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/ December 2018
Note from
Pastor Mark & Lora In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light.” Those four words are still creating galaxies at the outer edge of the universe. Those four words continue to resonate throughout time and space—creating, transforming, renewing. I hope you'll allow those four words to sink deep in your own spirit this Christmas season. Jesus calls Himself "the light of the world." His birth ushered in a new normal for the entire cosmos. It's a new normal for you, too. Let there be light!
Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor Lora Batterson
Welcome!
The best way to meet people and get connected is to become involved.
New to NCC?
There are so many great ways to jump into the life of NCC.
See you at the Connections table! We want to meet you, answer your questions, and give you a gift. And let us show you how to get connected at your campus. or . . . Fill out the tearout card in the center section of this issue and drop it in the offering. or . . . Go to ncc.re/connect and fill out the quick form. We’ll be in touch soon!
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• Join one of our small groups. ncc.re/groups • Join a weekend ministry team. ncc.re/team • Join a local or global mission team, or show up at Second Saturday Serve as we work together to make a difference in our communities. ncc.re/onmissioneveryday If you’re new to church or new to following Jesus, pick up a Next Steps booklet at the Connections Table, and check out our Alpha groups. ncc.re/alpha
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Subscribe: ncc.re/podcast | Learn more or get involved: ncc.re/connect 2
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December 2018
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Anticipating the Birth of Jesus in Your Family from NCC's Family Ministries
e set out to elevate Jesus as the “reason for the season” but Christmas catalogs and wish lists compete for our family’s focus and attention. Instead of dreading the conversations about the difference between “need” and “want,” what if we created rhythms and traditions that shifted our family’s attention?
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Here are a few ideas to shift the focus in this season: •
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Tell the story. Understanding the biblical history that builds to Christ’s coming as a baby can help kids anticipate His birth. Choose an Advent book or reading plan that works for the stage of your family. Make sure the kids have a part! NCC Kids gifted families a balloon Advent chain that could work perfectly this season. Make a plan to serve others. The best remedy for an overemphasized focus on self is redirecting our attention to the needs of those around us. Who is one person in your life that might be lonely during the holidays?
Make a plan to show them love through your presence. •
Teach “secret generosity” by picking someone to bless anonymously, seeking no credit. Your kids will love planning a secret mission!
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Pre-decide how many gifts you are going to give your kids. There is not a magic number but it can help you be deliberate and restrained when the wish lists change.
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Create a “gifts we already have” wall. Each night after Advent, have everyone in the family write or draw a gift they have been given. It can be a friendship, an experience, or an actual item.
Whatever you choose, form habits that will convey your values over time. Share how you choose gratitude when you feel like being selfish. The Good News is that Jesus is enough, and that He offers us an open invitation to recognize the gift of His presence.
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What’s going on in December
Serve this Christmas with DC Dream Center
The Story
Drop off toys by Monday, December 17
Details at ncc.re/now
Partner with DC Dream Center to make Christmas special for kids. Drop off new toys (in packaging) for children aged 3-12 by Monday, December 17 to the Dream Center or the Southeast White House. You can also adopt a child or an entire family for Christmas. Just contact Ms. Tina at christina.henderson@dcdreamcenter.com.
66 books written by kings and peasants, prophets and poets, farmers, fishermen, shepherds, and tax collectors. Amazingly, one seamless story emerges: a passionate God on a relentless pursuit of his creation. Join us for three Tuesday evenings as we engage the chronological story of the Bible and seek to understand it within its unique cultural and historical setting.
Thrill of Hope
Sozo Prayer Sessions Available
NCC Worship’s own Christmas Album Worship along with one of our longtime favorites! NCC Worship’s Christmas album features fresh interpretations of classic Christmas music, including O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Little Town of Bethlehem. Buy it on Amazon Music Unlimited or itunes, or listen with Spotify.
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December 2018
Tuesdays, January 8-22
sozo@theaterchurch.com A Sozo session is a time of Spirit-led, guided prayer that helps to get at the root of wounds and/or issues to bring His truth, healing, and freedom into those situations. Sozo also helps to enhance your personal connection with God or others. If you are looking for healing or an enhanced personal connection with God, email us to schedule a session or for more info at sozo@theaterchurch.com.
25 Ways to Give or Serve this Christmas
Advent is a time to anticipate the coming of the Jesus. As we enter into the Christmas season, how are we anticipating the kingdom of heaven to coming to earth? Here are 25 ideas for living out our belief in the in-breaking kingdom. Allow Him to work in and through you as you bless and serve others! For details and links, please visit ncc.re/advent2018. 1.
Donate a toy to the DC Dream Center toy drive
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Volunteer to drive refugee kids to their soccer game and cheer them on
3.
Give a year end gift to the DC Dream Center or one of our other local partners
4.
Meet a need through A1:8 Commons. Commons.aoneeight.org
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Donate or sign up to serve a fostering family through DC127
6.
Deliver groceries to low-income families with ALIVE in
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Purchase your Christmas gifts using Bittersweets Good Gift guide
8.
Serve a meal and build relationships with Manassas Hunger and Homelessness Outreach
9.
Make lunches for Inservice, our outreach to those experiencing homelessness
10. Volunteer with veterans at the Bull Run Warrior Retreat and help prepare their home for the winter 11. Donate to a 2018 NCC Mission Team 12. Volunteer with Second Saturday Serve in DC or VA Saturday, December 8 13. Volunteer or Donate to the Haymarket Food Pantry
14. Volunteer with the Mayor's Snow Team and help shovel snow for a neighbor in need 15. Go on the A1:8 Map and pick a missionary family to learn about, prary for, and donate to 16. Attend the December Listen + Learn event to hear from a refugee family 17. Stop and share a meal with someone experiencing homelessness that you see often 18. Donate to the Good Neighbor Fund to benefit Restore Alexandria 19. Invite a neighbor over for a meal 20. Volunteer with Love146 to bring awareness about human trafficking at hotels and motels 21. Sing Christmas Carols with friends and family at a nursing home 22. Volunteer at the Holiday Sharing Gift Distribution in Alexandria 23. Partner with Meade Church in Alexandria to serve a meal 24. Meet needs at the Manassas Hope for the Homeless Hypothermia Shelter 25. Round up your co-workers and volunteer on a Saturday at the DC Dream Center
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NCC Families
NCC Kids (birth - 5th grade)
Don't miss the chance to celebrate the meaning of this Christmas season. NCC families were gifted an Advent calendar to prompt study of the nativity story this month. Each day, families will read part of the Christmas story from the scriptures and do an activity together. Anticipate the coming of Jesus all month long!
Subscribe to the monthly Parent Insider:
kids@theaterchurch.com
Learn, be inspired, get encouraged:
parentshareblog.com kidsofncc
therealnccyouth
NCC Youth (6th-12th grade)
Winter ESCAPE 2019
February 15-18, 2019 Discount available through Friday, January 11 For all students in middle and high school. A great opportunity to step way from the pressure, deepen faith, think honestly, dream beyond themselves, and experience Jesus in a fresh way. ncc.re/escape
Holiday Services at National Community Church Saturday, December 22, 5:00 pm: Christmas/weekend service, NCC-Barracks Row Sunday, December 23: Christmas/Sunday services at these NCC campuses: NCC-Lincoln Theatre, 10:30 am NCC-Potomac Yard, 10am NCC-Gainesville, 10am All other NCC campuses will be closed so we can worship together. All kids will join parents in these family-friendly services. New Year’s Eve Weekend, December 29/30: Join us for regularly-scheduled service times at most NCC campuses. (Exceptions: No services this weekend for Barracks Row-12 noon or Ballston-11am; these services will resume Jan. 6) Kids ministry available for nursery only. All other kids will join parents in these family-friendly services.
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December 2018
Coming Up at NCC
Learn more at ncc.re/events
Saturday, December 8
Second Saturday Serve
Sunday, December 16
NCC Mission Team Info Session: Belgium
Saturday, December 22
Christmas/Weekend Service at NCC-Barracks Row, 5pm
Sunday, December 23
Christmas/Sunday Services at National Community Church: NCC-Lincoln Theatre, 10:30 am NCC-Potomac Yard, 10am NCC-Gainesville, 10am *All children will join their parents in these family-friendly services
Tuesday, December 25
Merry Christmas!
Saturday-Sunday, December 29-30
Regular services at most of our campuses. (Nursery available. Older kids will join parents in these family-friendly services ) A couple of exceptions to note: • No 12 noon service at NCC-Barracks Row • No 11am service at NCC-Ballston
December 26 - January 3
NCC Mission Team in Bolivia*
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Happy New Year!
*Follow NCC's A1:8 Missions on Instagram to learn specific prayer points for our mission teams (@aoneeight).
Thank you for your generous support of the mission and ministries of National Community Church! If you would like to make a contribution to NCC as 2018 draws to a close, please visit theaterchurch.com/giving. The last day to give a tax-deductible donation for 2018 is December 31.
Any donation given at church, postmarked, or given online by Monday, December 31, 2018 will be receipted on your 2018 Giving Statement. You can access your giving history anytime at theaterchurch.com/giving. An email with instructions for accessing your final 2018 giving statement will be sent out by January 31, 2019.
3 Ways To Give “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
theaterchurch.com/giving TXT “$(amount) NCC” to 45777 Cash or Check
(Find offering envelopes at the Connections Table)
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New to Following Jesus?
Let us help you take your next steps! Visit the Connections Table and we’ll make sure you get your own Bible and our Next Steps guide. You can read this workbook on your own, but we encourage you to do it with a group of friends or in a small group. Want to talk with someone about your new faith? Contact your campus pastor and consider joining an Alpha group. More info here: ncc.re/alpha.
Your NCC Campus Community Sustainable apprenticeship to Jesus, effective mission, and real relationship—that’s our deepest desire for every person who’s part of NCC. This happens best in community at your campus. Here are a few ways to stay informed about what’s going on at your NCC campus.
Barracks Row - Saturday
Saturday Nights, 5pm Pastor Marion Mason theaterchurch.com/barracksrow Subscribe to E-news: ncc.re/enewsBarracksSat Join our Facebook Group:
Barracks Row Saturday Night NCCers
Sundays, 9am, 10:30am, and noon Pastor Joel Schmidgall theaterchurch.com/barracksrow Subscribe to E-news: ncc.re/enewsBarracks Join our Facebook Group: Barracks Row NCCers
Echostage - Sundays, 9:30am
Pastor Marion Mason theaterchurch.com/echo Subscribe to E-news: ncc.re/enewsEcho Join our Facebook Group: Echostage NCCers
Lincoln Theatre - Sundays, 10:30am
Pastor Dave Schmidgall theaterchurch.com/lincoln Subscribe to E-news: ncc.re/enewsLincoln Join our Facebook Group: Lincoln Theatre NCCers
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Pastor Robb Schmidgall theaterchurch.com/gainesville E-news: ncc.re/gvemail Join our Facebook Group: Gainesville NCCers
Kingstowne - Sundays, 9am & 10:30am Pastor Joshua Symonette theaterchurch.com/kingstowne E-news: ncc.re/enewsKT Join our Facebook Group: Kingstowne NCCers
Potomac Yard - Sundays, 10am
Pastor Jon Vaughan theaterchurch.com/potomacyard E-news: ncc.re/enewsPY Join our Facebook Group: Potomac Yard NCCers
205 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
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202-544-0414
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Virginia
Washington, DC
Pastor Heather Zempel theaterchurch.com/ballston NCC Kids at 9:30am E-news: ncc.re/enewsBallston Join our Facebook Group: Ballston NCCers
Gainesville - Sundays, 10am
Barracks Row - Sunday
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Ballston - Sundays, 9:30am & 11am