Church Updates

Why you need to attend the Disciples Conference...

Why you need to attend the Disciples Conference...

1. Free Child Care!
We will have childcare the entire morning.
8:30 AM. How to live like Matthew (or a New Testament Christian)
9:40 AM. Five Ways To Share Your Faith
10:50. Testimony Development
11:45. Guiding a conversation FORM
12:00. Lunch and FORM practice
We'll eat lunch all together, and those who can stay will have the chance to practice what they have learned and spend some more time with Jerry. We realize some of you will need to get kids home at this point, but if you can stay you can enjoy...
12:45. OJT (On Job Training)
1:30. Share time and Q & A

2. This is an aspect of discipleship you may have been neglecting.
Let's face it Evangelism is tricky this day in age. Tolerance and political correctness have made people pretty touchy about certain approaches and topics. It is a problem that is easier to just ignore. However, you apprehension might be due to a feeling of unpreparedness and understanding. Don't let simple ignorance on the subject of evangelism be a stumbling block to being an ambassador for the God who saves.

3. There will be food
Yes. There will be food that you don't have to cook for yourself.

4. It will make your pastor happy
I know this is one of your top priorities so...just do it. I promise to be happy.

Sign up this Sunday at church or just email, call, facebook, tweet, +1, text or whatever.

Pastor's Report - Halfway through 2013

Pastors’ report –

The numbers and programs of a church aren't the most important way to measure what God is doing there, but it is nice to know about what's is happening among a body of believers. If you weren't at our last Family Forum meeting here is some of the information I shared...

Here is a quick overview of what's been going on at NorthStar by the numbers.

• Avg. attendance 80 for 2013. 32 children + workers, 48.4 in service.

• 60 Members

• 50 Adults in 4 small groups (That's a lot!)

• Weekly Prayer group + mission friends avg. 10-15

• Monthly Mom’s Group

• Team Multiply has increased the churches awareness and access to mission opportunities

o Open Arms - Baby bottle boomerang

o UGM - Giftbags, easterbaskets, and more

o Honduras Trip - Supported and prayed for John on his trip. Can't wait to hear more about it!

o DR - Stands for Disaster Relief. We are ready to help people in an emergency.

• Children’s Ministry

o About 30 volunteers giving at least one Sunday a month. - THANK YOU!

o Gospel Project - Kids are learning how every story in the Bible is connected to the Gospel

o Sports Camp Next Month!

Spring Weather

We have actually been getting some spring weather which seems a little early to most folks. April can be a wet chilly time in North Idaho, but we've been blessed with consecutive days of sunshine and high temperatures that start with a six instead of a three. I can tell that the weather has a huge effect on people hear. There is a sense of preparation. Lawns are getting aerated, boats are getting tune ups, grills are getting uncovered. This is all premature of course, as we are as likely as not to have six more weeks of winter-like weather. Still, people are anxious to be ready when summer begins.

Well, we aren't waiting for the summer. God is at work right now! This Sunday we are hosting two important events in the life of our church. One is the Discovering NorthStar Class. It is a class for those who are interested in learning about membership at NorthStar. We have twelve people signed up! That's the biggest class of prospective members we've had in a long time.

The other big event is also next Sunday. We are hosting a screening of the movie Courageous. We haven't marketed this movie in the community. Our focus is on our church and our circles of friends. The reason this is important for our church is because God has put a burden on the heart of several of our men that there is a great need for a resurgence of Biblical manhood in our culture. This movie is not a one time event for the purpose of fellowship. This movie is a spark intended to remind the men and women who come that we were meant to be more than what society expects from us. Men and women as well as their kids have roles to fill in this life that will require sacrifice, determination, courage and, more than anything, faith.

Six Months Later

We've been in the new building for almost six months now. The reality of God's blessings is still sinking in. One of the big surprises has been the growth of our children's ministry. This past Sunday for example out of a total attendance of 77, 31 were children or childcare workers! We've had to be flexible with the structure of our children's ministry and the use of the facility. We are currently running two nurseries during the service and trying some new approaches to children's worship time. Please pray for this ministry!

Lots of other great things have been going on since we've occupied the building. Our Women's ministry hosted the Still conference inviting women from churches all over North Idaho. It was attended by over 40 women from several different churches. Our Men's ministry will soon be hosting a screening of Courageous to kick off an emphasis on men's discipleship and outreach. Our life groups have been doing studies in Joshua, Ruth and Ester, as well as studies on the books Radical by David Platt and Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels. This summer we plan on hosting an Amazing Wonders Aviation VBS as well as a community oriented outreach event (Block Party!) welcoming our neighbors to come meet us and see why we are here. Also this summer we will be sending some youth and adults down to Salt Lake City for World Changers, and another group will go to Casper, Wyoming to help build a chapel.

As we continue to settle in to this building we are reminded that there is still a lot to do in finishing and equipping it for ministry. As I type this two of our men are touching up some finish carpentry work in the kitchen. We have some more installations in the children's rooms to improve safety and convenience, and we also hope to install TV monitors in each classroom. As the Summer (slowly) approaches the children are looking longingly out the windows and praying for some sweet playground equipment. These are all things that were on our "wish list" as we built but weren't absolutely necessary to occupying the building.

Now that we are in, we are looking for ways to fulfill these needs on an extremely tight budget. Since, all of you receiving this have been a part of this church build in some way or another I wanted to share these needs with you so you can pray about how they can be met! So here's our wishlist:

Modification to Children's rooms doors (approx. $100-$200 per door with 5 doors)
Flat panel TV monitors for classrooms (4 rooms. 32-40 inch)
Extra DVD players for rooms (need 3)
Sanctuary furnishings (we haven't decided exactly what will be at the front of the sanctuary. We might need a cross and table of certain size and dimensions.)
Playground equipment ($1000 and up!)
Upgrades to our video system in sanctuary ($500+)

Additionally, we are continuing to raise funds to support our worship pastor and to pay down our building loan. As you can see there is plenty of need and lots of ways you can help. We're excited to see what God is doing at our church and would love for you to be a part of it! If you would like to donate items (new only please), please contact us. If you simply want to contribute money toward worship pastor support, debt pay-down, or any of the items listed above please go to our Partners Page for instructions.

Thank you so much for praying for us. Please continue to ask that God will help us Glorify His name, Magnify his character, and Multiply his work!

We Dedicate This Place

Years of prayers have been answered. NorthStar Church now owns and meets in a brand new facility built with volunteer labor and funded with contributions and donations from across the country. We have been meeting in our new building for five weeks (it seems like forever). We embarked on this endeavor knowing that we could not accomplish it on our own strength, and we have seen God provide and direct in ways we could not have imagined. From ground breaking to Certificate of Occupancy it was completed in five and a half months.

This Sunday the members of NorthStar are going to dedicate this building to the Lord. For us it is a celebration and a commitment. We celebrate seeing God at work, and we commit the use of this facility to serving our king. We know that we are only a small fraction of the entire body of people who God has used to bring this church to this point. There are so many other churches and individuals who have worked, prayed and sacrificed to see this vision become a reality. We know that all of those people would love to be with us to help dedicate this property, and indeed, they will be with us in spirit. But we want this dedication to serve as recognition of the responsibility we have been entrusted with. Please pray for us that we will never take for granted what we have been given. Ask the Lord that we will not be distracted from our mission. Entreat the Holy Spirit to empower us, indwell us, and anoint us. Pray for us to grow in unity and determination to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Again, thank you for your prayers. Updates will continue regarding the building as we post new pictures and other information regarding the build including a possible groundbreaking anniversary celebration next year. Stay tuned!

Call to Pray

Prayer Needed

Yesterday, Silver Lakes Baptist Association had its annual meeting. Pastor Richard Dugger of FBC Bonners Ferry reminded us that prayer is the foundation of our Christian walk and of our church's effectiveness. In light of that timely reminder I would like to call on each of you to join us in praying for the completion of this building project!

Here's where we're at. The building is "inspection ready" -- meaning, as far as we can tell, we have met all of the construction requirements for occupying the building. There are a few landscaping and paving issues to complete, but we are hoping to do some paperwork to keep those things from delaying our occupancy. We haven't started moving in to the building yet because we want to make sure it is permitted under our current status.

The reason I'm calling for extra prayer at this time is the critical nature of the remaining inspections. We have found the building codes to be very stringent and small errors in important areas could cause big delays. Our prayer is this: that the inspectors and officials involved will be full of integrity, act with prudence, and show us mercy where it is within their power to do so! We've done our best to meet every requirement of safety and quality, so now we are praying that those efforts will be rewarded with fairness and swiftness in granting us our certificate of occupancy.

Please to commit to pray at least once for us this week! We want to see God work through our prayers.

More pictures and updates at www.northstarchurch.us/thebuild

New Pictures

There are new pictures in The Build Album. Today, our parking lot is being paved and carpet is being laid. Please pray for these last weeks of the build to go smoothly!

CO at the End of the Tunnel

"C.O." is short for "Certificate of Occupancy." For builders it is a milestone of accomplishment granted by the local authorities that gives the owners permission to occupy a structure for its intended purpose. Since we began construction in May we have been looking forward to the day when we would be granted our C.O. While we haven't yet arrived at that day, we know it is getting closer and closer. The list of things that has to happen has shrunk considerably-- even though things keep getting added to the list!

By next week we hope to see our water line connected and the parking lot paved. The following week we plan on installing landscaping. There is still a lot to be done inside including flooring, window cleaning, many fixtures. The kitchen cabinets are nearing completion. The bathrooms are basically complete pending a detailed cleaning and a few fixtures.The flooring may go in next week.

At this point we are going to start preparing for the move by cleaning our existing chairs and tables, packing up supplies, and memorizing our soon-to-be new address. 8145 N. Ramsey Road, Hayden, Idaho 83835. Finally, those of you from out of state will be able to pronounce the name of our town! We will let you know our new phone number when it is assigned. Our website and email addresses will remain the same. It is possible that we will move in by September 11, exactly six years after NorthStar was constituted. Realistically, it could be a week or two after that, but how amazing is it that we could be moving in to a building four months after breaking ground?!

We have saved a lot of money using missionary laborers, but we have also had many unexpected expenses (of course!). Pray for us to be able to finish the project with as little debt as possible. Also pray for wisdom in dealing with finances and property in the transition from being renters to owners. Thank you so much for being a part of what God is doing in North Idaho.

Sheet Rock! Done. Prayers Needed

Here's an update from Chris, one of our church members who has been onsite for practically the entire build:

We rocked out on Wednesday the 6th of July (finished hanging all the sheet rock) and on Thursday the 7th we screwed off (finished all the sheet rock screws and shiners). Friday brought another milestone as we passed our sheet rock inspection and were approved to start taping and mudding the sanctuary, fellowship hall and the mechanical room (the rest of the church had already been inspected and has the first coat of mud and tape on it).

Central Baptist Church from Lewistown, Montana arrives today (Saturday) and they will be taping, mudding and sanding as they prep the church for the next phase of sealing the walls and texturing.

God continues to bless the members of Northstar and the overall build with each crew that has answered His call to the mission field with this build. The people of CDA and the surrounding areas are well aware that Northstar is being built and that God has been bringing people in to do His work here. What a testament.

I do have one issue in specific that I would appreciate your prayers on- we are running into a hurdle (how cool is that- another chance to see God at work)-- We are having major issues (from the human standpoint) with getting our water hooked up--we have two options available to us- one is cutting the road in front of the church which would cost about 20K and mandate a 150% bond to the city- 125% would be returned when the job is completed- 25% (around 5K) would be held for two years to make sure there was money available in the event the work wasn't done right-- option two is to run a longer 8 inch water line- the cost is still around 20K- but the folks that own the property to the south of the church do not want to give us an easement through their property.

You can see the dilemma-- the prayer request is a simple one- that we can get the water hooked up-- somehow--- the way I see it-- God will make it happen-- He has done to much already to let a bump in the road (no pun intended) stop His build-- We would covet your prayers on this issue.

Moving fast!

The building is going up so fast, I haven't even had time to update! I'll go get some current pictures and post them soon. Until then I can let you know that volunteers from North Carolina are putting sheet rock up inside, and the siding is going up outside. This is only our 5th volunteer team and we have 9 more groups coming to work.

We are still praying for God to continue to provide the resources for the completion of this project. This year we have already raised over $46,000 dollars for the building fund. I am praying that God will provide an additional $54,000 by the end of the build, and that we will have unexpected savings on material, labor, and permits. I admit that both of those things would be miracles. But how exciting it would be for God to bless us with a new building debt free!

Please be in prayer for our church as we push through this project during the busiest time of year for most families. Summer is usually when people choose to travel and enjoy all there is to do in this wonderful place we live. Pray that as we are blessed with new resources that we won't lose our focus on the task we've been given. Pray that our members can all grow into bold witnesses in this community for the Gospel, and that our actions of love and service will back up our claims of being a community of redemption in the name of Jesus. Also pray for our volunteers, coordinators, building team and others involved in the project--for their safety and for a fervent walk with Jesus guided every step by the Holy Spirit.

Thanks!

The Roof is On

Just a quick update today. The roof is on! The last volunteer team completed installation of the roofing panels and now the shingles are on. We have a two-week period without any volunteer teams. During this time we hope to finish getting the building dried in (windows, doors, and plastic wrap) and also let the electrician, plumber and HVAC guy do as much of their work as they can. Before you know it the building will have siding and we'll be working on the interior!

When It Rains...

We have made great progress in our building project. You can view more pictures in The Build Album. The first volunteer team was from FBC Athens, Alabama. I was out of town for most of that week, but I received this report on their progress from a member of our building team. "FCB Athens completed the first phase of the build - and they did a fantastic job. In the week they were here they put up a 326 foot fence, and built ALL of the exterior and interior walls for the church. Overall in the first week- we saw the back fill completed, rough electric and plumbing installed and the slab has been poured." Our second volunteer team from the Eastern Baptist Association of North Carolina is here and working diligently to put on our walls.

What a great picture of God's people working together for his Kingdom! The first team didn't have a slab to work on yet so they put up a fence, prepared the foundation and put together the walls. The second team showed up and put their walls up! This is all a great testimony of how God uses us when we work together to do things we could never have done by ourselves.

A great example of God working in spite of our well-made plans happened the first week. Due to construction delays and the speed at which Baptist volunteers work, we were scrambling to have enough work ready for the first team. We decided to put them to work building the fence along the back line of our property. Fence building may not be super complicated, but a poorly constructed fence can be a real headache in an area where ground frost can wreak havoc. The first team did not know until they got here that they would be building a fence, but it so happened that one of the team members had professional experience building fences! So what we thought was a case of "getting by and making do" was actually a chance for us to have a professional quality installation of our brand new vinyl fence.

The quality of our volunteers was also shown this week when a cold front came through bringing rain and temperatures in the 40's. They decided to continue working in conditions that most framers would see as a good excuse to stay at home. Today God has blessed us with warmer, sunnier weather, but it's great to know that our brothers and sisters are willing to sacrifice and suffer for the cause of Christ being proclaimed in this community.

Stay tuned for more updates!

We've been approved for a loan

NorthStar has been approved for a loan to cover the construction of a new building! If you've been following our story you know that this has been a long time coming, and it is a major blessing. This means that construction can begin (barring any surprise setbacks) in a week or two. This means that volunteer teams that are planning on arriving in early May will actually have something to work on. This means that we could be worshiping in our new building by September...of THIS YEAR!

Our church decided to seek this loan as a means of making the best use of volunteer labor to accomplish this build quickly and cheaply without delays due to a lack of cash. Our desire is to raise as much of the construction costs as possible before construction is complete, thus avoiding a large mortgage. When construction is complete we plan to move out of our rented facility as quickly as possible so that our lease expenses can go to cover any remaining monthly payments from the loan. As you can imagine, it is an exciting and yet stressful time for us as we try to navigate this process with wisdom and diligence.

Please pray four our church, the building team, my family, and others involved in this process. Most urgently, pray that the city of Hayden will not find any further reason for delay in granting us the permit to build!

Oh, and if you've been wanting to join us in this project by contributing financially, but weren't sure when would be the best time to do so--Now would be a great time! Go to www.northstarchurch.us/partnership to find out the best way to give.

NorthStar Church Decides to Proceed with Construction

The congregation of NorthStar voted yesterday to accept the recommendation of the building team to accept the terms of a loan that would secure the additional funds needed to proceed with construction of a new facility on our property in Hayden, Idaho.

The entire construction project is estimated to cost no more than $425,000. So far we have raised and saved around $225,000 through our church and outside donations. We have been approved for a loan to cover the remaining expenses so that construction may begin. Our desire is to reduce the amount of debt we incur as much as possible between now and the time of completion of the building. This can happen in two ways.

One, our materials, labor, permits and other costs could come in lower than estimated. We already have teams planning to come this summer and provide as much free labor as the law allows. The materials costs shift constantly. So that is a major prayer concern. The permitting and other costs are largely up to the City of Hayden and other governing institutions. Our prayer is that the administrators of our government will be willing to work with us to reduce costs wherever possible. Our church hopes to be a strong influence for good in the community, and we desire to contribute to the overall quality of life for everyone in the community not just our members.

The second way our amount of debt will be reduced is through the giving of our congregation and other brothers and sisters in Christ before construction is complete. We believe God is calling us to give sacrificially toward this work, and we are inviting others to join with us in supporting this project. The more we give before the completion of construction the lower our actual loan amount will be, which means lower monthly payments and lower amounts of interest which means more of our income going to ministry and an easier time paying off the debt we may be left with. If we were to raise $150,000 before the end of the summer, it is possible that we would not require a mortgage at all!

Many people inside and outside our church have already contributed to this work. Now we are calling every friend of NorthStar to join us in praying for and supporting the completion of this project for the Glory of God. For information about how you, can make financial contributions go to: www.northstarchurch.us/partnership. If you don't already and would like to receive future updates via email, you may subscribe to our Updates Newsletter.

Thank you so much for your interest in the work God is doing through NorthStar!

What are we doing here?

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Coeur d’Alene Idaho is the largest city in the North Idaho Panhandle. Its cultural influence extends north into Canada, east into Montana, and south to Moscow and beyond. It is in some ways connected with Spokane, Washington, but maintains its own distinct culture and feeling of community.

Coeur d’Alene along with adjacent towns (Dalton Gardens, Hayden and Post Falls) has been a major population growth area. With this explosive growth there has also been some addition in the number and size of some churches. However, Southern Baptists are sparsely represented. There is one other SBC church in Coeur d’Alene and one in Post Falls. There are currently no Southern Baptist churches in Hayden where we are planning to build and relocate. The spiritual climate of the area is one that for many people may include some church attendance, but there is often a lack of commitment in the form of church membership, tithing, or serving in the church. Also, because of a mixture of many diverse beliefs among supposedly Christian churches, many of the people who consider themselves Christians are still very confused about the Gospel.

While an estimated 25% of the population was a member of some congregation, only 6.6% of the total population of Kootenai County were members of evangelical protestant congregations in 2009. The Roman Catholic population represents 5.9% but that is supposedly 7,941 people attending 8 catholic congregations! 7.9% of the population are members of congregations in the category “Other” which may include some non-denominational Christian churches, but may also include various cults and sects that do not teach orthodox Christianity. So even if we include mainline denominations (2.8%) and half of “Other”(4%) that leaves us with only about 13.4% of Kootenai as members of non-Catholic, Christian congregations.

Of course, statistics don’t tell the whole story. There are many Christians who may not technically be members of churches, but let’s be honest. Most churches tend to over report their membership or have members who are no longer attending. There could be members claimed by three or more churches!

What do all these numbers mean? 104,922 people in our county aren't claimed by any sort of religious body. Of the 32,553 who are, only about half of them are members of churches that teach the Gospel more or less as we understand it. That leaves us with about 122,000 friends and neighbors who are not part of a church where they will get to hear the true Gospel preached. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that even the 6.6% evangelical protestant population is full of people who are still in need of authentic Bible teaching.

The numbers mean that we do have something very great to share with those around us. Please pray for us as we try to obey our Lord and share God's plan for redemption with the world.

All statistics were collected from www.thearda.com

Quick Weekend Update

For those of you who were praying for our apartment outreach and women's ministry events:

Last night at the Super Bowl outreach there were 17 people! 15 of them were from NorthStar :-) We got to meet and watch some of the big game with two people who live in the apartments. Our group of guys who hosted the party had a great time of fellowship. We ate some tasty chili. And it cost us almost zero dollars! We praise God for this opportunity and look forward to how He wants us to continue serving in this way.

I invited the lady that showed up to watch the game to our women's Bible study starting this Thursday night at her apartment complex. Our ladies will be hosting the study "Redeeming Our Regrets: The Entangled Lives of Sarah & Hagar". The study will be hosted both at our church AND at the apartment building, in an effort to make it easy for new people to attend.

I also wanted to follow up and give a brief report about the women's conference that was two Saturdays ago. I wasn't there, so I can't give full details, but I can tell you what I do know. The ladies of our church transformed our sanctuary into a beautifully decorated retreat. Kelleen Little was the conference speaker and the theme was "Still", based on Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

I believe 34 women attended representing several area churches. One woman accepted Christ, and many experienced spiritual healing and refreshment.

If you or someone you know would like to subscribe to these updates by email follow the link below

Subscribe to Church Updates by Email

Multifamily Housing Ministry

We've been praying and seeking ways to minister to some of the thousands of people in multifamily housing in our area. It hasn't taken long for us to get connected to an apartment complex where one of our members lives. Our ladies took the first step by hosting a Christmas party for the residents. Now or men are hosting a Super Bowl party. As a result of organizing these events I've now met all of the apt. management staff (I think) and built a good working relationship with them. They are great people and seem to like us!

After initiating this work I was surprised to find out that a man and his wife had been praying for a church to reach out to these apartments! God has already been paving the way for us and perhaps been waiting for us to follow his direction for a while now. In any case, our next step is to start a Bible study for ladies meeting in the apt. club room. Assuming no problems it will begin next Thursday.

Please pray for a continued good relationship with the staff, and that we can be an actual benefit to that property as well as the people we are seeking to minister to.
Please pray that people who need to hear the Gospel will have a chance to hear and respond through this relationship.
Please pray for wisdom that we won't unintentionally or unnecessarily offend anyone in this culture that is ultra sensitive to being "proselytized".
Please pray for more opportunities to reach pockets of lostness in our city and our region.

Women's Ministry

I praise God for a group of women in our church who
have followed God's calling on them to minister to the hearts of women.

When planning 2010's Ladies Christmas party our Women's Leadership team had a problem. They realized they had become too successful. After a few years of great Christmas parties that were very well attended and memorable, they were yearning to do something that wasn't "all about us." Someone suggested the simple idea of hosting the party away from the church and doing it in a way that could benefit some ladies outside the church. What a revolutionary idea! My wife asked me what I thought about them having the party at a nearby apartment complex. I thought it was a great idea in theory, but I had my doubts about the possibility of it.

Showing uncharacteristic optimism I went to the apt. management office to ask for permission to have the party. I was prepared to be met with confusion and ultimately rejection. To my surprise I was directed to talk with a maintenance manager who was eager to help. You see, he and his wife had been praying that a church would reach out to the people of this apt. facility! He started brainstorming how we could do it and said, "This would be so much easier if you had a church member who lived here."

So far I had neglected to tell him that we did indeed have a lady living at the apartments and that was the reason we had chosen those particular apartments. With this revelation the problem was solved. Residents can host whatever kind of event they want in the club house.

Since that Christmas party the door has been opened for future ministry at the apartments. The men are going to host a Super Bowl party and the ladies are even planning to host a weekly Bible study right in the club house!

The Still Conference
Another huge thing going on with women's ministry at NSC is the Still conference. We are hosting a one-day conference for women in the area. Last I heard, over 40 women are planning to attend. God is showing us again and again that there is no limit to what He can accomplish when we are willing to let him lead us. Please be in prayer for NorthStar, this women's conference and the future of ministry here in North Idaho.

How You Can Be a Part

Several weeks ago NorthStar Church voted to embark on a building project. This is something that has been in the works for years. The dream of building a new building for a Southern Baptist church in this area predates the the planting of NorthStar. Since the land was purchased major new neighborhood developments have sprung up around the property (satellite image). The road just south of the land has become a major thoroughfare, and they built a Wal Mart nearby!

Since the beginning of NorthStar plans have been made, funds have been solicited, the neighborhoods have been prayer-walked and surveyed. We had a meeting with the city of Hayden to get a special use permit. Still, after setbacks along the way, the dream of an established, church-owned place to meet seemed just out of reach.

Well, now we have a set of plans and we have enough money to get started on them. God has provided us with funds to complete the "shell" of a building. Our roof, windows and exterior walls will all be in by next spring, barring any major interruptions.

For those of you who have followed our work here and care about NorthStar it is important to know that we are still in very great need. This is a major step of faith for our congregation. We believe that God is going to provide the funding, materials, and labor that we need to complete the interior of the building. Our people are committing to give sacrificially for the completion of this building and to use it as a tool for God's glory in North Idaho. As we approach the end of the year I'm asking you to start planning now for how you can be a part of what God is doing in our church over the next year.

First of all, if you live in the area and are looking for a great church, come check us out. God is giving us a passion for his glory, knowing him, and offering hope to this area and the world. We would love for you to be a part of that no matter what our building or location is.

For everyone else, the main thing we are asking you to do is remember us in prayer. I am so thankful for those of you who have faithfully been praying for God's work here. Some of you have been praying for us for over four years now! I'm so grateful for churches like FBC Houston, MS who have added us to their ongoing prayer list. It is very encouraging to know that fellow believers are interceding for us. We will be giving continued prayer request updates at Life in the Big Potato and at northstarchurch.us. If you'd rather receive email updates or "real" paper copies let me know in an email.

If you are itching to come help build our interior you can put together a group of skilled labor and volunteer through Baptist on Mission. See their website for more info. By the way, our summers are awesome. Don't believe me, just look back at some past blog posts.

And finally, if you have a large pile of cash sitting around that you don't know what to do with, we would be happy to help! We are asking God to provide for the rest of our building expenses. Estimates are still dependent on a lot of other factors, but we are guessing between 200 and 300 thousand dollars. We hope to fulfill as much of that as possible through our church, but since Idaho isn't known for high wages, and we already operate on a "faith budget", we are asking friends of the church to consider joining us in giving toward this project. So if you are doing your year-end tax evaluation or you are setting up your 2011 budget we would really appreciate it if you could take us into consideration. One-time or monthly tax-deductible gifts can be sent to:

NorthStar Baptist Church
Building Fund
1604 W Lee Court
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 83814.

If you have questions about the details of this project please contact me by email

A Time to Build

Yesterday the NorthStar church body voted to move forward with a building project that has been in the works for a long time. We have made the decision to build a building approximately three miles north of our current meeting location. The church has the funds to complete a portion of the building project, but we are praying that God will provide funding to complete the entire building. There will be more information here as we proceed with the project.

July 2010

Baptism and Burgers
This Sunday after the service we met down at NIC beach to baptize Sarah and welcome her and Josh into our church family (as members). Afterward we shared some burgers and other summer food. A great time was had by all.

Pastor Search
This Sunday we will be voted for our pastor search team. Four of the candidates nominated will be serving. The names of the team members will be announced once all of them have been notified. Start praying now for the work they are going to do!

Destination 4: Give it Away
You can read this week's challenge at www.northstarchurch.us/destination4. But its really so simple that you don't need directions. The challenge is to give away a Bible. We have a bunch of New Testaments at the church that you can use, or maybe you can clean off your book shelf and give away one of the Bibles you haven't looked at in years. *UPDATE* Greg informed me that he and Talia gave away three Bibles at the beach after baptism. Way to go guys!

For more info about this summer's challenges go to Journey 2010

Youth Group
The students of NorthStar have decided to get outside the four walls of the church--literally. The students will be meeting at the park in "The Landings". That's the neighborhood southwest of the Ramsey and Atlas intersection. There they hope to be available to reach out to new students and their families. If you are looking for any old place to hand out Bibles, why not head over to the Landings?

April 20, 2010

Hope you're having a great week. Here's what's going on at NorthStar:

Wednesday, April 21

6 pm Dinner (bring-a-dish)
6:30 Prayer (Any volunteers to do childcare?)

Thursday, Aprill 22

6:30 Youth Worship Time

Friday, April 23

6 pm--Midnight, Ladies Craft Night, Bring a friend and a snack!

Sunday, April 25

Sunday Morning worship service, of course!
5 pm, The Heart of NorthStar (*see description)

Coming Soon

May 7-8, Women's Retreat
May 9, Mother's Day/ Baby Dedication
June 18-20, Men's Camp
June 26, Ironman Outreach

For information about NorthStar including upcoming events, past sermons, and pictures, go to: www.northstarchurch.us

The Heart of NorthStar*

I wanted to take a minute to explain more about what I hope to see at our share time next Sunday night. Firstly, its a potluck, so I hope to see lots of yummy dishes. We will provide the lemonade, water, or tea(?). Secondly, I hope this is a time where we can share any lingering doubts, chips on shoulders, on-going frustrations, hopes and dreams, etc. I am not interested in being in a church that requires a referee or a judge, so I really want our church to learn to deal with issues, conflict and communication in a healthy, Christ-honoring way. I'm not just talking about correction, I'm talking about prevention. What can we do before conflict comes to make sure that we will get through it in a way that draws us closer to God and to each other?

In most organizations, leadership is about power. Jesus taught us the opposite. If you want to be great you must be a servant (Matt 20:26). Servants don't seek to have power, they don't fight for their position, they seek the good of others. We have built into us a strong desire to serve ourselves. We must fight that desire! I think the reason scripture tells us to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Eph 5:21), is that it is a tangible way for us to show our submission before God. So one thing that we're concerned with in leading NorthStar forward, is building Christ-like concern for each other into the system. In other words, one of the first things I'd like the disciples at NorthStar to learn is how we should be treating each other. I don't think this is a stretch for our church. It is a close and loving, family-like body, but not all families are healthy. We want ours to be--now and in the future!

So please come with open, humble, loving hearts, next Sunday. I can't wait to see how God is going to work among us.

Have a great week!

Bennett

For further reading check out my most recent blog post.

NorthStar Email

From: Bennett

Hi folks. I'm working on putting together an email list for our NorthStar family. I think I have email addresses for about 90% of those currently attending. We'd like to start sending out a short email every week or two just to keep you informed of what's happening with the church. If you prefer to use a different email address to receive these messages, if you are receiving two or more messages, or if you would prefer not to receive a weekly email please reply and let us know.

This week at NorthStar we will be discussing membership, covenant, and how that relates to who we are. You will have a chance in the next few weeks to publicly reaffirm your covenant membership at NorthStar. If you are not a member this will be a great time to consider joining the church. Also this Sunday after the church service we will have a Family Forum. That's our fancy name for the quarterly church conference. The Elders have appointed Tom to moderate. At this meeting we will: discuss the 1st quarter of finances, vote to consent to an intentional 4-month interim period, and hear a staff report about some short-term and long-term vision for the church.

The Sunday after that, April 25th, we will have an evening fellowship meal at 5 p.m. followed by a sharing time we are calling "The Heart of NorthStar." In a continuing effort to discover who we are and who God is calling us to be, we want to give our body a chance to listen to each other with open hearts about what God has been doing and what He may be urging us to do.

From the NorthStar Constitution:

Mission Statement

The purpose of NorthStar Baptist Church is to provide an environment where people can discover (evangelism) and develop (discipleship) their passion for God (worship) in a way that is real, relevant (ministry), and relational (fellowship).

Statement of Faith

NorthStar Baptist Church subscribes to the doctrinal statement of the "Baptist Faith and Message" as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000 as a reliable expression of the Bible’s teaching on core Christian beliefs..

Affiliation

NorthStar Baptist Church is autonomous and maintains the privilege to govern its own affairs, independent of any denominational control. Recognizing, however, the benefits of cooperation with other churches in world missions, this Church voluntarily and enthusiastically affiliates with the Southern Baptist Convention in its national, state and local expressions.

Qualifications for Membership

1. A personal commitment of faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

2. Scriptural baptism by immersion as a testimony of salvation.

3. Completion of the Church's membership class.

4. A public commitment to abide by the membership covenant.

Here's an excerpt from our constitution about NorthStar and membership.

For information about NorthStar including upcoming events, past sermons, and pictures, go to: www.northstarchurch.us

A Great Weekend: Easter and Ministering to the Homeless

Easter Sunday

We had a wonderful celebration of Resurrection Sunday! By the best count we could come up with there were 111 people in attendance. Our nursery, preschool and children's classes were running at full steam. Even more important than the crowd or the numbers, we had a great time of worship. There is nothing better than God's people (sinners saved by grace) joining together in praising Jesus and proclaiming his goodness and strength. If you were one of our guests on Sunday, thank you for being with us. It was very encouraging to see each of you there. We hope you feel welcome to come back and be a part of what God is doing in our church and in this area.

Women's Ministry Ministers...to Women!

Some of the leaders of the women's ministry at NorthStar Church felt God calling them to serve some women in need. They decided to do something totally unexpected--a spa party for homeless women. This past weekend this unconventional ministry idea led to several women in our church going to Anna Ogden Hall to put on a complete spa party complete with footspas, gift bags and a chocolate fountain. We hope to have a complete, detailed description of this event soon along with some pictures.

The Snow is Melting

Snow Melt

We've had a week of rains and slightly warmer temperatures. Our mountain of snow at the end of our parking lot is slowly turning into a mountain of plowed up gravel. Our temporary mailbox (put in place because our regular mailbox has been unaccessable since December) now appears to be in the middle of our driveway. Before, it appeared to be at the very edge because of snow and ice. Unfortunately, the slight upturn in the weather seems to have caused a massive outbreak of colds and flu throughout our area. Sunday we were missing 15% or more of our regular attenders due to sickness.

Ordination

Those of us who remain healthy were there to witness the ordination of two new elder/overseers at NorthStar. Rich and Ron were nominated by the congregation, approved by the Pastoral Support Team and affirmed by the vote of consent of the congregation. Hey, we're just following the by-laws! In any case we strongly believe that God was in control of this selection process. And so yesterday we recognized God's calling in the lives of these two men and their families.

Ping Pong Tourney

Saturday night NorthStar had its first ever ping pong tournament. It was a well-played tournament with eight athletes participating. The winner was Rich, who came back after suffering a loss in the first round. In second was Sean who played valiantly but just couldn't bring himself to embarrass his father. In third place was Larent (forgive my spelling!), our new friend, who found out about the tournament by doing and internet search for "ping pong in Coeur d'Alene." Those who were out of the tournament early weren't phased by the defeat. They simply joined some spectators in a rousing game of Scrabble that tested the boundaries of the English language.

Thank you, to everyone who participated in this event. Start practicing now for the next tournament! Who knows when that will be.

Christmas Update 2008

December is halfway over and the people of NorhStar have been as busy as elves. The Men's Ministry kicked off a monthly men's breakfast in November and already that has led to a lot of serving in the name of Christ. We were able to organize Thanksgiving meals for five different families. We also got together to provide firewood for a family who could really use it. This month we planned the Polar Plunge Warm-Up and put a plan in place to start visiting people in our church and our community. So far we've had about 12 men involved. Pray that God will use the Men of NorthStar to be leaders and examples to our families and our neighbors.

The Ladies gathered for a Christmas party where they made wreaths and had a sock exchange. A great time was had by all. Dec. 21 we will have our annual Carols, Candles, and Communion service on Sunday morning. Thanks for all of your prayers as we go into a new year. We are very excited about all that God is going to do through NorthStar in 2009!

More pictures

Make sure to check out the new pictures we've posted of the baptism and picnic. Here's one to get you started.

Baptism at the Lake

This past Sunday NorthStar did not meet in the building that we rent. Instead we met at the edge of Lake Coeur d'Alene. It was a beautiful day, sunny with a high of 75 or so with a slight warm breeze. We met on a lawn maintained by North Idaho College that overlooks the lake right on the beach. Everyone brought food, and we grilled burgers. There were about 40 people there I guess, with their lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Rich and Tom led us in worship, and we sang to the God who created the beauty around us. I preached a short message from Luke 9 about the cost of discipleship and what it means to publicly proclaim Christ. Together we prayed that our church would be commited to publicly sharing the Gospel. Then we shared a meal.

After we ate together we gathered on the shore. We baptized three people in the chilly water; all three of them adult believers fulfilling obedience to Christ. They were publicly (very publicly!) proclaiming their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our church was joining them in that proclaimation and commiting to hold them to their covenant with the Lord.

It was a wonderful day for our church. Please pray for more of the same.

Campout, Faithwalk, Missionary Connection

Last Saturday we had the second annual BBQ and cookout at Brad and Josie's. What can we say about that except that the weather was great, the food was outstanding, and everyone had a great time. We potato sack races and a water balloon toss. We even got a visit from Molly the deer.

We have also been blessed to meet Carol Cruise and Wendy Miller. Carol is walking around the perimeter of the country praying over every mile of our borders. She and Wendy, her assistant, need a place to stay during their travel through our part of the country, so we've helped them out. You can find more about Carol's mission at Faithwalk.net.

This weekend the Sandersons and the Magees are going to the NorthWest Missionary Connection hosted by the North American Mission Board (NAMB). They will be traveling to Seattle Thursday through Saturday to learn about NAMB's newest strategies and connect with other ministers throughout the Northwest.

Thanks for all your prayers!

Backyard Bible Club

This summer a team from NorthStar put together our first ever off-site Backyard Bible Club. We had a great time working with the kids at Children's Village. We had songs, crafts, stories, games and crafts. The children were very appreciative. They didn't want us to leave, and we didn't want to leave them. If you are interested in volunteering with the kids at Children's Village or in helping with future BBC's please let us know.

Mid Summer

We are finally experiencing Summer. It is a great time to live in North Idaho! Its a great time to visit too. At least that's what people who are visiting are telling us. The New Wind Choir from Alabama thought our heat wave was somewhat of a relief from the humidity of the South. Make sure to read about their time here on our Ironman Impact page. There is even a link to videos and slideshows of the team working here.

As soon as we get our hands on them we will post some pictures of our church members. For now you can check out some pictures at Life in the Big Potato.

This week one of our youth is attending Centrifuge. We cannot wait to hear what God does in her life. And also pray for our upcoming Back Yard Bible Club in a couple of weeks.

May Showers

From Bennett: It has been flooding here. I know it is not the best picture, but that picnic table used to be about 30 feet from the water's edge. One of the largest snow amounts in history combined with a fast melt-off has caused all of our rivers lakes and streams to swell and over flow. They say there hasn't been flooding like this since back in 1997. That's not that long ago is it? That's when I graduated high school.

May has been a busy month. We've had mother's day and communion, and we're gearing up for summer time. Our pastor search team is diligently seeking the man God would have lead our church and I have been preaching about the Life of Jesus. Good subject, don't you think?

We're trying something new for NorthStar this summer. We're having Dinner and Prayer each Wednesday night. That's where we'll come together for an evening meal then have a prayer service to lift up our church, our community, our nation, and our world. I don't know what will happen with this time, but I am very excited about it.

We're also trying something new when it comes to VBS. We're stepping out from the traditional "in-house" vacation Bible School to try putting together some teams that can do Backyard Bible Clubs. That means we want to serve children and families who would not normally come to our facility for VBS. I don't think many of our church members have ever done anything like this before. There are a lot of questions about how to pull this off. Please pray that God would lead us all the way!

Finally, please continue to pray for our preparations for Ironman. We have a very large team coming to serve during Ironman. Please pray that we will find transportation and get all their volunteer work coordinated in time.

NorthStar Extravaganza!!!!!!!

Sunday night we had our first ever NorthStar Extravaganza. No one new our church was so talented. This was a variety show of sorts. We had Nate and Elena doing a skit with only their upside down chins showing. We had a group of ladies recreating the Pirates who Don't Do Anything music video. We had the advanced musical talents of both Sean and Rochelle Sydney. Travis, the singer/songwriter, performed two of his originals, with Tom on keyboard and Sean on drums.

The preschool class was well represented, singing Jesus Love Me. Then two of our special needs kids both sang. One of them sang Row Row Row Your Boat and kept giving her parents a thumbs up with a huge smile! The other sang Blessed Be the Name of the Lord. It is hard to explain how touching these two performances were. I guess you'd have to know these two very special kids.

Another favorite was Fondra's crowd participation. She got four church members to stuff as many marshmallows in their mouth as possible then recite "chubby bunny" to the cheers of the crowd. Also in the for humor's sake category was my performance of the Eagle Song. I don't know how to describe that, so you'll have to get someone else to. Of course there was much more to the evening, but there's a taste for you.

In conclusion, we were all reminded that being together can be a lot of fun. Maybe that why God designed the church the way he did. So we could have an excuse to be together often. Let's make the most of those times!

3:16 Numbers of Hope

First Ever NorthStar Choir Performance a Success!

Thanks, everyone who helped out with this performance! We had a great time! Stay tuned to find out when there will be future performances by the NorthStar Choir.

Beast Feast 2008

The Beast Feast is Over! 'Til next year...

Since NorthStar began we've wanted it to be a place where we celebrate what is great about our community. We also want to foster community by focusing ministry around things people already enjoy doing. The Beast Feast has been our annual service to the men of our community--an opportunity for those who hunt, fish or... well those who just like to eat meat, to get together and enjoy a great time of food, prizes, and fellowship along with a Christian perspective from an experienced outdoors-man.

This year's Beast Feast went very well. We had right around 100 men. We had a little smaller meeting place this year so that number was just right. The food was amazing, of course. Jim Grassi shared on a somewhat controversial topic especially in these parts. The advantages and disadvantages of hunting "high fence" or privately managed areas. Most people stuck around to hear him out, and in the end Jim shared about how hunting had taught him about God's character.

There were many new faces this year. Please pray that God will continue to use this event to his glory through relationships formed and ideas introduced. This was a big undertaking for our church. Thank you to everyone who helped!

If you are interested in visiting NorthStar, March would be a great time. Check out our upcoming events.

Also make sure to check out pictures from the event.

Big Dig

We've had one of the largest snow accumulations in recent memory. As a result the roads have been icy, parking lots are a mess, and some buildings' roofs have caved in. As a precautionary measure some of the men of NorthStar gathered to shovel ice off our roof. We've posted some pictures of this event on our site.

In spite of the weather our attendance has held strong and we are looking forward to some big events in the life of NorthStar. We have the Beast Feast, a choir production and Easter Sunday in the month ahead. Then it won't be too long before Summer!

Also, our prayers go out to those affected by the recent storms across the South. Union University is Tom and Fondra's Alma Matter. We hope everyone recovers quickly from this disaster, and we pray God is glorified even in the face of this tragedy.

Beast Feast Date and Speaker Set

The Fourth Annual Beast Feast is being planned for March 8th at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. Our Speaker will be Jim Grassi of Outdoor Connection Ministries. Last year we had over 130 men for the dinner. Please pray that through this event we will impact our community for Christ.

Website changes

We are working on the new website design. If you are interested in keeping up with what is happening at NorthStar then subscribte to this feed or check back regularly. If something isn't working properly on the website please let us know.