New Light update

It's getting more and more exciting to see the way the New Light community is forming. We've had this little influx of new people lately - 8 newcomers, all in their 20's, most of them invited by a friend. Most of them are already well connected into the community. Last night we had our monthly community gathering at our house - a yummy potluck dinner followed by conversation and worship. It was great to have the full community together.

Some of the things we've been up to:

• We have a Monday night LIFE Group that alternates between Oliver & Alison's house and Paul & Carlie's house, and a Thursday night LIFE Group that meets at our house.


• On Tuesday mornings we gather for Morning Prayer, just to pray for one another and people we know who are in need, for the New Light community, for Portland, and for the world.


• Now and then we've been getting together specifically to build community. Last week a bunch of us went to a Kutless concert in Lewiston. Next Monday we're having a Cinco de Mayo party. Good times.


• This Saturday we begin a new ministry. We haven't come up with a snazzy name for it yet, but on the first Saturday of every month we'll come together for a mission project... this first one being a Potato Planting Party with Cultivating Community, an organization that grows organic vegetables and distributes them to people who live in low-income and elderly housing in the Portland area, who might not otherwise have access to fresh, locally grown produce.


• We're putting together the plans for Journey Groups, which will be three-person, gender-specific groups specifically for accountability, support, and intentional spiritual growth. We'll be rolling out men's and women's pilot groups very soon.

Four of us, a group which we're calling the Leadership Community, have been meeting weekly to develop a strategic plan and a discipleship system. We recently finalized some statements that articulate our Core Values, which we're pretty excited about...

Core Values:

• Community: Faith is a journey best traveled with others who share common values and a common commitment to life together. We strive to be formed as a community steeped in God’s love, expressed in loving relationships with one another, and engaged in the larger community in which we live.
  
• Inclusivity: No one is outside the bounds of God’s grace. We strive to practice generous hospitality, welcoming and embracing everyone with the same love we have received from God. We affirm the sacred worth of every human being – no exceptions.
  
• Creativity: At the foundation of our faith is the story of a God we call Creator – a God who is continually in the process of creating, who gifts us with creativity and invites us to create. We strive to incorporate music, drama, visual arts, dance, and other creative elements in all that we do.
  
• Transformation: As we journey inward, we strive for transformed lives that better reflect the love of Christ; as we journey outward, we strive for a transformed world that better reflects God’s vision of peace and justice.
  
• Simplicity: In a world preoccupied with materialism, consumption, and greed, we long for a simpler way. We strive to live simply, both individually and in our life together; to generously share our resources and practice faithful stewardship of God’s Creation.

So, please keep the New Light community in your prayers! It really feels like God is doing some exciting things among us!