Guest Blogger: Richard Nason

Let me tell you a little story about a newborn Christian trying to find his way. My journey began much like many of you, realizing that the only way to survive in this world was reaching out for our Savior. It doesn’t matter how we came to Christ but that we did. I found an awesome church and felt quite at home here, feeling God’s spirit alive and well. Loved the Pastor, still do. (insert small chuckle) Attended the membership class and after much prayer and deliberation, finally expressed my faith through baptism. I had started to develop some acquaintances but not really allowing anyone to get too close because quite frankly I was never a people person. This was a great church but getting more involved was a step I was not sure I wanted to take. Up and to the right, hmmmm can I just go to the right!!!!

Then came the call for growth groups, small groups of fellow Christians gathering together to learn more about Christ. I knew that if I truly wanted Christ to enter deep into my heart I needed to learn and grow. So with much trepidation, I joined a group.

Now you might think dear reader that this is the end of the story and everyone learned happily ever after. Actually this is only the beginning of the tale because it never seems to go exactly as we perceive. My group was led by Rich Pancoast and one might think that any group led by Rich would be the most enjoyable and comfortable group that ever existed. Rich is one of those people who are so charismatic and full of energy and the love of Christ that you can’t help but be enthralled with a group that he is leading. But you need to remember that I am not a people person, never have been and certainly felt, never will be. I enjoyed the format but never quite felt at home. Now this was not Rich’s fault by any means. This was totally within myself and I quite honestly was relieved when the group was over and I knew I was never joining a small group again. I would continue to learn about Christ through service on Sunday and through my own personal research. As someone so eloquently stated, It was just not my season!

The ironic thing about being a Christian though is that you can’t do this alone. Though I really didn’t feel that growth groups were for me, I knew that in order to really come to know Christ I would have to do it with others. Even our Lord chose 12 others to join him immediately in His ministry knowing they would form the foundation of the early church. We are all in this together. So in order to become more involved with our church and truly become part of Fellowship I decided to give another growth group a try.

What developed this time around totally amazed me and this is why I am here now penning this story. I cannot tell you what was different, how it happened or even why it happened but I try and see the Lord’s hand in all I do and He must have known that I was struggling a bit on my own and needed a push in the right direction. I ended up developing some very deep relationships with others who have been there with me through my walk in Christ. These are men who I know love the Lord with all their heart and men I have had the privilege of coming to know and grown to love as brothers in Christ. Men who I can depend on and who will be there for me through thick and thin. I have been blessed beyond compare with their friendship and love.

Dear reader, this is a call to you to try a growth group and invest in yourself. We do not know when or how a relationship will develop but know that without trying you may never find the right fit. You might have tried a group before and it didn’t sit quite right with you. That is ok. It just wasn’t your season but please don’t think that your season will never come. As we walk together in the Lord our heart is constantly deepening in love for Christ and at some point in time we will be ready to accept the blessings that come from being involved deeply with others, expressing our faith together and growing in our love for our Savior and one another. We should not and must not be alone when troubles crash over us especially when there are others standing ready to support us as we try and keep our sanity.

Know this also, that every single Leader is there for you! Approach them and tell them how you feel. What is working for you and what is not.  None of us will handcuff you to a chair to keep you there. Wait!!! What a great idea. (Just kidding and laughing to myself) How you decide to grow in Christ is most certainly up to you but we are here to help in any possible way that we can. Ask for help. Ask for prayers. Ask to speak privately. Ask for direction. Please always remember that each of us at some point was where you are now and we sincerely wish to help you grow in Christ. I cannot emphasize this enough, we are in this together!

So please give a Growth Group a try and if it is not the right one, well there is always next time. (Smile)

I remember this person talking forever about something I knew nothing about. I wondered when it would end and if we were going to get out on time. I remember when this one person would continue to "hijack" the conversations with self-promoting and sharing just how much they knew about the Bible. I remember the person who would often fall asleep during the conversations inside a group. Yes, all of this happened in a Growth Group at some stages of my life here at Fellowship Church. 

But here's some other things that happened:

• I remember getting to know some of my very best friends today just because I signed up for a Growth Group.
• I remember having a Growth Group at Hospice in Middlesex where my wife's step-father Bob Schulte, was spending his last days here on earth. He poured into other men and told us all what was most important. Grown men were crying but more importantly learning about what's most important, especially when the time is so limited. (note: All men's groups do not entail crying)
• I remember when couple's made declarations of new commitments to have their relationships thrive. Some today are leading Growth Groups!
• I remember when a brand new person to our church uncomfortably signed up for her first ever group and was nurtured by 2 mature believers who took her in and answered any questions she had. They helped her grow into this incredible leader in such a short period of time. She was baptized and signed up to serve in various areas. 
• I remember when some of our current Growth Group leaders were just attending but now they see the dividends and want others to receive the blessings! 

Growth Groups are not perfect because, frankly, we're not. Our goal in these groups is for people, no matter where they are on their journey, to feel comfortable enough to ask questions and be open-minded enough to learn each week. Sometimes the most uncomfortable steps we take in our faith produce the most incredible results.

What if today is the day you take that uncomfortable step in your journey and get together with others in hopes of strengthening your faith and your friendships? I cannot guarantee a perfect bunch of people in your group but I can guarantee a perfect God to follow in your attempt to be all He wanted you to be. Take a chance. Sign up here.

I received this from someone who is serving here at FC and wishes to remain anonymous.

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Why do I serve? I serve because it is not about me! The biggest reason I serve is because our Lord Himself showed it what it was to be a true Christian. John 13:12-17 shows us that if the most perfect person who ever existed in this world can serve others than am I any better than He?

I have never asked anyone to do something I could not do. That is not who I am. "Do as I say and not as I do" is not a saying I ever want to hear from any one. This basically means you think in some way or form that you are better than the person you are speaking too. It is acceptable for them to work this task but it is beneath you. May that never be the case with myself. I am no better or worse than the next person and if I can serve than what is your reason for not doing so? I will never ask of you what I cannot do myself. Ye,s I know I am repeating myself! (Smile)

I serve not for a reward, not for recognition (though a kind word is always appreciated), not for position. I serve because it makes me a better person. It forces me out of my comfort zone and more into His comfort zone and is that not truly what we are after? I serve because I do like to help others. I serve alongside others and independently of others. Both have their merits and whatever task I am assigned to I try and see what I am to learn from this, especially if it is not something I really want to do.

I have met friends and learned much more from each of them. I have learned patience, understanding, kindness all from serving others. I have learned how to be a more social creature. I have learned how to step out of my comfort zone. I have learned to appreciate what others can do that I cannot. I have learned and I have grown. But more importantly than all else, I have learned that it is not about me! 

We call our serving team here at FC Difference Makers because that's what they are. As FC grows with this 3rd service added, we will need some more of the above "Difference Makers". Maybe today is the day you become one!

I'm all about going to church on Sundays. Not because I now work at a church but because for the last 15 plus years of my life I've seen the benefits. 

Each Sunday, I've learned more and more about living a life that makes a difference. #differencemakers. Learning about Jesus Christ on Sundays has created in me an urge to love people more, to forgive people more and to help people more. It's not just about me anymore....well, sometimes it still is, but I'm working on that. Most of us are. 

In order for me to really be a difference maker, it takes an intentionality. It takes better use of my time. That has led to my choice to get together with other believers more than just on Sunday. It motivated me to sign up for my first Growth Group many years ago. These are small groups of people that meet once a week to learn more about their faith and get to know others on a similar journey. It's changed my life. I've learned more about Christ and have developed incredible, strong friendships.

We, here at FC, believe groups are vital. Andy Stanley (Pastor in Ga.) says "Circles are better than rows" and "Face to face is better than shoulder to shoulder". Yes, Sunday's at church are huge but being able to talk about what you're learning with others, is enormous! 

The thing is, we all can drift. We all can begin to doubt, question or even fall into a temptation. Without others around us who care, this can be detrimental to our faith. We need people to check on us. We need accountability. We need encouragement. We need others who can detect when we drift. "The drift begins within so we have to let someone in" Andy Stanley

Someone can see what you can't. If you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, you need to have intentional relationships with people who have the same goal. A Growth Group is the ideal place for this. We start these groups up the first week of October. I cannot recommend these enough! Ask around on Sunday to those who've been a part of a group. They'll tell you! It will change your life! 

Fellowship Church exists to help people encounter Jesus, encourage each other to be more like Him and engage with Him in everyday life. We believe that when you begin a personal relationship with Jesus, He has the capacity to change your life. Everything begins with and is all about a growing relationship with Jesus.

As a church, in order to reach people we’ve never reached we need to do things we’ve never done. That’s why I’m excited to announce that beginning Sunday, October 2nd at 5 pm, we’ll be launching a third weekly identical service.  Why an evening service at 5 pm? 

• 25% of America’s workforce are shift workers.  Many work on the weekends (healthcare, hospitality, first responders, etc.).  These wonderful people simply cannot attend church on Sunday Mornings.
• Jesus always met people where they are.  Some people will never attend Sunday morning because it’s their only day to sleep in.   Due to busy lives, the people we are trying to reach are looking for options that fit their schedule.  Think TV watching and Netflix and DVR versus traditional television scheduled shows and news.
• We need to create space in our auditorium & especially our parking lots, which are full. Due to the size of our campus, every time we hit the thresholdof around 225-240 people per service, we become full.  This year, we have averaged around 450 plus for our combined two services.  It’s time to add another service.

I’m so proud of our church.  Fellowship Church is growing because FCers are growing. We’re making decisions to put Christ first in all areas of our lives.  We’re forgiving those who have hurt us and learning to love each person in our lives.  Growing churches require growing people.  

Growing churches also require unselfish people. We grow spiritually by the commitments we make.  This is why I’m asking everyone to consider helping our church make this important step. 

First, we need 100% of our church serving in some capacity.  This is an “all hands on deck” situation.  Up until now, it may seem that there’s no need for you to join a team.  You attend a weekend service and are greeted by friendly people.  You drop your kids off to wonderful kids ministry team members.  You sing songs led by a great band and singers.  This growth opportunity changes everything.  We need help in all of our serving teams, both on Sunday and during the week.  If you’d like help in joining a serving team, you can begin by clicking on this link here.

Secondly, we are looking for 100 people move to the 5 pm service and commit to faithfully attend this service for one year.  You will be serving our mission by making room for new people in the morning services and helping create a critical mass to launch our evening service. 

I know you’ll answer the call!  Many have already started.  I can’t wait to see what God is going to do!  Get excited!

"The best decisions I've made in my life came during a time of drinking too much." said no one ever. 

As a Christian in today's society, alcohol is somewhat of a hot topic. In a country where there is a bar, liquor store or even a pizza place that serves bourbon on every corner, it's talked about a lot. There are new craft beers, local breweries, flavored martinis and wine tastings to check out. A high majority of the people we know drink most weekends, if not daily. So where is the cut off for a Christian? 

To start, I would say as a side note, we live in a country that has an age limit for alcohol consumption. The fact that we have an age limit means that there is an enormous amount of responsibility that should come with this. We probably should have a maturity limit as well! 

I read a quote recently that said,"With every picture, tweet and event that centers on alcohol, I wonder: isn't anyone friends with alcoholics?" Although we may not have an addiction to alcohol, others around us may. So we must be sensitive to them.

Romans 14:21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another to stumble. 

Romans 15:1 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves.

1 Corinthians 8:9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 

I often say that a high number of us as Americans can not be told that a glass of wine is actually beneficial to us because we are not very good at moderation. Go into any restaurant and look at the meal you just ordered! The serving size of this meal is not just for one! We're in excess of everything here. But I'm not talking about gluttony today. That will be a future blog! Alcohol can be very dangerous and we need to ask ourselves some questions when deciding whether or not to have a drink: 

• Am I in control? Does the alcohol cloud my judgment in any way lessening my impact on my job, my family, my responsibilities or, most important, my walk with God?  
• Why do I need a drink right now? Can I go a day without it? A week?  
• Can I afford to drink like I have been? Am I financially in debt yet still buy my six-pack every night?
• Is there someone around me that would be influenced by this? See above verses.
• Am I driving? I cannot understand for the life of me why anyone would risk this! I have heard too many stories of DUI's, DWI's and worst case scenarios of death based on alcohol intake. 
• If married, is your spouse at all concerned about how often or how much you're drinking? If so, why would you challenge this? If anyone has ever called you an alcoholic I recommend you really think about what made them say that and allow pride and ego to fall by the wayside. 

Drinking alcohol is not a sin. Drinking too much is! Ephesians 5:18 Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

This is a great topic to discuss with someone close to you especially if you feel as though this is too close to home. Alcohol to most people is a release of stress. We go to it when we need to relax or unwind. I wonder what it would feel like if we went to the ultimate source of rest, Jesus Christ instead. Seems like a Christian answer because it is. It is what we are called to do. Anything we do should glorify and point others to Him. I can't imagine drunkenness marketing Jesus very well. 

For more verses on alcohol see Proverbs 23:29-35 Isaiah 5:22

This is a heavy topic. I'm not here to judge but I am here to hopefully make you think. Alcohol is a slippery slope. Why do I feel as though I will not be invited to as many parties after writing this blog?

Sadly, Christian behavior doesn't always match Christian belief. Working at a church, I'm still surprised, at times, when someone comes to me with gossip, swears, or ends up drinking too much at a function. It happens. I still love them. I know I've probably done some things in the past early on in my faith that had people wonder whether or not I really was a Christian. 

The question always seems to be how do we deal with it? One of the things I love most about our Fellowship Church family is that when someone in a Growth Group slips up and swears, there is no gasp, there is no condemnation, no one kicks them out of the group. They just listen. They also usually get a quick apology. But there's no judgment.....none. We are in this together. If we quickly tell them we will not allow this behavior, what are we doing? There goes the church because the only difference between the person swearing and the others sitting in a circle is that he or she was exposed. Their sin came out while the others in the group were allowed to be perceived as still "perfect".

Whether it's a Growth Group or the church itself, once we start being careful about who we allow in, we've lost complete touch with Who Jesus is. The more I read about Him, the more I see who He hung out with and it was clear no one filled out an application to do so. 

We love people here at FC. We're full of people trying hard to do better. They'll have slip-ups and make mistakes. They may even offend you but all in all their heart as well as ours is for everyone here to draw closer and closer to the only Hope we have Jesus Christ. 

Up and to the right! We're in this together. 

It's the age old question for all of us. What if it's true? By it, I mean the Bible. What if everything it said was true? What would that look like to those of us that are Christians? Would we, ourselves, live differently? I imagine the hypocrisy meter would lessen. We'd have to rid of worry in our life. (that alone,worries me) (Matthew 6:31 and Philippians 4:6) We'd have to trust God fully (Proverbs 3:5-6, John 14:1 and Romans 9:32), not periodically or only on Sundays at church. 24/7. We'd have to make disciples which means we'd have to talk to others about Christ (awkward!) (Matthew 28:19). Most importantly, we'd have to actually love people. (Matthew 22:36-40, 1 John 4:20, and 1 Thessalonians 3:12) I mean, really love them where it showed and it was clear. Actions not just words. (Psalm 119:5, Proverbs 16:3, and James 2:14). It would mean that when some tragedy happened in this world (and there's been plenty of this!) our first reaction would be LOVE, compassion, empathy and a "how can I help?" attitude. Not a need to state our opinion on why the tragedy happened, just sympathy and this unusual amount of grace that this Jesus we're following would have shown in the midst of all this. You see, based on my reading of this Book, isn't He the one we should be emulating?

How about for those of us that are not Christians? If you were told that this book was 100% accurate, what would tomorrow look like for you? To know that God loved you so much that He sent His son to die on a cross for you. (John 3:16) To know that this life is so short but has eternal ramifications. To know that all of these hectic, chaotic and stressful times are temporary. To know that someday, upon us coming to accept Christ into our heart, all of the pain, all of the tragedy, and all of the sadness will soon be gone forever. What would it be like for you to know of the HOPE that comes from Him.  

I truly believe the Word of God. Once I read of all the evidence in Christ rising from the dead, the rest of the stories (the parting of the Red Sea, Jonah being swallowed by a fish, Noah's ark, Samson, the fiery furnace and the lion's den) all of  these seemed easier to believe.

Whether you're a believer or not, what if you commit to reading the Bible for 15 minutes a day? What if you take this chance, and see if it makes any difference in your life.  I believe with my whole heart that it will change your life.  It is the Book that can save you from an eternity apart from God and apart from everyone you've ever known.  

15 minutes a day can have eternal ramifications.