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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Message From Pastor Rob Honor The Past Our Mission Field The Mission // The Vision For Such A Time As This Setting The Table For Life-Change
MESSAGE FROM THE LEAD PASTOR
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Now More Than Ever - The Campaign Build For The Future You Have A Part To Play Engage: Be In The Know Frequently Asked Questions Putting Your Faith Into Action Tools For The Journey
The mission of New North Church has always been to make and mature more followers of Christ. This has been our driving force - from our launch as the North Campus of Central Peninsula Church in January 2009, to our relaunch as New North Church in July 2017, and up to this very moment. Throughout it all, God has been incredibly faithful. People have come to faith in Jesus, we’ve experienced powerful worship and preaching, seen spiritual and life transformation and fostered roots of community both within our church body and in the surrounding Northern Peninsula. Having transitioned from one temporary location to another, we believe Now More Than Ever God is calling us to pursue permanent facilities as we plan for the future of our church. Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” While the church doesn’t need a building to do all that God has called us to do, the time is ripe to make preparations that pave the way for future generations to be rooted in our community here in the Bay Area.
use our church building for the benefit of the community. We’ll have a platform to launch more churches from; as we work to train up and send out church planters and pastors. A more permanent building will create margin for our staff and volunteers who set up and teardown every Sunday, and allow us to be better stewards of our resources by owning and not renting. More than anything, New North Church will be able to reach more people for Jesus Christ. Upon entering into this season of generosity, we are asking you to enjoy the moment, consider if God is asking you to play a role in this campaign, commit to hearing what God wants you to do in this season and to pray. Looking back on all that God has done in and through New North Church, and looking forward to all that He will do, through your commitment to this endeavor, Now More Than Ever we will continue to live out our vision to cultivate an authentic community of Jesus followers who love and serve people. Grace,
As we work toward raising funds for a permanent building, we believe that God’s Kingdom will ultimately be allowed to expand in many ways. We want to be rooted in our community for a lifetime, and think creatively about how we can
Rob Hall
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JOURNEY GUIDE
HONOR THE PAST A LOOK AT WHERE WE’VE BEEN
NEW NORTH CHURCH
MICHELLE LEE’S You may not be able to tell at first glance, but New North Church is actually part of a lineage of Bay Area churches that dates all the way back to the 1960’s. It all started with a simple idea: carry out a calling to make and mature followers of Jesus Christ through a community of believers.
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story
After I moved to the Bay Area, my now husband and I started attending CPC and decided to join a small group through the Young Adults ministry. We went back to the basics, the foundation of who God is, who Jesus is and what an authentic community of Jesus followers was supposed to look like. I can see God’s hands all over our lives in that moment - meeting us and providing a loving and safe environment for us when I was fragile and vulnerable. Through that time, I finally realized how gentle, patient and understanding God is and what it truly meant to have a relationship with Him in a way I never had before.
NOVEMBER 2011 -OCTOBER 2020
BEGINNING
JANUARY 2009
JUNE-OCTOBER 2011
Foster City
Millbrae
San Bruno
San Bruno
NORTH CAMPUS OF CENTRAL PENINSULA CHURCH (CPC)
AUDITORIUM OF MILLS HIGH SCHOOL
SKYLINE COLLEGE
CRESTMOOR CAMPUS
JULY 2017
NEW NORTH IS BORN!
OCTOBER 2020
NOVEMBER 2020
San Bruno
Multiple Locations
MOVED OUT OF CRESTMOOR CAMPUS
FULLY MOBILE SETUP AND TEARDOWN
FUTURE
500 AT OUR FIRST SERVICE IN MILLBRAE!
THE ROAD TO CRESTMOOR
NEW NORTH IS OFFICIALLY BORN!
The church initially was known as the North Campus of Central Peninsula Church (CPC). After 40 years of incredible ministry in one location at Foster City, CPC commissioned a group of 100 committed people to start a second campus in Millbrae, CA. The church launched at the auditorium of Mills High school on January 11th, 2009. At that time, the world was facing an economic recession, but God blew our expectations, and 500 people joined us for our first service!
June-October 2011: We found Crestmoor High School and began renovations, but were subsequently stopped by the city for permits. So we moved to Skyline College for several months as we went through the permitting process.
We then came to the point where the CPC elders asked each other a question, “Why shouldn’t we send CPC North out as an independent church?” The desire was to multiply and have a greater impact in the cities we were already reaching. So, three years ago, New North Church was born!
November 2011-October 2020: And finally we landed at Crestmoor - where we’ve been for several wonderful years. And again, God grew us. We added services, hired staff, people continued to come to faith, marriages were healed, and new ministries rolled out.
On July 1st, 2017, CPC North officially re-launched as an independent church body known as New North Church. However, in spite of the name change, the church remains deeply connected to Central Peninsula Church through shared core values and a shared history that will never be lost.
We leveled out at about 350 people and gradually added about 100 people every year. People came to faith in Jesus, hundreds were discipled and we began to invest deeply in the communities of the Northern Peninsula. But, as construction began on the Mills Theatre, we had to move in May of 2011.
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NEW NORTH CHURCH
OUR MISSION FIELD
THE MISSION // THE VISION The Mission
Influence and Affluence: The Bay Area carries a unique magnetic attraction for those around the globe seeking their futures and fortunes. We are home to incredible universities, businesses, sports teams, social movements, cultural venues and endless opportunities. What starts in the Bay Area often ripples out to affect the rest of the world. We have influence and we have affluence.
A Community of Extremes: Our 11 counties and 256 cities & towns have one of the highest per capita incomes of any area on the face of the earth. We also have our challenges; in spite of our affluence, 22 percent of people in the Bay Area live below the poverty line. Although we have amazing teachers and educators, 51 percent of our 3rd graders cannot read at 3rd-grade level.
Majority of Community is Unreached:
Bay Area Facts/Statistics Source: Pat Gelsinger (https://www.tbc.city/about2)
New North Church exists to make and mature more followers of Christ - that is our mission. Our mission is who we are and what we value.
The Vision New North Church exists to cultivate an authentic community of Jesus followers who love and serve people - that is our vision. A vision is a picture of our preferred future -- it’s who we are becoming.
From the very beginning there were values that drove us as a church... • We wanted to be rooted and planted in the Northern Peninsula, a place where very little gospel work is happening. • We wanted to love people deeply. Loving deeply means being there for people in all the triumphs, excitements, failures and pains of life. • We wanted to see a church of passionate worshippers, powerful preaching and deep community.
Of the nearly 8 million people in the Bay Area’s 11 counties
• We wanted to be about spiritual growth and life transformation.
(including Santa Cruz and Monterey County), close to 5 million are unchurched or have no religious affiliation whatsoever. Within our faith communities, many churches live a siloed and isolated existence, which greatly diminishes our potential collective impact.
• We wanted to become an essential part of the local community where our presence was felt even by people who never stepped foot through our doors.
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JOURNEY GUIDE
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NEW NORTH CHURCH
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS God has called us to be in this place at this time because we believe that there is nothing more important than reaching people for Jesus and building a multigenerational, multicultural and diverse church that reflects the community we are planted in.
In light of this strategic and monumental moment in our church, we are excited to present to you where we feel God is leading us next!
LIVE FOR today! A PLACE TO CALL HOME: ALLAN MA’S STORY For years, I isolated myself and hid myself in pain. But through a series of miraculous events, Jesus pulled me back and said, “I got you. I got this.” My girlfriend (now wife) brought me to New North in June of 2016 and it is the first church I’ve ever called home. I was nervous about going to church at first, but God surrounded me with a community of believers and used them to speak to me. I opened my heart to God and finally learned about who Jesus was and have since experienced the greatest act of love; Jesus took my place and died for all of my sins.
A JOURNEY TO ROOTEDNESS • For over 10 years, it has been our desire to have a permanent place to call home. There have been some potential opportunities, yet none of them have worked out. • While we don’t need a building to do all that God has called us to do, we want to be rooted in our community.
• A building would bring a sense of stability, excellence and predictability to the way we do ministry in the Northern Peninsula. • Research shows that once a church similar to New North moves into a permanent location, new people - people far from God - come out in droves.
• We want to put a stake in the ground and say New North Church is here to stay, God willing - for future generations.
THAT IS OUR HEART! TO REACH NEW PEOPLE FOR JESUS AND TO SEE LIFE-CHANGE AND COMMUNITY ESTABLISHED AS GOD BUILDS HIS CHURCH!
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NEW NORTH CHURCH
SETTING THE TABLE FOR LIFE-CHANGE “IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?” GENESIS 18:14 Like Abraham and Sarah, we want to step out in faith and obedience to God believing that nothing is too hard for the Lord. We want to be ready for when God opens the right doors for a new building. We believe that with God, all things are possible. There is nothing He calls us to that He will not equip us for! For Sarah, God was opening her womb and bringing new life. For New North, we are believing that God is opening new doors and building His church in our community! This is a step of faith - trusting God with what only He can do (opening doors in the supernatural) while we actively do what we can do (stewarding our finances in the natural).
We trust our God and are ready to set the table for those who have not been reached with the message of Jesus!
PAUSE AND THINK OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW WHO ARE FAR FROM GOD OR ARE NOT IN RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS:
Write their names here
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JOURNEY GUIDE
ROB EIFLER’S STORY: I attended a Catholic High School and took all of the required religion classes. We would read the Bible and attend mass and I never felt any connection to God (or maybe never wanted to). I began coming to New North because my wife (then girlfriend) dragged me along. As I began to spend more time at church and really listen to what was being said I began to feel a connection with God, but as soon as we would leave church other things in my life would take over and choke out my connection. One particular day at church though I looked up to the stage during the music and I remember one person singing and playing the guitar. He looked so happy. I thought to myself, why am I not opening my heart to this experience? Why not try? What if somehow I have a connection to God that helps me feel as happy as this person looks like they are right now? That was the moment I decided to really open my heart to God and put my faith in him, and when I did, I became overwhelmed with emotion by the love and grace of Jesus.
AS I BEGAN TO SPEND MORE TIME AT CHURCH I BEGAN TO FEEL A CONNECTION WITH GOD. - Rob Eifler
NEW NORTH CHURCH
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BUILD FOR THE FUTURE
NOW MORE THAN EVER
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING In order for us to go where we’ve never gone, New North is going to have to do what we’ve never done. And it starts right now!
In the book of Acts, the Apostles were faced with a major decision. As they sought the Lord for wisdom we read...
“IT SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AND TO US...”
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NOW MORE THAN EVER The harvest is ripe and people are open to Jesus
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NOW MORE THAN EVER We want to love and serve people in need
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NOW MORE THAN EVER
ACTS 15:28A.
Our Goal
$10 MILLION for a permanent facility
Based upon: In a similar way, pursuing this campaign seems good to the Holy Spirit and to the elders of our church so we are moving forward.
We need to root ourselves for the future generations
Our giving Our location Our current and expected growth
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NOW MORE THAN EVER We need to prepare for the coming revival in the Bay Area
Immediacy:
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NOW MORE THAN EVER We want to develop deeper community for people
Making It Our Own:
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NOW MORE THAN EVER
Permanence:
We want to be a church that multiplies and plants other like minded churches
This would give us the permanent address which gives our church roots
This gives us the strength of position toward moving on a property immediately
This amount would allow us to purchase the property including the site plan and development of the location
“SEE, I AM DOING A NEW THING! NOW IT SPRINGS UP; DO YOU NOT PERCEIVE IT? I AM MAKING A WAY IN THE WILDERNESS AND STREAMS IN THE WASTELAND.” ISAIAH 43:19
VISIT THE CAMPAIGN WEBSITE:
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NEW NORTH CHURCH
ENGAGE e in the know! B
YOU HAVE A PART TO PLAY! Enjoy this moment We are at an incredible moment in the history of our church as we look to impact hundreds, thousands and maybe tens of thousands for Jesus Christ We get to sow the seeds of permanence laying a foundation for years to come
MARK YOUR CALENDARS Launch Sunday Sunday February 14 What might He be asking you to do to make this project happen?
Commitment Sunday
To help you discover the answer to this, go through Tools for the Journey (starting on pg 20). This study will help us grow closer to Jesus as we learn what it means to radically follow Him.
March 14
Pray for this campaign
Celebrate Commitments Received March 28
Consider what role God has for you in the campaign It will take every person and family in our church sacrificially committing to this project for it to be a success
Commit to hearing and obeying what God wants you to do in this season God is inviting you to grow spiritually; especially in the area of generosity!
We truly believe that “A church moves forward on its knees.� Ask of the Lord to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine.
MAKE ROOM Create space and margin to listen as your journey unfolds Use this booklet to journal as the Lord speaks to you
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JOURNEY GUIDE
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FAQS Why do we need a permanent building?
While we can still do all God is calling us to without a building, from the very beginning, New North Church has always deeply valued being a part of our local community. We view a permanent building as an integral part of putting down roots right here, in the Bay Area, for the kingdom of God to multiply. From being present in our community, to church planting, we want to reach more people for Jesus.
Is this just about people giving money to the church?
This campaign is about much more than just giving. It’s an opportunity for our church to grow spiritually, and to learn to trust Him with our finances. Through this campaign, we want to become a more praying church, and a church that continues to pursue Jesus wholeheartedly.
Why are we doing this now, during a pandemic?
Now More Than Ever people need Jesus! We want to be rooted here in the Bay Area both now, and for future generations - to create community, to love and serve and to multiply. Our church is in a season of transition - we’ve said goodbye to our former home at Crestmoor, and have now gone mobile. There is no better time to be making plans for the future of our church, and we believe God is calling us to do just that.
Will our pastors know who gives and how much?
At New North, we’ve always erred on the side of discretion when it comes to knowledge of individual giving. Consistent with how we have always operated, our elders and pastors will not know how much individuals give.
What are we hoping to accomplish with this campaign? What is the win?
Through this campaign, we are preparing and planning for when the opportunity of a building arises. When that time does come, we want to respond to the call of being impactful and influential in our community for Jesus. As we do so, we also want our body of believers to grow spiritually together. Our hope is that during this season of generosity, all generations in the New North Church family will grow closer to Jesus, pressing in as we grow our trust in Him, being prayerful as we do so.
What is the “right amount” for me to give, or for us to give as a family?
The “right amount” for you to give is between you and God. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 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.” We believe that every person and family in our church will need to be sacrificial in our giving to this project in order for it to be successful.
Can New North Church raise $10 million beyond our annual budget needs?
We’ve carefully looked over our finances, taking into consideration both the area we live in, and other churches similar in size and make up to New North. Through all of this, we have found our goal of $10 million to be a reasonable yet faith-filled one. It will take prayer, faith and commitment from our entire body, but we believe the Lord is in this.
How are we seeking God’s leading in these efforts?
Our decision to pursue a permanent home for New North has come with much prayer and careful consideration by our elders and leaders. But it doesn’t stop there. We’re also asking you to commit to what God may be asking of you in this season, and to pray without ceasing for this campaign.
How are we continuing to meet the needs of those negatively impacted by the pandemic? Is doing this initiative now competing with that?
Our church has been incredibly generous throughout this season of COVID-19. Giving to our Community Care Fund has increased exponentially, and we’ve given out more than we ever have! With the onset of our Now More Than Ever generosity campaign, we will not shy away from continuing to prioritize and care for those most in need in our local and global community and church body.
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PUTTING YOUR FAITH INTO ACTION LET’S SOW SEED INTO THE GROUND! 01. Make a Pledge Commitment Cards Available March 14
02. Share Your Story
03. Cultivate Thankfulness What are you thankful for in this season? Let’s celebrate all that God has done in us and through us!
Tell us what God is doing in your life in this season: future.newnorth.church
TOOLS FOR THE JOURNEY Bible Study
Chew On It!
One of the primary ways you can take this journey with us is by walking through the 7-week Bible Study found in the following pages. We are expecting God to not only speak to our church collectively, but to us as individuals in the area of generosity.
When you meet with your groups, be sure to fill in the blanks! Our reflection questions are not only great in your small groups, but even around the dinner table! Finally, we suggest memorizing scripture together as a family! Let’s aim our faith and our focus over the next 7 weeks around this - seeking the Lord, hearing His voice and taking the next steps of obedience!
We invite you on a journey with us. Let’s open our hearts, dream big dreams and prepare to receive all that God has for us as we step into the future together!
VISIT: FUTURE.NEWNORTH.CHURCH to take your next step today and join in the conversation today!
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FUTURE.NEWNORTH.CHURCH