowledging that most of us often live in a state of darkness or despair, yet for those who are in Christ, there is opportunity for light in our darkest moments. John 10:9-11: Jesus says, "I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. John 11:25: Jesus says, "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. John 14:6: Jesus says, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 15:1: Jesus says, "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Signifying that apart from Christ, you will never produce any lasting fruit. Netcast Community Groups Netcast Community Groups meet every week with a “Spiritual” emphasis one week and a “Community” emphasis the next week. Spiritual Emphasis Week: • 30 minutes of Community • 30 minutes of Discussion • 30 minutes of Prayer Community Emphasis Week: • Invite Non-Christians into Community. • Learn to just do life together. Yearly Schedule: (3 months on; 1 month off) • January-March (Meeting) • April (off) • May-July (Meeting) • August (off) • September-November (Meeting) • December off
8 Weeks of The Church Gathered.
So we are 8 weeks into our launch and things are still moving pretty smooth. We are making much of Jesus and doing all we know to do in order to keep Him at the center of our ministry. It is still very obvious to everyone that the hand of God is on Netcast in an unusual. We have non-Christians joining us for just about everything that we do. We have mature believers joining our team, our college students are serving as if the life of the church depends on it, and more and more people keep showing up even though I tell them "we are all sinners and need Christ." Go Figure!!
God seems to be bringing us into other directions that we didn't really expect. We are looking to create a missions house that will house missions teams year round. This will open up incredible opportunities for us. We had a missions team here for a week in March and their impact was incredible. If you are interested in going on a missions trip to Boston, let me know. We are putting an incredible plan together.
Another thing that seems to be pretty exciting is how Netcast is birthing leaders who are doing ministry on their own. We have college students doing bible studies, we have a Godly women who is a part of an outreach that is working to get strippers out of the industry, we have another women who serves a marginal group in our city, the list goes on and on. A few weeks ago, we did a Family Movie night where we played Toy Story 3 for free with free popcorn, candy, soda, etc. Over 100 people who have no affiliation to the church, showed up. Praise Christ.
Our technology ministry still is amazing us. Almost everyone that shows up at Netcast has been touch by the video's prior to walking through our doors. So, continue to pray that God uses that. Also, our community groups have started and we will be starting about 3 more groups in April. Pray for more leaders for that.
Here is a small promo video of whats been going on at Netcast in the last 8 weeks. http://www.vimeo.com/21135271
Thank you for your support and prayers. I love you.
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
netcastchurch.org matt@netcastchurch.org
God seems to be bringing us into other directions that we didn't really expect. We are looking to create a missions house that will house missions teams year round. This will open up incredible opportunities for us. We had a missions team here for a week in March and their impact was incredible. If you are interested in going on a missions trip to Boston, let me know. We are putting an incredible plan together.
Another thing that seems to be pretty exciting is how Netcast is birthing leaders who are doing ministry on their own. We have college students doing bible studies, we have a Godly women who is a part of an outreach that is working to get strippers out of the industry, we have another women who serves a marginal group in our city, the list goes on and on. A few weeks ago, we did a Family Movie night where we played Toy Story 3 for free with free popcorn, candy, soda, etc. Over 100 people who have no affiliation to the church, showed up. Praise Christ.
Our technology ministry still is amazing us. Almost everyone that shows up at Netcast has been touch by the video's prior to walking through our doors. So, continue to pray that God uses that. Also, our community groups have started and we will be starting about 3 more groups in April. Pray for more leaders for that.
Here is a small promo video of whats been going on at Netcast in the last 8 weeks. http://www.vimeo.com/21135271
Thank you for your support and prayers. I love you.
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
netcastchurch.org matt@netcastchurch.org
Netcast 6 Months Update
We are celebrating our 6 month anniversary of being in Greater Boston. As you probably already know, a ton has happened in only 6 months. We have officially planted and launched Netcast Church. We are still way ahead of schedule. That being said, because of the quick growth, I am feeling a little behind schedule. With over 100 people as regular attenders of Netcast, it has been hard to identify leaders and create smaller groups for people to connect outside of a Sunday service. We currently have a plan in place and hope to have these groups established sometime in March.
From March 5th-12th, we will have a missions team joining us from FBC Oviedo which is in the Orlando area. They will be spending about 5 days serving our community and creating awareness on the North Shore. Pray that they make much of Jesus as they serve in Greater Boston.
Thus far we have seen God's hand at work in our ministry in ways we never expected to see so soon. We have seen broken marriages put back together, sin being broken and community being built. Most recently we have heard of a couple who was considering moving away from Beverly, but after connecting with Netcast decided that God was calling them to stay. One of the most exciting things about Netcast is the diversity we are seeing. We have skeptics, openly lost people, retired pastors, missionaries, college students, seminary people, and the list goes on.
Pertaining to our technology ministry, that has been far more effective than we ever thought. Already there have been a grand total of 2,188 vimeo plays, 8,450 downloads and 1,961 embeds (people putting our technology on their websites). To expand on that, we are currently working on a live Internet video stream broadcast which will then be replaced with the edited video version so individuals can also stream the sermon after the live feed ends. This will allow another 24/7 video stream.With all of our stuff online; Globally, we moved into Canada, Ivory Coast (Africa), United Arab Emirates, Romania, Guatemala, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the largest international plays and embeds outside the US are again from the Russian Federation. Netcast videos have been viewed in 28 countries to date. This is exciting to see since our goal has always been to spread teh gospel message as far as we can using technology. Praise Christ for all He is using us for. You can check out http://vimeo.com/netcastchurch for all of our media and for a good Netcast laugh check out http://vimeo.com/20353790
Thank you for making Netcast possible through your support.
From March 5th-12th, we will have a missions team joining us from FBC Oviedo which is in the Orlando area. They will be spending about 5 days serving our community and creating awareness on the North Shore. Pray that they make much of Jesus as they serve in Greater Boston.
Thus far we have seen God's hand at work in our ministry in ways we never expected to see so soon. We have seen broken marriages put back together, sin being broken and community being built. Most recently we have heard of a couple who was considering moving away from Beverly, but after connecting with Netcast decided that God was calling them to stay. One of the most exciting things about Netcast is the diversity we are seeing. We have skeptics, openly lost people, retired pastors, missionaries, college students, seminary people, and the list goes on.
Pertaining to our technology ministry, that has been far more effective than we ever thought. Already there have been a grand total of 2,188 vimeo plays, 8,450 downloads and 1,961 embeds (people putting our technology on their websites). To expand on that, we are currently working on a live Internet video stream broadcast which will then be replaced with the edited video version so individuals can also stream the sermon after the live feed ends. This will allow another 24/7 video stream.With all of our stuff online; Globally, we moved into Canada, Ivory Coast (Africa), United Arab Emirates, Romania, Guatemala, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the largest international plays and embeds outside the US are again from the Russian Federation. Netcast videos have been viewed in 28 countries to date. This is exciting to see since our goal has always been to spread teh gospel message as far as we can using technology. Praise Christ for all He is using us for. You can check out http://vimeo.com/netcastchurch for all of our media and for a good Netcast laugh check out http://vimeo.com/20353790
Thank you for making Netcast possible through your support.
Christ centered Momentum
3 ½ Years ago, we were living in Greensboro NC, going to Daystar Christian Fellowship; I was serving faithfully and working in Corporate America. One night, I put my head down to bed and had a dream that we were planting a church back in Boston. I didn’t tell anyone until the dream wouldn’t stop. Five nights in a row the dream would come until I told my wife and we prayed about it. Because I was young, we submitted the call to plant in Greater Boston to 4 of our pastors and asked them to release us when they felt we were ready. One year later they released us and we pursued an assessment with a church planting network.
Three years later, my wife and I, along with our 4 children, sold everything and moved to Greater Boston. We had no friends with us, no worship leader, no people; just us, funding and a God given dream. Within weeks, God began to send us a team. I met a worship guy who had just left his church for no other reason than “God was leading him away”, I met another guy who was looking for a church who knew the ins and outs of technology, video, etc. A month later my father in-law, who was a senior pastor for 30 years, moved to help with administration stuff. In December the North Shore Magazine, (Largest Local Magazine in Northern Boston) did a featured story on us and allowed me to explain the gospel to the 200,000 people who read their magazine. You can read the article online at
http://nshoremag.com/meet-matt-chewing-man-gospel/
God’s hand was all over the church plant. The local YMCA contacted me and asked us if we would meet at their facility for “FREE”. Are you kidding me? We didn’t even have people yet, and I’m being asked if I need “FREE” space. God knew what he was doing.
Since we had a few people interested, we wanted to have a “Vision Night”. The first night, 30 people showed up. The next “Vision Night” 40 people showed up. I can’t fit 40 people in my house, so we scheduled a launch service for January 23rd 2011 and we thought maybe 50 people would be there. We did no marketing, we did no mail outs, no posters; just a website, word of mouth and the magazine article. 120 people showed up for our first worship experience. We had to keep adding rows so we would have enough seats. Are you serious? We thought for sure we would be a part of the stats and only have 50 people show up for week 2. But we were wrong, again 100 people showed up and we had to add more and more rows.
Here is why this is so crazy. In a 12 mile radius of where we moved, there are only 30 Evangelical Churches. There are 700,000 people in which 90-98% (depending which resource you read) do not consider themselves evangelical or attend an evangelical church. Churches do not get off the ground in our area. In 2000 SBC planted 20 churches and only one ever got off the ground and is still around today. And here we are, only living in our city for 4 months and Christ is making himself known through Netcast Church. In 4 months we have more momentum than anything I have ever seen.
Pray for us as we desire to steward this thing well. Pray for wisdom as I am only 28 years old and in way over my head. Pray for discernment because we know that the enemy desires to send wolves and bring division. Pray for us as I work to preach and teach the word of God with authority and point people away from myself and towards Christ. Then, Praise Him for his faithfulness and blessing over us. We love you.
Three years later, my wife and I, along with our 4 children, sold everything and moved to Greater Boston. We had no friends with us, no worship leader, no people; just us, funding and a God given dream. Within weeks, God began to send us a team. I met a worship guy who had just left his church for no other reason than “God was leading him away”, I met another guy who was looking for a church who knew the ins and outs of technology, video, etc. A month later my father in-law, who was a senior pastor for 30 years, moved to help with administration stuff. In December the North Shore Magazine, (Largest Local Magazine in Northern Boston) did a featured story on us and allowed me to explain the gospel to the 200,000 people who read their magazine. You can read the article online at
http://nshoremag.com/meet-matt-chewing-man-gospel/
God’s hand was all over the church plant. The local YMCA contacted me and asked us if we would meet at their facility for “FREE”. Are you kidding me? We didn’t even have people yet, and I’m being asked if I need “FREE” space. God knew what he was doing.
Since we had a few people interested, we wanted to have a “Vision Night”. The first night, 30 people showed up. The next “Vision Night” 40 people showed up. I can’t fit 40 people in my house, so we scheduled a launch service for January 23rd 2011 and we thought maybe 50 people would be there. We did no marketing, we did no mail outs, no posters; just a website, word of mouth and the magazine article. 120 people showed up for our first worship experience. We had to keep adding rows so we would have enough seats. Are you serious? We thought for sure we would be a part of the stats and only have 50 people show up for week 2. But we were wrong, again 100 people showed up and we had to add more and more rows.
Here is why this is so crazy. In a 12 mile radius of where we moved, there are only 30 Evangelical Churches. There are 700,000 people in which 90-98% (depending which resource you read) do not consider themselves evangelical or attend an evangelical church. Churches do not get off the ground in our area. In 2000 SBC planted 20 churches and only one ever got off the ground and is still around today. And here we are, only living in our city for 4 months and Christ is making himself known through Netcast Church. In 4 months we have more momentum than anything I have ever seen.
Pray for us as we desire to steward this thing well. Pray for wisdom as I am only 28 years old and in way over my head. Pray for discernment because we know that the enemy desires to send wolves and bring division. Pray for us as I work to preach and teach the word of God with authority and point people away from myself and towards Christ. Then, Praise Him for his faithfulness and blessing over us. We love you.
To: Netcast Church Guests
At this point I think that it is easy to say that we are all in awe of what God is doing here in Greater Boston. We are clearly wrapped up in something much bigger than we ever would have expected. Our great God, by his Power, Might, and Grace; is doing something that I have never seen done before. In our wildest dreams, we could never have imagined to have over 100 people join us on Sunday, especially since Netcast has only being here for 4 months.
It’s great to see that you joined us for church this past Sunday. I hope your time was both meaningful, fun and you enjoyed the experience. I just wanted to personally express appreciation to you for coming out to visit us. We’d appreciate your prayers as we move forward as a church, and seek to see new levels of growth in people’s lives this year!
We’re excited about what God has in store for us as we continue to grow and have an impact on Greater Boston. If you’re looking for a church where you can make a difference in the lives of others, consider worshipping with us again. If you’d like to grab a cup of coffee one day, I’d love to do it. Just let me know. Regardless, if you have any questions, comments or concerns about anything, please do not hesitate to let me know.
See you tomorrow.
Matt
P.S. If you got a second, you can help us by answering this quick survey; our team is going to talk about it this next week.
Survey:
What most influenced your decision to attend Netcast?
What was most memorable about your first time at Netcast?
Would you feel comfortable inviting your friends to attend Netcast with you? Why?
How could we improve your experience?
Would you be interested in learning more about getting more connected?
--
Matt Chewning
Lead Pastor - Netcast Church
matt@netcastchurch.org
www.netcastchurch.org
It’s great to see that you joined us for church this past Sunday. I hope your time was both meaningful, fun and you enjoyed the experience. I just wanted to personally express appreciation to you for coming out to visit us. We’d appreciate your prayers as we move forward as a church, and seek to see new levels of growth in people’s lives this year!
We’re excited about what God has in store for us as we continue to grow and have an impact on Greater Boston. If you’re looking for a church where you can make a difference in the lives of others, consider worshipping with us again. If you’d like to grab a cup of coffee one day, I’d love to do it. Just let me know. Regardless, if you have any questions, comments or concerns about anything, please do not hesitate to let me know.
See you tomorrow.
Matt
P.S. If you got a second, you can help us by answering this quick survey; our team is going to talk about it this next week.
Survey:
What most influenced your decision to attend Netcast?
What was most memorable about your first time at Netcast?
Would you feel comfortable inviting your friends to attend Netcast with you? Why?
How could we improve your experience?
Would you be interested in learning more about getting more connected?
--
Matt Chewning
Lead Pastor - Netcast Church
matt@netcastchurch.org
www.netcastchurch.org
Good News from my dear friend "Pearce Landry"
I was reflecting with a group of men this morning on the question "what is the greatest news you have ever heard?". There were unique thoughts and special memories dancing in each of our heads on the question, and one guy shared it was when he got the news that his youngest son was not going to die when his son was just several weeks old and sick with meningitis. Good news indeed.
Later this morning I was having a different conversation with a man who was reflecting on what he regarded as the most unbelievable news story of the year: the successful rescue of all 33 miners trapped in the collapsed Chilean mine. Thirty-three miners trapped in darkness without hope, incapable of saving themselves...until hope from above came searching for them. First, through a small opening, they received messages from above ground that help was coming. Messages that brought hope and let them know that someone knew they were lost (lost = missing and valuable) and that they were loved enough to be sought after. Later, through a bigger hole, they received food, water and other supplies which sustained them until their rescue could occur. And finally, through a bigger way, a rescue capsule arrived which each one of them, individually and one at a time, could step into and be saved from their tomb of death. The Chilean President welcomed the first rescued person with the words "Welcome to life!" Despair turned to hope. Defeat turned to victory. Death turned to life. This was Good News indeed!
Two thousand years ago, a group of men watching over some sheep one night were told, "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." This GOOD NEWS is the reason we pause and mark this time of the year with celebration, with presents, with feasting, with joy and with families and friends who we care so deeply for. The GOOD NEWS is that we were trapped in darkness without hope and without the ability to save ourselves. But hope came from above. Hope, that had been promised through previous messages, finally came as God himself showed up in our darkness. He knew we were lost (missing and valuable) and he loved us enough to search after us. He provided the rescue capsule that each one of us, individually and one at a time, can step into and experience new life. Good news indeed!
"Welcome to life!" this Christmas season,
Pearce
Later this morning I was having a different conversation with a man who was reflecting on what he regarded as the most unbelievable news story of the year: the successful rescue of all 33 miners trapped in the collapsed Chilean mine. Thirty-three miners trapped in darkness without hope, incapable of saving themselves...until hope from above came searching for them. First, through a small opening, they received messages from above ground that help was coming. Messages that brought hope and let them know that someone knew they were lost (lost = missing and valuable) and that they were loved enough to be sought after. Later, through a bigger hole, they received food, water and other supplies which sustained them until their rescue could occur. And finally, through a bigger way, a rescue capsule arrived which each one of them, individually and one at a time, could step into and be saved from their tomb of death. The Chilean President welcomed the first rescued person with the words "Welcome to life!" Despair turned to hope. Defeat turned to victory. Death turned to life. This was Good News indeed!
Two thousand years ago, a group of men watching over some sheep one night were told, "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." This GOOD NEWS is the reason we pause and mark this time of the year with celebration, with presents, with feasting, with joy and with families and friends who we care so deeply for. The GOOD NEWS is that we were trapped in darkness without hope and without the ability to save ourselves. But hope came from above. Hope, that had been promised through previous messages, finally came as God himself showed up in our darkness. He knew we were lost (missing and valuable) and he loved us enough to search after us. He provided the rescue capsule that each one of us, individually and one at a time, can step into and experience new life. Good news indeed!
"Welcome to life!" this Christmas season,
Pearce
Netcast Church in the North Shore Magazine
I told you that I would be sending you a link to the article that was done by the North Shore Magazine. It looks great. The online version, doesn't even do the print version any justice. http://nshoremag.com/meet-matt-chewing-man-gospel/ You will notice on the bottom of the article, we have already been getting some hateful responses. I told you that its a hard place to plant a church. HaHa.
Because of this exposure and some of the growth that we are seeing, we will have to move out of my house and begin to meet on Sunday morning's starting January 23rd. This is almost a year sooner than we originally anticipated. However, we will move as the Lord continues to lead us. We will be meeting at the Downtown YMCA in Beverly MA. 10:30am. Come and join us if you are around.
Last Sunday we fed about 30 people who live in assisted government housing in Downtown Beverly. This was an awesome opportunity for us to serve the community and I was so proud to see our church gather and love these people. We will be looking to do something similar for Christmas.
There are a few things that we need since we are moving towards meeting in January. I will list them below in-case you have access to any of this for cheap or the Lord prompts you to give in some way.
1. Laptop (able to run easyworship)
2. Projection Screen
3. Projector
4. Countryman E6 over the ear mic
5. Wireless transmitter and receiver
Because of this exposure and some of the growth that we are seeing, we will have to move out of my house and begin to meet on Sunday morning's starting January 23rd. This is almost a year sooner than we originally anticipated. However, we will move as the Lord continues to lead us. We will be meeting at the Downtown YMCA in Beverly MA. 10:30am. Come and join us if you are around.
Last Sunday we fed about 30 people who live in assisted government housing in Downtown Beverly. This was an awesome opportunity for us to serve the community and I was so proud to see our church gather and love these people. We will be looking to do something similar for Christmas.
There are a few things that we need since we are moving towards meeting in January. I will list them below in-case you have access to any of this for cheap or the Lord prompts you to give in some way.
1. Laptop (able to run easyworship)
2. Projection Screen
3. Projector
4. Countryman E6 over the ear mic
5. Wireless transmitter and receiver
October Update (Netcast Church)
Just wanted to give an update from Netcast Church. We are almost 2 months into the church plant and never thought that we would already be seeing the hand of God on our ministry like we have been seeing. For months, maybe even years before moving, Beth and I had been praying that God would prepare the hearts of the people who would join us in the planting of Netcast. Now we are here seeing how God has been answering our prayers. We had our first "Netcast Vision Party" on 10/10/10 and over 30 people came out to be a part of it. Our core group is probably somewhere around at least 15 people already.
The stories that we are getting from the people who are committing to be with us are are crazy. I am hoping to get some of the stories on-line through video soon. In the meantime, you can check out a blog of one of the families (Josh and Erica Sturgeon) who have committed to be a part of the Netcast Core. The story is full of God's providence and faithfulness. A must read http://ericamsturgeon.tumblr.com/post/1382184232/netcast
If you are in the area tonight, please visit our "2nd Netcast Vision Party" it will be at the house from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. Beth is making a huge Chili dinner. We will have the Pats game on, hang out with the new people who God is sending our way and I will share a some about what we envision the Netcast Community looking like. Can't wait. Also, please join me in praying for our meeting tonight.
I also want to thank those of you who have been supporting us financially and prayerfully over the past year or so. None of this would even be possible with out you guys. Christ is so incredible and He gets all the glory for the fruit we are seeing.
http://www.whatisnetcast.com/
The stories that we are getting from the people who are committing to be with us are are crazy. I am hoping to get some of the stories on-line through video soon. In the meantime, you can check out a blog of one of the families (Josh and Erica Sturgeon) who have committed to be a part of the Netcast Core. The story is full of God's providence and faithfulness. A must read http://ericamsturgeon.tumblr.com/post/1382184232/netcast
If you are in the area tonight, please visit our "2nd Netcast Vision Party" it will be at the house from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. Beth is making a huge Chili dinner. We will have the Pats game on, hang out with the new people who God is sending our way and I will share a some about what we envision the Netcast Community looking like. Can't wait. Also, please join me in praying for our meeting tonight.
I also want to thank those of you who have been supporting us financially and prayerfully over the past year or so. None of this would even be possible with out you guys. Christ is so incredible and He gets all the glory for the fruit we are seeing.
http://www.whatisnetcast.com/
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