Anniversary Countdown, New Music, and a "Lost" Bus

It was great to have our choir and orchestra back from their summer break, leading us in worship this past Sunday. Their normal regular schedule is that they sing/play on the first and third Sundays of each month. Glad you are back!

Mike introduced a new song that we are going to learn by having our praise band play it as a special number. The song is “Firm Foundation”, and it will become one of our congregational worship songs. The choir and orchestra presented the song, “What He’s Done,” which is a powerful testimony about the redemptive work of Jesus. And Amy closed our service with the song, “I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel.” It was great, thank you, Amy.

Believe it or not, our 20th anniversary celebration is only 10 Sundays away. Our committee has been working to provide a great time of celebration and appreciation to God for what He has done these past 20 years at New Life. We have the Gordon Mote concert on September 13, and then on Sunday, October 12, Taranda Green will be with us both in our morning worship services and then in a concert that evening. I am pleased that my friend and former boss, Mark Jones, will be with us that day as well. Mark is a terrific preacher who will bring the message on that Sunday morning. He is indirectly a reason we ended up in Florida to begin NLCC 20 years ago. I have mentioned him often, and I am so pleased that you will get a chance to meet him and hear him. I told him that if folks like me, they may pat him on the back or give him a hug, but if they don’t like me, they may take a swing at him! I told him to be prepared either way.

On Sunday, I mentioned the work that Fred and Molly Plantz have done in the past, organizing folks from New Life for hurricane relief work. Molly became familiar with a group called “The Lost Bus.” I am going to give her the rest of my column to tell you about it.

I start a new series this Sunday, I am calling it “Thorny Issues”. I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Update from Molly Plantz on the "Lost Bus"

In October 2022, a group of us went to Port Charlotte, FL for a week of hurricane relief work. We had the pleasure of meeting and working with three young Christian men - Josh, Davis and Cain. These three young men were embarking on a year of traveling around the country in an old converted school bus dubbed the LOST Bus (Lending our Services Traveling), helping and serving wherever God led them. Even though they didn't know where their next mission field might be, these guys were anything but lost! Last month, the LOST Bus again hit the road, this time driven and inhabited by two young women - Juliet and Elena. So why am I sharing this with you? Because I encourage you to visit their website, lostbus.com, read the history of the bus, the stories, and follow their blog (click on the menu in the upper right of the home screen to get to the blog). If you're like me, you'll find yourself smiling, laughing, shedding a tear or two, and being reminded of the amazing ways God works in this world.